The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-14
TALMAGE AT ANN ARBOR.
CHEATED INTO SIN TIE SUBJECT
OF HIS SERMON.


Into Superficial and subterraneous.
ANN ARBoR. MICH, Dec. l3.-Our cite
zens In large numbers have availed theme
selves Of the opportunity of hearing DIR.
Talmage, who is visiting the city by invita-.
ton Of the students Of the university. Last
night vast audience greeted the famous
Brooklyn preacher at his lecture. and this
evening, when he was announced to preach
q special sermon TO young men, there was
no building In the city that would accom-
modate all who wanted to hear him His
text was Proverbs t., II. "Surely in vain ths
net Is spread in the sight of any bird"
Early In the morning l went out with a
fowler to catch wild pigeons. We hastened
through the mountain gorge and into the
forest. We spread out the net, and covered
mp 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 a booth of branches and leaves and
waited. After a while, looking out of the
door OF the booth, we saw a 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 an~
other flock OF birds. They came nearer and
nearer until just at the moment when thew
were about TO swoop they darted away.
The fowler was very much disappointed as
we'll as myself. We said to each other.
what is the matterp and "Why were not
these birds caughtp We went out and ex-
amined the net. and by the hutter of O.
branch OF tree part Of the, net had been
conspicuously exposed, and the birds cons
ing very near had seen their peril and
darted away. When l saw that said to
kA oil EAw.sIa u
passage OF scripture: Surely in vain is the
net spread In the sight of any bird.'n Now
the net In my text stands for temptation.
The callbird of sin tempts men on from
point to point and from branch Co branchl
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 mon
are attempting to capture his soul for time
and 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-tha
superficial and tho subterraneous-tho
above ground, those under ground II u
man could SEQ sin as Ii is, he would no more
embrace it than he would embrace leper.
Sin Is daughter OF hell, yet she is gar.
landed and robed and trinketed Her voice
Is a warble. Her cheek is the sitting sun.
Her forehead is an aurora. She says to
men: Come walk this path with me; it 10
thymed and primrosed, and the air IL 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 driuk
them up In chalices that sparkle with
diamond and amethystFand chrysoprasuss
Seel IL Is all bloom and roseate cloud aud
heaven" o my friends, IL 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 blows
lug through fiery flute, and the skeleton
arms on drums OF thunder aud darkness
beating the chorus: "The end thereof il
death"
want to point out the insidious tempta.
tions that are assailing more especially our
young men. The only kind OF nature com.
paratively free from temptation, 50 far as n
can judge, Is the cold hard, stinRy. mean
temperament. What would Sc tan do with
such a man IL he got himg Satan is nos
anxious 60 get a man who, after q while.
may dispute with him the realm of everlas !.
ing meanness. It is the generous young mar.
the ardent young man, the warm-hearted
young man, the social young maD,,
that is In especial peril. A pirata
goes out on the sea, and one
bright morning he puts the glass to
his eyes and looks of, and sees an empty
vessel floating from port to port. He says.,
''Never mind; that's no prize for u.s." Bub
eye, and he sees vessel coming from
Australia laden with gold, or vessel
from the Indies laden with spices. He says.I
That's our prize; bear down on itIv
Across that unfortunate ship the graphing.
hooks are thrown. The crew are blind.
folded and are compelled to walk the plank.
IL Ia not the empty vessel but tho laden
merchantmen that is the temptation to 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
ii is with somebody else's stakes. He Will
not break the Sabbath unless somebody
else pays the horse hire. He will not driuxj
unless some one else treats him. He will
hang around the bar hour after hour, wait|
Ing for some generous young man to come
in. The generous young man comes In and
accosts him and says: "WeIl, will you
have drink with nae to-day 20 The man.,
as though it were sudden thing for hirn.
says: We'll, we'll, IL yon Insist on it, will
Il willn
Too mean to 60 TO perdition unless some-
body else pays bis expenses9 For such young
men we will not fight. We would no more
contend for them than TartaTy and Etho-
pia would fight as to who should have tha
great Sahara desert; but for those young
men who are buoyant and enthusiastic.
for time and for 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 philanthro-
pists to wheel into line, and all the armies
Of heaven to bear down upon the foe, and
we pray Almighty God chat with the thun.
derbolts Of his wrath he will strike down
and consume all those influences that are
attempting to destroy the young men for
whom Christ died.
The first ciass of temptations that as-
saults young man is led on by the sceptic.
He will not admit that be is an infidel or
atheist. o, mol he Is a 'free-thnker" he
is one Of your liberal men; he is fres and
easy in religion. OF how liberal he is; he is
so ''liberaln that he will give away his
Bible; he is so 'liberal" that be will give
away the throne of eternal Justice; he is so
liberal that he would be willing TO give
God out of the universe; he is so ''Hberaln
that he would give up his own soul and the
souls Of all his friends. Now. what more could
you ask in the way of liberalityl The vic
tim Of this sceptic has probably just come
from the country. Through the inter
vention OF friends he has been placed in
q shop. On Saturday the sceptic says Co
him, well, what are you going to do to-
morrow He says. II am going to church."
"Is it possible!n says the sceptic. swell,
used to do those things; | was brought up,
| suppose, as you were, in q religious
family and believed all those things, bat