The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-09-26
"HOW TO CONQUER"
Evil Habits and the Means for
Their Eradication.
Sermon by Rev. 7. Dewitt TaImage at
Lake MaxinkueEee, Ind, on the Force
OF Evil Habits and the Influence
of Bad Company


Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage at Lake Maxim,
kuckee, Ind, on the subject of 'How tC
Conquer" His text was:
When shall Ilawke' will seek it yet again.
Proverbs xiii, IS.
With an insight into human nature
such as no other man ever reached, Solo
mon, in my text, sketches the mental OPP
erations of one who, having stepped
aside from the path of rectitude, desire
to return. With wish for something
better he said: ''When shall | awakei
When shall 1 come out of this horrid
nightmare of iniquity?" But seized
upon by uneradicated habit, and forced
down hill by his passions he cries out:
81 will seek it yet again. l 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
perlls OF life, complete maps of the voy-
age, showing ell the rocks, the quick
sands, the shoals. But suppose man
has already made shipwreck; suppose he
is already off the track; suppose he has
already gone astray. How is he to get
backY That is field comparatively I'M
touched. propose to address myself to
such. There are those in this audience
who, with every passion of their ago.
nlzed 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
lncarcerated. Now, if there be any here,
come with an earnest purpose, yet feel
ing they are beyond the pale of Christian
sympathy, and that the sermon can hard
~ be expected to address them, then. at
this moment, l give them my right hand,
and call them brother. Look up. There
IS glorious and triumphant hope for you
yet. sound the trumpet of Gospel de-
liyerance. The Church is ready to spread
q banquet at your return, and the hie-
rarchs Of Heaven to fall into line of BAN
nered procession at the news of your
emancipation. So far as God may help
me, propose to show what are the OBJ
stacles OF your return, and then how you
are to surmount those obstacles.
The first difficulty in the way of your
return is the force of moral graTitation.
Just as there is a natural law which
brings down to the earth any thing you
throw into the air, so there is a corre-
spending moral gravitation. In other
words, it is easier to go down than it is to
go 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 af.
feeted youg Call to mind the anecdotes
you have heard in the last five or ten
years-some of them 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, you have to take but mo-
ment of self-inspection to find out that
there is in all our souls force of moral
gravitationt But that graYitation NAV
be resisted. just as you may pick up
from the earth something and hold it in
your hand toward Heaven, just so, by
the power of Gods grace, a soul fallen
may be lifted toward peace, toward par
don, toward Heaven. Force of moral
grayitation 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. I know
there are those who say it is very easy for
them to give up evil habits. 1 do not be.
lieve them. Here is man given to in
toxication. He knows it is disgracing 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 he not do so? The fact that he
does not give it up proves that it is hard
to give 1t up. 1t is very easy thing to
SAIL down stream, the tide carving Won
with great force; but suppose YOU turn
the boat upstream, is it so easy then to
row 1t? As long as we yield to the evil
inelinations IN our hearts, and our bad
habits, we are sailing downstream: but
the moment we try to turn, we put our
boat in the rapids just above Niagara, and
try to run 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 diff
cult Twenty seven years ago quit the
naplt, and would as soon dare but nv
right hand IN the fire as once to indulge in
IL. why? Because it was such a terrible
struggle to get over it. Now, let man
De advised by his physician to give up the
use OF tobacco. He goes around not
knowing what to do with himself. He can
not ada up line of figures. He can not
sleep nights. 1t 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 fret
IuL The composure that characterized
him has given way to a fretful restless.
ness, and he has become a complete
hdget What power is it that has rolled
q wave of woe over the earth and shaken
a portent in the heavens? He has tried to
stop smoking or chewing! After awhile
ne says: Il am going to do as 1 please.
The doctor doesn't understand nv case.
I'm going back to my old habit.0 And
he returns. Every thing assumes it's usual
composure. His business seems to
brighten. The world becomes an attract.
I've place to live in. His children. seeing
the difference, hail the return of their
father's genial disposition. What wave
Of color has dashed blue in the sky. and
greenness into the mountain foliage, and
me glow of sapphire into the sunsetY |
W hat enchantment has lifted a world of |
beauty and joy on his soul? He has gone |
back to tobacco:
Oh the fact is, as we all know in our |
oWn experience, that habit is a taskmas. |
er; as long as we obey it, it does not |
shastise US; but let us resist and we find |
We are to be dashed with scorpion vhips.
md bound with ship cable, and thrown |