The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-02
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DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON
c'c'o"o'S.S.osts.ss"9'o s<s'<ss<s'S
FRANK DEWITT rAhIAGE D. D.

Los Angeles. Cal. January 2h--1n this
sermon the preacher deals with univer-
sal problenl-that Of social eompanionship
and shows the perils Of evil associations
and how to avoid them. The text is Prov
cribs Nlii, y. "A companion OF fools shall
be destroyed
It is good for man ever and anon to go
off alone, as Christ often went alone, into
a desert place TO pray. but ] notice that
these periods OF solitude in christs life
followed or preceded times of large asso-
citation and social activity. jesus went
into seclusion either to recover from an
uncommon strain or 10 prepare for an ap-
preaching demand ON his energies. lie
never sought solitude for its own sake He
loved TO have his disciples around Him
and evidently gained help and comfort
from their presence. In that supreme
crisis in the night preceding His death
He longed TO lave them near Him and
was hurt when they cared 50 little for His
trouble that they won't 10 sleep. could
We not watch With Ne one hourY' lie
asked them in pathetic reproaeh.
God never meant man to live hermit
existence. Man il naturally gregarious
animal 1t was meant that he should as
sociate with men. As God said at the
creation, ut is not good that man should
he alone He needs companions. asso-
ciates. friends lie needs them for tho
development of his owa character. and he
needs them chat he msY aid in the devel-
opmant Of theirs The psychologist looks
with suspicion ON the nature that avoids
society and perpetually Graves solitude.
Such man. lie says. is abnormal; he Is
morose he Is liableto become demented.
Even piety does not thrive in seclasion.
The old monks thought il did, but their
experience proved the contrary The
youth brought up carefully apart from
boys Of his own age. Is saved from coa-
tsmination, bat his innocence Is not viz
tue. and 1t does not become virtue until
it has been tested in society.
Association. then, Is a necessity, but it
should not be lndiseriminate association.
A man is not only known by the company
he keeps. but he is Liable to become like
the company he keeps. II is not possible
to avoid contact with evil, but TO seek out
own and voluntarily associate with it Is
suicidal 1t is not eaprlcious punish
ment that Solomon pronounces in my
text, but a philosophic conclusion, when
he says, ~ companion OF fools shall be
destroyed" This danger, then is serious,
and I want this morning TO point out to
you four kinds of character that come
under the designation of fools-eharacters
to be avoided because they bring destruc-
ton on their companions.
The Atheistic Fool.
In the first place there is the atleistic
fool, whom David describes psalm xiv, -,
in some respects the most dangerous or
companions, The fool hath said in his
heart, there is no God Then, as though
not satisfied with once hurting his con-
demnatioa against the atheist, the in
splred writer repeats the same words in
the Fifty-third rsalm. BY this repetition
l,o a,al as,1 xr.attr n
people too much again association with
those who are denying the existence of
God" But. though tile Bible so vehe-
mently and emphaticallY denounces the
atheist, yet how little some of us heed
the warning against association with the
atheist, who hath said in his heart,
There is no God" We are willing to
obey Gods demand, which says, Thou
shalt not associate with murderers or
with thieves or drunkards." We are will
ling to say amen to the divine COM
mand Thou shalt not be unclean in
morals" But we are not willing TO dis
continue our fellowship with those whose
whole lives are spent denying God and
that Christ, who is our only hope for
this world and for the next.
Now, ! do not believe it is possible to
love God Alright and at the same time go
with those who do not. love and honor
Hin. No we CalHOt 10 llls any ilfOAo
than we can love our wives and mothers
and yet associate with those who despiss
pure women and are continually speaking
evil about them. If | should come into
your home and begin to talk against your
dead mother and by letters and news
papers try to prove to you that she was
a bad woman you would not let me go
very far You would turn upon me with
all the indignation IN your nature and
- 1
Iou would say You are no longer my
friend. l lived with my A+other too many
years not to know that what you say IS
false. Furthermore no man can stay in
my home who would utter such language
as you nave done. l could not continue to
love and reverence my mother if l be-
lieved the charges you have made, and l
will not associate with one who despises
her as you do. Therefore we must for
ever part" But though you would speak
like that in your defense of father, u
mother, brother, sister, wife or a
child, yet strange to say some of us con-
tinue TO associate with those on earth who
openly and brutally deny the goodness
and the very existence Of that God whom
we love and Worship. Now, my friends
you are at the fork of two divergent
roads. Either you must bring your athe-
istic friends to the foot of the cross ana
lead them 10 DOW ara WORSHIP at inc
manager or else, for Christs sake, you
must refuse any longer to be yolied with
unbelievers
A second character against whom the
Bible warns us is the slanderer. Solomon
says proverbs X. 49,, "He that uttereth
a SANDER is a fool" What does that
mean? Why, simply this If you hear an
evil report about your neghbor and you
repeat this evil report before you have
investigated 1t. and you go on repeating
this evil report when it Is unsubstanti-
ated by one sclntilla of proof, and you
run around spreading that report from
house to house, you are in Gods sight
fool Now all such scandal mongers
YOU and / should shun or else with their
vigorous tongues they will destroy our
spiritual lives, even an adders fang
with one puncture can inject its poison
and still the throbbings of our pulses and
stop the steady action of our beating
hearts. And yet, alas, how much of the
conversation of our associates is devoted
to trying to analyze the supposed imper-
fections Of our neighbours! And when our
friends begin to talk slanderously about
our neighbors how easy it Is for us to
join forces with them and become a
slanderer among slanderersi
We are ready to grant that the first
part of the verse of my text, "He that
walketh with wise men shall be wise, y
is true. We know the influence of good
Why should we not be willing to admit
Al. - Il, .l~r-