The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-12-16
SOULS OF YOUNG MEN.
Or. Talmage Preaches to the Stu
dents Of Ann Arbor University.
A Powerful Appeal to the Young Men TO
Resist the InsidIous Temptations hloh
Assail Them-1 he skeptic and Dis
honest Employer the Chief Fso-
- torsin Their Ruin. WAY

70 the young men Of Ann Arbor (Mich-)
university recently. His text was Pow.
cribs l., II. Surely in vain the net Is
spread in the sight of any bird" The
preacher said: VI g IA n H
Early In the morning went out with
fowler to catch wild pigeons We has
kened through the mountain gorge, and
into the forest We spread oul the net,
and covered up the edges Of II az we'll
% we could We arranged the call bird,
its feet fast, and its wings tapping an
invitation to all fowls of heaven TO set
tie down there. We retired into booth
Of branches and leaves and waited.
After while, looking out Of the door
Of the booth, we saw flock OF birds in
the sky. They came nearer and nearer,
and after while 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 disappointed as well as myself.
We said to each other, what is the
matter2" and "Why were not these
birds caught?" We went out and exam
ined the net, and by the futter 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 re-
minds 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 10
branch until they are about to drop into
the net II man finds out In time that
il is the temptation of the devil, or that
evil men are attempting 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. II man could see sin as tits,
he would no,more embrace 1t than he
would embrace 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 hang
ing 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 chrysoprasus. Seel II is all bloom
and roseate cloud and heaven" o, 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 10 point out the insidious
temptations 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 n man
II he got him? Satan is not anxious TO
get q man who, after awhile, may dis
pute with him the realm OF everlasting
meanness II Is the generous young
man, the ardent 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 us "
But the same morning he puts the glass
TO his eye, and he sees vessel coming
from Australia laden with gold, or q
vessel from the Indies laden with spices.
He says: That's our prize; bear down
on itr' Across that un fortunate ship the
graphing hooks are thrown. The crew
are blindfolded and are compelled TO
walk the plank. IL is not the empty
vessel but the laden merchantmen that
is the temptation TO the pirate And a
young man Of empty head, empty OF
heart empty of life-you want nc
Young Mems Christian Association TO
keep him; he is safe. He will not gam.
Bile unless II 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 10 come
in. The generous young man comes in
and accosts him and says: "Well, will
you have drink with me today" The
man, as though II were sudden thing
for him, says: ''Well, well, II you In
sist on II WILL will"
Too mean TO 90 TO perdition unless
ssmebody else pays his expensesi 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
desert; but for those young men who
are buoyant and enthusiastic, those
who are determined 10 do something
for time and eternity for them we will
fight, and we now declare everlasting
war against all the influences that as
sail them, and we ask all good men and
philanthropists TO wheel into line, and
all the armies of Heaven 10 bear down
upon the foe, and we pray Almighty
God that with the thunderbolts of His