A horse which carries a halter is soon caught
Charles Spurgeon · John Ploughman's Pictures; or, More of His Plain Talk for Plain People
TER IS SOON CAUGHT.
WITH a few oats in a sieve the nag
is tempted, and the groom soon
catches him if he has his halter on ; but the
other horse, who has no rope danghng from
{^53)
154 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S PICTURES.
his head, gives master Bob a sight of his
heels, and away he scampers. To my m^ind,
a man who drinks a glass or two, and goes
now and then to the tap-room, is a horse
with his bridle on, and stands a fair chance
of being locked up in Sir John Barleycorn's
stables, and made to carry Madame Drink
and her habit. There's nothing like coming
out fair and square, and standing free as the
air. Plenty will saddle you if they can
catch you ; don't give them the ghost of a
chance. A bird has not got away as long
as there is even a thread tied to its leg.
"I've taken the pledge and I will not falter;
I'm out in the field and I carry no halter;
I'm a lively nag that likes plenty of room,
So I'm not going down to the ' Horse and Groom.' "
In other concerns it is much the same :
you can't get out of a bad way without
leaving it altogether, bag and baggage.
Half-way will never pay. One thing or the
other : be an out-and-outer, or else keep in
altogether. Shut up the shop and quit the
trade if it is a bad one : to close the front
shutters and serve customers at the back
door is a silly attempt to cheat the devil,
THE HORSE WITHOUT A HALTER. 155
and it will never answer. Such hide-and-
seek behavior shows that your conscience
has just enough light for you to read your
own condemnation by it. Mind what you
are at, don't dodge like a rat.
I am always afraid of the tail end of a
habit. A man who is always in debt will
never be cured till he has paid the last six-
pence. When a clock says '* tick " once, it
will say the same again unless it is quite
stopped. Harry Higgins says he only owes
for one week at the grocer's, and I am as
sure as quarter-day that he will be over
head and ears in debt before long. I tell
him to clean off the old score and have
done with it altogether. He says the trades-
people like to have him on their books,
but I am quite sure no man in his senses
dislikes ready money. I want him to give
up the credit system, for if he does not he
will need to outrun the constable.
Bad companions are to be left at once.
There's no use in shilly-shallying ; they
must be told that we would sooner have
their room than their company, and if they
call again we must start them off with a flea
in each ear. Somehow I can't get young
156 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S PICTURES.
fellows to come right out from the black
lot ; they think they can play with fire and
not be burned. Scripture says, ** Ye fools,
when will ye be wise ? "
" April the first stands, mark'd by custom's rules,
A day for being, and for making, fools ;
But, pray, whatcustom, or what rule, supplies
A day for making, or for being, wise ? "
Nobody wants to keep a little measles or
a slight decree of fever. We all want to
be quite quit of disease ; and so let us try
to be rid of every evil habit. What wrong
would it be right for us to stick to ? Don't
let us tempt the devil to tempt us. If we
give Satan an inch, he will take a mile. As
long as we carry his halter he counts us
among his nags. Off with the halter !
May the grace of God set us wholly free.
Does not Scripture say, " Come out from
among them, and be ye separate, and touch
not the unclean thing" ?