Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-11
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Tho Brooklyn Divine Discourses
On Drawn and Muscle,

1hc Asesults of the Preaching of tho Ma.
""o u Free-Loveism on American So.
e1o'y-The Responsibility of Physl.
cal Strength to the World.
Inc Rev. dewitt Talmage, in q recent
sermon IN Brooklyn Tabernacle, took
"brawn and Muscle" for his theme. taking
for his text:
And Samson went down to T,mnath -
Judges xiv, /.
inere are two sides to the character of
nI Inc one phase of his life, if fol.
49, ihto particulars, would administer
sioeesque and the mirthful but there
pnase OF his character fraught with
I"Sn VI soiemn and eternal import. To
'noso sraver lessons we devote this dis.
course ihis giant, no doubt, in earlv life
gave evidence of what he was to be. II ia
almost always so. There were two M.
poleohs-the boy Napoleon and the man
Napoleon-but both alike; two Howards-
ene boy Howard and the man Howard
Due DOM alike; two Samsons-the bow Sam.
son ana the man Samson-but both nike.
rms giant was, no doubt, the hero of the
playground, and nothing could stand be-
lore MS exhibitions of youthful prowess
AT eighteen years of age he was betrothed
to the daughter of a Philistine. Going down
soWard Ilmnath a lion came out upon him
Although this young giant was weapon.
less, he seized the monster NV tho
dong name and shook him as a hungry
hound shakes a March hare. and made it's
bones crack and left it by the wayside
bleeding under the shifting of his fist and
the grinding of his heel. PASSING alono.
alter a while, the same place, he turned
into the thlcket to see the remains of the
monster he had slain. Under the hot eli
anatc, all the perishable particles of the
non had disappeared, and under the rain
and the sun the skeleton had been washed
and bleached until it was as pure and rs
white as a vase of porcelain. Into this
skeleton the bees had gathered their honey
the sweetness of grass tops. the Juice of
the romegranate, the aroma of the wild
flowers which had stood in the gloom Of
the tnlckets, pale nuns in natures convent.
On the wedding day Samson had pro.
pounded 4 riddle-a riddle so foolish that
1t iias been regarded as q warning for those
who, without talent for righteousness. at
tempt 1T. by the treachery of his wife the
riddle w~aseasily guessed by the Philistines,
anu Samson, in his INDIGNATION, slew
thirty people. Further to avenge the
wrong done him he sets on fire 500 foxes,
and these terrified creatures in their alarm
rush into the corn shocks and VINEYARDS
unit! the whole land is ablaze with desola-
ton. Surrounded one day by 5000 men
this giant picked up a jawbone from the
wayslde and mcws down armed men, as
in the harvest field the full headed grain
tumbles under the swing Of the sickle.
There he stand looming up above other
men, a mountain of flesh, his arm punched
with muscle that can lift the gate OF a
city, taking an attitude defiant Of every
thing. His hair had never been cut, and
1t rolled down in seven great plaits over
his shoulder, adding to his ierceness and
terror. Til Philistines want to conquer
him, and, therefore, they must find out
where the secret Of his strength lays.
There is q dissolute woman living in the
Valley of Sorek by the name Of Delilah.
They appoint her the agent in the case.
The Philistines are secreted in the same
building, n then Delilah goes to work
and coaxes Samson to tell what is the Sc
cret of his strength. "Well," he says, "if
you should take seven green withes, such
as they fasten wild beasts with, and put
them around me l should be perfectly pow
~erless." So she binds him with the seven
green withess Then she claps her hands
and says: "They come-the PhilistinesH"
and he walks on as though there were no
impediment. She coaxes him again, and
says: "Now tell me the secret of this
great strength" And he replieth: "If
you Should take some ropes that have
never been used and tie me with them, l
should be Just like other men" She ties
him with the ropes, claps her hands and
shouts: "They come-the Philistines!"
He walks out as easily as he did before
not a single obstruction. She coaxes him
again, and he says: Nov if you should
take these seven long plaits Of hair and by
this house-loom weave them into a web, l
could not get away SO the house-loom
is rolled up and the shuttle flies backward
and forward and the long plaits OF hair are
woven into a web. Then she claps her
hands and says: ''They comc-the Phil
~istines." He walks out rs easily as he did
before, dragging Il part OF the loom with
him. But after awhile she persuades him
to tell The truth. He says: 'lf you Should
take q razor or shears and cut OIL this long
hair, l should be powerless and in the
hands Of my enelnies.' Samson sleeps,
and that she may not wake him up during
the process Of shearing, help is called III
You know that the BARRIERS OF the East
have such a skillful way Of manipulating
the head to this very day that instead OF
waking up a sleeping man, they will put a
man, wide awake, sound asleep. l near
the blades of the shears grinding against
each other, and l see the long locks lailihs
Off. The shears or razor accompllshes
what green withes and new ropes
and house-loom could not do. sud
denly she claps her hands and says: IN
Philistines be upon thee, Samson" nc
rouses up with a struggle, but his strength
is all gone. He is in the hands OF his enc
mics. l hear the groan OF the glahc 10
they take his eyes out, and then l see mn
staggering on in his blindness, feeling MS
way as he goes toward GAIA. The prison
door is open, and the giant is thrus' H. ~.
He sits down and puts his hands on tne
mil crank, which, with exhausting hofl-
zontal motion, goes day after day. "eeh
after week, month after montn-"o IN,