The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-31
LARGE CONGREGATION
HEARS REV. DR.. BABC0ck
Interesting Sermon at Asbury Meth
odist Church on ''The Man That
Swallowed Himself"

~~-@As~'~--'
Asbury Methodist Church was
crowded last night in both auditorium
and Sunday School room to hear Rev.
J. o. Babcock preach on THE Man
That Swallowed Himself
The large and we'll trained choir
rendered special music. under direc-
ton of Professor Renner.
/. The preachers text was taken from
Ecclesiastes, 10:12:
THE words of a wise mans mouth
are gracious, but the lips of a fool will
swallow up himself
He said in part:
This chapter consists entirely of
rhythmical sentences giving advice as
to conduct, The first verse reads:
Dead flies cause the ointment of the
apothecary to send forth a sinking
SAVIOR, so doth a litter folly him that
is in reputation for wisdom and
honor"
Thus we see how a little evil spoils
much good. The second verse says:
"A wise mans heart is at his right
hand, but a fools heart at his left. +"
This is based on the fact that the right
hand is more expert than the left. and
the foolish one, not having right self
control, goes about things as awk-
wardIy as left-handed man.
We are taught that the wise mans
talk does good, but the fools talk does
harm. The little couplet says:
"A man of words and not of deeds,
Is like a garden full of weeds
You see the Bible does not consider
this man clever. for it calls him fool;
and surely he is a fool, for who would
like to swallow himself so that all the
na mi axH of him his month
How would yeu Hike to be thought OF
as Just a mouth?
What sort of a man does Solomon
here speak? The man guilty of false
hood is evidently one that swallows
himself with his lips. No one hardly
ever feels safe with anyone who has
once told him lie,
We have heard people say, Yes. !
know that so and so has agreeable
manners and is very entertaining and
obliging, but he tells such lies that
don't believe a word he says His
mouth let's the truth out so crooked
that it's all twisted and bent, and no
one believes him. , His mouth has
swallowed him up.
What terrible thing IT is to have
living lips swallow you up, SO that
nothing remains of you for people to
admire and honor and love. Many
man has been sunk by having his own
tongue fall upon him, Psa. 64:s.
loaded wagon moves without much
noise THE lips of fool will swallow
up himself" by destroying his infiu-
ence for usefulness and service.
In a certain village in Scotland
there lived half witted man whose
coat presented a most curious appear
anCe All down the front of IT was
covered with patches of various sizes,
mostly large. on the back of the coat
was a small patch no bigger than
three penny piece.
when asked why his coat was
patched in such a remarkable way.
he answered that the patches on the
front represented the sins of his neigh
bors; the patch on the back he said,
lis my sin and / cannot see it,
Is not that fair picture OF the at
titude OF the Pharisees in Christs
time? And how about our own at
titude todaye The drunkard swallows
himself up in the whiskey bottle. Woe
unto him that puttest the bottle 10
his neighbors lips"
\ loa fer said to a working man,
When / have my beer l feel strong
enough to knock a house down
Whereupon the working man replied.
Through my leaving off beer l hare
been able 10 put two houses up"
Iceland will not allow a drop OF
liquor manufactured or imported
there. and as a result its IS.ooo IN
habitants are total ahstasneEs. Iceland.
has no jails or penitentiaries, no court
and but one policeman. There is not
an illiterate person on the island. nor
4 child over ten years aid who cannot
read,
What a waste of talent drowned in
the wine cup. What pity that ma
tons should swallow up their pros