The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-23
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor of jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago


Of the numerous class that dallies with
evil indulgence. making mock of dam
ger and needless Of admonition until
it is too late. The text is Proverbs xiv
., Fools make mock at sin"
There are times when hints and deli
cate phrasrology are Inadequate Tor
and WisoSt course is to us" plain. out
spoken characterization shot forth on
arrows Of pronunciation and cXcoria-
ton. SO in my text Solomon &~ys
plainly that til" man who ui,rk& 1T sj0
is fool When tn" hur?n body -
slowly but surely being r;!;"n -: : =,
cancer. it is tim" to use the surgeon )
knife The g2nyHpi"I limb n"Ht!| !: ~.
putatiOn. not bHlms or n'"stpr; rr puUI
tices or fragrant Oint!u"nlS. Ia wlIru
men and women with wide n'"n eyes
deliberately place themselves III a pos -
ton whore they may iu,l:ii" the f"t'l
atmosphere, roeking with the deadly
germs OF that contagious and fatal
plague called sin, it is high time that
some one should be bold enough to
stiSmatize them by an appropriate
name. They are not misguided chill
dren who are merely lost in the crook
ed byways of life's journey. They can
see the evil results of sin everywhere
they go if they will only look as they
are capable Of looking. They are not
mental weaklings who have been con-
fined behind the iron bars o. u lunatic
asylum. They can think. and clearly
think, if they will and do what they
ought to do. Such men and women are
displaying suicidal folly. and the only
appropriate name for them is that
which Solomon applies to them: they
are fools. Going to destruction by
their own choice and volition. hooking
at victims who have already been de
stroyed, Needless of the fate impend
ing over their own heads, they are as
foolish as would be sea captain who
in midocean and in the grip Of hurri
cane broke his rudder chains, threw his
chart overheard and smashed his COM
pass.
When gigantic sin is working evil to
the body polite and is endangering our
national well being, Solomon's method
is demanded. President Roosevelt evil
IDENTITY thought so when. q short time
ago, referring to Common sin. he
wrote: 81 do not know whether ! most
pity or despise the foolish and selfish
man or woman who does not under
stand that the only things really worth
having in life are those the acquire
ment Of which normally means cost
and effort. The man or the woman
who deliberately avoids marriage and
has heart so cold as to know no pas
sion and brain so shallow and selfish
as to dislike having children is In effect
a criminal against the race and should
be an object of contemptuous abhor-
renee to all healthy people"
why Mockers Are Fools.
The same kind of warning against
sin Hugh Latimer gave when he sent
to Henry VIII, his king. the present
of a New Testament. with these pun
gent words written in plain letters up
on the fly leaf: For this We know that
no unclean person hath any Inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of God"
The same kind Of warming against sin
in high places John Knox used to give
when as court preacher he would look
down from his pulpit and denounce the
sins of his ruler until the beautiful
Mary. queen of Scots. would grit her
teeth and turn pale and clinch her tiny
fists In paroxysms of rage. Let me
show you why the Knockers at sin are
fools; also why men and women In the
daily walks of life should kneel every
morning and evening and ask the Heav-
emily Father to protect and guide and
save them from the evil temptations
which beset them everywhere they go.
Evil temptations invariably are intro
duced to their victim in seemingly
harmless way. They seek your COM
panionship at first as friends. and not
as enemies. They do not approach you
glaring and convulsively working their
claws and leap at you. as the man eat
ing monster might try to get at your
throat when in all his fury he is Gagged
in the geological gardens of Calcutta.
But temptations come to you at first
with the'soft fur and the purring salu-
tation Of the little kitten which might
nestle in your lap. They come insid-
iously. as the cholera germs might
reach you wrapped in the beautiful
garment which is sent to you from far
off India. They come with all the fra
GRANGE of the poisonous leaf which
brings death to every creature that
touches it. DR.. Cuyier once gave a
wonderful description of one Of the
poisonous trees, aptly called the Judas
tree. He said that the blossoms of this
tree are Of brilliant red. From far
and near the fatal beauty of those
flowers attracts the insects. Yet ''ev-
cry bee wandering in search Of honey
that alights upon the blossoms imbibes
fatal opiate and drops to the earth.
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