The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-10-08
SECURING FRIENDS.
Goodness a Perpetual Rebuke to the
Ungodly.
The Acquisition of True Friends, Rev. DIR.
Talmage Says, is Not Matter
of Me re Chance, but of In
telligent Selection.


Witt Talmage demonstrates that the
obtaining of good friends which most
look upon as matter of happy acci-
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 l speak
a subject ON which l never heard of
anyone preaching 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
law which governs the accrction and
dispersion of friendships They did
not Just happen so" any more than
the tides just happen to rise or fall, or
the sun just happens to rise or set 1t
is a science, an art, God-given regu-
lation.
Tell me how friendly you are to 9TH
ers, and l will tell you how friendly
pthcrs 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 antagonism 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 coadjutors will think of you.
The best friends we have ever had
appeared at some juncture when we
were especially bombarded There
have been times in my life when I'M
just assault multiplied my friends, as
near as | could calculate, about fifty
minute. You are bound to some
people by many cords that neither time
nor eternity can break, and l will
warrant that many OF those cords
were twisted by hands malevolent
Human nature was shipwrecked about
tifty-nine centuries ago, the captain of
that craft, one Adam, and his first
mate running the famous cargo
aground on snag in the River Hid
dekel; but there was ut 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, al
though at the start slanderous tongues
were busy enough, defenders finally
gather around as thick as honey bees
on trellis of bruised honey-suclsle.
If, 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 q 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-hali
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 and 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
western 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:
"a man that hath friends must show
himself friendly"
1t is my ambition to project espe.
Ncially upon the young thought which
may benignly shape their destiny fol
the here and hereafter. Before you
show yourself friendly you must be
friendly. ! do not recommend dram
atized geniality. There is such O
thing as pretending to be en- rapport
with others, when we are their dire
destructants, and talk against them
and wish them calamity. Judas GOV
cred up his treachery by resound.ne
kiss, and caresses may be Economical
Better the neurological Cerberus, the
three headed dog of hell, barking a,
us, than the wolf in sleeps clothing
its brindled hide covered up by decep
tive wool, and it's deadful howl ca
denced into an innocent bleating. Dis
raeli writes of Lord Manfred, who
after committing many outrages upor
the people, seemed suddenly to becom,
friendly, and invited them to ban
quet After most of the courses o
food had been served he blew horn
which was in those times signal fol
the servants to bring on the dessert
but in this case it was the signal fol
assassins to enter and STAY the guests
His pretended friendliness was crue
fraud; and there are now people who's,
smile is falsehood.
Before you begin to show yourself
friendly you must be friendly. Ge
your heart right with God and man
and this grace will become easy. You
may by your own resolution get you
nature into semblance of CHS virtue
but the grace of God can sublimel,
lift you into it. Sailing on the Rive
Thames two vessels ran aground. TIL
owners of one got 100 horses sn,
pulled on the grounded ship, and pul,e'
it to pieces. The owners os the othe