The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-03

lost now. I look through their giaring
eyeballs down into the lowest cavern OF
hell o DESTROYED spirit why contest thou
in here today9 Dosr think j have the
power 10 break open the barred gateway
of the penstencfary OF the damnedE There
Is a passage in Proverbs / somewhat hes
itate to read, but / do not hesitate long:
s.Ar the window OF my house / looked
through my easement and beheld among
the simple ones. / dtscerned among the
youths. young man. void OF understand
corner, and ne Went the way 10 ner
house in the twilight, in the evening. IN
the black and dark night He goeth al
ter her st-aighrway. as an OK goetn 10
the slaughter OF as a fool TO the correc-
ton Of the stocks. till 4 dart strikes
through his liver"
HOW TO SPEND THE EVENINGS.
But now the question Is still open
Where viii you spend your evening? .
commercial travellers. how much viii you
give me 10 put You on the right track?
Without charging You a farthing / VIII
prescribe for You a plan which viii save
you for this world and the next, IL you
will take il. Go, before you leave home,
TO the Young Mems Christian Association
of the city where you live. Get from them
letters Of Introduction. Carry them out
to the towns and cities where You go. If
there be no such association in the place
you visit, then present them at the door
OF Christian churches, and hand them
over to the pastors. Be not slow TO
arise in the devotional meeting and say:
Il am a commercial traveller. / am far
away from home. and / come in here
tonight TO seek Christian society" The
best houses and the highest style OF
amusement will be open before you, and
instead Of your being dependent upon
the leprous crew who hang around the
hotels, wanting to show you all the
slums of the city. on the condition that
you will pay their expenses, you will get
the benediction of God in every town you
visit. Remember this. that whatever
Marc Won visit had influences u5n caaE
you out. Good influences you must seek
out.
While l stand here i bethink myself of
a commercial traveller who was a member
of my church in Philadelphia. He was a
splendid young man, the pride of his
widowed mother and Of his sisters. 1t was
his joy to support them, and for that
purpose he postponed his own marriage
day. He thriyed in business. and after
awhile set up his own household. Leav-
ing that city for another city, / had no
opportunity for three or four years of
making inquiry in regard TO MIN. When
l made such inquiry, l was told that he
was dead. The story was. he was largely
generous and kind hearted and genial
and social and he got into the habit Of
treating customers n of showing
them all the sights of the town, and he
began rapidly to go down, and he lost
his position in the church of which he
was a member, and ne lost his position
in the commercial house of which he was
the best agent, and his beautiful young
wife and his sick old mother and his sis
tiers went into restitution, and he, as a
result of his dissipation, died in Kirk
bridge insane asylum.
. commercial travellers, I pray for you
the all sustaining grace of God. There
are two kinds of days when you are es-
pecially in need of divine grace. The one
the day when you have no success-when
you fail to make a sale-and o are
very much disappointed, and you go back
to your hotel discounted. That night you
3 will hn tnn1nTn6 rn Dn Tn CT IRON Or Trim md
rush into bad surroundings. The other
day, when you will especially need divine
: grace, will be when you have had a day
of great success and the devil tells you
you must go and celebrate hat success.
Then you will want the grace of God
to restrain you from rollicking indul-
gences. Yes, there will be a third day
when you will need to be Christians, and
that will be the last day of your life.
I do not know where you will spend it.
Perhaps in your house, more probably
in a rail car, or a Steamer, or the strange
hotel. I see you on your last commercial
errand. You have hidden goodby to the
family at home for the last time. The
train of your earthly existence is near
ing the depot Of the grave. The brakes
are falling. The bell rings at the ter.
minus. The train stops. All out for eter.
nifty. Show your ticket now for getting
into the gate of the shining city-the rec
ticket washed in the blood Of the Lamb