St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-10-15
SOMEPRETTY TRUTHS
Rev. Dr.. Talmage Says All Persons
are Bound to Have Enemies.
The Making and Retestion Of Frieads
Not Matter Of Happy Accident
but the Result Of Wise and
Intelligent Selection.

1
Intelligent sslection.
In the following sermon Rev. T. Dc.
Witt Talmage demonstrates that the
obtaining Of good friends which most
look upon as matter of happy ucci.
dent. is really matter OF intelligent
selection. The text is: "A man that
hath friends must show himself friend
ly."-Proverbs xviii, "a.
About the sacred and divine art OF
making and keeping friends speak
= subject on which never heard OF
anyone prcaching-and yet God
thought it of enough Importance to put
it IN the middle Of the Bible, these
writings OF Solomon, bounded on one
side by the popular Psalms of David,
and on the other by the writings OF
Isaiah, the greatest of the prophets
1t seems all matter OF haphazard
how many friends we have, or whether
we have any friends at all, but there is
nothing accidental about it. There is
q law which governs the accrction and
dispersion OF friendships. They did
not lust happen SO" any more than
the tides just happen to rise or fall, or
the sun just happens to rise or set. It
is science, au art, God-given regu-
lation.
Tell me how friendly you are to 9TH
ers, and will tell you how friendly
pthers are to you l do not say you
will not have enemies; indeed. the best
way to get ardent friends is to have
ardent enemies, If you get their enmity
in doing the right thing. Good men
and women will always have enemies,
because their goodness is . perpetual
rebuke to evil; but this antaRonism of
foes will make more intense the love of
your adherents. Your friends will
gather closer around you because of
the attacks of your assailants. The
more your enemies abuse you the bet
ter your conductors will think of you.
The best friends we have ever had
appeared ut some juncture when we
were especially bombarded. There
have been times in my life when un.
just assault multiplied my friends, as
near as | could calculate, about fifty
minute. You are bound to some
nor eternity can break, and l will
warrant that many OF those cords
were twisted BY hands malevolent.
Human nature was shipwrecked about
hfty-ninc centuries ago, the captain OF
that craft, one Adam, and his first
mate running the famous cargo
aground on q snag in the River Hid |
dekel; but there was at least one good |
trait of human nature that waded |
safely ashore from that shipwreck,
and that is the disposition to take the |
part OF those unfairly dealt with.
When it is thoroughly demonstrated
that some one is being prosecuted, ar
though at the start slanderous tongues |
were busy enough, defenders finally |
gather around rs thick rs honey bees
on trcllis of bruised honey-suckle.
II. when set upon by the furies, you
can have grace enough to keep your
mouth shut. and preserve your equi-
poise. and let others fight your battles,
You will find yourself after awhile
with . whole Gordon of allies. Had
not the world given to Christ on His
arrival at Palestine very cold should
er, there would not have been one-half
as many angels chanting glory out Of
the hymn books of the sky, bound in
black lids of midnight. Had it not
been for the heavy aud jagged and
tortuous cross, Christ would not have
been the admired and loved Of more
people than any being who ever
touched foot on either the eastern or
hemisphere. Instead, there
fore. of giving up in despair because
you have enemies, rejoice in the fact
that they rally for you the most help
full and enthusiastic admirers. In
other words, there is no virulence that
can hinder my text from coming true:
IA man that hath friends must show
himself friendly"
1t is my ambition to project espe-
eially upon the young thought which
may bcnignly shape their destiny for
the here and hereafter. Before you
show yourself friendly you must be
do not recommend = dram
ltized geniality. There is such q
hing as pretending to be en- rapport
with others, when we are their dire
and talk against them,
md wish them calamity. Judas COW
red up his treachery by resounding
Kiss, and caresses may be demonical.
setter the NEUROLOGICAL Ccrberus, the
dog of hell, barking 1T
Is, than the wolf in sleeps clothing,
Is brindled hide covered up by dccep-
i've wool, and its deadful howl ca .
fenced into an innocent bleating. Dis
aeli writes of Lord Manfred, who,
lfter committing many outrages upon
he people. seemed suddenly to become
and invited them to . BAN
Iuet After most of the courses of
ood had been served he blew . horn,
which was in those times . signal for
he servants to bring on the dessert,
'Ht in this case it was the signal for
ssassins to enter and slsy the guests.
lis pretended friendliness was q cruel l
raud; and there are now people whose
mile is . falsehood.
Before you begin to show yourself
riendly you must be friendly. Get 6
our heart right with God and man, ,
nd this grace will become easy. You =
nay by your own resolution get your I
ature into a semblance OF this virtue, I
ut the grace Of God can sublimely a
it you into it. Sailing on the River &
'hames two vessels ran aground. The d
wners Of one got 100 horses and
ulled on the grounded ship, and pulled d
! to pieces The owners Of the other =
vessel waited till the tides .
anne in. and easily doated the ship out t
[ all trouble. So we may pull and Q
aul ut our grounded human nature s
nd try to get it in better conditions; .
Mt there is nothing like the oceanic 9
des Of Gods uplifting grace. II, ],
hen under the fash OF the Holy =
host, we sec our own foibles and de- .
.cts and depravities, we will be very b
.nient, and very easy with otherA q
Ve will look into their characters for b
nings commeudAtory. and not damna- &
,ry. II you would rub your own eye q
little more vigorously you would find e
mote in 1t, the extraction OF which q
eep you 20 busy you would not have q
,uch time to shoulder your broadax