Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-12-14
SHARES FOR WEAK MEN.
DIR. TALMAGE PRE.o} E5 AT ANN AR
Dor ON NETS FSR TIE SOUL.

BOX ON NJ ! X tt7t- 2OOL-
The Dangers Are I'oti, Seer and Unseen
There Is :, Snare for the Isuo ant and
: q sun More Dangerous Snare for the
Youth Proud 81 SIS Intellect.
ANN AltBoR. Mich, Dec. Is. --Om
citizens in large numbers have awaited
themselves of the opportunity Of hear
ing DR.. Talmagc. who is wishing the
city by invitation OF the students Of the
university. Last night vast audience
greeted the famous Brooklyn preacher
at his lecture, All this evening, when
he was announced to preach special
sermon to young meiI, there was no
building in the city that would accom-
MEDIATE all who wanted to hear him.
His text was Proverbs j, II, Surely
in vain the net is spread in the sight OF
any bird.
Early ia Inc morning | went out
with a fowler to catch wild pigeons.
We hastcned 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 Tapping, 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 Il 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 We're about to
swoop they darted away.
The fowler was very much disap-
pointed as we'll rs myself. We said to
each other. ''What is the matterI" and
why were not these birds caughtY'
We went out and examined the net,
aud by tlutter of a branch of a 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 Il
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 it is the temptation Of the
devil or that evil men are attempting
to capture his soul for time and for eter-
nifty, the man steps back. He says, II
am not to be caught in that way; l
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 more embrace it than he
would embrace Il leper. Sin is a daugh
ter of hell, yet she is garlanded and
robed and trinketed. Her voice is a
MARBLE Her cheek is the setting SUM-
Her forehead is an aurora. She says
to men: Come walk this path with
me; it is thymed and primrosed, and
the air is bewitched with the 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
and chrysoprasus. See! 1t
is ali bloom and roseate cloud and
heaven"
Oh, my friends, if 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
that are assailing more es-
pecially 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 a man
If he got him? Satan is not anxious to
get a 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.
\ pirate goes out on the sea, and one
bright morning he puts the glass to his
eye and looks off, and sees an empty
vessel floating from port to port He
says, Never mind; that's no prize for
US" But the same morning he puts
the glass to his eye, and he sees a vessel
coming from Australia laden with gold,
or vessel from the Indies laden with
spices. He says, That's our prize;
bear down on itr' Across that unfor-
tunate ship the graphing hooks are
thrown. The crew are blindfolded and
are compelled to walk the plank. 1t is
not the empty vessel, but the laden
that is the temptation to
the pirate.
And a young man, empty of head,
empty of heart, empty of life-you want
no Young Mems Christian association
to keep him safe; he is safe. He will
not gamble unless it is with somebody
else's stakes He will not break the
Sabbath unless somebody else pays the
horse hire. He will not drink unless
some one else treats him. He will hang
around the bar hour after hour wait
ing for some generous young man to
come in. The generous young man
comes in and accosts him and says,
Well. will you have a drink with me
-oday?' The man. as though it were
/ sudden thing for him, says, well
veil, if you insist on it, l will will"
Too mean to go to perdition unless
somebody else pays his expenses? For
uch young men we will not fight. We
would no more contend for them than
rartary and Ethiopia would fight as to
Who should have the great Sahara des-
TT, but for those young men who are
ouovant and enthusiastic, those who
ire determined to do something for
lime and for eternity-for them we
will fight, and we now declare ever
asting war against all the influences
hat assa1 them, and we ask all good
men and philanthropists to wheel into
inc, and all the armies of heaven to