Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-12-19
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divines Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: Temptations which Bcset
Young Men,

TEXT: "SurelR, an rail, the net is spread
IN the sight Of any bird Proverbs j., H.
Early in the morning / went out with a
fowler to catch wild pigeons. We hastene |
through tie mountain gorge AMI into the
I forest. We spread ont the net. AMI covered
up the lges Of it as well as we could We
arranged the call birJ. its feet fast and its
wings happing. in invitation to all fowls of
heaven TO settledown there. We retired into
booth OF branches and leaves and waited
After awhile, looking out of the door of the
+ booth, we saw f1ck OF birds in the sky
They came nearer AMI nearer, and after
I 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 lIn-
i III 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,
i Nv hat is the Natter and why We're not
these birds caughts We went out and ex-
amIned the net and by fiutter OF a branch
/ OF tree part OF the net had been conspicu-
5 eusly ex. osef an the birds coming very
T near had seen their peril and dared away
When saw that ] said to the old fowler.
That reminds me of a passage of Scripture:
/ Surely in vain is the ner spread in the sight
/ of any bird. +" Now the net in my text
4 stands for temptation.
The call bird of sin tempts men on from
! point TO point and from branch to branch
i until they are about to drop into the net
4 If man finds out in time that it is the
I temptation of the devil, or that evil men
4 are attempting to capture his soul for time
! and for eternity, the man steps back He
says, Il am not to be caught III that way: |
see what you are about surrey in vain is the
i net spread in the sight of any bird"
hos nh
! superficial aud the subterraneous-thos
/ above ground, those under ground. If maui
/ eouid see SIN as 1t Is, lie wou.d no more en-
/ brace it than lie would embrace iepsr
( Sin is 4 daughter OF hell; vet she is gar
landed and robed and trinketei Her vote.
/ is n warole. Her cheek is the setting sun
/ Her forehead is an aurora She saws t.
/ lnen: Come, walk this path with me. It'll;
/ thymed and pr mrosed and the air is be-
! witchel with the odors of the hanging gar
! Gems of heaven. The rivers are rivers OF
/ wine, and all you have 10 do is to drink
/ them up in chalices that sparkle with dia-
mond and amethyst and chrysoprasus
See! 1t is all bloom and rosate cloud an
! heaven
Oh, M friends, if for one moment the
choiring OF all these concerted voices of sill
/ could be bushej. 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 TO point out the insiious tenpt7-
tons that are assailing more especially out
young men. The only kind OF nature com.
raratively free from temptation. so far as
can judge, is the cold harj, stingy, meal
temperament. What would Satan do with
such M if he got HIM Satan is not anx
ious to get man wac alter awhile may dis
/ pute with him the realm OF evsrlastin,
meanness.
1t is the generous young man. the ardent
Young man, tie warm hearted young man.
the social young man that is in especial
peril. A pirate goes out on the sea AMI one
fright morning he puts the glass to his eys
ana looks off. and sees an empty vessel float
ing from port to port. He says, "Nevei
mind; that's prize for us. But the SAM
/ morning be 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 priz
bear down on itW Across that unfortunate
ship the graphing hooks are thrown. Thu
crew are hiindfolde AMI are compelled to
walk tie plank.
1t not the empty vessel Lut the lader
merchantmen Il is the temptation of thu
pirate. AND young man empty of heat,
empty of heart, empty Of ise-yOI want
y Dung Mems hristian Association to keen
him safe, he is safe. He wilt not canb'c
Z
will not break the Sabbath unless some5o ~
else pays the horse hire. He will not drink un.
less some one else treats him He wild hang
around the bar hour after hour waiting fot
some generous young man to coma in.
! The generous young man comes in and
! accosts BIN and says, "Well. will you have
drink with me to-day The mau, as though
it were Il su iden thing for him. says. well
well, il you insist ON it. | will will.
Too mean to go TO perdition unless some
body else pays his expenses For such
/ young men We will not fight We would
10 nors content for them than Tart2ry 5nI
Eth opla would fight as 10 who should have
the great Sahara desert; but for those young
men who ate buoyant and enthusiastic thos8
who are determined 10 do something fof
time and Tor eternitv-or than we will
( fight, and We now declare ever:aStiug war
aga nst all the influences that assail them
and we ask all goo men and philanthropists
/ to wheel into line, and all the armies OF
heaven 10 bear down upon the foe, AMI Wa
pray Almighty God that with the thuu Ter
/ bolts OF His wrath He will strike down an |
consume all these influences that are attempt
ing to destroy the. Young men for WHOM
Christ died
Inc nrst class of temptations that assault
young man is led on by the sEeptic. H.
VIII not admit that he is an iufiiel or athe.
ist Oh, no he is ''frea thinker he is one
easy
in religion. Oh. how liberal he is; he is 50
liberal that he will give away his Bible ;
he is so Liberal that he will give away thd
throne Of eternal justice: he is SO liberal
that he would he willing to give God out Of
/ the universe; he is 50 liberal 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 liberality? The victim Of thi
skeptic has PROBABLY just come from thu
country Through the Intervention o.
friends he has been paced in shop.
On Saturday the skeptic says to him,
We'll, what are you going to do to-mor-
row2' He says, Il am going to church.
rs it possible?T says the skeptic, "Well, |
used TO do those things: | was brought NJ,
suppose, as you were, in religious family,
and | believed all those things, but ! got
over it. the fact is, since ! came to town
have read a great deal and L have found
that there are great many things III thg
Bible that are ridiculous. Now. for IN
stance. all that about the serpent bein.
cursed to crawl in the Garden of z len be
cause it had tempted our first parents; why
YOU see how absurd it is; you can tell from
the very or ganzition of the serpent that il
had to crawl; it crawled before it was curse
lust as well as it crawled afterwar yor
can tell from its organization that i
crawled. Then all that story about tbs
whale swallowing Jonah, or Jonah swai
make any difference, the thing is absurd; i
is ridiculous to suppose that a man coulC
lave gone down through the jaws o2 a sen
monster and yet keep his life: wav his res.
piration would have been hn1ere1: he
would have been digested; the gastric juice
would have dissolved the tibriRe and coagu-
lated albumen, and Jonah would have been
changed from prophet into Gayle. Then all
that story about the Whereabouts conception
WHY If is rfprffFtlv Cli sprrerPful On sir
! believe in the light of nature. This is the
Nineteenth century Progress, sir: progress.
don't blame you, but after you have been
iii town as long as have you will think il ST
as do
Thousands of young men are going down
under that process day by day. AMI there is
only here and there young man who can
endure this artillery of Scorn. They are Civ
ing up their Bibles, The light of nature
They have the light Of nature in China they
have it in Hindostau; they have it in Cey'
Ion Flowers there, stars there, waters there,
winds there, hut no civilization, no homes,
no happiness. Laucets to cut and iuugger-
uauts to fall under and hooks to swing on,
but nc happiness.
tell You. my younS brother, we have to
take a religion of some kind. W e have "a
choose between four and five, Shall it be
the Koran of the Mohammedan, or the Shas-
ter of the Hndoo or the Zsu1avesta of tao
Persian, or the Confucius writings of tbs
Chimes. or the Holy Scriptures Take what
you will: God helping me. | will take tbs
Bible. Light for all darkness; rock for al
foundation; balm for all wounds. A glory
that lifts its pillars of fire over the wilder.
ness march Do not give up your Bibles.
Ash them what inliielity has ever done tC
lift the fourteen hundred millions OF the race
out OF barbarisn. As. them when infjality
ever instituted a SAINT ary commission. an