Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-08-21
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington piyine's
Sunday Sermon.
Subject: reformation of Habits"

With an insight into hui man nature such
as no other man ever reached, Solomon, in
my text, sketches the mental operations OF
one who, having stepped aside from the
path OF rectitude, desires to return. With
wish for something better he says: "When
snail awake? When shall 1 come out OF
this horrid nightmare Of iniquityf' But
seized upon by uneradicated habit, aud
forced down hill by his passions, he cries
out: III will seek it yet again. l will try il
once more"
our libraries are adorned with an elegant
II erature pointing out all the dangers and
perIls OF life-complete maps Of the VOYAGE.
showing all the rocks, the quicksands, the
shoala But supposed man has already made
shipwreck; suppose he is already of the
track; suppose he has already gone aslray,
how is be to get back? That is q field com.
paratively untouched. propose to address
myself this evening to such. There arethose
IN this audience who, with every passion Of
their agOnized soul, are ready to hear this
discussion. They compare themselves with
what they were ten years ago, and cry out
from the bondage in which they are incar-
eerated
Habit is task master. AS long as we
obey it it does not chastise us; but let US re-
sist, and we find we are to be dashed with
scorpion whips and bound with ship cable
am thrown into the track OF bone-brea ling
Juggernauts. During the war Of 1912 there
was ship set on fire just above Niagara
Falls, and then, cut loose from its moorings.
1t came on down through the night, and
tossed over the falls. 1t was said to have
been a scene brilliant beyond all descrp-
ton. Well, there are thousands Of men on
fire OF evil habit, coming down through the
rapids, and through the awful night OF
temptation; toward the eternal plunge. o.,
how hard it is to arrest them! God only can
arrest them.
Suppose a man, after five, Or ten, or twenty
years OF evil doing resolves to do right.
Why, all the forces of darkness are allied
against him. He cannot sleep nights. he
gets down on his knees in the midnight, and
cries. GOOD help mel" He bites his lip; he
grinds his teeth; he clenches his fist in
determination to keep his purpose. He dare
not look at the bottles in the windows of q
wine store. 1t is one long, bitter, exhaus-
tive, hand-to-hand fight with an inlamed.
tantalizing and merciless habit. When he
thinks he is entirely free the old inclinations
pounce upon him like pack of hounds, with
their muzzles tearing away at tho flanks of
one poor reindeer. In Paris there is Il sculp-
tured representation OF Bacchus, the god Of
reve.ry. He is riding on u panther at full
leap. Oh, how suggestive! Let every ore
who is speeding on ba / ways Understand he
is not riding docile and we'll broken steed,
but he is riding monster, wild and blood
thirsty, going at death leap.
How many there are who resolve on bet
ter life, and say, when Shall I awaken" but.
seized on by their old habits, cry, II will
try it once more. will seek it yet agaiD."
Years ago there were some Princeton stu
dents who were skating, and the ice was
very thin, and some one warned the COM
pany back from the air hole, and finally
warned them entirely 10 leave the place.
But one young man, with bravado, after all
the rest had stopped, cried out. zone round
more" He swept around and went down,
and was brought out corpse. My friends,
there are thousands and tens of thousands
OF men losing their souls in that way 1t is
the lone round more"
II man wants to return from evil prac-
tices, society repulses him. Desiring to re-
form he says, "Now will shake off my old
associates and will find Christian COM
partnership" And he appears at the church
door some Sabbath day and the usher greets
him with look as much as to say, "Why.
you here! You are the last man ever ex-
pected to see at church, Come, take this
seat right down by the door," instead Of say
ing, GOOD morning! l am glad you are
here. Come [ will give you first-rate seat
right up by the pulpit" Well, the prodigaI.
not yet discouraged, enters prayer meeting,
and some Christian man, with more yea! than
common sense, says, "Glad to see you; the
dying thief was saved and I suppose there is
mercy for you" The young man, disguised,
chilled. throws himself on his dignity, re-
solved he will never enter the house Of God
again.
Perhaps not quite fully discouraged about
reformation, he sidles up by some highly re-
spectacle man he used to know, going down
the street, and Immediately the respectable
man has an errand down some other street
Well, the prOdigal, wishing to return, takes
some member of a Christian association by
the hand. or tries to. The Christian young
man looks at him, looks at the faded apparel
and the marks OF dissipation; instead Of Civ
Ing him warm grip of the hand, he offers
him the tip ends of the long fingers Of the
left hand, which is equal 10 striking man
In the face. OH how few Christian people
understand how much force and gospel
there is in a good honest Misunderstanding.
Sometimes, when you have felt the need OF
encouragement, and some Christian man has
taken you heartily by the hand, have you
not felt thrilling through every fibre of your
body, mind and soul an announcement that
was just what you needed? You do not know
anything at all about this unless you know
when man tries to return from evil c0lrses
ne runs against repulsions innumerable.
we say OF some man, he lives block or
two from the church, or half a mile from the
church. There are people in our crowded
cities who live thousand miles from church.
Vast deserts of Indifference between them
and the house Of God. The fact is. we must
keep our responsibility, though thousands
and tens OF thousands perish. Christ sat
81
comes to tine house of God man with marks
of dissipation upon him. the people almost
throw up their hands in horror, as much as
to say. "lsn't it shocking," How these
dainty, fastidious Christians in all our
churches are going to get into heaven don't
know. unless they have an especial train OF
Cars, cushioned and uphoisl cred, each one
ear to himself. They cannot so with publ.
cans aud sinners.
OH We who curl your lip of scorn at the
fallen, / tell your plainly. il you had beer
surrounded by the same influences, instead
OF sitting to-day amid the cultured. and the
refined and the Christian, you would have
been crOuching wretch, covered with filth |
and abomination. 1t is not because you are |
any better, but because the mercy of God has |
you. Who are you that, brought |
up in Christian circles and watched by Chris. |
tlan parentage, you should be so hard on the |
fallen?
First Of al, my brother, throw yourself on
God. Go to Him frankly and earnestly anil
tell HimtGese habits you have and ask Him |
If there is any help in all the resources oil |
omnipotent love TO give it TO you. Do moi |
80 with long rigmarole people call prayer,
made up OF "ohs" and "ahs" and ''fort vel |
and ever, amens!" Go TO Col and cry 70: |
help! help! help! and il you cannot cry for |
help, just look and live.
L remember in the late war, was al
Antietam, and went into the hospitals az