Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-12-18
REV. DIR. qALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divines Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: Temptations Which Beset
Young Men"

forest. We spread out the net and covered
up the elges of it as well as we could. We
arranged the coll bird, its feet fast aud it:
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 q
while 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 uu-
til just at the moment when they were about
to swoop they darted away
The fowler was very much disappointed as
well as myself. We SAID to each other
"What is the matter?' and "Why were not
these birds caughts' We went out and ex-
amined the net and by a fiutter of branch
OF tree part of the net had been conspicu-
ously exposed, and the birds ronling very
near had seen their peril and darted away.
When | saw that l said to the old fowler,
That reminds Inc 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 10 branch
until they are about to drop into the net.
IL man finds out in time that it is the
temptation Of tho devil or that evil men
are attempting TO capture his soul for time,
and for eternity, the man steps back. He
says IL am not to be caught in that way: II
see what you are about; surely in vain is the
net spread in the sight of any bird"
There are two classes Of temptations--thei
superficial and the subterraneoW-those
above ground, those underground. If q man
,ould see sin as 1t is, be would no more en-
brace it than he would embrace a lepar..
Sin is a daughter of hell; yet she is gar
landed and robed and truketed. Her voice
S a warOle. Her cheek is the setting suu.'
Her forehead is an aurora. She says to,
men: Come, walk this path with me. 1t Isl
hymed and pTimrosed, and the air is be-
witche1 with the odors Of the hanging gar
lens OF heaven. The rivers are rivers OF
wine, and all you have 10 do is to drink
them up in chalices that sparkle with dia-
mond and amethyst and chrysoprasus.
See, It is all bloom and rosate cloud and
heaven"
Oh, ny friends. it for one moment the
choiring OF all these concerted voices Of sin.
rould be hushed, we should see the orchestral
Of the pit with hot breath blowing through
ferry flute, and the skeleton arms oil drums
Of thunder and darkness beating the chorus,
'The end thereof is DEATH"
want to point out the insidious tempts-
tons that are assailing more especially our.
young men. The only kind OF nature COM
paratively free from temptation. so far as
can judge, is the cold, hard, stingy, mean
temperament What would Satan do with
iuch man if he got him? Satan is not anx7
ous TO get man who after awhile may dis
pute with him the realm of everlasting
Neanness.
1t is the generous young man, the ardent
young man. the warm hearted young mau,
the social Young man that is in especial
peril. A pirate goes out on the sea- AMI one
bright morning he puts the glass TO his eys
ma looks off. and sees an empty vessel float
ng from port to port. He says. "Nevef
mind that's 10 prize for u.s. But the sans
morning be puts the glass to his eye, aud he
sees vessel coming from Australia ladei(
with gold, or a vessel from the Indies laden
With spices. He says That's our pr!zs.
bear down ON it," Across that unfortunate'
ship the graphing hooks are thrown. Th5
rev are blindtoldel AMI are compelled 10
walk the plank
1t 5 not the empty vessel, but the laden
merchantmen that is the temptation of tbs
>irate. And young man empty Of head,
Empty OF heart. empty of life-yod want no
Young Mems Christian Association 10 keep
aim safe, he is safe. He will not CANDID
unless it Is with somebody else's stakes He
will not break the Sabbath unless someSo lyi
Else pays the horse hire He will not drink un.
ess some one else treats him. He will hang.
around the bar hour after hour waiting fo'
ome generous young man to CONE IN q.
The generous young man comes IN and
iccosts him and saws "Well, will you havs
1 drink with ME today" The man, as though
e,.lr 4kif,es Hi,N aait 4lt
well, il you insist ON it, | will will" ,
Too mean to so to perditon unless sons-
body else pays his expenses? For such
YcuuS men we will not fight. We wOult
40 more contend for them than Tartary and
Ethiopia would fight as TO who should hayl
the great Sahara desert; but for those young
men who are buoyant and enthusiastic, thos !
who are determined to do something foc
time and Tor eternity-.or them We will
eight. an1 y-e nov declare everlasting war
against ali toe influences that assail them,
and we ask all goo men and philanthropiSt-s
to wheel into line, and all the armies o.
heaven 10 bear down upon the foe, and WI
pray Almighty God that with the thunder
bolts OF His wrath he will strike down an
consume all these influences thatare attempts
ing to destroy the young men for whonl
Christ died.
i Nc III 81 t4dtS VI temptations iudL hcSuull ]
young men is led on by the sSeptic II :
will not admit that be is an inf lei or athe-
st. Oh no. he is free thinker" he is on J
Of your liberal" men; he is free and easy
in religion. Oh. how liberal he Is; he is 81
liberal that be will give away his Bible.
he is so liberal that he will give away thu
throne Of eternal justice; 10 is so liberal
that he would he willing to give God out OF
the universe; he is so liberal" that he wou,d
give up MS own soul and the souls OF all hi
friends. Now what more could you ask il
tho way of liberaiity? Tho victim Of tn. {
skeptic has probably just come from II !
country Through the Intervention O.
friends he has been paced in a shop.
On Saturday the skeptic says to him,
We'll, what are you going to DO to-mor'
row. He says. Il am going to church"
Is it pcsSibe-' says the skeptic "Well, |
Used to do those things | was brought up,
suppose, as you were, IN q religious family,
and believed all those things, but l goI
over i: the fact is, since | came TO town
have read a great deal, and have found
that there are a great many things IN thu
Bible that are ridiculous Now, for ini
stance. all that about the serpent being
cursed to crawl in the Garden of i len bel
cause it had tempted our first parents; why,
YOU see how absurd it is; you can tell from
the very organization of the serpent that il
had to crawl: 1t crawled before it was cursed
Just as well as it crawled afterwarJ. you
can tell from its organization that ID
crawled Then all that story about the
whale swallowing Jonah, or Jonah swat
lowing the whale, which was it? 1t don't
make any difference; the thing Is absurd; "
is ridiculous to suppose that a man could
have gone down through the jaws OF a sen
monster and yet keep his life: why, his res.
piration would have been hinaerei; he
would have been dgested: the gastric iucs
would have dissolved the fi5rine and coaeu.
lstel albumen, and Jonah would have been
changed from prophet into chyle Then all
that story about tie Whereabouts conception
why, it is perfectly disgraceful. On, sir
believe in the light OF nature. This is the
Nineteenth century. Progress, sir; progress.
} don't blame you, but after you have been
in town as long as have you will think Just
as do
Thousands of young men are going down
under that process day by day, and there is
only here and there young man who can
endure this artillery Of Scorn. They are Civ.
ing up their Bibles The light Of naturel
They have the light of nature in China; they
have it in Hindostan they have it in Cey-
Ion. Flowers there, stars there, waters there,
winds there, but no civilization, no homes,
no happiness Lancets TO cut and iuuyger-
nauts 20 fall under and hooks to swing on,
but no happiness.
] tell you. my young brother. we have TO
take religion of some kind. We have to
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