Natchitoches populist., 1898-05-20
fallen from high respectability and useful

fallen from high responsibility and useful
ness we must take into consideration the
conjunction OF circumstances. In nine
cases out of ten man who goes astray
does not intend any positive wrong. He
has trust funds. He risks part of these
funds in investment. He says: "Now, ii [
should lose that investment have of my
own property five times as much, and 1t
this investment should go wrong, could
easily make it up; [ could five times make
1t up" With that wrong reasoning he
goes on and makes the investment, and 1t
does not turn out quite as well as he eX-
pected, and he makes another Investment,
and, strange to say, at the same time all
his other affairs get entangled, and all his
other resources fail and his hands are tied.
Now he wants to eXtricate himself. He
goes little further on in the wrong in
vestment. He takes plunge further
ahead, for he wants to save his wife aud
children; he wants to save his home; he
wants to save his membership the church.
He takes one more plunge and all is lost.
In the study OF society have come to
this conclusion, that the most Of the people
want to be good, but they do not exactly
know how to make 1t out. They make
enough good resolutions to lift them into
angelhood The vast majority of the peo-
pie who fall are the victims OF circun-
stances. They are captured by ambuscade.
II tt cir temptations should come out In a
regiment and fight them in a fair field they
would go out la the strength and triumph
of David and Goliath. But they do notsee
the giants and they do not see the regi-
ments. Temptation comes and says:
"Take these bitters, take this nervine,
take this aid to digestion, take this night
cap" The vast majority OF men and
women who are destroyed by opium and
by rum first take them as medicines. In
making up your dish OF criticism in regard
to them, take from the caster and the cruet
OF sweet oil and not the cruet of cayenne
pepper.
Doyou know how that physician, that
lawyer, that Journalist, became the victim
of dissipation2 Why, the physician was
kept up night by night on professional
duty. Life and death lowered in the bal
ance. His nervous system was exhausted.
There came q time OF epidemics and whole
families were prostrated and his nervous
In the service o. the public. Now he must
brace himself up. Now he stimulates. The
life OF his mother, the life of this child, the
life of this father, the life of this whole
family, must be saved, and he stimulates.
and he does 1t again and again. You may
crticise his judgment, but remember the
process. 1t was not selfish purpose by
which he went down. 1t vas magnificent
generosity through which he fell.
My friends, this text will come to full
flllment in some cases in this world. The
huntsman in Farmsteen was shot by
some unknown person. Twenty years
later after the son Of the huntsman was
In the same forest, and he accidentally
shot a man, and the man In dying said:
God Is just; shot your father just here
twenty years ago." bishop said to
Louis XI. OF France: "Make an iron
cage for all those who do not think as we
do-an iron cage in which the captive can
neither lie down nor stand straight up." 1t
was fashioned--the awful instrument Of
punishment After a while the bishop Of
Tended Louis XII, and for fourteen years
he was In that cage, and could neither lie
down nor stand up. It is poor rule that
will not work both ways. "With what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to
you again"
Oh, my friends, let us be resolved toscold
less and pray more!
What headway will we make in the judg
ment Ii in this world we have been hard on
those who have gone astray? What head
way will you and 1 make in the last great
judgment, when we must have mercy or
perish2 The Bible says: "They shall have
judgment without mercy that showed no
mercy"
see the scribes OF heaven looking up in.
to the face Of such man, saying, "Whatl
you plead for mercy, you, who in all your
life never had any mercy on your fellows?
Don't you remember how hard you were in
your opinions of those who were astray?
Don't you remember when you ought to
have given helping hand you employed o
hard heel? Mercy! You must mis-speak
yourself when you plead for mercy here.
Mercy for others, but no mercy for you.
Look" say the scribes Of heaven, ''look
at that inscription over the throne OF judg-
ment, the throne OF Gods judgment" See
1t coming out letter by letter, word by
word, sentence by sentence, until your
startled vision reads it and your remorse-
full spirit appropriates it: "With what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to
you again. Depart, ye cursedp'