"ALMAGE'S
DR. SERMON
Heformation of Evil Habits,
“When shall I swake, T will seek it yet
again.” Prov. & : 3.
Wirn an insight into human nature
such as no other man ever reached,
Solomon, In my text, sketches the men-
tal operations of one who, having step-
ped
ASIDE FROM THE PATH
of rectitude, desires to return, With a
wish for something better, he says:
“When shall I awake? when shall I
come ont of this horrid nightmare of
iniquity?” But seized upon by un-
eradicated habit, and forced down-hill
by his passions, he cries out: “I will
seek it yet again, 1 will try it once
more,’
Our libraries are adorned with an
elegant literature addressed to young
men, pointing out to them all the dan-
gers and perils of life—complele maps
of the voyage, showing all the rocks,
the quicksands, the shoals. But sup-
pose a man has already made ship-
wreck; suppose he is already off the
track; suppose already gone as-
tray,
he has
HOW IS ILE TO GET BACK?
hat is a fleld comparatively untouch-
ed 1 propose Lo
evening to such, There are those in
this audience who, with every passion
of their agonized soul, are ready to hear
: They compare them-
they were ten years
from the bondage in
incarcerated, Now, if
house, come with
vet feeling they are
ristian sympathy,
can hardly bé ex-
then, at this
discussion,
ves with what
and ery out
hi they are
be any in this
bal
dL
whi
ther
an eamest purpose,
beyoud the pale of Ch
and that the sermon
pected to address them,
moment, I give them my right hand
1 call them brother. Look up. There
ious and triumphant hope for you
I sound the trumpet of Gospel de-
rance. ‘The Church ready to
| a banquet at your return, and
erarchs of heaven to fall into line
snpered procession at the news of
emancipation. So far as God may
e, I propose to show what are th
y your return, and how to
1088 obstac es,
ali
is
ws 1
st $1}
Hi
THE FIRST DIFFICULTY
return 1s the for
Just as
vay of your
i gravitation,
law which brings
which 3
is a corresp
moral gravi In ot!
: ve +8 ‘g
is easier to go down than it
the y Iw
REC §
Pi
STOW
no
You
wer words, it
IR Lo gO up
i fa
AV §
right, (
Your i»
easier to do wrong than it is to do
mind the «
hood d 1¥5-—80Ime of them good
W hicl
to mind
in
some of them
hem impure. Wh
ly sticks to your memo}
of your life you
iin courses of condu
them wil, some of
which style-of habit did
easil! 1? Ab! my
10
Some ¢ iad,
: d
them
of 1 vi
] ield: frien
to take but a moment of self-luspect
that there is in ur
wral gravitation. Dat
may. be resisted. J
y pick up from the earth
and hold it in your hand toward
neavel, 1 of God's
grace, a soul fallen may be lifted t
i peace, toward pardon, toward
Force of moral gravitati
of us, but power in
io overcome that force of
. 11
ii out ail
On ist
S01
ust so, by the power
ons
irs tha
1 GE
way of
cer of evil habit,
are those who say it is
ve up evil babits,
w them. Here is a man
ation. He knows it
; bis family, destroying
them 0 gi
5 GQ
his pre y
ining him body, mind, and soul. If
being aun intelligent man,
his family, could ea iy
ould he not do so? i
not give iL up proves
give itup. 1 a ver
hing to sail down-stream,
ing you with great for
turn
»
J Ais
1
¥
Ig
if Ww
abit, ve
’ he does
1
BLY
v
red io
HE BOAT UP STREAM,
is it 80 easy then to row it? Aslong as
we yield to the evil inclinations in our
hearts and our bad habits, we are sail
ing downstream; but the moment we
try to burn, we put our boat in the
rapids just above Niagara, and try to
row up stream.
the habit of using tobacco, as most of
vou do, and let him resolve to stop, and
he finds it very dificult. Twenty-one
years ago I quit that habit, and I would
a8 soon dare to put my right hand in
the fire as once to indulge in it, Why?
Because it was such a terrible struggle
to get over it.
