Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-10-10
SUNDAYS SERMON.
ONE OF REV. DIR TALMAGE's
STERLING DIsCoURsEs
subjece:- .'The shorn Locks of Sam
son"

TExT: .sEntice him, and see tcherefa ms
<,-eaf Sfl,sagth Iieth and bV lchdt means zee
<nau prsrqa against him. that ace may
6iud him 10 d8ffct him; and zoe tCiu gre
ftrs epsrv one OF us eleUsn hundred pieces Of
~ er"-Judges xvi, ..
One thousand pounds or about five thou
and dollars Of our money, were thus offered
Ion the capture of giant. 1t would take a
&killful photographers to picture Samson as
ke really was The most faeile words are
1ot supple enough TO describe him. He was a
xiant and child; the conquoror and the de-
feated, able TO snap at lions jaw, and yet
captured by the sigh of maiden. He was
ruler and slave: commingling of virtue and
vice, the sublime and the ridiculous; sharp
enough to make good riddle and yet weak
enough TO be caught in the
most superficial stratagem honest
enough to settle his debt and yet out
rageously robbing somebody else to get the
material to pay it; miracle and a soothing.
i GROWING glory and a burning shame.
y There he stands looming up above other
men, mountain Of flesh: his arms punched
with muscle that can lift the gate of a city:
taking an attitude defiant of armed men and
wild beasts. His hair had never been cut,
and it rolled down in seven great plaits over
bis shoulders, adding to his fierceness and
terror The Philistines want TO conquer
him, and therefore they must find out where
The secret of his strength lies.
There is woman living in the valley OF
Sorek BY the name of Delilah. They appoint
her the agent in the case. The Philistines
are secreted in the same building, and then
Delilah goes 20 work and coaxes Samson to
fell what is the secret of his strength. We'll
be says IF you should take seven green
rithes. such as they fasten wild beasts with,
and put them around me, / should be per.
fectly powerless.r So she binds him with the
l..
hands and says: 'They come-ttle Philis-
'tinesm and he walks out as though there
were no impeachment 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 be just
like other men, She ties him with the
ropes claps her hands and shouts: ''They
come---the Phiistinesr He walks out as
easy as he did before-not single obstruc-
zion. She coaxes him again. and he says:
5t'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 up, and the shuttle
lilies backward and forward, and the long
I)laits of hair are woven into a web. Then
She claps her hands, and says: ''They GOMEZ
the Philistinesl'
He walks out as easily as he did before
Dragging part Of the loom with him. But
hitter awhile she persuades him to tell the
truth He says: IF you should take razor,
pr shears, and cut off this long hair, | should
be powerless, and in the hands of my enc
mics" Samson sleeps, and that she may not
wake him up during the process of shearing
help is called in. You know that the BARRIERS
b the East have such skillful way of man
ipulating the head, to this very day they will
but a man, wide awake, sound asleep. hear
fhe blades of the shears grinding against each
other and / see the long locks falling Off.
The shears, or razor, accomplishes what green
witbes and new ropes and house loom could
not do. Suddenly she claps her hands and
Bays: THE Philistines be upon thee, Sam
BON lie rouses up with a struggle, but his
|ktrcngfh is all Comet He is in the hands of
his cnspicsl / hear the groan Of the giant
BIS they take his eyes out and then | see him
Staggering on in his blindness, feeling his
way as he roes 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 after day, week after week,
month after month-work work work
The CONSERVATION Of the world is captivity,
his LOCKS shorn, his eyes punctured, grinding
corn in GAIA. In previous sermon on this
character ! 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 20 reveal the secret of
his strength. Delilah's first attempt to find
out is failure. He says; Green withes
win bind me-" but it was failure Then
PIE says: "a new rope will hold me" but that
also was a failure Then he says: Weave
my locks into a web and that will bind me,
yet that also was failure. But az last you
be how she coazed it out him. Unimportant
actions in life that involve no moral princi-
pc may without injury be subjected TO
4rdent persuesions, but as soon as You have
tDme to the line that separates right from
wrong no inducement or blandishment ought
" make you step over it. Suppose a man
has been brought up in a Christian house
bold and taught sacredly to observe
the Sabbath Sunday comes, you want
fresh air Temptation says: SUNDAY
is Just Ike other days; now don't be
bigoted: we win ride forth among the works
ID Cod. the whole earth is His temple; we
vii not 60 into any designations: come, now,
j have the carriage engaged and we shall be
back soon enough to go to church in the
evening; don't yield to Puritanic notions;
YOU will be no worse for ride in the coun-
Iry; the blossoms are out and they say every
thiDg is looking glorious" We'll, | will go
- please you" is the response. And out
fhey GO over the street. conscience drowned
b the CHATTER of the swift hoofs and the rush
"a the resounding wheels That tempted
pan may have had moral character enough
. break the green withes of ten thousand
fhilistine allurements, but be has been over
cpme By coz1ing.
Two young men passing down this street
4mc opposite drinking saloon with a red
Hntssn hung out FROM the door to light men
y lseIoiti5u Les Is 20 in says one. mo,
fNon't, says tae other; II never go to such
fisces." Now, you don't say yet are as
va as thas. Why. / have been going there
"a two years and il hasn't hurt me Come,
conc now, be man. ii you can't stand
any thing stronger, take little sherry. You
NEE to sea the world as ic is don't believe
~ iEteinpcrance any nsore than you. lean
stop drinking JUS. whcn / waat to- You
shall 80. Now, come righ- asonsn Persuasion
has conquered Samson yields 70 the coaxing
hnd there is carnival in EEL that night
samoug tee Phli.stIEes sla they Stout. Hal
ha, We've sos hisai.n those who nave the
lindesJ and most syTarashetic natures are
81 the most in danger. 1O;ir very disposition
20 please others viii he tile very trao thev
set. Ii you were cola s-ld harsh and severe
in your nature y..u would no. ba tempered
with. Feop.e never foIdle 4 hedgehog. The
4nost sentimental Gree.iiander never Eisses
fn icebars,. Inc warmth and susceptibility
your nature viii encourage the siren.
housh stTcag as a gisct, looE out fer
Peliiahs scissors Saal5o.l, the strongest