The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-30

Inc Shorn Locks of Samson" He took
for his text Judges xvi, 5: "Eutice him and
see wherein his great strength lieth, and by
what means we may prevail against him,
that we may bind him to affiict him; and
we will give thee every one of US eleven
hundred pieces of silver" The sermon was
as follows:
One thousand pounds, or about five thou
sand dollars of our money. were thus
oHered Tor the capture of giant. 1t would
Jake skllltul Photographic to picSure Sam
son as he really was The most facile words
are not supple enough to describe him. He
was giant and a child the oouqueror and
the defeated; able to snap lions jaw, and
yet captured by the sigh Of a maiden. He
was ruler and slave; commingling of
virtue aud vice, the sublime and the ridicu
Ious; sharp enough to make a good
riddle, and vet weak enough to be caugh
IN the most superficial stratagenl; honest
enough to settle his debt, and yet outrage
ously robbing somebody else to get the ma
terlal to pay it; miracle and soothing;
browning glory and q burning shame.
There he stands, looming up above other
men, a mountain of flesh; his arms punched
with muscle that can lift the gate of city;
taking an attitude defiant of armed men
and wild ben Is. His hair had never been
cut, aud it rolled down in seven great plait
over his shoulders, adding to his ferceness
and terror. The 2 ilistines want to conQl Ter
him, and therefore theV must find out
where the secret of his strength lies
There Is a woman living in the valley o.
80. elk by the name Of Delllah. They ap.
point her the agent in the case. The Philis-
tines are secreted in the same building, and
then Delilah goes to work and coaxes Sam
son to tell what is he secret of his strength.
wv all u ma qauc atif Won ahould lya oava
green withes, such as they fastsa wild
beasts with, and put them around me, l
should be perfectly powerless." So she
binds him with the seven green withes
Then she claps her ha .ds, and says, "They
come-the Pnilistines!" and he walks out
as though there were no impedi-
ment. She coaxes him again, and
says: 'Now tell me the secret of
this great strength" and he replies: "If you
should take some ropes that have never been
used and tie me with them, should bs just
like other men" She ties him with the
ropes, claps her hands ard shouts: "They,
coine-the PhiliStines!" He walks out
as easy as he did before--not a single
obstruction. She coaxes him again, and
he says: ''Now, if you should take these
seven long plaits Of hair, and by this house
loom weave them into web, | could not
get away" So the house loom Is rolled I'D.
and the shuttle flies backward and for ward
and the long plaits of hair are woven into a
web. Thea she claps her hands aud says:
They come-the Pnilistiues!n
be walks out as easily as he did before
dragging part of the loom with him, But
after awhile she persuades him 10 tell the
truth. He says: ''If you should take a
razor, or shears, and cut off this long hair.
| should he powerless, aud in the hands of
my enemies" Samson sleeps, and, that
oba 10 A..
process of shearing, help is called in. You
know that the BARRIERS Of the east have such
a skillful way of manipulating the head.
to this very day they will put a man
wide awake, sound asleep. Ihear the blades
of the shears grinding against each other.
and | see the long locks falling off. The
s.. ears, or razor, accomplishes what green
withes and new ropes and house loom could
not do. Suddenly she claps her hands
and says: THE Pnilistines be upon thee
Samson" He rouses up with a struggle
but his strength is ali gonel He is in the
hands of his enemiesi l hear the groan Of
the giant as they take his eyes out, and
then | see him staggering on in his blind
ness. feeling his way as he goes on toward
GAIA. The prison door is opened and the
giant is thrust in. He sits down and puts
his hands on the mill crank, which. with
exhausting horizontal motion, goes day
month-work, work, work. The con-
sternation of the world in captivity, his
locks shorn, his eyes punctured, grinding
corn in GAIA. In a previous sermon on
this character, l learned some lessons.
but another class OF lessons are before us
now.
Learn first how very strong people are
sometimes coaxed into great imbecilities.
Samson had no right to reveal the secret of
hic ct 9th nolilo h. fire. okt n
out is a failure. He says: Screen withes
will bind me" but it was a failure. Then
he says, "A new rope will hold me-" but
that also was failure. Then he says, "a
new rope will hold me,n but that also was
failure. Then he says, "Weave my locks
into a web and that will bind me-" yet tlat
also was failure. But at last you see how
she coaxed 1t out of him. Unimportant
actions in life that involve no moral prInci-
pie may without injury be subjected to
ardent persuasions, but as soon as you have
come to the line that separates right from
wrong, no lnducement or Establishment
ought to make you step over it. Suppose a
man has been brought up in a christian
household and taught sacredly to observe
the Sabbath. Sunday comes; you want
fresh air. Temptation says, Sunday
is just like other days; now don't be-
bigoted; we will ride forth among the
works of God; the whole earth is his tenn
pie; we will not 90 into any designations:
come, now, l have the carriage engaged
and we shall be back soon enough to 20 to
church in the evening; don't yield TO Puri-
tanic notions; yoG will be no worse for a
ride in the country; the blosso rs are cut
AID they say everything is looking glori-
oas." "Well, will 90 to please your is
the response And out they 90 over the
street, conscience drowned ia the clatter of
tLs swift hoofs and the rush of the resonnd-
lag wheels That tempted man may have
had moral character enough to freak the
sceen withas of ton thousand Phllistine
aildrements, but he has besn overcome by
cuaxing.
~wo young men passing down this street
coine opposite drinking saloon with a red
lantern hung out from the door to light
mon to perdition. "Lat US go in, - saws one.
mo. WON'T" says the other II never 20
to such places" "Now. you don't say you
are as weak as that. Way, have been
going there for two years. and it hasn't hurt
me. Come, come now, be a man. II you
can't stand anything stronger, take little
sherry. You need to see the world as it is.
don't believe in intemperance any more
than you. lean stop drinking just when
want TO. You shall 20. Now, come
RIGHT along Persuasion has corQtiarad