Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-12-17

AN ELOQUENT SERMON PREACHED
BY THE BROOKLYN DIVINE.

tions to Which Young Men Are Sub
iected-An Elaboration to Hold Fast to
the Bibles Truths.
ANN ARBoR, Mich, Dec. 13.-Our citizens
in large numbers have awaited themselves /
of the opportunity of hearing DR.. 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 tins evening,
when he was announced to preach speclai
sermon to young men, there was no pulld-
ing in the city that would accommodate all
who wanted to hear him. His text was
Proverbs /, Il, surely, in vain the net is
spread III he sight of any bird"
Early in the morning went out with
fowler to catch wild pigeons. We has
tened 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 it, wings Tapping. in invitation
to ali fowls OF heaven to settle down there.
We retired into II booth of branches and
leaves and waited. After awhile, looking
out Of the door Of the booth, we saw IA
flock of birds in the sky. They came near
er and nearer, and after awhile were about
to svoop into the net, when suddenly they
darted uway. Again we waited. After
while we saw another flock of birds. They
came nearer and nearer until just at the
lnoHent 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 nattcr?" and "Why were not
these birds caught?" We went out and
examined the net and by flutter of a
branch of tree part of the net had been
conspicuously exposed, and the birds com
lug very near had seen their peril and
darted away. When saw that | said to
the old fowler, "That reminds me of a pas
sage of Scriptures 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 Gus in time that it 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.
EIe says, Il am not to be caught in that
way; ! see what you are about; surely in
vain is the net spread i'll the sight OF any
bird"
VARIOUS TEMPTATIONS.
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 a
lepcr. Sin j. a daughter of he'll, yet she is
Earrnded and robcd and trinketed Her
voice is Wsrble. Her cheek is the setting
sun. Her forehead i an aurora She SAYS
tomcn: Come walk this path with me. 1t
is thyrncd aad prirlrOscd, and the air is be
witchcd WITH the odors of the hanging gar
dens of heaven. The rivers are rivers of
wine, and al you have to do is TO drink
them up in chalices that sparkle with dia-
mond and amethyst and chrysoprasus
Sec 1t is all bloom and roseate cloud and
heaven"
Oh, my friends, if for one moment the
choirin0 of ell these concerted voices of
sin could be huShed should see the
orchestra Of the pit with hot breath blow
ing through fey lute, and the skeleton
arms on drums of thunder and dark ness
beating the chorus, The end thereof is
death"
! want to point out the insidious temp.
tations that are assailinG more especially
our young men. The only kind of nature
comuaratively free from temptation, 50
far as can judge, is the cold, hard, stinGy,
mean temperament. What would Satan
90 with such n man if he got him? Satan
is not anxious to get man who after
awhile may dispute with him the realm
of everlasting mearness.
1t is the generous young man, the ardent
young man. the warm hearted young man,
the social young man that is in especial
peril. y pirate goes out on the sea- and
one bright morning he puts the glass to
his eye aud looks off, 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 ne sees Il vessel coming from
Australia laden with gold, or a vessel
from the Indies laden with spices. HC
says, That's our prize; bear down on itr
Across that unfortunate ship the grappline
hooks are thrown. The crew are blind
folded and are compelled to walk The
plank.
1t is not the empty vessel, but the lader
merchantmen that is the temptation of thu
pirate. And r young man empty of head
empty OF heart, empty Of life-you wan
no Young Mems Christian association Il
keep him safe; he is safe He will no
gamble unless it is with somebody else
stakes. He will not break the sabbath
unless somebody else pays the horse hire
He will not drink unless some one els
treats him. He Will hang around the ba
hour after hour waiting for some geuerou
young man to come in. The generou
young man comes in and accosts him an,
>ys, "Nell, will you have drink will
me today" The man, as though it were
sudden thing for him, says, "Well-well
if you insist on it, will will"
WAR on BAD INFLUENCES.
Too mean to 20 TO perdition unless some
body else pays his expenses? For sucI
young men we will not fight. We woui,
no more contend for them than Tartar
and Ethiopia would fight as TO who sAoult
have the great Sahara DESERT, but for thos
young men VINO are buOyant and enthu
sa.stic, those who are determined TO d
something for time and for eteruity-fu
them We will fight, and we now dcclar
everlasting war against all The influence
That assail them, and we ask all good me
and phllsnthropists to wheel into line, an
all the armies of heaven TO bear down upo
the foe and we pray Almighty God tina
with the thunderbolts of his wrath he wi
strike down and consume all these inf
ences that are attempting to destroy til
young men for whom Christ died.