Now,
physician to give up the use of tobacco,
He goes around not knowing what to
do with lnmself. Ie cannot add up a
line of figures. Ile cannot sleep nights,
It seems as if the world bad turned up-
side down. He feels kis business 18 go-
ing to ruin. Where he was kind and
obliging he is scolding and fretful, The
composure that characterized him has
given way to fretful restlessness, and
he bas become acomplete fidget, What
power is it that has rolled a wave of
woe over the earth and shaken a por-
tent in the heavens ? Iie has tried to
stop smoking! After a while he says,
“I am going to do as I please. The doc-
tor dossn’t understand my case. 1'm
going back to the old habit.”
And he returns, Everything assumes
its usual composure, His business
secs fo brighten, The world becomes
an attractive place to live in, His
children, seeing the difference, hail the
return of their father’s genial disposi-
tion, What wave of color has dashed
blue tito the sky, and greenness into
the mountain foliage, and the glow of
sapphire into the sunset? What en-
chantment has lifted a world of beauty
and joy ou his soul? Ile has gone back
to smoking. Oh, the fact is, as we all
kuow in our own experience, that
HABIT I8 A TASK-MASTER;
as as we obey it, it does not ¢l
oi but let us resist, and we find wo
are to be lashed with seorplon whips,
and bound with ship cable, and
throw
into the track of ing ue:
gernauts, During the war of 1812
there was 4 ship set on fire just above
Niagara Falls, and then, cut loose from
its moorings, it came on down through
the night, and tossed over the alls, It
was said to have been a scene brilliant
beyond all description. Well, there
are thousands of men on fire of evil
habit, coming down through ihe rapids,
and through the awful night of tempti-
tion, toward the eternal plunge. Oh,
how hard it is to arrest them! God
only can arrest them,
Suppose a man, after five or ten or
twenty years of evil-dolng resolves to
do right. Why, all the forces of dark-
ness are allied against him, He cannot
sleep nights, He gets down on his
knees in the midnight and cries: ‘God
help mel’? He bites his lip, He grinds
his teeth. Hae clenches his fist 1n a de-
termination to keep his purpose. He
dare not look at the bottles in the win-
dows of a wine store. It is one long,
bitter, exhaustive, hand-to-hand fi:
with an intlamed, tantalizing, and me:
ciless habit, When he thinks he is en-
upon him like a pack of hounds with
their muzzles tearing away at the flanks
of one poor reindeer, In Paris there is
a sculptured representation of Dacchus,
He is riding ona
Oh, how sugges.
who is speeding
stand he is not rid-
Let every one
thirsty, going at a death leap.
How many there are who resolve on
a better life, and say: *“*When shall i
it¥seized on by their old
“I will try it once more;
I will seek it yet agamni” XY ago,
there were some Princeton
who were skating, and the ice was very
thin, and some warned
pany back from the air-hole, and final.
them entirely to leave the
place, But one young man with brav-
ado, after all the rest
“One round more!
and went down,
brought out a My friends,
are thousands and tens of tl
habits, crv:
Cars
one
He
and
swept
was
corpse,
OuU-
that
It
ve
:
is the one round more,
LO say that if aman wan
Ih
I 1 from evil practices,
REPULSES HIM,
SN ow
les,
I}
Desirin SAYS:
will sl ff my old associ:
wiil 31 hristian companionship
And he church
and the
wit} tind p of
with OOK 48 In i
the
ushergn
} as to
man | ever expected
Come, take
vy
Y
{» i
discous
and
ire Z#
i BOW Inu
A IOW An
1 1% 4
I 8 YOu KNOW
from evil
€& runs against
§ $ (hy
O return
NNT
REPU LSIONS
lives a bl
or
wk
balf a mile
from the church, There are pesple in
1 cities who live a thousand
Vast deserts of in-
difference between them and the house
of God.
respectability, though thousands and
thousands perish, Christ sat
with publicans and sinners But if
there come to the house of God a man
with marks of dissipation upon him,
people almost throw up their hands in
horror, as much as to say: “‘Isn’t it
shocking?”
