The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-11-15
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE eY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Salvation For the Morally Ship
wrecked - Yield sot To the Force of
Immoral Gravitation - Helpfulness Of
Eeligion-Door Of Mercy swings wide.

hAkHiNGJON, -. In THIS discourse
| Dr.. Talmage depicts the struggle of a
thrallment Of evil and shows how he may
be set free text, Proverbs xxiii, 35:
"When shall awake: / will seek 1t yet
again"
With an insight into human nature
such as no other man ever had, Solomon
In these words IS ske,ching the mental
/ process OF man who has stepped ASIDE
from the path OF rectitude and would like
10 return. Wishing Tor something better,
/ he says: when shall | awake? When
| shall ! get over this horrible nightmare
\ Of iniquity" But seized upon by un.
| sradicated appetite and pushed down hill
by his passions he cries out: II will seek
( IL yet again. | will try It once more"
About a mile from Princeton, y. j.,
/ there is a skating pond. One winter day,
/ when the ice was very thin, farmer hy-
/ ing near by warned the young men OF the
| danger Of skating at that time. They all
| took the warning except one young man.
! He, in the spirit OF bravado,, said, Boys,
/ one round more" He struck out on has
| skates, the ice broke and his lifeless body
was brought up. And in all matters OF
| temptation and allurement II is not a
prolongation that IS proposed, but only
Just one more indulgence. Just one more
sin. Then comes the fatality. Alas, for
. the one round more, Il Will seek 1t yet
again"
Our Libraries are adorned with elegant
literature addressed TO young men. point
ing out 20 them all the dangers and perils
/ Of life Complete maps OF the voyage OF
hfe-the shoals, the rocks, the quicksands.
But suppose young man IS already ship
wrecked, suppose he u already oil the
track. suppose he has already gone astray,
how can be get back? That is question
that remains unanswered and amid all
the books Of the Libraries / find not one
word on that subject. To that class OF
persons this day address myself
You compare what you are now with
what YOU were three or four years ago,
and are greatly disheartened. You are
ready with every passion OF your soul 70
listen to a discussion like this. BE of good
cheer! Your best days are yet TO come
| offer you the hand OF welcome and res
cue. | put the silver trumpet OF the .gos.
pei 10 my lips and blow one long. loud
blast, saying; "Whosoever Will, let nm nm
church Of God is ready to spread ban.
quet upon your return, and all the hie'
rarchs OF heaven fall into line OF ban
nered procession over your redemption.
Years ago. and while yet Albert Barnes
was living, | preached in his pulpit one
night 10 the young men OF Phlladeiphla
In the opening of my discourse ! said, 20
Lord, give me one soul tonight At the
close of the service Mr.. Barnes intro
duced a young man. saying, This Is the
Young man you prayed for" But | see
now II was too limited prayer. | offer
no such prayer to-day. II must take in a
wider sweep. Lord, give us all these
souls to-day for happiness and heaven'
So far as God may help me propose TO
show what are the obstacles TO your re-
turn, and then how you are TO surmount
those obstacles. The first difficulty in the
wny of your return ia the force OF mora
gravitation. Just as there Is natural
law which brings down to earth anything
you throw into the air, so there IS cor
responding moral grayitation. l never
shall forget prayer | heard young man
make in the Young Mems Christian Asso-
ciation of New York. With trembling
voice and streaming eyes he said: 20
God. Thou knowest how easy II IL for me
to do wrong and how hard il is for me to
do right God help me-" That man
knows not his own heart who has never
felt the power Of moral gravitation.,
Tn your boyhood YOU had good asso.
ciates and bad associates. Which most
impressed you? During the last few years
you have heard pure anecdotes. and I'M
pure anecdotes Which the easiest stuck
TO your memory? You have had good hab-
it's and bad habits. To which. did your
soul more easily yield? But that moral
Qrayitation may be resisted. just as you
hold il in your hand toward heaven. Just
So. bv the power of Gods grace. a fallen
soul NAV be lifted toward peace, toward
pardon, toward salvation. The force OF
moral gravitatlon is in every one OF us,
hut also power in Gods grace to overcome
that force.
The next thing in the way OF your re-
turn is the power OF evil habit. | know
there are those who say u Is very easy Tor
-, . hal
lieve them Here Is a man given to into%-
ication. who knows II Is dlSgraclng ms
family DESTROYING his property and rum
ing him body. mind and soul II that
man. being an intelligent man and loving
his family, could easily give up that habit
would he not do so? The fact that ne
does not give II mp proves that IT Is hard
10 give il up. II Is 4 very easy thing TO
sail down stream, the tide CARRYING you
with great force. but suppose YOU turn
the boat no streams II so easy then TO
row Il? As long as we weld 10 the evl IN,
clratons in our heart and to our oad
habits we are sailing down stream, but the
moment we try 20 turn we put our boat
IN the rapids lust above Niagara and try
20 row M stream.
\ physician tells his patient that he
must quit the use OF tobacco, "a II IL de.
stroving his health The man replies, Il
can stop that habit easy enough lie
quits the use OF the weed He goes
around not knowing what to do with him.
self. He cannot add IN a column Of
figures: he cannot sleep nights. IL seems
as II the world had turned upside down.
He feels his business Is going 10 rum.
Where he was kind and obiiging he Is
scoldiny and fretful The composure that
characterized him has given way 20 fret
ful restlessness and he has become COM
plete fdget What power Is II that has
al ,e
shaken n norten' in the heavens: He has
quit tobacco After awhile he SAYS: =
am going 20 do as | please; the doctor
does not understand NV case. | am going
hack 10 my old habits Aud he returns.
EVERYTHING assumes its usual composurc.
His business seems 10 brighten. Inc
word becomes an attractive place TO i've
in. His children. seeing the difference.
hail the return of their fathers genial dis,
position What wave O. color has dashed
blue into the sky and Creenness into the
mountain foliage and the gov OF sapphire
into the sunset What enchantment has
lifted world OF beauty and JOY on ms
soulg He has resumed tobacco.
The fact il We al know IN our own cN-
rerieuce that habit is a taskmsster. As
long ne we obey IT, II does not chastise Us.
But let rs resist IL and we find that we
are ashed with scorpion whips and bound
with ship cable and thrown into the
track OF bone breaking Juggcrnauts.
In Paris there is a sculutured represen-
tation Of Racchus. the god Of reve'ry. He
Is riding on a panther az full leap. Oh.
how suggestive, Let every one who l.
speeding on bad WAYS understand he i
not riding a d1,i'e and well broken steed.
but that he i riding n monster wild and
blooithirstv and going at death leap.
have also TO say II man wants 20
return from evil practices society repulses
him The prodigal. wishing to return.