The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-07-12
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Art of Making Friends Dis
coursed Upon.
The best Way to Get Ardent Friends Is to
Have Ardent Enemies ~ Your Ens-
mics Have Been Acquired
In Doing Right.

a man that hath friends must show himself
frlendly.-Rrov. xviii, "a
About the sacred and divine art Of maxi
ing and keeping friends L speak, sub
Ject on which never heard of any one
preaching-and yet God thought it of
enough importance to putt in the middle
OF the Bible, these writings Of Solomon.
bounded on one side by the popular
Psalms of David, and on the other by the
writings Of Isaiah, the greatest Of the
prophets. 1t seems ali a matter of hap
hazard how many friends we have, or
whether we have any friends at all, but
there IS nothing accidental about It, There
is law which governs the accreton and
dispersion of friendships. They did not
''just happen so" any more than the tides
just happen to rise or fall, or the
sun just happens to rise or set.
1t is science, an art God given
regulation. Tell me how friendly you
are to others, and / will tell you how
friendly others are TO you. / do not say
YOU viii not have euemies-iudoed, the
best way to get ardent friends is to have
ardent enemies, if you got their enmity in
doing the right thing. Good men and
women will always have enemies, be-
cause their goodness is perpetual re-
buke TO evil; but this antagOnism Of foes
will make more intense the love Of your
adherents. Your friends will gather
closer around you because Of the attacks
of your assailants. The more your enc
mics abuse you the better your coad-
tutors will think of you. The best friends
we ever had appeared at some juncture
when we were especially bombarded.
There have been times in my life when
unjust assault multiplied my friends, as
near as / could calculate, about fifty
minute. You are bound to some people
by many cords that neither time nor
eternity can break, and will warrant
that many of those cords were twisted by
lands malevoleut Human nature was
shipwreCked about fety-nine centuries
ngo-the captain of that craft Zone
Adam) and his first mate running the
famous cargo aground on a snag in the
River Hiddekel; but there was at least
one good trait OF human nature that
waded safely ashore from that ship
wreck, and that is the disposition to
take the part Of those unfairly dealt with.
when it is thOrOug hly demonstrated that
some ono is boing prosecuted, although
at the start slanderous tongues were
busy enough, defenders finally gather
around as thick as bees on a trellis
of bruised honeysuckle. If, whom set
upon by the furies, you can have grace
enough to keep your mouth shut, and
preserve your equipoise, and let others
fight your battles, you Will find yourself
AItGE AMnllb WAAu q WnOle COTuOn OF lAlltSs
Had not the world given to Christ on His
arrival at Palestine a very cold shoulder
there would not have been one-half as
many angels chanting glory out of the
hymn books of the sky bound in black
lids Of midnight. Had it not been for the
heavy and jagged and tortuous cross,
Christ would not have been the admired
and loved of more people than any being
who ever touched foot on either the east
therefore, Of giving up in despair because
You have enemies rejoice in the fact that
they rally for you the most helpful and
enthusiastic admirers. In other words,
there is no virulence, human or diabolic,
that can hinder my text from coming
true; "A man that hath friends must
show himself friendly"
1t is my ambition TO project especially
upon the young a thought which may be-
niguly shape their destiny for the here
and the hereafter. Before you show your
Felf friendly you must be friendly. / do
not recommend a dramntized geniality.
There is such thing as pretending to be
en- rapport with others when we are their
dire destructants, and talk against them
and wish them calamity. Judas covered
up his treachery by a resounding kiss,
and caresses may be demoniacal. Better
the NEUROLOGICAL Cerberus, the three
headed dog of hell barking at us, than
the wolf in sleeps clothing It's brindled
hide covered up by deceitful wool, and its
beautiful howl cadencod into an innocent
bleatiug. DisraeH writes of Lord Man
fred, who, after committing many out
RACES upon the people, seemed suddenly
60 become friendly, and invited them to @
banquet After most of the courses of
food had been served he blew a horn
which was in those times signal for the
servants t. bring on the dessert but in
this case it was the signal for assassins
TO enter and Stay the guests. His pre-
tended friendliness was a cruel fraud
and there are now people whose smile is
falschoOd. Before you begin to show
yourself friendly you must be friendly
Get your heart right with God and man
and this grace will become easy. YoI
may by your own resolution get YOU
nature into scmblance OF this virtue
but the grace of God can sublimely If
you into it.
Sailing on the river Thames two vessel.
ran aground. The owners Of one got
hundred horses and pulled on the ground.
ed ship, and pulled it to pieces. The
owners of the other grounded vessel wait
ed till the tides come in aud easily hOatet
the ship out of all trouble. So we may
pull and haul at our grounded human
nature, and try TO get it into better coudi
ton; but there is nothing like the ocean,,
tides OK NHOd' Is Upil1tlnE grace 10 MOIST N
into this kindness 1 am eulOgizing. /
when under tho flash of the Holy GhOs
we SEQ our own foibles and defects an'
dcpraviies, we viii be very lenient an,
very easy with others. We will look int
their characters for things commentator,
und not damnGtory. IL you would rul
your own eye little more vigorously yo'
would find "a mote in il, the extraction o
which would keep You so busy you woul'
rot have much time to shoulder YOU
broadaNe and go forth to split up th
beam In your neighbours eye. In a Chris
tian spirit keep on exploring the charac
tcrs of those You meet, and am sure vol
will find something in them delightful
and fit for a foundation of friendliness
You invite me TO come TO your couutr.
seat and spend a few days. Thank you'll
/ arrive ahout noon Of a beautiful sum
mer day. What do you do: As soon a
arrive you take me out under the shad
ow Of the great elms. You take m
down to the artificial lake, the spotte
trout floating in and out among the whit
piilars Of the pond lilies. You take m
10 the stalls and kennels whe you kee
your fine stock. and here are the Durh8r
cattle and tho Gordon settlers, and tn
housekeeping steeds by paving an
nelehing, the only language they ca
sneak, asking for harness or saddle, an
w