The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-10-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine Discourses
on Samson's Mistake.
trayed by DeliIah, the Phillstine Wo-
man-Some OF the Ways In Which
Other Strong Men Get Their
Lock. shorn.

Judges xvi. B.: "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 afiict him. and we will |
give thee every one of us eleven hundrod |
pieces Of silver" The sermon was as fol-
lows
One thous ID pounds, or about five thou
sand dollars Of our money were thus offered |
for the capture Of giant II would take a
skillful photographer TO picture Samson as
he, really was. The most facial words are
not supple enough TO describe him. He was
q giant and childS 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; comminglmg OF vir-
tue and vice, the sublime and the ridicu-
lous; sharp enough to make good riddle,
and Yet weak enough 10 be Caught In the
most superficial stratagem; honest enough
TO settle his debt, and yet outrageously rob-
bing somebody else to get the material TO
pay II; miracle and scofing; crown
ing glory and burning shame, There he
stands, looming up above other men, a
mountain OF fiesh 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 itrolled down in several great plaits
over his shoulders. adding to his fierceness
and terror. The Philistines want TO conquer
him, and therefore they stflnd out where
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 Philistines
"a L., Al,a. hull
Delilah goes TO work and coaxes Samson TO
tell what is the secret Of his strength.
swell, " he says, "if 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 Philistinesln and he walks out as though
there was no impediment 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 havenever
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 Philistineslp He walks
out as easy as he did before-not single
obstruction. She coaxes him again, and he
says: snow, II you should take those seven
long plaits Of hair, and by this house loom
weave them into a web could not get
away 80 the house loom is rolled up, and
the shuttle flies backyard and forward, and
the long plaits Of hair are woven into web
Then she claps her hands and says. "They
GOMEZ The Philistines."
He walks out as easily as he did before,
dragging part Of the loom with him. But
after a while she persuades him TO tell the
truth. He says: ''If you should take razor,
.or.shears, and cut of this long hair, should
be powerless, and in the hands Of my enc
'mies.n samson sleeps, and, that she may
not wake him up during the process Of
'sheafing, help Is called In. You know that
thelbarbers Of the East have such slsillful
way yoflmanipulating the head, TO this very
day they'will put man, wide awake, sound
asleep. 1hear the blades Of the shears
grinding against each other, and l see the
long looks falling OF. The shears, or razor
accomplishments green wlthes, and new
ropes, aud house loom could not do. Sud
denly she claps her hands and says: "The
IPhilistines be upon thee, Samsonp' He
rouses upwith struggle but his strength
Is all gone He is in the hands OF his enc
mics hear the groan Of the giant as they
take his eyes out, and then see him stag
,goring on In his blindness, feeling his way,
as he goes ON toward Gaza 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
snfter month-work, work, work. The con
'sternation Of the world In captivity, his
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