The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-10-16

brightest domestic circle. II was no I'M
meaning thing when God set up amidst the
splendors of His word the character of in
famous Delilah
Again, this strange story Of the text leads
me to consider some Of the ways in which
strong men get their locks shorn. God, for
some reason best known to Himself, made
the strength Of Samson to depend on the
length of his hair; when the shears clipped
it his strength was gone. The strength of
men is variously distributed. Sometimes it
lies in physical development, sometimes in
intellectual attainment, sometimes in heart
force, sometimes in social position, some
times in financial accumulation and there is
always a sharp shears read to destroy it.
Every day there are Samsons ungianted.
saw young man start in life
under the most cheering advantages. His
acute mind was at home in all scientific
dominions. He reached not only all rugged
attainments, but by delicate appreciation he
could catch the tinge of the cloud and the
sparkle Of the wave and the diapason Of the
thunder. He walked forth in life, head and
shoulders above others in mental stature
He could wrestle with giants in opposing
systems philosophy, and carry off the gates
of opposing schools, and smite the enemies
of truth hip and thigh with great slaughter.
But he began to tamper with brilliant free
thinking. Modern theories of the soul
! threw over him their Establishments. Skep-
ticism was the Delilah that shore his locks
of, and all the Philistines of doubt and
darkness and despair were upon him. He
died in very prison of unbelief, his eyes
out.
Far back in the country districts-just
where purposely omit to say-there was
born one whose fame will last as long AS
American institutions. His name was the
| terror of all enemies of free government.
| He stood, the admired of millions; the ma.
ton uncovered in his presence and when he
spoke Senates sat breathless under the
spell. The plotters against good govern
| ment attempted to bind him with green
withes and weave his locks in web, yet he
| walked forth from the enthrallment, not
| knowing he had burst bond. But from
| the wine cup there arose a destroying spirit
that came forth to capture his soul He
drank until his eyes grew dim and his knees
| knocked together and his strength failed.
Exhausted with lifelong designations, he
| went home to die. Ministers pronounced
eloquent eulogiums, aud poets sung, and
l
majestic form into marble, and the world
wept, but everywhere it was known that it
was strong drink that came like the infamous
Delilah and his locks were shorn.
From the Island of Corsica there started
forth nature charged with unparalleled
energies to make thrones tremble and con-
vulse the earth. Piedmont Naples, Ba-
varia, Germany, Italy, Austria and England
rose up to crush the rising man.. AT the
plunge of his bayonets bastiles burst open.
The earth groaned with the agohies Of
Rivoli, Austerlitz, Saragossa, and Eylau
Five million men slain in his wars. Crowns
were showered at his feet, and kingdoms
hoisted triumphal arches to let him pass
under, and Europe was lighted up
at the confagration Of consuming
cities. He could almost have made
a causeway of human benes between
Lisbon and Moscow. No power short
of omnipotent God could arrest him. But
out of the ocean of human blood there arose
a spirit in which the conqueror found more
than match. The very ambition that had
rocked the world was now to be his dc.
stroyer. 1t grasped for too much, and in its
effort lost all. He reached up after the
sceptsr of universal dominion, but slipped
and fell back into desolation and Danish.
storm, today puts up in st. Helena, and
the crew go to see thespot wherethe French
exile expired in loneliness and disgrace, the
mightiest of all Samsons shorn Of his locks
by ambition, that most merciless of all De-
lilahs.
l have not time to enumerate. Evil asso.
Citations, sudden successes, spendthrift
habits, misery proclivities, and designations
are the names of some Of the shears with
which men are every day made powerless
They have strewn the earth with the car
casses of giants and filled the prison house
with destroyed Samsons, who sit grinding
the mills of despair their locks shorn and
their eyes out. II parents only knew to
, what temptation their children were sub
jected they would be more earnest in their
prayers and more careful about their eX-
ample. No young man escapes having the
pathway of sin pictured in bright colors be
fore him.
The first time ever saw city-it was
the city of Philadelphia was a mere lad.
l stopped at hotel, and l remember in the
I eventide corrupt man piled me with his
Internal art. He saw was green. He
wanted to show me the sights of the town.
He painted the path of sin until it looked
like emerald but was afraid of him. ]
showed back from the basilisk. made up
my mind he was basilisk. l remember
how he reeled his chair round in front Of
4
effort attempted to destroy my soul; but
' there were good angels in the air that night.
1t was no good resolution on my part, but it
was the all-encompassing grace of a good
God that delivered me- Beware! beware
: U young man.
, There is way that seemeth right unto q
man. but the end thereof is death If all the
victims of an impure life in all lands and
: ages could be gathered together. they would
make host vaster than that which Xerxes
led across the Hellespont, than Timour led
across India, than William the Conqueror
l led across England, than Abou-Bekr led
Q across Syria; and If they could be stretched
+ out in single file across this continent,
9 think the vanguard OF the host would stand
y rear guard stood ON the beach of tho Allan
T tic. -.
: | say this not becauseI, expect to reclaim
: any one that has gone astray in this fearful
Y path, but because l want to utter warning
1 for those who still maintain their integrity
. The cases Of reclamation of those who have
J. given themselves fully up to 81 impure life
are 90 few, probably you do NOT know one
I of them have seen a goodmany start Out
= on that road How many hayeI seen come
s back! Not one that | now think of. II
n seems as if the spell Of death is on them ant
!, no human voice or the voice of God can
= break the spell. Their feet are hoppled
their wrists are handcuffed. They have
around them girjle of reptiles punched a
Il the waist, fastening them to an iron doom
e every time they breathe the torked tongue.
|. strike them and they strain to break away
n until the tendons snap and the blood exudes
\ and amidst their conErtions they cry out
u Take me back to my fathers house. Wher,
a is mother! Take HE hcuc! Taken homo.
Dol stand before man to-day the lock!
S Of whose strength are being toyed with
h let me tell you 10 escape lest the shears OF
IS destruction take your moral and you
l. spiritual integrity. De you not see you