The Red Cloud chief., 1889-10-04
H TEMPTER'S POWER.
d.. Talmage Discourses ON the
Temptations OF Life.
The Strong as Liable to Fall as h Weak
The Influence OF Woman For Good or
EvLl-A Warning Against Inn
pure Lives.

In q recent sermon at BROOKLYN Rev. d,
Witt Talmage took for his subject: 'Tht
Shorn Locks Of Samson" His text va.
from Judges. xvi. 8: "Entice him and see
wherein his great strength lieth. and by
what means we may prevail against him,
that we may blind him to all. ct him, and
We will give thee every one of US eleven
hundred pieces of silver" He said:
One thousand pounds. or about IS 900 OF
our money. were thus offered for the cap
ture of a fiInt 1t would take a skillful
photographer to picture Samson AS he
really was The most faciIe words are
not supple enough to describe him. He
was a giant and a child; the conqueror
and the defeated; able to snap a lions
Jaw, and yet captured by the sigh Of a
maiden. He was ruler and slave; a com.
mingiing OF virtue and vice. the sublime
n ridiculous; sharp enough to make a
riddle, and yet weak enough to be caught
in the most superficial stra:agem; honest
enough to settle his debt, and yet put.
~rageously robbinS som body else to get
the material 10 pay it; a miracle and a
scothng;a browning glory and a burning
shame. There he stands, looming M
above other men, a mountain of flesh; his
arms bunIh he'd with muscle that can lift
the gate OF a city; taking an attitude de-
liant OF armed men and wild beasts. His
hair had never been cut. and it rolled
down in seven great plaits over his
shoulders, adding to his f~ierceness and
terror. The Philistines want TO conquer
him, and therefore they must find out
where the secret Of the strength lies.
There is a woman living in the valley of
Sorek by the name of Dslilah. They ap-
point her an agent in the case. The Phil.
istines ara secreted in the same building.
and then Deiilah goes to work and coaxes
Samson to tell what is the secret Of his
strength.
SWELL" 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 pOwerless." So she
binds him with the seven green withes.
Then she claps her hands and says:
"They come-the Ph:listlnes" and he
walks out as though there were no imped-
iment. She coaxes him again and saws:
Now tell me the secret Of this great
Strength" and he replies: "If You should
take some ropes that never had been
used n tie me with them / 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 easy as he did before-not a single
obstruction. She coaxes him again and
he says: snow # you should take these
seven iOng p!aits of hair and by this house
To- m weave them into q web l couli not
get away" So the house loom ia rolled up
and the shuttle flies backward and for.
ward, aid the long plaits of hair are
woven into a web Then she claps her
hands and says: "rhey come-she Philis.
tines! He walks out as easily as he did
before, dragging a part of the loom with
him But after awhile she persuades him
to tell the truth. He says: IF you should
take q razor or shears and cut off this long
hair l should b powerless and in the
hands Of my enemies" Samson
sleeps. and that she may not wake
him during the process Of shearing. help
is called in. You know that the BARRIERS
Of the East have such a skillful way of
manipulating the head that to this very
day they will put a man wide awake sound
rs 'eep. l heal the blades of the shears
grinding against escl other. and I see the
long locks falling of. The shears. or ra-
zor. accomplishes what green withes and
new ropes and house loom could not do.
Suddenly she clasps her hands and saws:
The Phil shines be upon thee, Sans On Z"
He rouses up with a struggle. but his
strength is all gone! He is in the hands
of his enemies! l hear the groan of the
giant as they take his eyes ou', and then l
see III staggering in b s blindness, feel
ing bis 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 ex.
hausting horizontal motion. goes day after
day, week after week. month after month
work, work. work! The CONSERVATION
Of the world in captivity, his locks shorn,
his eyes punctured, grinding corn in GAIA.
In q previous sermon or this character l
Earned some lessons, but another class of
lessons are before us now.
Learn first row. very strong people are
sometimes coaxed into great imbecilities.
Samson had no right to reveal the secret
Of his strength. Deli abs first attempt to
find out is q failure. He says: Green
withes will bind me-" hut it was q failure.
Then he says. "A new rope will ho'd me-"
but that also was a failure. Then he Q Iys.
"Weave my locks into q web and that will
me. yet that also vas a failure. But
at last you see how she coaxed it out of
him. UnimpOrtant actions in life that in
volve no moral principle may without in.
jury be subjected to ardent persuasions,
but as soon as you have come to the line
that separates right from wrong. no in.
ducement or Establishment ought to make
you step over it. Suppose . man has been
brought up in q Christian household and
taught sacredly to observe the Sabbath.
Sunday comss; 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 temple; we will not go
into any designations; come. now, l nave
the carriage engaged and VS. will be back
soon enough to 60 to church in the even
ing; don't yield to Puritanic notions: you
will be no worse for q ride in the country;
the blossoms are out and they say every
thing is looking glorious" well, l will
60 to please you" is the response. And on,
they goover the street. conscience drowned
in the clatter of the swift boots and the
rush of the ~resounding wheels. That
tempted man may have had moral char.
acter enough to breax the green wi,hes of
ten thousand Philistine a~l!urements, Lu:
he has been overcome by coaxing.
Two young men passing down this
street come opposite q drinking saloon
with . red lantern hung out from the
door tn LIGHT men To DerditjOn. "IAt M 20