The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMONS.
Subject in the Morning: 1auinons
Company Subject IN the Even
ing: lessons Of the Penn
sylvania Flood"


him, 'tmay it please the court, bad com.
pany has been my ruin. l received
the blessings Of good parents, and, In re-
turn, promised to avoid all evil assocla-
tions. Had kept my promise should have
been saved this shame, and been free
from the load Of guilt that hangs round me
like vulture threatening to drag me to JUS
tice for crimes yet unrevealed l, who once
moved in the first circles Of society, and have
been the guest Of distinguished public men,
am lost, and all through bad company"
This is but one Of the thousand proofs that
the companion of fools shall be destroyed.
It is the invariable rule. There is a well man
in the wards of hospital, where there are
hundred people sick with ship fever, and
he will not be so apt to take the disease as q
good man would be apt to be smitten with
moral distemper, if shut up with iniquitous
companions.
In olden times prisoners were herded to-
gether in the same cell, but each one learned
the vices Of all the culprits, so that, instead of
being reformed by Incarceration, the day OF
liberation turned them out upon society
beasts not men.
We may, in our places of business, be COM
PEELED to talk to and mingle with bad men;
but he who deliberately chooses to associate
himself with vicious people is engaged in
carrying on courtship with Delilah, whose
shears will clip off the locks Of his
strength, and he will be tripped into
tious, is epidemic I will let you look over
the millions Of people now inhabiting the
earth, and challenge you to show me good
man who, after one year, has made choice and
consorted with tho wicked. A thousand dol
lars reward for one such instance. I care not
how strong your character may be. Associate
with gamblers, you will become gambler.
Clan with burglars, and you will become a
burglar. Go among the unclean, and you
will become unclean. Not appre:iating the
truth of my text many young man has
been destroyed. He wakes up some morning
In the great city, and knows no one except
AS he goes into the store all the clerks
mark him, measure him and discuss him.
The upright young men of tho store wish him
well, but perhaps wait for formal introduc-
tion, and even then have some deli
cacy about inviting him into their associa-
tions. But the bad young men Of the
store at the first opportunity approach
and offer their services. They patron
ize him. They profess to know all about the
wishes to go-if he will pay the expenses.
man go to some place where they ought not,
the good young man has invariably to pay
the charges. At the moment the ticket is
to be paid for, or the champagne settled for,
the bad young man feels around in his
pockets and says: ~ have forgotten
my pocket book" In forty-eight hours
after the young man has entered the sore the
bad fellows of tho establishment slap him on
the shoulder famiiarly, and, at his stupidity
friend, you will have to be broken in" and
they Immediately proceed to break him in.
Young man, in the name of God, I warn you to
beware how you let q bad man talk fam
iliarly with you. If such an one slap you on
the shoulder familiarly, turn round and give
him a whitening look, until the wretch
crouches in your presence. There is no mon-
strosity of wickcdness that can stand una
dashed under the glance of purity ani honor.
First, I warn you to shun the skeE tic-the
young man who puts his fingers in his vest
and laughs at your old fashioned religion,
and and s saws: 0 Explain amt that my pious Go T friend;
explain that" And who says: Nobody
shall scare me; I am not afroiG Of tho
future; I used to believe in such
things, and SO do my father and
mother, but I have got over it." Yes, he
has got over it; and If you sit in his COM
pany little longer, you will get over it too.
Without presenting one argument against
the Christian religion, such men will, by their
jeers, and SCOTS, and caricatures, destroy
your respect for that religion which was
tie strength of your father in his
your old mother when She lay
a-dying. Alas! time will come when that
clustering young infdel will have to die, and
then his diamond ring will fash no splendor
in the eyes Of Death, as he stands over the
couch waiting for his soul.
Again, / urge you to Shun the companion
ship of idlers. There are men hanging around
every store and Office, and shop, who have
nothing to do, or act Us if they had not. They
are apt to come in when the firm are away,
and wish to engage you in conversation
while you are engaged in your
regular employment. Politely. suggest
to such persons that you have no time to give
them during business hours. Nothing would
please them so we'll as to have you re-
nounce your occupation and associate with
them Much of the time they lounge around
the club rooms or the doors Of engine
houses, or after the dining hour stand upon
the steps of fashionable hotel or an
elegant restaurant, wishing to give you the
idea that that is the place where they dine
But they do not dine there. They are sink.
Neither by day nor by night have anything
to do with the idlers Before you admit
a man into your acquaintance ask him
politely: "What do you do for q iv-
fng?' If he says: Nothing; am q gentle
man" look out for him. He may have very
soft hand and very faultless apparel and
have a high sounding family name, but his
touch is death. Before you know it you will
in his presence be ashamed of your work
dress. Business will become to you drudgery,
and after awhile you will lose your place,
rasnaotamlltv
last of all your soul. Idleness is next door to
villainy. Thieves, gamblers burglars, shop
lifters and assassins are made from the class
who nave nothing to do. When the police 20 to
hunt up and arrest a culprit they seldom go
to look in among busy clerks or in the busy
carriage factory, but they 60 among the
groups of idlers. The play is going on at tho
theatre, when suddenly there IS scuttle In
the top gallery. What is it? A policeman
has como in and, leaning over, has tapped on
the shoulder of q young man, saying; Il
want YOU, sir" He has not worked during
the day, but somehow has raked together
shilling or two to get into the top gallery. He
is an idler. The man on his right hand is an
idler and the man on his left hand is an idler.
Shrink back from idleness in yourself and
in others if you would maintain right posi-
tion. Good old Ashbel Green, at moro than
eighty years Of age, was found busy writing,
and some young man said to him: why do
you keep busy? 1t is time for you to rest. !"
He answered: 81 keep busy to keep out of
mischief" No man is strong enough to bs
idle.
A young man came to man of ninety
years of age and said to him: "How have
you made out to live so long aud be so well?"
The old man took the yourgstcr to an Or
chard, and, pointing to some large trees full
of apples, said: "Iplanted these trees when
1 was boy, and do you wonder that now
T am permitted to gather the fruit of
them?n We gather in old age what we plant
in onl. Youth Sow To tbe Wind md we ram