Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-12-25
REV. Or. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "TEMPTATIoNs WHICH BE-
SET YoUNG Men"

through the mountain gorge and into the
forest We spread out the net AMI covered
up the eiges 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 a flock of birds in the sky
They came nearer AMI nearer, and after a
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 un-
til just at the moment when they were about
to swoop they darted away.
The fowler was very much disappointed rs
well as myself. We SAID to each other,
What is the matterp and "Why were not
these birds caught? We vert out aud e1-
amlned the net and by hutter OF a branch
OF tree part OF the net had been conspicu-
Cusly eX osed, 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 hIrd.'" 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.
IL 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 Il 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 underground. If man
could see sin as 1t is, he would no more en-
brace it than he would embrace a lepar
Sin Is daughter of hell; yet she is gar.
landed and robei and trinketed. Her voice
is n warble Her cheek is the setting sun.
Her forehead is an aurora. She says TO
men: Come, walk this path with me 1t is
thymed and pr mrosel, and the air is be-
wltche / with the OdorS Of the hanging gar.
dens of heaven. The rivers are rivers OF
wine, and all you have to do is TO drink
them up in chaccs that sparkle with dia-
mond and amethyst and Chrysoprasus.
Seel 1t is all bloom and rosate cloud and
heaven
Oh, my friends, II for one moment the
choirlnS Of all these concerted voices OF sin
could be hushei we should see the orchestra
OF the pit with hot breath blowing through
lery 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 tempta-
tions that are asSailing more especially our
young men. The only kind of nature COM
raratively free from temptation, 50 far as
can judge, is the cold, hard, stingy, mean
temperament. What would Satan do with
such n man il he got him' Satan is not anx-
ious to get man who after awhile may dis
pute with him the realm OF everlasting
meanuess.
1t is the generous young man, the ardent
young man, the warm Lerrtei young man,
the social Young man that is in especial
peril. pirate goes out on the sea, and ono
bright morning he puts the glass to his eve
anu looks of. and sees an empty vessel float
ing from port to rort. He says. Never
mind; that's no prize for us" But the same
morning lie puts toe glass TO his eye and he
sees a vessel coming from Australia laden
with golt, or vessel from the Indies laden
with spices. he says That's our priz';
bear down on itr' Across that unfortunate
ship the graphing hooks are thrown. The
crew are blindtoldeI and are compelled to
walk the plank
1t S not the empty vessel, hut the laden
merchantmen Il at is the temptation of the
pirate. And young mar empty of head,
empty of heart, empty of hIc--you want no
Young Mems Christian Association to keep
him safe; he is safe. He will rot gamble
unless it Is with somebody elses stakes. lie
Will not break tire Sabbath unless somebody
else pays the horse hire He Will not drink un
less some one else treats him lie Will hang
around the bar hour after hour waiting toT
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 a sudden thing for him, SAYS, "Well
well, if You insist on it, | will will"
Too mean to go to perdition unless some
body else pays his expensesl 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 to do something for
time and Tor eterntv-tor them we will
fight, and we now declare everlasting war
against all the influences that assail them,
and we ask all good men and phlanthropists
to wheel into line, and all the armies OF
heaven TO bear down upon the foe, ana we
pray Almighty God that with the thunder
bolts of His wrath He will strike down and
consume all these influences that are attempt
ing to destroy the young men for whom
Christ died.
The first class of temDtations that assaults
ayoung man is led on by the skeptic. HC
will not admit that he is an infi1el or athe
ist. Oh, no he is "irce thinker" he is ont
| of your liberal" mer; he Is free and easy
'liberal" that he will give away his Bible
he is so liberal that he will give away tn,
throne of eternal justice; he is SO liberal
that he would he wiling 10 give God out o
the universe; he is SO liberal" that he wouit
give up his own soul and the souls OF all h'
friends Now wlat more could you ASK il
the way of liberaltyf The victim Of thi
skeptic has PROBABLY just come from tn
country. Through the Intervention o
friends .e has b Ell placed in shop
On Saturday the skeptlc says to him
"Well, what are YOU going to do to.mor
rowY He says, II am going to church
as it possible" says the skeptic "Well,
nscd TO do those things; | was brought up,
suppose, as YOU were, i'll n religious family
and | believed all those things, but go
over it: the fact is, since l came TO town
have read great dea and | have foun
that there are great many things in tn
Bible that ere ridiculous. Now for II
stance, all that ABOUT the serpent beln
cursed to crawl in the Garden of L len b.
cause II had tempted our first parents; VIII
YOU see how absurd 1t is; you can tell fro.
the very organization of the serpent that
had TO crawl; it crawlel before it was curse
inst as we'll as it crawled atterwar 4: yC
can tell from its organization that
crawlcd. Then all that story about Il
whale swallowing Jonah, or Jonah swu
| loving the Whalc, WhlCn was ltT III uou
maze any difference; the thing Is absur
is ridiculous to suppose that man cou
have gone down through the jaws OF 81
monster and yet keep his lite; why, his rt
piration would have been hindered,
would have been dlgested, the gastric Jul
would have dissolved the iibrine and coag
lated abumen, an Jonah would have be
changed from prophe5 into chyle. Ihen
that story about the micraculous concepts
why, it is perfectly disgracolul. %, s
believe in the light of nature This is
} Nineteenth century. Progress, sir; progre
, IGont blame you, but after you have pe
In town as long as have you will think j.
US uo."
Thousands Of young men are going do
under that process day by day, and there
only here and there young man who
| endure this artillery of scorn. They are &
inG up their Bibles. The lifht OF natu