The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-10-03

reckless gambling Greed OF wealth Is be-
coming too much an American vice. Its
allurements are proving too strong Tor our
bright, energetic and ambitious young
men. and there Is a call for a steadier,
wiser and safer spirit IN business affairs
Second, there are many people insane to-
dav because OF self-lnculgence, the lack OF
self-restraint Seli-indulgenee ruins men,
seli-denial makes them; selflndulgenoe
sells a mans hirlhrght for a mess of pot
tage, and he tries 20 get n again only 20
find that u Is impossible; self-denial
makes hne 20 be possessed of increasing
strength; self-indnlgence led Belshazzar
on until We tnd HIM IN the centre OF the
feast where the fingers OF mans hand
write upon the wall, Weighted IN the
balances and found wanting" and the
same thing Is true to-day Il Is the lack OF
seli-restra.nt that has made many a man
10 lose his soul. DR.. Talmage tells of the
man whom he saw on the shores OF lake
IN Scotland creeping out from under the
hull OF an old wrecked vessel and lifting
up his hands trembhngly said, Please
sir, Will YOU give me a penny For
what" said the minister. The answer
was For strong drink DIR. Talmage
said to him. Il am a minister and cannot
give YOU the money for that but | will
helm YOU. What j. your nameF and he
said the man buried his face IN his hands,
shook with emotion. and then finally said,
MY name is'-and he sobhed II out.
Why said DR.. Ialmage, .$sknew a man
by that name in Edinburgh, prominent
merchant; did you know him. God
pity me, sir" said he. Il am that man;
SIN slew me- and / am here; my wife is
dead, my children are IN the poor house
and ! am on my way 10 he'll. What
warning for every man who gives way IN
the least 10 sin.
There are many men in the insane insti-
tutions to-day because of seliIndulgence
and lack of selfrestraint. Who was II
that said Better Is lac that ruleth his
spirit than he that taketh a city, Why,
If man could only take city what a
hero he would be- The word Of God says
that every man may be greater than he
that taketh a city If he will rule his own
spirit. Seliindulgcnce RUNS. selt-denlal
makes men, Self-indulgence sells mans
hrthright for less than a mess of pottage.
BE not deceived. God is not mocked,
whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap.
| came across one young man IN the in
sanc asylum who came from one of the
first families IN the country. There Is not
a man better born than he. He had every
thing that money could buy. Not only
was he lacking IN self-restraint himself,
but his people were lacking in seli.re-
straint. If the boy desired 10 60 10
school he was at liberty 10 90; If he pre-
ferred not 10 90 10 school he could stay az
home. After a while there came a defect
IN the brain: after a little while II was in
sanity, SO that now he is IN an insane
asylum. | heard him say. "Will you per.
NIT me to 90 10 father and mother"
Certainly, certainly the keeper said.
"He will never 60. He viii never be
ready 10 60. He rises IN the morning.
then he falls back on his cot he begins 10
dress and then steps; he viii Just about
be ready tonight; tomorrow morning he
VIII have the deluslon again. He never
quite gets up 20 his desire. That Is his
mania" There is many a boy possibly
in our church, whose home atmosphere Is
like that. and II is a most dangerous one.
! do not know that the fathers were strict
enough. | do not think my father was too
strict. In my boyhood's home life was
the forming of my character. | should
Ike 10 hold mp 10 every boy and every
young man the highest ideals of manhood.
and ask YOU TO take Christ.
Third, there are very many people men
tally unbalanced to-day because of some
hallucination. 4 poor woman cried out as
| passed along through the wards OF the
institution. Doctor ! am burning up: If
] could only have a breath of fresh air
would feel perfectly well again" A man
who used 10 be leader OF society was ac-
| tually burrowlng In the ground like an ami
NAL, all the dignity OF his manhood gone.
and the woman who was once the pride of
her home a mental wreck. and when |
said to the doctor. What is it that causes
thlsF his answer was, 1T IL sin in very
many cases | know very well that there
are many who are insane because Of in
herted tendency and some because of over
work, their poor ovorstrainCd nerves have
given way, but | have seen a countless
number in these latter DAYS insane be.
cause OF sin, and IL IS against this that
cry out.
There is a kind Of insanity in the posi-.
tion which men occupy with regard 20
being Christians
First, let US suppose a case OF sickness
where the patient gradually grows worse,
the temperature is high the pulse is rapid,
the heart Is entirely wrong, the skin is
dried and parched the case is critical,
cure must come quickly or not al all. and
YOU 90 10 the afflicted one and propose a
cure because your disease was the same
and you have been cured Suppose the
patient should remark Il do not feel that
| tins remedy will cure me, after a while !
| viii try it Possibly that is a specie OF
insanity, but suppose he declares thai he
viii wait until he grows better and the
disease has practically left him; in this,
| too. he Is insane. But suppose he tells you
| that he cannot understand how the rem.
| edy would cure him. and that until he can
| comprehend il he will not accept it. Could
| anything be more insane than such pO.
stiony Or suppose he should say, Il
would take IL, but ] know one who tried
| II and failed ! ask you, - not this
! species OF insanity
Second, what would you say concerning
| the position OF such a sick man. ] know
what you would say. You would look al
! him and say, Poor man; ne is insane;
| feelings have nothing 20 do with the mat
| ter; YOU cannot grow better without
| remedy The doctor understands the case
and you do not need 20 understand II.
| This Is what YOU would say, but ] know
thousands Of people who are away from
| Christ and staying away from Him for
these very reasons
Some years ago a young man threw him.
self into the rIvcr from a steamboat, and
az once the cry of Man overheard"
. startled al the passengers. They threw
hack the searchhght IN the darkness OF
the night and could see that he was sink.
ing, but suddenly some one threw him
rope and a cheer went Up because he had
caught hold Of it He drew the rope %.
ward him until "a. last they saw him lift
himself out of the water and then throw u
az far as he could and 90 down beneath
the waves He was an insane man hav-
ing escaped from his keepers, but the man
| who rejects Christ D. would seem % me,
is more insane, for be has turned away
from the only cure ior SIN and rejected the
only hope Of heaven.
III
There is beginning 20 al oi this. Have
you heard the Old fable OF the ring, valu-
able because Of ne gold, % be sure. but
that was not alls Whenever its wearer
stepped wrong the rinz pressed hls finger
and be would step right again. II was