Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-03-09
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THK EMINENT DIVNE'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.

THK IMMINENT DIVINE'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject: Evil Conpanions-Kipdly Adj
vice to Young Men-Avoid Bad Conn
pany, Especially Skeptics and ldlers
-shun Those Who Seek Only Pleasure.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse
DR.. Talmage speaks on theme which all
men, young and old, will be glad to see
discussed, and the kindly warning will no
doubt in many cases be taken, text, Fro,
verbs kill, 20, "a companion OF fools shall
be destroyed"
"May 1t please tho court" said con-
vlcted criminal when asked by the Judge
what he had to say why sentence OF death
should not be pronounced upon him, may
1t please the court, bad company mas oeen
my destruction. received the blessing OF
good parents and In return therefor prom.
ised to avoid all evil associates. Had
kept my promise should have avoided
this shame and the burden OF guilt which,
like q vulture, threatens to drag me to
Justice for my many crimes. Although
once moved in high circles and was enter
tanned by distinguished men, l am lost.
Bad company did the work for me-" Only
one out OF thousand illustrations was
that of the fact that ga companion OF Tools
shall be destroyed" 1t is an invariable
rule.
Here is hospital with hundred men
down with the ship fever. Here Is a healthy
mau who goes into 1t, He does not so Ger.
tainly catch the disease as a good man will
catch moral dlstemper II he consents to be
shut I'D with the vicious and the abandoned.
In the prisons of the olden time 1t was the
custom to put prisoners In cell together.
and am sorry to say 1t is the custom still
In some OF our prisons; SO that when the
day Of liberation comes the men, instead
OF being reformed, are turned out brutes,
not men, each one having learned the vices
OF all the rest.
We may in our worldly occupation be
obliged to talk to'and commingle with bad
people. but he who voluntarily chooses
that kind OF association Is carrying on
courtshlp with Delilah which will shear
the locks OF his strength, and he will be
trlpped into perdition. Look over all the
millions of the race, and you cannot show
me single instance where man volun-
tarily associated with the bad for one year
and maintained his integrity. Sin is catch
ing; 1t Is infectious; 1t is epidemic.
A young man wakes up In one OF our
great cities knowing only the gentlemen
of the firm into whose service he has en-
tered. In the morning he enters the store,
and all the clerks mark him, measure him,
discuss him. The bad clerks Of that estab-
lishment, the good clerks of that estab-
lishm Mt stand In some relation to him.
The good clerks will wish him well, but
they will wait for formal Introduction,
and even after they have had the intro
duction they are very cautious as to
whether they shall call him into their asso.
citation before they know him very we'll.
But the bad young men In that estab.
lishment all gather around him. They
patronize him, they offer to show him
everything that there is In the city on one
condition-that he will pay the expenses,
for 1t always happens SO when a good
young man and a bad young man go to-
gether to place OF evil entertainment
the good young man always has to pay the
charges. just at the time the ticket is to
be paid for or the cham payne bill Is to be
settled the bad young man will effect EN-.
barrassment and feel around In his pockets
and say, swell, well, really have for
gotten my pocketbook."
In forty-eight hours after this innocent
Young man has entered the store the bad
young men will gather around him, slap
him on the shoulder with familiarity, and,
if he Is stupid In not being able to take
certain illusions, will say, "Ah, my young
friend, you will have to be broken In"
And forthwith they go to work to "break
him in"
Oh, young man, let no fallen young man
slap you on the shoulder familiarity Turn
around and give whitening glance that
will make the wretch cover In your pres.
enep. There 10 no monstrosity OF wicked
ness that can stand before the glance OF
purity and honor. God keeps the light
nings OF heaven In His own scabbard, and
no human may reach them, but God gives
to every young man lightning which he
may use, and that is the lightning OF an
temptations OF our great cities knows the
use OF one sermon like this, In which try
to enforce the thought that companion
OF fools shall be destroyed"
And, first, Ichargeyou avoid the skeptic
that Is, the young man who puts his
thumb in his vest and swaggers about,
scoffng at your old fashioned religion,
then taking out the Bible and turning over
to some mysterious passage and saying:
Explain that, my friend, explain that. l
used to think just as you do. My father and
mother used to think just as you do. But
you can't scare me about the future. /
used to believe In those things but I've got
over It," Yes, he has got over 1t, and you
will get over 1t If you stay In his compan-
ionship much longer. For awhile he may
not bring one argument against cur holy
Christianity. He will ey SCOTS and jeers
and caricaturos destroy your faith in that
religion which was the comfort OF your
father In his declining years and the pillow
on which your old mother lay a-dying.
That brilliant young skeptic will after
awhile have to die, and his diamond will
flash no splendor into the eye of death.
His hair will lie uncombed on the pillow.
Death will come up, and this skeptic will
say to him: ~ cannot die. cannot die"
Death will say: "You must die. You
have but ten seconds more to live. Your
soul-give 1t to me right away. Your SOUL"
"Ob, mop says the skeptic. "Do not
breathe that cold air into my face. You
crowd me too hard. 1t is getting dark in
the room. Here-take my rings and take
all the pictures in the room, but let me
off," mo" says Death, Your SOUL Your
sou!'' Then the dying skeptic begins to
say, 30 God!" Death says, "You declared
there wds no God" Then the dying skep.
lit Is too late to pray; you have only three
seconds more to live, and will count then
off-one, two, three. Gone!" Where
Where2 Carry him out and lay him down
beside his old father and mother, wht
died under the decisions Of the Christian
religion singing the songs Of victory.
Again, avoid the idlers-that is, those
people who gather around the store or the
shop or the factory and try to seduce you
away from your regular calling and in your
business hours try to seduce you away.
There is nothing that would please them
so well as to have you give up your EN-.
ployment and consort with them.
Theseidlers you will find standing around
the engine houses or standing at MONDAY
or about noon on the steps of some hotel
or fashionable restaurant. They have not
dined there. They never dined there. They
never will dine there. Before you invite
young man into your association ask him
plainly, "What do you do for living?" II
he says. Nothing; am u gentleman
look out for him. I care not how soft bis
hand or how elegant his apparel or how
hioh snundino his ia mily nnma his tnnch