Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-12-15
SHARES FOR WEAK MEN,
on. TALMAcE breaches AT ANN AR
BoR ON NETS FOR THE SOUL.

stiIi More Dangerous Snare for the
Youth Proud Of His Intellect.
ANN AlsBoR, Mich, Dec. t3.-Our
citizens IN large numbers have availed
themselves Of the opportunity of hear
ing Dr. Talmage. who is visiting the
city by invitation of the students of the
university. Last night a vast audience
greeted the famous Brooklyn preacher
at his lecture, and this evening, when
be was announced to preach special
sermon to young men, there was no
building in the city that would accom-
nlodate all who wanted to hear him.
His text was Proverbs |, IL, ''Surely
in vain the net is spread in the sight of
any bird
Early in the morning l went out
with fowler to catch wild pigeons
We hastened through the mountain
gorge and into the forest. We spread
out the net, and covered up the edges
OF it as well as we could. We ar
ranged the call bird, its feet fast and
its wings tlapping, in invitation to all
fowls of heaven to settle down there.
We retired into a booth Of branches
and leaves and waited.
After awhile looking out of the door
OF the booth, we saw flock of birds in
the sky. They came nearer and nearer,
and after awhile were about to swoop
into the net, when suddenly they darted
away Again we waited. After awhile
we saw another flock of birds They
came nearer and nearer until just at
the moment when they were about to
swoop they darted away.
Tie fowler was very much disap-
pointed as well as myself. We said to
each other 'What is the matter" and
"Why were not these birds caughtG'
We went out and examined the net,
and by flutter of branch of tree
part of the net had been conspicuously
exposed, and the birds coming very
near had seen their peril and darted
away. When saw that, said to the
old fowler, ''That reminds me of
passage of Scripture, Surely in vain is
the net spread in the sight of any bird. "
Now, the net in my text stands for
temptation.
The call bird of sin tempts men on
from point to point and from branch
to branch until they are about to drop
into the net If a man finds out in
time that 1t is the temptation of the
devil, or that evil men are attempting
~, On r,f,,-.. iia o,,,I fox t;,,a o,I Co. .,tae
nifty, the man steps back. He says, II
am not to be caught in that way;
see what you are about; surely in vain
is the net spread in the sight of any
bird"
THE sUBTLETY OF THE DEVIL.
There are two classes OF temptations
the superficial and the subterraneous
those above ground, those under
ground. If man could see sin as it is
he would no pore embrace ii than he
would embrace n leper. Sin Is n daugh-
Ter of hell. yet she is garlanded and
robed and trinketed Her voice is a
warble Her cheek is the setting sun.
Her forehead is an aurora. She says
to men; "Come, walk this path with
me; ii is thymed and primrosed, and
the air is bewitched with tho odors of
the hanging gardens of heaven; the
rivers are rivers OF wine, and all you
have to do is TO drink them up In chal
ices that sparkle with diamond and
amethyst and chrysoprasus See Ii
Ia all bloom and roseate cloud and
heaven"
Oh, my friends, II for one moment
the choiring of all these concerted
voices of sin could be hushed we
should see the orchestra OF the pit with
hot breath blowing through fiery flute,
and the skeleton arms on drums of
thunder and darkness beating the
chorus, ''The end thereof is death"
want to point out the insidious
temptations that are assailng more es-
peclally our young men. The only
kind Of nature comparatively free from
temptation, so far as can judge, Is the
cold, hard, stingy, mean temperament,
What would Satan do with such n man
II he got himG Satan Is not anxious TO
get man who after awhile may dis
pute with him the REALM of everlasting
meanness. 1t Is the generous young
man, the warm hearted young man,
the social young man that is In espe-
cial peril
A pirate goes out on the ees, and one
bright morning he puts the glass 10 his
eye and looks OFF. and secs an empty
vessel floating from port 10 port He
says, "Never mind; that's no prize for
as" But the same morning lac puts
the glass 10 bis eye. and he sees vessel
coming from Australia laden with gold,
or vessel from the Indies laden with
spices. He says That's our prize;
bear down on itl" Across thar unfor
tunate ship the graphing hooks are
thrown. The crew are blindfoldeG and
are compelled 70 walk the plank. IL Is
not the empty vessel. but tho laden
merchantmen that Is the temptation TO
tho pirate
And young man, empty OF Lead,
empty oi heart, empty OF life-you want
no Young Mems Christian association
10 keep him safe; he Is safe. he viii
not gamble unless Il Is with somebody
else's stakes He will not break the
Sabbath unlea somebody elAe pays the
homo hire. He viii not drink unless
some one else lreata him. lie will hang
around tho bar hour after honr walt