The Globe-republican., 1891-12-31
Talmags to Young Men.

Talmago to Young Men.
DR.. Talmage's text was Proverbs /, II,
''Surely, in vain the net is spread in the
sight of any bird"
Early in. the morning 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 arranged 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
away. Again we waited. After while
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 we'll as myself. We said to
each other, what is the matter?" and
"Why were not these birds caught?"
We went out and examined the net and by
a f]utter 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 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 man finds out in time that
it is the temptation of the devil, or that
evil men are tempting to capture his
soul for time and for eternity, the man
steps back. He says, 81 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"
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 leper. Sin is a daughter
of hell, yet she is garlanded and robed
and trinketed. Her voice is MARBLE.
Her cheek is the setting sun. Her FORE
head is an aurora. She says to men:
Come, walk this path with me. 1t is
thymed and primrosed. and the air is be-
witched 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 chalices that sparkle
with diamond and amethyst and chryso-
prasus. See! 1t is all 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 a 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 temp
tations that are sssailing more especially
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 man if he got him?
Satan is not anxious TO get man who
after awhile may dispute with him the
realm of everlasting meanness.
1t is the generous young man, the ar
dent young man, the warm hearted young
man, the social young man that is in
especial 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 u.s." But the same morning
he puts the glass to his eye. and he sees
vessel coming from Australia laden
with gold, or a vessel from the Indies
laden with spices. He says, ''That's our
prize: bear down on it!' Across that
unfortunate 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 tempta-
ton of the pirate. And 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
waiting 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 to-
day?" The man, as though it were
sudden thing for him, says. "Well-well,
IL you insist on it, WILL WILL
Too mean to go to perdition unless
somebody else paws 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
buoyant and enthusiastic, those who are
determined to do something for time and
eternity-fOr them we will fight, and we
now declare everlasting war against all
the influences that assail 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 |
thunderbolts 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 first class of temptations that as
saults young man is led on by the