The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-04-29
Al THE TABERNACLE.
DR.. TALMACE SCORES THE OILERS,
TRlFLERS AND FLOATERS.

Susceptible to Religious Truth.
BROOKLYN, April PA visitor to tn
Brooklyn Tabernacle this morning
would have no difficulty in understand
ing the secret of the attraction whicl
fills the vast building Sunday after Sun
day with throngs of eager listeners
Avoiding abstruse theological subjects
DIR. Talmage preached sermon on
practical topic giving shrewd common
sense lessons of inestimable value to hi
hearers, especially to the young peopl,
who make up large part of his congre
cation. His text was Proverbs xii, 81
\"The slothful man roasteth not tina
which he took in hunting"
David and Jeremiah and Ezekiel ani
Micah and Solomon Of the text showed
that at some time they had been out OF
hunting expedition. Spears, lances
bwords and nets were employed in this
service. A deep pitfall would be digged
In the center Of it there was some raised
ground, with a pole on which lamb
would be fastened, and the wild beast,
not seeing the pitfall, but only seeing
the lamb, would plunge for its prey and
dash down, itself captured. Birds We're
caught in gins or pierced with arrows.
The hunters in olden time had two mis-.
sions-one to clear the land of ferocious
beasts, and the other to obtain meat for
themselves and their families. The &C.
cupation and habit of hunters are a fa-
vorite Bible silnile David said he was
hunted by his enemy like partridge
upon the mountain. My text is hunt
ing scene.
A sportsman arrayed in garb appro-
pirate to the wild chase lets slip the
bloodthirsty hounds from their kennels,
and mounting his fleet horse, with hal
loo and the yell of the greyhound pack
they are off and away, through brake
and dell, over marsh and moor, across
chasms where a misstep would hurl
horse and rider to death, plunging into
mire up to their launches or into swift
streams up to the bit, till the game is
tracked by dripping foam and blood and
the antlers crack ON the rocks and the
hunter has just time to be in at the
death.
Yet after all the haste and peril of the
chase, M text represents this sportsman
as being too indolent to dress the game
and prepare it for food. He let's it lie in
the dooryard of his home and become
portion for vermin and beaks of prey.
Thus by one master stroke Solomon
gives a picture of laziness, when he
says, 'The slothful man roasteth not
that which he took in hunting" The
most of hunters have the game they
shot or entrapped cooked the same even
ing or the next day, but not so with this
laggard of the text. Too lazy to rip
off the hide. Too lazy to kindle the fire
and put the gridiron on the Goals.
A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE.
The first picture | ever bought was an
engraving of Thorwaldsen's rAutImp. =
The clusters of grapes are ripe ON the
vine of the homestead, and the returned
hounds, painting from the chase, are ly-
ing Oh the doorsill, and the hunter is
unshouldering the game, while the
housewife is about to take a portion of
it and prepare it for the evening meal. |
Unlike the person of the text, she was
enough Industrious to roast that which |
had been taken in hunting But the |
world has had many specimen since
Solomon's time of those whose lassitude |
and improvidence and absurdity were |
depicted in my text. The most of those |
who have made a dead failure of life |
can look back and see time when a
great opportunity opened, but they did
not know it.
They were not as wise as George
Stephenson, 'the father of railways"
who, when at sixteen years of age he re-
ceived an appointment to work pump
ing engine for twelve shillings a week,
cried out, Now, | am a made man for
life" God gives to most men at least
one good opportunity. A great Grecian
general was met by group of beggars,
and he said to them: eff YOU want |
beasts to pillow your land, will lend you
some. If you want land, | will give
you some. If you want seed to SOW
your land, l will see that you get it,
but | will encourage none in idleness."
So God gives to most people an oppor-
tunity of extrication from depressed cir
cumstances.
AS if to create in us hatred for in
dolence, God has made those animals
which are sluggish to appear loathsome
In our eyes, while those which are fleet
and active he has clothed with attract
iveness. The tortoise, the sloth, tho
snail, the crocodile repel us, while the
deer and the gazelle are as pleasing as
they are fleet, and from the swift wings
of innumerable birds God has spared no
purple or gold or jet or crimson or snowy
whiteness. Besides all this the Bible is
constantly assaulting the vice of lazi-
ness. Solomon seems to order the idler
out of his sight as being beyond all hu-
man instruction when he says, $50 to
the ant, thou sluggard; consider her
ways and be wise" And Paul seems to
drive him mp from his dining table, be-
fore he gets through with the first course
of food, with the assertion, IF any will
not work, neither shall he eat"
Now, what are the causes of laziness
and what are its evil results? | knew a
man who was never up to time. 1t
seemed impossible for him to meet an
engagement. When he was to be mar
ried he missed the train. His watch
seemed to take on the habits of its owner
and was always too slow. He had a