Richmond planet., 1889-07-27
HOW TO CONQUER.
SERMON BY REV. DR.. TALMAGE,
SUNDAY, JULY Fl, 1889.

Yet Again.
LAKE MAxINKUCKEE, Ind, July 2L-Rev
T. De Witt Talmage preached today a
Culver Park assembly, this place, great crowd
being present from Indianapolis, Chicago ant
surrounding regions. His subject was: "Hov
to Conquer" The text was: "When shall
awakeS ] will seek it yet again" Prov
xiii, So. The eloquent preacher said:
With an insight into human nature such a.
no other man ever reached Solomon, in my
text sketches the mental operations of one
who, having stepped aside from the path o1
rectitude, desires to return With wish fol
something better he said: when shall
awakes When shall come out Of this horrid
nightmare of iniquityr' But, seized upon by
uneradicated habit, and forced down hill by
his passions, he cries out: II viii seek it ye,
again. | will try it once more'
Our libraries are adorned with an elegant
literature addressed to young men, pointing
out to them all the dangers and perils of life
complete maps Of the voyage, showing all
the rocks, the quicksands, the shoals. But sup
pose man has already made shipwreck; sup
pose he is already Off the track; suppose be
back? That is field comparatively untouch-
ed. IprOpose to address myself to such There
are those in this audience who, with every
passion Of their agonized soul, are ready to
hear such discussion. They compare them
selves with what they were ten years ago
and cry out from the bondage in which they
are incarcerated. Now, if there be any here,
come with an earnest purpose, yet feeling
IL
pathy, and that the sermon cen hardly be ex.
pected to address them, then, at this moment,
give them my right hand, and call them
brother. Look upl There is glorious and rri-
umphant hope for you yet. | sound the
trumpet of Gospel deliverance The church
is ready to spread banquet at 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 heir
me, propose to show what are the obstacles
of your return, and then how you are to sur
mount those obstacles The first difficulty in
the way of your return is the force Of moral
gravitatiOn. Just as there Is natural law
which brings down to the earth anything YOU
throw into the air, so there is corresponding
moral gravitation. In other words, it i
easier to go down than it is to 60 up; it il
easier to do wrong than 1t Is to do right. Call
to mind the comrades Of your boyhood dayi
some of them good, some Of them bad
which most affected youq Call to mind tha
anecdotes that you have heard in the last Ave
Or ten years-some Of them are pure and some
Of them impure. Which the more easily sticks
10 your memoryf During the years Of yom
life you have formed certain courses OF con
Of them good, some Of them bad
To which style of habit did you the more easily
Tieldl All, my friends, we have to take but
! moment Of self inspection to find out that
here is in all our souls a force Of moral gray
tationl But that gravitation may be re-
listed. just as you may pick up from the
arth something and hold 1t In your hand
oward heaven, just so, by the power Of Gods
race, soul fallen may be lifted teward
,eace, toward pardon, toward heaven. Force
+ moral gravitation in every one of rrs, but |
over In Gods grace to overcome that force
moral gravitation.
THE POWER OF EVIL HABIT
The next thing In the way of your return
the power Of evil habit. know there are
hose who say 1t is very easy for them to
i've up evil habits. do not believe them.
Iere Is a man given to intoxication. He
nows it is disgracing his family, destroying
is property, running him, body, mind and |
oul. If that man, being an intelligent man,
nd loving his family, could easily give up
hat habit, would he nos do soa The fact
hat he does not give it up proves it is hard |
0 give it up. 1t is very easy thing to sail |
own stream, the tide carrying you with
reat force; but suppose you turn the boat
p stream, is it SO easy then to row iti Al
ong as we yield to the evil inclinations in our
carts, and our bad habits we are sail
ng down stream; but the moment we
ry to turn, we put our boat In the rapida
ust above Niagara, and try to row uu
tream. Take man given to the habit OF
sing tobacco, as most of you do and let him
esolve to stop, and he finds it very difficult.
'wenty ty-seven yearsago quit that habit, and
would as soon dare to put my right hand in
he fire as once to indulge In it. Why3 Be
ause it was such terrific struggle to get
yer it, Now, let q man be advised by his
hydcian to give up the use Of tobacco He
oes around not knowing what to do with
inseH. He cannot add up line Of figures.
Ie cannot sleep nights. 1t seems as If the
yorld had turned upside down. He feels
is business is going to ruin. Where he
yas kind and oblging he is scolding
nd fretful. The composure that charac-
srized him has given way to a fretful
and he has become a complete
dget, What power Is it that has rolled a
ave of woe over the earth and shaken a por-
mt In the heavensa He has tried to stop
noking or chewing! After while he says
am going to do as | please. The doctor
oesn't understand my case. I'm going back
my old habit" And he returns. Every
ling assumes its usual composure. His bus
less seems to brighten. The world becomes
q attractive place to live in. His children,
eing the difference, hail the return Of their
Lther's genial disposition. What wave Of
'lor has dashed blue into the sky and green
sss into the mountain foliage, and the glow
sapphire into the sunsetl What enchant-
ent has lifted q world Of beauty and JOY on
s soula He has gone back to tobaccol
1T is A TASKMASTER
Oh, the fact is, as we all know in our own
perience, that habit is a taskmaster; as long
we obey it, it does not chastise US; but let
resist, and we find we are to be dashed with
orpion whips and bound with ship cable
Id thrown iuto the track of bone breakinp
1ggernautsl During the war of 1912 there
as ship set on fire just above Niagara
alls, and then, cut loose from its moorings.
came on down through the night and
sea over the falls. 1t was said to have
en- a scene brilliant beyond all description.
ell, there are thousands of men on fire Of
u habit. comiafr plunge Obi how harJ I.
Q arrest them. God only can arrest thar,
suppose man after fve, or ten. or twenty
Ms OF evn doing, resolves to do r;erbt,
ny, all the forces Of darkness are ai1ial !
ainss him He cannot sleep nights Ha !
$ down on his knees in the nlidnight and 4
= God help me" He bites his lbs. Ha I
nds ms teeth. He clenches his fist II III Y
70 keep his purpose. He dara !. !
look at the bottles in the window Of 4 ~ \ \
e Il was one long. bitter, xl.1ustiva 4 \
'a-So-nand hight. with int1arned, tsntalrz, :,
ald merciless habit When he tbinks 4