The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-08-16
HONEST BEFORE GOD
DR. TALulGE DECRITS RUINOUS
MODES OF GETTING MONEY
Temptauons Under Which Great Men
Have Fallen-Evils of Bribery I'm
Public Life and Dishonesty in Busi-
ne.s-Things Which Undermine the
Soul.
Copyright, 1898, by American Press
Asociation)

Soul.
Copyright, 1898, by American Press
Asociation)
DR.. Talmage in this discourse ar
raigns the various modes by which
some people get money that does not
belong to them and commends the
fair dealing that succeeds best at last;
text,1 Timothy vi, 9, "They thai Will
be rich fall into a temptation and a
snare and into many foolish ana hurt-
full lusts, which drown men in destruc-
ton and perdition."
That is the Niagara falls over which
rush a multitude Of souls-namely, the
determination to have the money
anyhow, right or wrong. Tell me how
a man gets his money and what he
does with it, and 1 will tell you his
character and What will be his destiny
in this world and the next. I propose
to speak today about the uniou
modes Of getting money.
In all our city, state and national
elections large sums of money are used
in bribery. Politics, from being the
science of good government, has often
been bedraggled into the synonym for
truculency and turpitude. A monster
sin, plausible, potent, pestiferous, has
gon forth to do it's readf work in
all ages. It's two hands are rotten
with leprosy. 1t keeps it's right hand
hidden in a deep pocket. The Jeff
hidden in a deep pocket, The left hand
is clinched and with it's ichorOus knuc-
kle it taps at the door of. the courtroom
the legislative hall, the congress and
the parliament. The door swings open
and the monster enters and glides
through the aisle of the council cham
Der as softly as a slippered page, and
then it takes it's right hand from it's
deep pocket and offers it in salutation
to judge or legislator. If hat hand be
taken, and the palm of the intruder
cross the palm of the official, the lep-
rosy crosses from palm to palm in a
round blotch, round as a gold eagle,
and the virus spreads, and the doom
IS fixed, and the victim perishes. Let
bribery, ~accursed of God and man,
stand up for trial.
The Bible ~arraigns it again and
again. Samuel a of his two sons,
who became judges, They took brides
and perverted Judgment" David
says Of some of his pursuers, Their
right hand is full of bribes." Amos
says of some men in his day, They
take a bride and turn aside the poor
in the gate" Eliphaz foretells the
crushing blows of Gods Indignation,
declaring Fire shall consume the tab
ernacles of bribery"
NO LIGHT TEMPTATION
1t is 10 light temptation.The might
est have fallen under it. Lord Bacon,
lord chancellor of England, founder Of
modern science, author Of "Novum
Organum' and a whole library of
books, the leading thinker of his ntu
ry so precorious that when alittle child
he was asked by Queen Elizabeth,
How old are YOU he responded, q
am two years younger than your maj
esty's happy reign" of whose Or
atOry Ben JOnsOn wrote, 1.-THE fear of
every man that heard him was best he
should make an end" having an in
come which you woul upp would
ave put him beyond the temptation
of bribery-$36,0 900 a year and Twick-
enham Court, a gift, and princely es-
tates in Observation-Disclosures, under this
temptation to bribery, falling flat into
ruin, and on his confession of taking
brides giving as excuse that all his
predecessors took them, he was fined
$500, 600 and imprisoned in London
Tower.
The black chapter in English, Irish,
French and American politics is the
chapter of bribery. Some of you re-
member the Pacific Mail subsidies.
Most of you remember the awful trad
edy of the Credit Mobilier. Under the
temptationof bribery Benedict Arnold
sold the fort in the Highlands for $751;
SIS. For this sin Gorgey betrayed
hungary. HIllllOpcl lOISOOh DdNlu
and Judas kissed Christ. When I see
so many of the illustrious going down
under this temptation, it makes me
think of the red dragon spoken of in
Revelation, with seven heads and ten
horns and sevencrowns, drawing a
third part of the stars of heaven down
after him.
Thelobbies Of the Legislature of this
country control the country. The land
is drunk with bribery. ".Oh," say one,
there is no need of talking against
bribery by promise or by dollars,
besause every man has his price"
I do not believe it. Even heathen-
ism and the dark ages have fur
nished specimens Of incorruptibil-
ity. A cadi of Smyrna had a case
brought before him on trial. A
man CAV him 500 ducats in bribery.
The case came on. The bride had
many witnesses. The poor man on the
other side had no witnesses. At the
close of the case the cadi said:"This
poor man has no witnesses, he thinks.
l shall produce in his behalf 500 wit
nesses against the other side Then
pulling out the bag of ducats from un-
der the ottoman, he dashed it down at
the feet of the briber, saying, Il give
my decision against you." Epaminon-
das Offered a bride and said, Il will do
this thing if it be right, and if it be
wrong all your goods caEnot persuade
me-
INVITATIONS TO BRIBERY
The president of the American con-
Sress during the American Revolution,
General Reed was offered 10000 gum
cas- by foreign commissioners if he
would betray the country. He re-
piled, Gentlemen, I am a very poor
man, but tell your king he is asot rich
enough to bug me-" But why go so
Tor l@
oratie society know men and women
who by all forces of earth and hell
couH not be bribed. They would no
more be bribed than you would think
OF tempting an angel of light to ,ex-
change heaven for the pit. To offer
a brihs is villiany. bet it is a very poor
compliment to the man to whom it IS
offered
I have got much faith in those people
Who go about Dragging how much they