The Grenada sentinel., 1889-10-05
SAMS0N'S DOWNFALL.
a Sermon to Young Mon by lev.
T. Dewitt Talmago.
Young Men Lured by Temptation T.Isred
Unto samson, Shoru of His Locks,
Fowcrless in the Hands OF
His Enemies.

For the subject of recent sermon
the Brooklyn Tabernacle Rsv. 7. DsWi
Talmage,took: "Ths Shorn Locks Of Sam
SON." His text was:
Entice him, and see where his great strengt
leth, and by what means we may preva
against him, that we may bind him to af1ic
him. and we will give thee every one OF u
eleven hundred pieces Of silyer.-Judges xvi, j
One thousand pounds, or about fiv
thousand dollars Of our money, wert
thus offered for the capture of a giant
1t would take a skillful photographer T.
picture Samson as he really was. Tn,
most facile words are not supple enough
to describe him. He WAS a giant and
child; the conqueror and the defeated
able to snap a lions jaw, and yet capt
ured 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 q
sc0fiIg; a Crowning glory and burning
shame. There he stands, looming up
above other men; mountain of flesh;
MS arms punched with muscle that can
lift the gate of city; taking an attitude
defiant OF armed men and wild beasts.
His hair had never been cut, and 1t rolled
down in seven great plaits over his
shoulders, adding to his fierceness and
terror. The Philistines want to conquer
him, and therefore they must find out
whore the secret of his strength lies.
There is a woman living in the Valley
of SOrek by the name OF Delilah. They
appoint her the agent in the case. The
Plilistue5 are sacreted in the same
building, and then Dolilah gees to work
and coaxts Samson to tell what is the
secret Of lis stren 9Th:
"Well," he says, ''if you should take
seven green withes, such as they fasten
wild beasts with, and put them around
ne, should be perfectly powerless."
So she binds him with the seven green
withes. Then she claps her hands, and
says: "Thev come - the Philistines"
and he walks out as though there were
10 impelunent. She coaxes him again.
and says: Now tell me the secret of
this great strength, " and he replies:
"lt you should taks some ropes that
have never been used, aud tie me with
them. should be Just like other men,"
She ties him with the ropes, claps her
hands and shouts; They come-the
PLilistiucsi' He walks out as easy as
he did beforc--nOt a single obstruction.
She cooxes him again, aud he says:
Now, If you should take these seven
6 I,y
loom weave them into web, | could not
get away" So the house loom is rolled
up, aad the shuttle flies backward and
forward, and the lon; plaits of hair are
woven into web. TIeu she claps her
hands aui says: "IheY come-the Phi
listiua.' lie walks out as easily as he
did before. dragging Z part of the loom
with him. But after awhile she per-
suadts him to tell th' truth. He says:
'Ls you should take a razor, or shears,
and cut off this long hair, | should be
powerloss, and in th3 bands of my enc.
mics"
Samson sleeps, and, That she may not
wake him up daring The process of shear.
ing, help is called in, YouLnow that the
BARRIERS Of the East have such a skillfu!
way Of manipulating tae head to this
very day they will put a man, wido
awake, asleep. l hear the blades of the
shears grinding against each other and
| see the long locks falling off. The
shears, or razor, aCcOmplishes what
green witIes, and new ropes, and house
loom could not do. Suddenly she claps
her hands and says The Philistines be
upon thee, Samsonw He rouses up with
a struggle, but his strength is all gone.
He is in the hands of his enemies! I
hear the groan of the giant as they take
his eyes out and then | see him stagger-
lug on iu his blindness, feeling his way
as be 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 hori-
zontal 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 on this character
learned some lessons, but another class
Of lessons are before us now.
Learn irst how very strong people are
sometimes coaxed into great imbecili-
ties. Samson had no right to reveal the
secret of his strength. Delilah's first at
tempt TO fiud out is failure. He says:
Green withes will bind me-" but it was
failure Then he says: IA new rope
will bind me-" but that also was fail
ure. Then he says: Weave my locks
into a web and that will bind me-" ye
that also was failure. But, at last yor
see how she coaxed it out CT him. I'm
important actions in life that involve NJ
moral principle may without injury b.
subjected to ardent persuasions, but a!
soon as you have come to the line tha
separates right from wrong, no induce
ment or blandishment ought to make yo,
step over it. Suppose q man has beel
brought up in a Christian household ant
sacredly to observe the Sabbath. Sun
day comes; you want Fresh air. Tempta
ton says:
Sunday Is just like other days; nov
don't be bigoted; we will ride fort
among the works of God; the Who'll
earth is His temple; we will not go int
any dissipations; come, now, | have tn
carriage engaged, and we shall be bac
soon enough to 60 to church in the even
ing; don't yield to Puritanic notions
you will be no worse for ride In tn
country; the blossoms are out, and the
say every Thing is looking glorious"
"Well, will go to please YOU" is III
response. And out they go over tn
street, conscience drowned in the clatte
Of the swift hoofs and the rush Of til
resouuding wheels. That tempted ma
NAV have had moral character enoup