The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-07-31
DIR. TALMAGE IN INDIANA.
HIS SERMON AT LAKE MAxlNkUckgE.
Some Words of Comfort and Advice on
Glow to Conquer the Various Pet
Vices to Which Most Men
Are EnsIaved.

at Culver park assembly, on Lake Maxim
kuckee, last Sunday, great crowds of peo-
pie being present from Chicago, Indian
apolis and the surrounding regions. His
subject was ''How to Conquer" The text
was "When shall awake? VIII seek it
yet again. Prov, xiii, 55. The elo-
quent preacher said:
With an insight into human nature such
as no other man ever reached Solomon, IN
my text, sketches the mental operations
OF one who having stepped aside from the
path OF rectitude, desires to return. With
a wish for something better, he said:
When shall l awake? When shall [
come out of this horrid nightmare of iniq
uity2" But, seized upon by uneradicated
habit and forced down hill by his pas
sions, he cries out: Il will seek it yet
again. will try it once more
Our Libraries are adorned with an ele-
CANT literature addressed to Young men,
pointing out to them all the dangers and
perils Of life-complete maps OF the voy-
age, showing all the rocks. the quicksands,
the shoals. But suppose a man has
already made shipwreck; suppose he is
already off the track; suppose he has
already gone estray. How is he to get
back? This is field comparatively I'M
touched. propose to address myself to
such. There are those In this audience
who, with every passion of their agon-
lied soul, are ready to hear such dis
cussion. They compare themselves with
what they were ten years ago, and cry out
from the bondage in which they are in
oarcerated. Now, if there be any here,
come with an earnest purpose, vet feeling
they are beyond the pale of Christian
sympathy, and that the sermon can
hardly be expected to address them,
then. at this moment, I give them my right
hand and call them brother. Look up.
There is glorious and triumphant hope for
you vet. I sound the trumpet of gospel
deliverance The church is ready to
spread banquet st your return and the
hierarchs of heaven to fall into line of
hammered procession at the news Of your
emancipation. So far as God may help
me l propose to show what are the OBJ
stacles of your return, and then how you
are TO surmount those obstacles. The
hrst difficulty in the way Of your return
Is the force of moral gravitation. Just as
there is natural law which brings down
10 the earth anything you throw into the
air, so there is a corresponding moral
gravitation. In other words, it is easier to
go down than 1t is to 90 up it is easier to do
wrong than It is to do right. Call to mind
the comrades OF your boyhood days-some
OF them good, some of them bad-which
most affected you? Call to mind the anec-
dotes that you have heard In the last five
or ter years-some OF them are pure and
some OF them impure. Which the more
easily sticks to your memory During the
years Of your life you have formed certain
courses Of conduct-some of them good,
some OF them bad. To which style of habit
did you the more easily yield? All, my
friends we have to take but moment of
self-inspection to find out that there is in
all our souls force OF moral gravitation
But that gravitation may be resisted.
Just as YOU may pick up from the earth
something and hold it in your hand to-
ward heaven, just so, by the power of
Gods grace, a soul fallen may be lifted
toward peace, toward pardon, toward
heaven. Force of moral gravitation in
every one Of Us, but power in Gods grace
to overcome that force Of moral gravitation.
The next thing in the way OF your re-
turn is the power of evil habit. l know
there are those VINO say it is very easy for
them to give up evil habits. do not be-
lieve them. Here is a man given to intoxi
cation. He knows it is disgracing his
family, destroying his property, running
him, body, mind and soul. III that man,
being an intelligent man, and loving his
family, could easily give up that habit,
would he not do so? The fact that he
does not give 1t up proves that it is hard
TO give It up. 1t IS a very easy thing to
sall down stream, the tide carrying YOU
with great force; but suppose you turn the
boat up stream, is it so easy then
to row it, As long as We yield
70 the evil inclinations in our
hearts and our bad habits we are
sailing down stream; but the moment we
try 10 turn we put our boat in the rapids
Just above Niagara and try to row up
stream. Take man given to the habit of
using tobacco, as most OF you do, and let
him resolve to stop, and he finds it very
difficult. Twenty-seven years ago l quit
that habit, and | would as soon dare to
put my right hand in the fire as once to
indulge IN It. Why? Because it was such
terrific struggle to get over it. Now, let
man be advised BY his physician to give
up the use OF tobacco. He goes around
not knowing what to do with himself. He
cannot add up a line OF figures. He can
not sleep nights. It seems as if the world
had turned upside down. He feels
his business is going to ruin. Where he
was kind and obliging he is scolding
and fretful- The composure that charac-
terlzed him has given way to a fretful
restlessness and be has become complete
fdget. What power IS it that has rolled
wave OF woe over the earth and shaken
portent IN the heavens He has tried to
stop smoking or chewing After awhile he
says: Il am going to do as I please. The
doctor doesn't understand my case. I'm
going back to my old habit" And he re-
turns. Everything assumes its usual com
posure. His business seems to brighten.
The world becomes an attractive place to
live in His children seeing the difference
hail the return of their fathers genial
disposition. What wave of color has
dashed blue into the sky and greenness
into the mountain foliage and the glow of
sapphire into the sunset? What enehant-
nent has lifted a world of beauty and Joy
on his soul2 He has gone back to tobaccol
/ have also to say that il a man wants
to return from evil practices society re-
pulses him. Desiring to reform, be SAYS:
Now will shake off my old associates,
and | will find Christian comDanionship."
And he appears at the church door some
Sabbath day and the usher greets him
with a look, as much as TO say: "Why,
you here2 You are the last man ever
expected to see at church! Come, take
this seat right down by the door," instead
of saying: Good morning; l am glad
YOU are here. Come, l Will give you a
frst-rate seat right up by the pulpit"
Well, the prodigal, not yet discouraged,
enters the prayer-meeting and some Chris