The Penn's Grove record., 1889-06-22
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON:
RuInous Company.

RuInous Company.
"a companlon OF fools shall be destroyed
''May il please the court" said a
| convicted criminal, when asked IL he
had anything to say before sentence Of
death was passed upon him, "may II
please the court, bad company has been
my ruin. 1 received the blessings OF
good parents, and, in return, promised
to avoid all evil associations. Had
kept my promise l should have been
saved this shame. and been free from
the load of guilt that hangs round me
like a vulture, threatening to drag me
TO Justice for crimes yet u~nrevealed. l,
who once moved in the first circles Of
society, and have been the guest of dis
tinguished public men, am
LOST THROUGH BAD COMPANY.
This is but one Of the thousand proofs
that the companion Of fools shall be
destroyed. 1t is the inyariable rule.
There Is u we'll man in the wards of a
hospital, where there are a hundred
people sick with slip fever. and he will
not be SO apt TO take the disease as a
good man would be apt to be smitten
with moral distemper II shut up with
ubiquitous companions. In oller times
prisoners were bearded together 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 place of business, be
compelled to talk TO and mingle with
bad men; but he who deliberately
| chooses to associate himself with vicious
people is engaged in carrying on a court
ship with a Delllah, whose shears will
clip off all the locks Of his strength, and
he will be tripped into perdition.
SIN is CATCHING.
is Infectious, is epidemic. Twill let you
look over the millions of people now in
habiting the globe, and l challenge you
TO show me a good man who, after one
year, has made choice and consorted
with the wicked. A thousand dollars
reward for one such instance. l care
no, how strong your character may be,
associate with gamblers, you will become
II gambler; clan with burglars; and you
will become q burglar; 60 among the
uncleau, and you will become unclean.
Not approaching the truth of my text,
many q young man has been destroyed.
He wakes up some morning in the great
city, and knows no n except the per-
sons into whose employ he has entered.
As he goes into the store, all the clerks
mark him, measure him, and discuss
him. The upright young men of the
| store wish HIM well, but perhaps wait
for a formal introduction, and ever then
have some delicacy about inviting him
into their associations. But the bad
young men of the store, at the first
opportunity, approach and offer their
services. They patronize him. They
profess TO know all about the town.
THEY WILL TAKE HIN ANYWHERE
that he wishes to go-if he will pay the
expenses. For If a good young man
and q bad young 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, OF the champagne settled for, the
bad young man feels around in his
pockets and says: 81 have forgotten
my pocket-book." In fOrty-eight hours
after the young man has entered the
store the bad fellows Of the establish
ment slap him on the shoulder familiar
ly, and, at his stupidity in taking Ger
tain illusions say: my young friend,
YOU will have to be broken in;" and
they Immediately proceed TO break him
in.
Young man, in the name of God /
warn you to beware how you let Il bad
man talk Familiarity with you. II such
an n slap You on the shoulder fami-
liarly, turn round, and give him a with.
ering look, until the wretch crouches in
your presence. There is no monstrosity
Of w~ickedness that can stand unabashed
under the glance Of purity and honor.
God keeps the lightenings of heaven in
His W scabbard, and no human arm
can WELD them; but God gives to every
young man a tightening that he may
use, and that is the tightening of an
honest eye. Those who have been close
observers Will not wonder why l give
the warning, beware of bad COM
pany"
1. First. I warn you to
sHUN THE sKEPTIC-
the young man who puts his fingt rs In
his vest, and laughs at your old FASH
Toned religion. and turns over to some
mystery Of the Bible, and says: s.Ex-
plain that, my pious friend; explain
that" And who says: Nobody shall
scare me; l am not afraid Of the future;
l used to believe In such things, and 50
did my father and mother, but | have
got over it." Yes, he has got over IL;
and If you sit in his company a little
longer. You will get over 1t too. With.
out presenting one argument against
the Christian religion. such men will.
by their jeers and SCOTS and c~aricatures
destroy your respect for that religion
which was the strength OF your father
in his declining years, and the pillow of
your old mother when she lay a-dying.
AlasI a time will come when the blus-
terlng young infdel will have to die,
and then his diamond ring will flash no
splendor In
THE EYES OF DEATH
as he stands over the couch, waiting for
his soul, Those beautiful locks Will be
uncombed upon the pillow, and the
dying man will say: ~ cannot die-I
cannot die" Death, standing ready
beside the couch, says: "You must die;
me have 1t right away-your Hoil.s'
NO" says the young infdel, there are
my gold rings, and these pictures, take
Them ALL" mo- says Death, what
do 1 care for p~icturesl your SOUL"
'Stand backp' says the dying iniidel.
II will not stand back" says Death;
sfor you have only ten seconds now ~
live; I want your SOUL" The dying
~ L.lA sL-s --rI