ous Christians in all our churches are
going to get into heaven, I don't know,
unless they have an especial train of
cars, cushioned and upholstered, each
one a car to himself, They cannot go
with the great horde of publicans and
sinners,
Ohl ye who curl your lip of scorn at
the fallen, 1 tell you plainly, if you had
been surrounded by the same influences,
instead of sitting to-day amid the cul-
tian, you would have been a crouching
wretch in stable or ditch, covered with
filth and abomination. It is not be-
cause you are naturally any better, but
because the mercy of God has protect.
ed you. Who are you that brought up
in Cbhristian circles and watched by
Christian parentage, you should be so
hard on the fallen?
I think men also are often hindered
from return by the fact that churches
are too anxious about their membership
and too anxious about their denomina~
tion, and they rush out when they see a
man about to give up his sin and re-
turn to God, and ask him how he is
going to be biptized, whether by
sprinkling or immersion, and what
kind of a church he is going to join,
Oh, my friends, it is
A POOR TIME TO TALK
about Presbyterian catechisms, and
Episcopal liturgies, and Methodist love.
feasts, and baptisteries to a man that is
como tm i
0 it
reminds me of a man drewning rig fo
sea, and a life-boat puts out for him,
and the man in the boat says to the
man out of the boat: “Now, if I get
you astiore, are you going to live 02 my
street?” First get him ashore, and then
talk about the non-essentials of religion,
Who cares what church he joins, if he
only joins Christ and starts for heaven?
Oh! you ought to have, my brother, an
illumined face and hearty grip for every
one that tries to turn from his evil way.
remembering that ‘he that converteth
a sinner from the error of his ways shall
save a soul from death and Inde a mul-
titude of sins.”
Now, I have shown you these obsta-
cles because I want you to understand
I know all the difficulties in the way;
but I am now to tell you how Hannibal
may scale the Alps, and how
THE SHACKLES MAY BE
be regained, First of all, my
brother, throw yourself on God. Go to
him frankly and earnestly, and tell him
these habits you have, and ask Him if
there is any help in all the resources of
omnipotent love, to give it to you.
not go with a long rigmarole people
prayer,
and forever and ever, amen!” Go to
God and ery for help ! help! help! and
for help, just look
I remember, in the late war,
call
man: “Where are
made no answer, but
you hurt?” He
held up his arm,
intered, I saw where
he was hurt, The simple fact is, when
has a wounded soul, all be has
to hold it up before a sympa-
tic Lord, and it healed, It does
take any prayer. Just hold
it is no small thing,
nervous and weak and
ng from his evil ways
to feel that God puls two omnipot
around him, and says: “Young
an, I will stand by you. The mo
Leki i i
+
rit
PRL ed
ong
{ Mi,
ent
arms
ns may depart, and the hills
but I will never fail
as the soul thinks the news is
cannot believe
fy
YOu,
and looks up in God's face, God li
$ right hand and takes an
*“As I live, saith
CRRLEl, ld
the
ih, ' said
r there will no
around for the
s thi Bless
from -
A700 one pars of
thar
Oil HNO
om
this moan was f
Mas achusetls,
from New
lier, nly ques. |
rags the |
ur troubles,
I counsel you,
back, to quit all
UNHOLY INTIMACY
moral
hoe
© 8 wit istemper,
iirch there has
nce where a man kept
oe and was reformed.
. Open your
2
il
ages of
it been an insta
1 associal
} %
) 1 desk, tal
stamp and envek
ore lo-day
wut letter paper,
% '
pti
4 a 3
& a ietler somethnn
ii
this, Far
hen sign your name,
letter by the first post,
i
well
and send th
rive up your
bad companions or give up heaven, It
is nol ten bad companions that
MER, HO?
