The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-09-19
SERMON ON SNAKES.
Snakes and Temptations Likened.
Columbia State.

| Washington Street Methodist Church,
yesterday morning preached sermon
upon the subject of "Serpents," based
on the text Genesis, 3:l3: ''The SER
pent beguiled me" In the course OF
| his discourse Mr.. Rice took occasion
to say that the barrooms (evidently
Officially and the blind tigers were SER
pents of temptation now investing this
community, and he went on to handle
them pretty severely. He referred to
them as moral jungles hiding in dark
corners like true serpents, doing their
deadly work just as the vilest serpent.
The following outline Of the subject
matter of the unusual sermon will be
read with interest:
Snakes have had much to do with
the history of the world. They guard
the secrets and sacredness Of the for
ests and forbid or retard the advance
ment of civilization in those regions.
They have also found places in the
various systems of religion in Egypt,
India, Assyria, China, Greece and in
deed among about all the great reli-
gions of the world. tits not therefore
surprising that it should have had an
influence over Judaism and even Chris
tianity and that Eve should have seen
in the serpent the embodiment of her
temptation, because of the likeness Of
the habits of the serpent to the charac-
teristics of temptation. Primitive
people are very observant Of the
habits of animals and of nature in
general. They get many of their
religious ideas in this way. 1t is
thought by some that the idea of the
immortality of the soul came from
observing the persistence and perma-
nence of objects in nature.
The serpent resembles temptation in
it's dwelling place. 1t hugs the earth.
So does temptation come from things
earthly. Its origin is not from God,
for He tempteth none. 1t does not
come from the higher regions Of light.
The home of the snake is in dark cor
ners, the jungles and among the shad-
ows. In the moral jungles men find
temptation. As among physical jugles
there can be no safety, despite the
greatest watchfulness and care, so are
we never secure when venturing into
dark corners. He who goes takes his
life in his own hands. We are not
safe only in the distance. The snakes
of India are objects Of scientific inter-
est to me, but do not alarm me, be-
cause I do not expect to 60 among
them. A snake on the other side of
Columbia can bite trees, gnaw the
pavement, attack every passer-by, but
cannot hurt me if 1 stay on this side.
Temptation is like snake in it's habit
of alternating. They may sleep for
months, and then suddenly come to
life and run us. In the Westa couple
we're recently married and moved into
their house, built on the mountain
side with fireplace in the mouth OF a
cavern and retired, only to be awak-
ened and to die surrounded by thirty
one snakes that bad been warmed into
life by their fire. So does sleeping
temptation come to life when the
the atmosphere of life is no longer
replenished from above and kept in
proper condition. Nor is fall under
these circumstances an accident. The
imagination can people our hemisphere
with scenes of pleasure and reverie,
but the old temptation will then come
to life ard ruin must follow. We
may escape it's power for months or
even years at last to 60 down before
| it. A moments carelessness may call
out the monster. Temptation, like a
snake, is stealthy in its approach. 1t
sounds no bugle to declare it's coming.
Even the footballs and confusion OF
life drown it's gliding through the
leaves and grass around us, and our
first warning needed is the deadly
stroke. We never start out in the
morning expecting to be snake bitten,
nor do we expect to fall. If so, we
have fallen already. 1t comes from
unexpected quarters. May approach
via the physical, the moral, the intel
lectual side. True, God has senti-
mel at the entrance of each of these
spheres, but we will not hear his
voice. We ought to listen morning,
noon and night for the signal of dan
ger, for this monster leaps upon us
from unexpected quarters.
Like the serpent, temptation has the
power to charm. Begins by whisper
ing of region just beyond the bound
ary of our past attainment, where