The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-10-16
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine Discourses
on Samson's Mistake.
strayed by Dslflah. the Phnistins Wo-
man-sOmo Of the Ways N Which
Other Strong Men Get Their
Locks ShOrn.

The subject Of DR.. Talmage's sermon at
the Brooklyn Tabernacle was: 1.-THE Shorn
Locke of Samson" He took for his text
Judges xvi. 5: "Entice him, and see where
In his great strength lieth, and by what
means we may prevail against him. that we
may bind him to afflict him; and we will
give thee every one Of us eleven hundred
pieces of silver" The sermon was as fol-
lows:
One thousand pounds, or about five thou
sand dollars Of our money, were thus ofiered
for the capture of giant. 1t would take
skillful photographer to picture Samson as
he really was. The most facial words are
not supple enough 70 describe him. He was
giant and a child; the conqueror and the
defeated; able to snap the lions jaw, and
yet captured by the sight Of a maiden. He
was ruler and slave; commingling OF vir-
tue and vice, the sublime and the ridicu-
!ous; 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 outrageously rob-
bling somebody else to get the material to
pay it,; miracle and scofing; crown
ing glory and burning shame. There he
stands, looming up above other men,
mountain of flesh; his arms punched with
muscle that can lift the gate OF city; TAX
ing an attitude defiant Of armed men and
wild beasts His hair had never been cut,
and it rolled down in several great plaits
over his shoulders. adding to his fierceness
and terror. The Philstines want to conquer
him, and therefore they mustti 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 to work and coaxes Samson to
tell what is the secret Of. his strength.
uWell,n he says, III you should take seven
green withes, such as they fasten wild beasts
with, and put them around me, should be
perfectly powerless." So she binds him
with the seven green withes. Then she
claps her hands and says: 'They come
the Philistines =, and he walks out as though
atherew 6iHpediment. She c6axes Vim
again, and says s"Now tell me the secret
Of this great strength !" and he replies 81 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 Philistines!' He walks
out as easy as he did before-not a single
obstruction. She coaxes him again, and he
says: Now, II you should take those seven
long plaits Of hair, and by this house loom
weave them into web could not get
away" 30 the house loom is rolled up, and
the shuttle flies backward and forward, and
the long plaits of hair are woven into web
Tbo,, Oh ala = ho,, a, ovI
come! the Philistines."
He walks out as easily as he did before,
dragging part of the loom with him. But
after while she persuades him to tell the
truth. He says: IF you should take razor,
or shears, and cut off this long hair, should
be powerless, and in the hands of my enc
miles," Samson sleeps, and, that she may
not wake him up during the process of
shearing, help is called in You know that
the BARRIERS Of the East have such skillful
way of manipulating the head, to this very
day they will put man, wide awake, sound
asleep. hear the blades of the shears
grinding against each other, and l see the
long locks falling of. The shears, or razor
accomplishes what green withes, and new
ropes, and house loom could not do. Sud.
denly she claps her hands and says: 1.-THE
Philistines be upon thee, Samsonn' He
rouses up with struggle, but his strength
Is all gone! He is in the hands of his enc.
mics! l hear the groan of the giant as they
take his eyes out, and then see him stag
gering on in his blindness, feeling his 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
| Nrhioh with bo, OF hNr <o1
goes day after day, week after week, month
after month-work, work, work! The con-
4 sternation of the world in captivity, his
locks shorn, his eyes punctured, grinding
corn in GAIA. In previous sermon on this
character 1 learned some lessons, but an
other class of lessons are before us now.
Learn first how very strong people are
sometimes coaxed into great imbecilities
Sampson had no right to reveal the secret Of
his strength. Delilahs first attempt to fine
out is failure. He says: Screen withe.
will bind me-" but it was a failure. Their
he says: "A new rope will hold me, bu
that also was failure. Then he says
"Weave my locks into web and that will
bind me-" yet that also was a failure. Blu
at last you see how she coaxed it out Of him
Unimportant actions in life that involve n,
moral principle may without injury be sub
tected to ardent persuasions, but as soon a
you have come to the line that separates
right from wrong, no inducement or blan
dishment ought to make you step over it
Suppose man has been brought up in
Christian household and taught sacredly t
observe the Sabbath, Sunday comes : yo,
want fresh air.. Temptation says: "Sunda,
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 no
go into any designations; come, now, hav
the carriage engaged and we will be bacl
soon enough to go to church in the evening
don't yield 10 Puritanic notions; you vii
be no worse for ride in the country; tn
blossoms are out and they say every thin
is glorious" "Well will go to please you.
j is the response. And out they go over tn
street, conscience drowned in the clatter o
the swift hoofs and the rush of the re
sounding wheels. That tempted man ma
have had moral character enough to brea
the green withes of ten thousand Phillstin
Il allurements, but he has been overcome ID
coaxmG. tFfIft INFER.
Two young men passing down the stree
come opposite drinking saloon with re
lantern hung out from the door TO light me
to perdition. "Let US &C in, p says one 'sNt
WON'T" says the other: II never 20 I
such places" ''New, you don't say YOU ar
as weak as that. Why, have been goin
there for two years and it hasn't hurt ma
Come, come now, be a man. II you can
: stand any thing stronger, take littlv shel
~. You need to see the world as 1t is
don't believe in intemperancea any more tina
4 you. l can stop drinking just when war
to. You shall go. Now. come right along.
Persuasion has conquered. Samson yield
to the coaxing and there is carnival in be
| that NIGHT among the Philisfinns and III !,