What
ung man I
three bad companions, but one,
that y
men with him, halting in front
grog shop, urging him to
sisting, violently resisting,
of a
go in, he re- |
n? 1t was
oxen, and i saw the Process, They
held him fast, and they put the cup to
his lips, and they forced down the strong |
drink. What chance is there for such
[I counsel vou also, seek
advice, Every Christian man 1s bound |
to help you. If you find no other
human ear willing to listen to your
story of struggle, come to me and I |
will by every sympathy of my heart,
and every prayer, and every toil of my |
hand, stand beside you in the struggle
for reformation ; and as I hope to have
my own sins forgiven, and hope to be |
acquitted at the Judgment seat of
Christ, I will not betray you. First of
all seek God, then
SEEK CHRISTIAN COUNSEL,
Gather up all the
mind and soul, and appealing to God
for success, declare this day, everlast-
ing war against all drinking habits, all
gaming practices, all houses of sin,
Half-and-half work will amount to
nothing: it must be a Waterloo, Shrink
back now, and you are lost. Push on,
and you are saved. A Spartan general
fell at the very moment of victory, but
he dipped his finger in his own blood
and wrote on a rock near which he was
dying; ‘Sparta has conquered.”
Though your struggle to get rid of sin
may seem to be almost a death strug-
gle, you can dip your Snes in your own
blood and write on the Rock of Ages :
“Victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ I”?
Oh! what glorious news it would be
for some of these young men to send
home to their parents In the country,
They go to the post-office every day or
two to see if there are any letters from
Christian
energies of body, |
How anxious they are to hear!
Notuing would please them half so’
much as the news you might send home
to-morrow that you had given your
heart to God, I know how it is in the
country, The night comes on. The
sattle stand under the rack through
which bursts the trusses of hay.
The horses just having frisked up
through the meadow at the night fall,
stand knee-deep in the bright straw
that lovites them to lie down and rest,
The porch of the hovel is full of fowl,
their feet warm under the feathers,
In
THE OLD FARM HOUSE AT NIGH]
clap
and
and
mother
no candle is lighted, for the flames
about the great backlog,
and
wall. Father
ing.
of.
sllence
After a while the father breaks the
and says: “Well, I wonder
And the mother answers: “In no bad
he has been away there have so many
prayers offered for him we can
still.” Then at eight o'clock
for they retire early in the country
ight o'clock they kneel down and com-
mend you to that God who
town, Ol
watches in
in
ou the sea,
Grecian soldier :
of
thought a moment,
some one said to
the
He
a
proudest
ment
moment
your life?”
TH DEST MOMENT
PROT
nt wow 144
ol my life was when I sent word
parents that I
' And the proudest
when
LO my
brillant m
the moment
have conquered your evil ha
ace of Go
Ob! ds
1, and become «
iy
piseé not paren
x 11 ¥ wl ¥
e¢ will come when
} » +5 i
Her nor moiher, an
the
place where the)
find them
from the neigl
loud for forgiveness as
the mound in the
gong
chur
wer,
DEAT
And then
lock of b
mother's
will take out ths
at was cut i
just before
will take
LO
sir tl
brow
Rer, and you
Of
they |
the cane
walk, anu
1
nw, and wisi
just as they wants
you will think and thi
you had done
to, and would gi
had never thrust
dear old hearts.
man who has brought
father’s name, God
o has bre ken liz wm
{ he bad never been
first hour of h
In sng laid against
maternal tenderness, he
and seq edd I'h
powerful enough to
who has brought
grave, 3
i
thier!
horn
life, ins
ses, 1
tha % §
8 WALID
ha
is
1
i
el
hes of one
3
O a sorrowd
BEATING ROTHSCHILD,
A Porcelain Service That Was Cheap
at Any Price,
CAreworn
4
{ot
pre-
1.1
apparentiy
nierview
& Krave,
8.2 d ‘
we famous aged
visitor took from his bag a
beautiful plate, so splendidly wi
admired IL exo
and became greatly 4
«Nir," said the p
buy this of
nd it has struc
beautiful cannot
$1
mer?
=
of financiers.’
“It is indeed very fine”
“How much do you
said the old man
with many years,
and have not long to live. 1 am poor,
my days in compara-
Will, you in exchange for
of porcelain, give me
life of 10) francs a
“Look you, sir,”
income for
month?"
