The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-06-02
fALMAGE'S SERMON.
Dangers That Beset the Footsteps
of the Stranger in Town"
How sunday IL spent In the Great Mo
tropclis-A Man Can Not Afford to
Break the sabbath-Enects
of Stunning.


Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage delivered
the following sermon on the perils be-
setting the stranger in a great city to
a congregation that filed the Brook
iyn tabernacle. 1t was based on the
text:
Twas a stranger and We took me in.-Mat-
thew ky, 50.
1t is moral disaster that jocosity
has despoiled SO many passages of
Scripture. ans my text is one that has
suffered from irreverent aud misap-
piled quotation. 1t shows great pow
erty OF wit and humor when people
take the sword of Divine truth for
game at fencing. or chip off from the
Kohinoor diamond of inspiration
sparkle to decorate fools cap My
text is the salutation in the last judg-
ment to be given to those who have
shown hospitality, and kindness, and
Christian helpfulness to strangers. BY
railroad an d steamboat the population
of the earth are all the time in motion,
and from one years end to another, our
cities are crowded with visitors. Ev-
cry morn ing on the tracks of the Hud-
son River, the Pennsylvania, the
Erie, the Long Island railroads
there come passenger trains more than
can number, so that all the depots
and the wharves are a-rumble and a
clang with the coming in of great
immigration of strangers. Some OF
them come for purposes of barter,
some for mechanism, some for artistic
qualification, some for sightseeing. A
great many of them go out on the
evening trains, and consequently the
city makes but little impression upon
them; but there are multitudes who,
in the hotels and boarding houses.
make temporary residence. They
tarry here for three or four days or
as many weeks. They spend the days
in the stores and the evenings in
sightseeing. Their temporary stay
will make or break them, not only
financially, but morally, for this
world and the world that is to come.
Multitudes of them come into our
morning and evening services. l am
conscious that stand in the presence
| of many this moment | desire more
especially to speak to them. May God
give me the right word and help me to
utter it in the right way.
There is man who, in infancy, lay
in cradle satin-lined. Out yonder is
man who was picked up, found
ling, on Boston common. Here is a
man who is coolly observing this reli-
gious service. expecting no advantage
| and caring for no advantage for him.
| self; while yonder is a man who has
been for ten years in an awful con-
flagration of evil habits, and he is a
| mere cinder ola destroyed nature. and
he is wondering if there shall be in
this service any escape or help for his
immortal soul. Meeting you only
| once, perhaps, face to face. | strike
| hands with you in an earnest talk
about your present condition and your
| eternal well-being. st. Paul's ship al
Melita went to pieces where two seas
met; but we stand to-day at point
where thousand seas converge, and
| eternity alone can tell the issue of the
hour.
The hotels of this country, fol
4 beauty and elegance, are not surpassed
by the hotels in any other land; but
those that are most celebrated fol
brilliancy of tapestry and mirror car
not give to the guest any costly apart
ment, unless he can afford parlor in
addition to his lodging. The stranger
therefore, will generally find assigned
to him room without any pictures
and perhaps any rocking chair! He
| will find box of matches on a bureau
and an old newspaper left by the
previous occupant. and that will bt
about all the ornamentation. At
o'clock in the evening, after having
taken his repast, he will look over his
memorandum book of the days work
he will write letter to his home, ant
then desperation will seize upor
him to get out. You hear the grea
city laundering under your windows
and you say, II must join that process
sion," and in ten minutes you have
Joined it. Where are you going
"Oh," you say, Il haven't made up my
mind yet" Better make up your mint
before you start. Perhaps the yer,
way you go now you will always GO
Twenty years ago there were tw,
young men who came down the Asto
house steps and started out in ;
wrong direction, where they have beef
going ever since.
"Well, where are you going?" say
one man. II am going to the academ,
to hear some music" Good. / woult
like to join you at tie door. At tn,
tap of the orchestral baton all TIN
gates of harmony and beauty will opel
before your soul. congratulate you
Where are you going? 'Well," yo'
say, 81 am going up to see some ad
vertised pictures. Good. l shoul'
like to go along with you and lool
over the same catalogue and stud,
with you Kensett and Bierstadt an,
Church and Moran. Nothing more ele
waiting than good pictures. Where ar
you going? WELL" you say. Il am &c
ing up to the Young Mems Christian
association rooms" Good. You will fin
there gymnastics to strengthen tn
muscles and books to improve tn,
mind and Christian influence to sew
the soul. l wish every city in tn
United States had as fine palace TO
its Young Mems Christian association
as New York has. Where are you &C
| iuCc "We1l I. Won saw ~ am poinu 4