Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-07-22
A PATH TO VICTORY.
THB NARROW ROAD PROM SIN TO ETERNAL
SALVATION
Pointed out by The Eloquent Tabernacle Pastcr-Ths
Difficulties in The Path Of the Erring One,
and How They May Be Overcome.
Special Telegram to the Register.

LAKE MAAlNhUCkhEi IND, July Sl.-
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage preached at
Culver Park assembly, this place, to-day,
great crowds of people being present from
Chicago, indianapolis and the surround
ing regions. His subject was: "How 10
Conquer" The text was: when shall
awake? will GEEK it yet again" Prov.
xiii, 35. The eloquent preacher said:
With an insight into human nature
such as no other man ever reached, Solo
mon, in my text, sketches the mental
operations Of one who, having stepped aside
from the path of rectitude, desires to re-
turu. With wish for something better,
he said, "When shall 1 awake? When
shall ! come out Of this horrid nightmare
of iniquib?" But, seizsd upon by un-
eIadicted habit, and forced down hill by
his passions, he cries out: ~ will seek
it yet agair. I will try it once more"
Oar Libraries are adorned with an ele-
CANT literature addressed to young men,
pointing out to them all the dangers and
psrils Of life-completes maps Of the
voyage, showing all the rocks, the quick
sands, the shoals But suppose a man has
already made shipwreck; suppose he is
already off the track; suppose he has al
ready gone astray. How is he to get
back? That is field comparatively un-
touched propose to address myself TO
such. There are those in this audience
who, with every passion of their sgonized
soul, are ready to hear such discussion
They compare themselves with what they
were ten years ago, and
CRY OUT FROM THE BONDAGE
in which they are incaIcerated. Now, if
there be any here, come with an earnest
purpose, yet feeling they are beyond the
pale of Christian sympathy, and that the
sermon can hardly be expected to address
them. then, at this moment, l give them
my right hand, and call them brother.
Look u9. There is a glorious and tri.
umphant hope for you yet. 1 sound the
trumpet of Gospel deliverance. The
church is ready to spreld a barquet at
your return, and the hierarchs of heaven
10 fall into the line of hammered procession
at the news Of your emancipation. SO far
as God may help me, propose to show
what are the obstacles Of your retain, and
then how you are TO surmount those OBJ
stscles. The first difficulty in the way Of
your return is the force of moral gravits-
tion. Just as there is a natural law which
brings down to the earth anything you
throw into the air, go there is a CORES
pondiDg moral gravitstion. Ia other
words, it is easier to 60 down than it is to go
DO right. Call to mind the comrades OF
your boyhood days-some Of them coed,
some Of them bad-which most affected
youP Call to mind the anecdotes that you
have heard in the last five or ten years
some oftthem are pure and some of them
impure. Which the more easily sticks TO
to yont memory? Daring the years uf your
life you have formed certain courses of
conduct-some of them good and some of
them bad. To which style Of habid did
you the more easily yield? Ah, my friends,
we have TO take but moment Of self in
spection to fud out that there is in all our
souls force of moral gravitationi But
that gravitstion may be resisted. Just as
you may pick up from the earth something
and hold it in your hand toward heaven,
ust so, by the power of Gods grace, soul
fallen may be lifted toward peace, toward
pardon, toward heaven. Force of moral
graYitati0n in every one of US, but power
in Gods grace 10 overcome that force OF
moIal grsvitstion.
The next thing in the way Of your re-
turn is
THE POWER OF EVIL HABITS.
I know there are those who say it is
very easy for them to give up evil habits |
| do not believe them. Here is a man |
given to intoxication. He kuows it is dis |
gracing his family, destroying his property,
running him, body, mind and soul. If
that man, being an intelligent man, and
loving his family, could easily give up
that habit, would be not do SO? The fact |
that he does not give it mp proves that it is
hard to give it up. 1t is very easy thing
to sail down stream, the tide carrying you
with great force; but suppose you turn the |
boat up stream, is it go easy then to row \
il? As long as we yield to the evil incli-
nations in our hearts, and our bad habits,
we are soiling down stream; but the mo-
men. we try to turn, we put our boat In
the rapids Just above Niagara, and try to
row up stream.
How many there are who resolve on q
better life, and say, "When shall awake?"
But seized on by their old habits, cry, II
will try it once more; l will seek 1t yet
againw Years ago there were some Prince
ton students who were skating, and the ice
was very thin, and some one warned the
company back from the air hole, and final
ly warned them entirely to leave the
place. But one young man with bravsdo,
after all the rest had stopped, cried out:
Zone round moreV He swept around and
went down, and was brought out corpse.
NV friends, there are thousands and tens
Of thousands of men losing their souls in
that way. 1t is the one round more.
soCIETY's REPULsEs.
l have also 10 say that if man wants to
return from evil practices society repulses
him. Desiring to reform, he says: Now
I will shake off my old associates. and l
will find Christian companionship. And
he appears at the church door some Sab
bath day, and the usher greets him with o
look, as much as to say; why, you
here9 You are the last man ever expect
ed TO see at church. Come, take this seat
right down by the doorp In
stead of saying: "Good morning; i
am glad You are here. Come; l will
give you a first rate seat, right up by the
pulpit" Well, the pIodigal, not yet dis,
enters the prayer meeting, ana
some Christian man, with more zeal than
common eense, says: GLAD TO zee you
The diving thief was saved, and / suppose
there Is mercy for you" The young man,
iisgusted. chilled, throws himself back on
his dignity, resolved he never will enter
the house of God again. Perhaps not quite
fully discouraged about reformation, ne
sides up by some highly respectable man
he used to know going down the street,
and Immediately the respectable man has
an errand down some other street! Wen.
the proiieal, wishing to return, taxes
,ome member of Christian association by
the hand. or tries to. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded ap,
parel and the marks OF dissipation, ana
instead of giving him warm grip OF the
hand offers him the tip end OF the long nm
2ers Of the left hand, which is equal 10
striking a man in the face.
1RREL1GIoN IN CHURCHES.
think men also are hindered from re-
furn bv the fact that churches arc too
lions about their membership and too
,nxious about their denomination, ana
LL = IT - -,har thew see n man about