Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-06

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Broadway Presbyterian church, 18th
C Discretion of Birds-RecOmmended
+; Men" His text was from Prov. 1:i7:
Surely in vain the net Is spread in the sight {
= any bid.
A good illustration, said Mr.. Marquis
illumines subject like flash of light
: The nail that holds whole thought in
sure place is often an apt illustration. Tn
wise man is here warning men agains
being drawn into the paths of sin. M
son, if sinners entce thee, consent thol
not" If they propose some wicked schem'
for pleasure or profit and say Come will
us, /" beware! it is a trap set before you
eyes Even bird would not enter tn,
snare set in plain sight. Are you les'
discreet than the birds? Few men would
want to acknowledge themselves less dis
Greet than the birds; yet ii is fact that
men do walk into snares that they know
have been set for their destruction. Take
tor example the use of tobacco, intoXi-
cants opium, etc An men know that
these things are deleterious and danger
Gus. Physicians are constantly warning
| boys and youth against the use of cigar
cities and tobacco in any form, telling them
that it stunts body and mind; yet they
heed not the warning. Every day we see
the victims of strong drink on the street,
their feet caught in the net duly set and
licensed to catch them, yet fresh victims
are daily walking into it with eyes open
If it was some wild beast chained on the
street corner they would go by on the
other side, If it was huge octopus
stretching out long and strong ten
tacles sweeping the community, they
would organize and arm themselves
and at risk of life itself rid the commu>
octopus of strong drink with all its at-
tendant evils-idleness, poverty, disease,
gambling, RIGHTEOUSNESS and woe. and
men, instead of making remorseless war,
put it under the defending arm of law,
in the vain effort to control it.
Now, why do boys, continued the |
speaker in face of warnings, parental
commands and the protests of an innocent
stomach persist in acquiring taste for
tobacco? Why will young men enter the
saloon and begin to drink when the tots
tering wrecks that meet them at the door
warn them of the danger that turks in the
cup for them. "In vain is the net spread
in sight of any bird" w are rational
people not as discreet9 But not only
those guilty of these evil habits-all sim
ners are guilty of this folly Every pre-
sin is deliberate putting of
the feet into the net. Does not every
man know that when he tells an
untruth he will soon be completely wound
up in the meshes of falsehood? Who
ever stood on the Threshold of any sin
and listened to the wheedling voice of
evil, without being warned from within
that he was entering a dangerous snare2
Yet how often we go forward in spite of
the warning. A large proportion of our
sins are sins of presumption, against CON
SCIENCE. against light, against warning.
This is what aggravates our guilt and
folly.
| have seen a mountebank, said the i
speaker, stand on the street corner and /
pread out dozen boxes of cheap Jew
Try; then say to the gathered crowd: {
Gentlemen, you see these boxes of fine |
ewelry; you see also this fifty dollar bill; /
1t; you see it is genuine. Now V
place it in this box; keep your eye on i
hen give you your choice for ten dol i
irs." And l have seen fool after fool il
quander hard earned money to get that s
fly dollar bill. in vain is the net a
pread in sight of any bird" But these c
impletons walked right into it. And
his is fair illustration of the game the
reat mountebank is playing upon us.
lie holds out cheap and transient pleas Z
res and profits, and promise with n lie
eace and safety for time and ct .Cy. il
Ye shall not surely die AM .ds ca h
lied and persuaded, men W. 9TH open II
yes into his snares. Al Ay are they I'll
OF as discreet as u .rds? We an Pr
yer: III
First. Because man is possessed of a u
lriosty, often vain and vicious From F
he time that mother Eve was drawn into vi
king the forbidden fruit by her desire q
know the evil and the good, men have 81
zen characterized with vicious curiosity NJ
hat in its higher form is called thirst til
IT knowledge, in this lower form often hi
ads to destruction. Men-especially st
e young-whnt to see for themselves X
ese dens of iniquity; want to taste for f
Iemselves the delights of a cud of tObac> al
}. cigar, or glass of liquor. Having m
armed some of the gamblers games, at
list for social amusement, they become si
assessed with an Unsuitable desire "to
lck the tiger" for themselves. This ex-
Use: II just want to see for myself" is
dangerous one. How unwise to reject
e experience of mothersl Remember i"
lung man, it will be to your everlasting NJ
NOR, and mark of wisdom, to be able Az
say in after years, II never tasted re
bacco or liquor in any form, never was Ne
side of a saloon, gambling room or
use of ill-repute.' He who goes to
CHI places "to see for himself" will, in
1st cases before he is done with them, IA
me out not only wiser, but sadder MI
In. ia
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