The baron looked at the poor man,
“Well, be it so; here 1s the
Send me the service, and give
me your name.’
a month afterward while he was seated
in his counting house, a man entered
and asked for the second payment of
But the
was young, scarcely 30 years of age, of
would live for a hundred years,
“But yon are not the man!” exclaim.
od the astonished banker,
“Excuse me, baron,’ said be, "1 am
indeed the man,*’
“But you appeared at least 80 years
old,” said the baron,
“I have wonderfully recovered,’ ob
gsorved the man, “thanks to your gen-
erosity.”
The baron laughed heartily, and gave
orders for the payment of the money,
exclaiming:
“Ah, you are an excellent comedian,
and have taken me in thoroughly.’
“1 am lotably the first who has done
80," replied the Jew, politely bowing to
the millionaire.
Tnene are some fond, foolish, trust.
ing men who will read over a recipe for
mince ple and then thunk they really
know what it is made of,
¢
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON,
Buspay, Arnrr 15, 1888,
Christian Watchfuluess,
LESSON TEXT.
Matt. 24: £2.51. Memory verses, 42-44.)
LESSON PLAN,
Toric or THE QUARTER:
King in Zion.
Jesus the
GOLDEN TEXT FOR THE QUARTER:
But we belwld him who hath been made a
{ Little lower than the angels, even Jesus,
| beeaus: of the suffe ring of death erowned
with glory and honor. —Heb, 2 : 9.
Lesson Toru s A Message Enjoying
Watchfulne iH,
+ Obligation to Walchlulness,
’s. 4-41.
The Rewards of Watchifultess, va
Outline ; ¢ 5
erils of Heediessness, VE,
GOLD]
| undo
nd
what [I ay
you dt, Watch.
Mark 13 : 3;
DAILY
\
1
IES
Hos
Matt,
£21154
Pe id i i
HEIL The Nex
3 2 »
fal Watching
I'NE BEWALD
1. Commendation
The {faithful and
We i
rs (Matt,
will the
he
wt
hi
hiu
servant.’
al; {G (3) Honored,
The way to advancement (1)
Faithfulness; (2) Wisdom. rg
2, “Blessed is that servant.”
his personal character; (2) In his
official standing: In his
pective honors,
“He will set him
hath,’ 1}
Enlarged
honor,
ii. THE PERILS OF
I. Heedlossness :
Shall say. .... My Lord tarrieth :
shall begin to beat (48, 49).
| Jehu took no heed to walk
. “That fait
if
1} Faiti
{1) In
i 3 i pros-
over
Recognized ability;
usefulness; (3) Deserved
fey
Le
HEEDL ESSN ESS,
and
inthe law
of the Lord (2 Kings 10 : 31),
| My people doth not consider (Isa. 1 : 3).
As a horse that rusheth headlong in the
battle (Jer, 8 : 6).
They made hight of it (Matt, 22 ; 5)
IL Surprise:
Shall come in a day when he expect.
eth not (50).
Trembling hath surprised the godless
ones (Isa. 33 : 14).
How is... .the praise of the whole earth
surprised (Jer, 51 : 41),
At Iidmght there is a ory (Matt,
25 : 6).
Ina oat in the twinkling of an eye
{1 Cor. 15 : 62).
11. Destruction :
Cut him asunder, and appoint his
portion (51).
Th, wa o the wicked shall perish
sa 1:9).
me, . + .8hall suddenly be broken (Prov.
20: 1).
The chaff he will burn with
quenchable fire (Matt, 319),
These shail Zo away into eternal pun.
ishment (Mata. 25 : 48).
1. “But if that evil servant shall
in his beat.” (1) Evil nature;
Evil surmisings; (3) Evil deeds,
(1) An ewil heart; (2) An evil
thought; (8) An evil man,
, “"Bhall eut him asander.”
Crime detected: (2)
ended: (3 1
v “The
testh,’
iY
(2}
(1)
Opportunity
Penalty enforeed,
weeping and gnashing f
1) The weeping of re.
2) The gnashing of despair,
--— -
BIBLE READING.
