News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-12-17
SHARES FOR WEAK MEN,
DR.. TALMAGE breaches AT ANN AR
Dor ON NETS FOR THE SOUL.

Still More Dangerous Snare for the
Youth Proud of His Intellect.
ANN ARBoR, Mich, Dec. 13.-OuI
citizens in large numbers have awaited
themselves of the opportunity of hear
ing DIR. Talmage, who is visiting the
city by invitation of the students of the
university. Last night vast audience
greeted the famous Brooklyn preacher
at his lecture, and this evening, when
he was announced to preach special
sermon to young men, there was no
building in the city that would accom-
modate all who wanted to hear him.
His text was Proverbs i, II, 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 fastened 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 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
A l.
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.
The 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 fiutter 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 a
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 liis soul for time and for eter-
nifty, the man steps back. He says, 81
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 a man could see sin as it is
he would no more embrace it than he
would embrace a leper. Sin is 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; 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 chaI-
ices that sparkle with diamond and
amethyst and chrysoprasus. Seel 1t
is all bloom and roseate cloud and
heaven. y
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
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
SO far as can judge, is the
cold, hard, stingy, mean temperament
What would Satan do with such man
if he got him? 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 sea, and one
bright morning he puts the glass to his
eye and looks of, 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 it!' Across that unfor-
Itunate 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
merchantmen 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
elses 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
ling for some generous young man to
come in. The generous young man
comes in and accosts him and says,
'''Well will you have drink with me |
todayp The man, as though it were
a sudden thing for him, says, "Well-
well, if you insist on it, l will will.''
Too mearrto go to perdition unless
else pays his expenses For |
such young men we will not fight. We |
would no more contend for them than |
Tartary and Ethiopia would fight as to |
who should have the great Sahara des-
ert. but for those young men who are
buovant and enthusiastic, those who
are determined to do something for |
time and for eternity-for them we |
will fight, and we now declare ever
lasting war against all the influences |
that assaD them, and we ask all good |
men and philanthropists to wheel into
line, and all the armies of heaven to |
bear down upon the foe, and we pray
Almighty God that With the thunder
bolts of his wrath he will strike down
and consume all these influences that
are attempting to destroy the young
men for whom Christ died.
THE CANT OF "LIBERALITY.
The first class of temptations that as
saults young man is led on by the