The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-10-15
passing away. and much IL being sacrificed

OF characters lie all along the pathway o.!
speculation. In all ranks and grades OF
society are found the victims OF wlid,
reckless gambling. Greed OF wealth Is be-
| coming too much an American vice. It's
| allurements are proving too strong Tor our
bright. energetic and ambitious young
men. and there is n call for steadler,
wiser and safer spirit in business affairs.
Second. there are many people insane 70.
| day because of seis.indulgence, the lack OF
| self-restraint. Seliindugence ruins men,
self.denial makes them; self.indulgence
sells q mans birthrght for mess OF pot
tagc, and he tries to get it again only to
find that it is impossible; self-denial
makes one to be possessed OF increasing
on until we find 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. it is the lack OF
| self.restraint that has made many a man
to lose his soul DR.. Talmase 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 tremblingly said. Please,
sir. will you give me penny" For
what" said the minister. The answer
was. "For strong drink" DR., Talmage
said to him. II am minister and cannot
give you the money for that, but will
help YOU. What is your name: and he
said the man buried his face in his hands,
shook with emotion, and then finally said,
NV name is"-and he sobbed it out.
Why" said DR.. Talmaqe. ~ knew man
by that name in Edinburgh; a prominent
merchant; did you know him. God
pity me, sir" said he, II am that man;
sin slew me. and / am here; my wife is
u N hntrQa
and I am on my way to hell" What a
warning for every man who gives way in
the least to sin.
There are many men in the insane insti.
tutions to-day because of self.indulgence
and lack of self.restraint. Who was it
that said, Better is he that ruleth his
spirit than he that taketh a city" Why,
il a man could only take city what
hero he would be! The word OF God says
that every man may be greater than he
that taketh city If he will rule his own
spirit. Self.indulgence ruins, self.deniai
makes men. Self.indulgence sells a mans
birthright for less than q mess OF pottagee.
Be not deceived. God is not Knocked,
whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap.
came across one young man in the In.
sane 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 self-re-
straint. If the boy desired to 60 to
school he was at liberty TO go; il he pre-
ferred not to 20 to school he could stay at
home. After while there came defect
in the brain: after little while it was in
sanity, SO that now he Is in an insane
asylum. heard him say, "Will you per.
NIT me to 60 to father and mother"
Certainly, certainly" the keeper said.
HE will never 60. He win never be
ready to 70. He rises in the morning,
then he falls back on his cot; he begins to
dress and then steps; he viii just about
be ready tonight; tomorrow morning he
will have the delusion again. He never
quite gets up to his desire. That is his
mania" There is many q boy. possibly
in our church, whose home atmosphere is
like that, and il is most dangerous one.
! do not know that the fathers were strict
enough. L do not think my father was too
strict. In my boyhood's home life was
the forming OF my character. should
like to hold up to 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. A poor woman cried out as
passed along through the wards OF the
institution. Doctor, ! am burning. up; il
l could only have breath Of fresh air I
would feel perfectly well again. A man
who used 70 be a: leader OF society was ac-
tually burrowing 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 l
said to the doctor. what is it that causes
this:" his answer was, ut is sin in very
many cases." know very well that there
are many who are insane because Of in.
herited tendency and some because OF over
work, their poor overstrained nerves have
given way, but I have seen a countless
number in these latter days insane be-
cause of sin, and it Is against this that
cry out.
There il q kind OF insanity in the posi-.
tion which men occupy with regard to
being Christians.
First, let US suppose q case Of sickness
where the patient gradually grows worse,
the temperature is high. the pulse is rapid.
the heart is entirely wrong, the skin il
cure must come quickly or not at all, and
you 20 to the afflicted one and propose
cure because your disease was the same
and you have been cured. Suppose the
patient should remark, Il do not feel that
this remedy will cure me, after while !
will try it." Possibly that is a specie of
insanity, but suppose he declares that he
will 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
comprehend it he will not accept it. Could
hipo ho rnnra Ineane than cuch m.
sition? Or suppose he should say, ~
would take it. but know one who tried
it and failed" ! ask you, is not this 4
speries OF insanity?
Second. what would you say concerning
the position of such q sick man? i know
what you would say. You would look at
him and say, Poor man; he is insane;
feelings have nothing to do with the mat.
ter; you cannot grow better without a
remedy. The doctor understands the case
and you do not need to understand it,"
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 young man threw him.
self into the river from a steamboat, and
at once the cry of Man overboard!"
startled all the passengers. They threw
back the searchlight in the darkness OF
the night and could see that he was sink.
ing, but suddenly some one threw him q
rope, and cheer went up because he had
caught hold OF it. He drew the rope to.
ward him until at last they saw him lift
himself out Of the water and then throw it
the waves. He was an insane man, hav.
ing escaped from his keepers. but the man
who rejects Christ, it would seem to me,
is more insane, for he has turned away
from the only cure Tor sin and rejected the
only hope Of heaven.