WATCHYULNESE,
A universal duty (Mark 13 : 37).
A constant duty (2 Tim. 4 : 5).
Against Satan (Eph, 6
Against temptations
f. ¢.).
Because of
|
arr piy i,
Ose;
LESSON
1
(Matt, 26
Because of
26 : 41. 1. c.
i To atta 1 4 propery
| 36:1 Thess, 5 :
i To attain
| BI
persor iid
steadlias
with
Pet, 4
observers blessed
s{1 Cor, 16 :
ended { Matt,
e.;]
Its
}
Luke }2.: 34
--—
LESSON SURROUNDINGS,
After the denund
and Pharisees
trast, another incident, Lrrale
i by Mark (Mark 12
Came,
:41-44) and Lu}
| {Luke : 1-4), the praise bestowed «
{ one poor widow who cast ber mit
| the tr asury. Most harmonists
this was followed by ever
John 12 } Oh), in
lies that our Lor
pu teachings,
1 to ses hi
to which
wlds some reflections of
oridiinge {he
4
4
thin
its and sayi
EX
hl
sed
! Greeks
bic
in; nis
the evange
his own
final public ulleran:
Hie ive:
wi Riveii,
nt lesson is taken
Matt, 24
destruction of Jerusale:
{ and the second coming of our Lord.
was occasioned by a prediction of
total destruction of the temple (Malt
4:1, 2), called forth directly by ques-
1 5 as to time, ete, (Maik, 24 : 3).
place was the mownt of Olive
i ie, probably in view of
; Tuesday evening,
or begianing of the
y Jewish reckoning
—A. D. 30.
were the “four
$%. The earlier
refers to the de-
Terusalem: the central par
g,’” and the Iatter part to
* Where the
sections
irom
§ Or
JUrse ana &o
if
ies
tail
s general mos
ws other
$41
The Ginger Vics
ATE AWare
f diagis
Oi Gisaiik
aine., In
Mijurion
course
of
RiLger essence
r cent, aleohe
per cent,
wice as intoxica
reason why
}
Lie
id topers w
capable of intoxicating
from whisk: need
{| powerful agency puie
exira
told me he had tn
AW
+ tHiry
no long
stimulation
the mor
alcohol
a]
ory
1" He
tomers,
rer
regular cas.
had
igh employing the ginger:
casions for stomachic pains
{ The relief it affosded her was so grate-
{ ful that she took to it upon any recur
ence of her trouble. She found, too,
! i ration of the alco-
depression. In
; to using ® regularly,
ily to such excess that she was
ly intoxicated. Large doses
additional doses
| produce a profound lethargre slumber,
| which lasts in some cases for twenty-
| four hours. His other customer was a
| peddler, who came ul & certain hour
{ every morning, brought a four ounce
| bottle, and drank its contents LY noon.
| The man craved the stuff so ardently
that he was unable to pe about his
business until he had set the machinery
} of his stomach in operation, and starie
i ed the circulation of the blood by means
{of the flety draught. He says that
{ the habit is well known to the drug
| trade.
&
Ho contracted
* |
§ the an
| Of BEVEeral on
she got
| produce a quiet stupor;
—_—
He Started.
A rmag-peddler, who was driving up
Gratiot avenne recently, had reached
Hastings street when his horse balked,
The usual number of smart Alecks were
soon on hand with their advise, and
one suggestion after another was tried
in vain, The horse could neither be
pulled nor pushed, and as he was block-
ading traffic, the crowd began to grow
very rapidly.
“What is i*” inquired a boy of
twelve, who pushed his way into the
circle,
“Balky horse,’’ answerad some one,
“Where's the owner? Here, you
man, can’t you start this horse?"’
*‘No, he doan’ start oop.”’
“Wait a minute,”
The lad ran up the street hall a block
and pulled a handful eof hay out of a
bale at a feed store. and when he re.
turned be cleared a space in front of
the horse, stood off about five
extended his hand, The horse
up his ears, his eyes glistenad
once adv and followed the boy
around the corner,
“It’s according
as the