The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-27
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE 5Y THE NOTED
.r 4: DIVINE.

Subject: Guard Your Temper.-A Sweet
Disposition Adds Much to the Joy OF
Living-Don't Waste Health Rehears-
ing Wrongs and scheming Eevenge.
tCopyright. Louis KIopsch. 1891
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In this discourse DR..
Talmape placates the worlds revenges and
recommends more of the saccharine and
loss Of the sour In human dispositions; text,
Ephesians w., 26, "Let not the sun go down
upon your wrath"
What pillow, embroidered Of all colors,
hath the dying dayI The cradle Of clouds
from which the sun rises Is beautiful
enough, hut It Is surpassed by the many
colored mausoleum In which at evening 1t
Is buried.
Sunset among the mountains! It almost
takes ones breath away to recall the
scene. The long shadows stretching over
the plain make the glory Of the departing
light on the tiptop crags and struck aslant
through the foliage the more conspicuous.
Saffron and gold. purple and crimson COM
mingled. All the castles Of cloud In con-
migration. Burning Moscows on the sky.
Hanging gardens Of roses at their deepest
blush. Banners OF yapor, red as II from
carnage, In the battle OF the elements. The
hunter among the AdIrondacks and the
Swiss villager among the Alps know what
is sunset among the mountains. After
which the sun+goes down to bathe at:night-
fall is something to make weird and splen-
did dreams out Of for lifetime. Atexan-
der Smith, in his poem, compares, the sun
set to "the barren beach OF hell," but this
wonderful spectacle OF nature makes me
think Of the FURNISHED wall of heaven.
Paul in prison, writing my text, remembers
some Of the gorgeous sunsets among the
mountains Of Asia Minor and how he had
often seen the towers OF Damascus blaze
in the close Of the oriental days, and he
flashes out that memory In the text when
he says, 'Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath"
Sublime all suggestive duty for people
then and people now Forgiveness before
sundowni He who never feels the throb
Of Indignation is imbecile. he who can
walk among the injustices OF the world in
flIcted upon himself and others without
flush OF cheek or fash Of eye Or agitation
OF nature Is either In sympathy with wrong
or semi-idiotic. When Ananias, the high
priest, ordered the constakles ,f the court
room to smite Paul on the mouth, Paul
fired up and said, "God shall smite thee,
thou whited wall" In the ser tence imme-
diately before my text.Paul commands the
Ephesians, "Be ye angry and sin not" 1t
all depends on what you are mad at and
how long the feeling lasts whether. anger
ia right or wrong. Life Is full OF exnspera-
tions. Suul after David, Succoth after
Gideon, Korah after Moses, the Pasquins
after Augustus, the Pharisees after Christ,
and every one has had his pursuers, and
we are swindled or belied OF misrepresent-
ed or prosecuted or In some way wronged,
and the danger Is that 'liealthful indigna-
tion shall become baleful spite, and that
our feelings settle down into prolonged
outpourlng OF temper displeasing to God
and ruinous to ourselves, and hence the
Important Injunction OF the tex, "Let not
the sun 60 down upon your wrath"
Why that period OF flaming vapor set to
punctuate flaming disposition? What
has thesunset got to do with ones resent
ful emotions? VAST a haphazard senti-
ment written by Paul without special
significance? No, no. think OF five
reasons why we should not let the sun set
before our temper.
First, because twelve hours Is long
enough to be cross about any wrong In
hicted upon Us. Nothing b 30 exhaustfng
to physical health or mental faculty as a
protrncted. indulgence Of Ill humor. It
racks the nervous system. It hurts the
Ol8eSLlOu. IL uodt6 tuo ui0ou IL plhin auo
heart until the whole body is first over
heated and then depressed. Besides that,
It sours the disposition, turns one aside
from his legitimate work, expends energies
that ought to be better employed and
does Us more harm than It does our
antagonist. Paul gives US good, wide
allowance of time for legitimate denuncia-
tion, from 6 O'Clock. to O'Clock, but says.
"Stop therel' Watch the descending orb
OF day, and whenit reaches the horizon
take reef In our,disposition. Unloose
your collar and cooloff. Change the sub
ject to something delightfully."- pleasant.
Unroll your tight.fist and shake bands
with some one. Bank up the fires at the
curiew bell. Drive the growing dog OF
enmity back to its kennel. The hours OF
noon will arrive, and the sun will begin to
set, and, beg you, on its blazing hearth
throw oil your feuds, inyectiyes and
satfres.
Aye, yon will no: postpone till sundown
forgiveness Of enemies II you can realize
that their behavior toward you may be put
into the catalogue OF the call things" that
"work together for good to those that love
God" I have had multitudes OF friends,
but have found In my own experience that
God so arranged 1t that the greatest OPP
portunities OF usefulness that have been
opened before me were opened by enemies.
So you may harness your antagonists to
your best interests and compel them TO
draw you on to better work and higher
character. Suppose, instead Of wnitiAG.
until thirty-two minutes after four this
evening, when the sun will set, you transact
this glorious work Of forgiveness at merid-
ian.
Again, We ought not to let the sun go
down on our wrath, because we Will sleep
better II we are at peace with everybody.
Insomnia Is getting to be one OF the most
prevalent OF disorders. How few people
retire at 10 O'Clock at night and sleep clear
through to 8 in the morningi To relieve
this disorder all narcotics and sedatives
and morphine and chloral and bromide OF
potassium and cocaine and intoxicants are
used, but nothing is more important than
quiet spirit II we would win somnolence.
How is man going to sleep when he Is In
mind pursuing an enemy2 With what ner-
vous twitch he will start out Of dreaml
That new plan Of cornering his foe will
keep him wide awake. while the clock
strikes II, u, 1,2. give you an unfailing
prescription for wakefulness: Spend the
evening hours Lehearsingyour wrongs' and
the best way Of avenginG them. Hold n
convention OF friends on this subject IN
your parlor or oflco at 8 or 9 o'clock.
Close the evening by writing Litter letter
expressing your sentiments. Take from
the desk or pigeonhole the papers In tue
case to refresh your mind with your en-,
emy's meanness. Then lie down and wait
for the coming Of the day, and 1t will come
before sleep comes or your sleep will be
worried quiescence and, II you take the
precaution 10 lie aat on your back, u
frightful nightmare.
Why not put bound to your aDimosity7 !
Why let your foes come into the sanctities
OF your dormitory2 Why let those slnnd-
erers who have already torn your reputa-
tion to pieces or injured your business
bend over your midnight pillow and drive
from you one OF thegreatest blessings that
God can offer-sweet,. refreshing, all in
sleep7 Whynot fence out your