The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-10-10

splendors Of His word the character OF
the infamous Delilah.
Again, this strange story OF the text
loads 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 IL bis
strength was gone. The strength OF man
Is variosly distributed. Sometimes II
lies In physical development sometimes
in intellectual attachments, sometimes In
heart force, sometimes in social posiuon,
sometimes in financial accumulation;
and there Is always a sharp shears ready
TO destroy It. Every day there are
Samso1s ungianted. 1 saw q young
man start in life under the
most cheering advantages. His
acute mind was OF home In all
scientific dominions. He reached note
only all rugged attachments, but by deli
cate appreciation he could catch the
tinge Of the cload and the sparkle Of the
wave and the diapason Of the thunders.
He walked forth in life head and shoul-
ders above others in mental stature. He
could wrestle with giants in opposing
systems Of philosophy, and carry of 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. Skepticism was the
Dslilah that shore his locks off, and all
the Philistines of doubt and darkness
and despair were upon him. He died in
a very prison OF unbelief, his eyes out.
IT, l. l. L.. he trry fOfr
where I purposely omit to say-thers
was born one whose fame will last as
long as American institutions. His
name was a terror to all enemies OF free
government. He stood the admired of
millions; the Nation uncovered in his
presence. and when he spoke senates sat
breathless under the spell. The plots
ters against good government attempted
to bind him with green withes and weave
his locks in a 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. Ex-
hausted with life long designations, he
went home to die. Ministers pronounced
eloquent eulogiums, and poets sung, and
painters sketched, and sculptors chiseled
the majestic form into marble, and the
world wept; but everywhere it was known
that it was strong drink that camc like
the infamous Delilah, and his locks were
shorn.
From the Island Of Corsica there start
ed forth nature charged with unparal-
leled energies to make thrones tremble
and convulse the earth. Piedmont, Ma.
pies, Bavaria, 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 agonies of Rivoli, Austerlitz.
Saragossa and Eylau. Five million men
slain in his wars. Crowns were showered
at his feet, and kingdoms hoisted tri-
umphal arches to let him pass nnder.
and Europe was lighted up at
the conhagration OF consuming cities
He could almost have made u cause
way of human bones between Lis
bon and Moscow, No power short OF
Omuipotent God could arrest him. But
out Of the ocean Of human blood there
arose O spirit in which the conqueror
found more tnan q match. The very am.
bition that rocked the world was now to
be his destroyer. 1t grasped for too
much, and in its effort lost all. He
reached up after the scepter Of universal
dominion, but slipped and fell back into
desolation and Punishment. The Amer
lean ship, damaged of the storm, to- day
puts up in St Helena, and the crew COUP
TO see the spot where tho French exile
expired in loneliness and disgrace, the
mightiest of all Sans ons shorn of his
locks by ambition. that most merciless
of all Delilahs.
The first time ever saw q city-it was
the City of Philadelphia was mere
lad. l stopped at hotel, and remem-
Der in the eventide a 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 l was
afraid of him. l showed back from the
basilisk. made up my mind he was
basilisk. remember how he reeled his
chair around in front of me and with
concentrated and diabolical effort at
tempted 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 G ID that delivered me. Bewarel
beware! o young man.
There is O way that seemeth right unto
a man, but the end thereof is death. II
all the victims of an impure life in all
lands and ages could be gathered to-
gether, they would make q host vaster
than that which Xerxes led acress the
Hellespout, than Tinour led across India,
than William the Couqueror led across
England, than Abou Bekr led across
Syria; and If they could be stretched out
in single file across this continent, think
the vanguard of the host would stand on
the beach of the Pacific while yet the
rear guard stood on the beach Of tho At
lautic.
say this not because I expect to re-
claim any one that has gone astray in
this fearful path. but because l want to
utter a warning for those who still msin-
tain their integrity. The cases of re-
clamation Of those who have given them.
selves fully up TO an impure life are so
few, probably you do not now one OF
them. 1 have seen a good many start
out on that road. How many have | seen
come back? Not one that / now think
Of 1t seems as if the spell of death is
on them and no human voice or the voice
C. God can break the spell. Their feet
are hoppled. their wrists are handcuffed.
They have around them girdle of rep
tiles punched at the waist, fastening
them to an iron doom: every time they
breathe the forked tongues strike them
aud they strain to break away until the
tendons snap and the blood exudes; and
amidst their contortions they cry out:
'sTake me back to my fathers house.
Where is my mother? Take me homei
Take me homeP'