The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-13
SAMSON'S STORY IN A SERMON
TALMAGE POINTS OUT THE LESSONS
IT TEACHES.


and Great PurPOseS-Physical
Powers Not Always an Index oil
Powcr-DamaEe That Strength Can
Do IL DISQUALIFICATION a Giant May
BE slain.
Washington, Dec. 12.-Taking the eXcit-
ms story of Samson's fall as sugses-
ton, Or. Talmage, in this discourse, shows
how giants in body and mind or soul
ought to be consecrated TO good and great
purposes. His text is Judges 14l: And
Samson went down TO Timnath.
There are two sides of the character OF
Samson. The one phase of his life, if fol-
lowed into the particulars, would admin
lister to the grotesque and mirthful; but
there is a phase of his character fraught
with lessons of solemn and eternal import
To these graver lessons We devote our
sermon. This giant no doubt in early life
gave evidences of what he was 10 be. 1t
is almost always so. There Were two
Napoleons-the boy Napoleon and the man
Napoleon-but both alike; two Howards
the boy Howard and the man Howard
but both alike; two Samsons-the boy
Samson and the man Samson-but both
alike. This giant was no doubt the hero
of the playground, and nothing could
stand before his exhibitions of youthful
proves. At eighteen years of age he was
betrothed to the daughter of a Philisdne.
Going down toward Timnath, lion came
upon him, and. although this young giant
was weaponless, ne seized the monster by
the long name and shook him a hungry
hound shakes March hare, and made
mis- bones crack ana left him by the way
side bleeding under the shifting of his fist
and the grinding heft of his heel.
There he stands, looming up above other
men, a mountain Of flesh, his arms bunch
ed with muscle that can lift the gate OF a
city, taking an attitude defiant of every
thing His hair had never been cut and
it rolled down in seven great plaits over
his shoulders, adding to his bulk, fierce
ness and terror. The Philistines want to
conquer him, and therefore they must find
OUT where the secret of his strength lies.
There is a dissolute woman living in
the valley of Sorek by the name Of Deli
lah They appoint her the agent in the
case The Philistines are secneted in the
same building, and then Delilah goes to
work and coaxes Samson TO tell what is
the secret of his strength. We'll" he
says, IF you should take seven green
withes, such as they fasten wild beasts
with, and put them around me I should
be perfectly powerless." So she binds him
with the seven green withes. Then she
claps her hands and says: They come
the PhilistnesI' and he walks out as
though they were no impedient. She
coaxes him again, and says: Now tell
me- the secret of this great strength?'
and he replies: IF you should take some
ropes that have never been used and tie
me with them I should be just like other
men" She ties him with the ropes, claps
her hands, and shouts: They come-the
Phi.istinesr' He walks out as easily as
he did befOre-not a single obstruction.
She coaXes him again, and he says: Now,
If you should take these seven long plaits
of hair, and by this house-lOom weave
them into a web. l could not get away"
So the house-loom is rolled up. and the
shuttle flies backward and forward and
the long plaits OF hair are woven into
web Then she claps her hands, and says:
They cOme-the Phiistines.' He walks
out as easily as he did before, dragging
a part of the loom with him
But after awhile she persuaded him to
tell the truth. He says: IF you should
take razor or shears and cut off this long
hair l should be powerless and in the
hands of my enemies" Samson sleeps, and
that she may not wake him up during the
process of shearing, help is called in. You
know that the BARRIERS of the east have
such a skillful way of manipulating the
head to this very day that instead of
waking up a sleeping man, they will put a
blades of the shears grinding against each
other, and l see the long locks falling off
The shears or razor accomplshes what
green withes and new ropes and house
loom could not do. Suddenly she claps her
hands, and says: THE Philistines be upon
thee, Samson He rOuses up with a strug-
gle, but his strength is all gone. He is in
the hands of his enemies.
I hear the groan of the giant as they
take his eyes out, and then I see him stag
gering on in his blindness, feeling his way
as he goes on toward GAIA. The prison door
is open, and the giant is thrust in He sits
down. and puts his hand on the mill-crank,
which, with eXhausting horizontal motion,
goes day after day, week after week
month after month--work, work, work!
The CONSERVATION of the world in captlv-
ity, his locks shorn, his eyes punctured,
grinding corn in Gazai
First of all, behold in this giant of the
text that physical power is not always an
index of moral power. He was a huge
man-the lion found it out, and the three
thousand men whom he slew found it out
yet he was the subject of petty reVenges
and out-gianted by low passion. / am far
from throwing any discredit upon physi-
cal stamina. There are those who seem TO
have great admiration for delicacy and
sickness of constitution. never could see
any glory in weak nerves or sick-head-
ache. Whatever effort in our day is made
10 make the men and women more robust
should have the favor of every good citi-
zen as well as of every Christian. Gymuas-
tics may be positively religious.
Good people some times ascribe to a wick
ed heart what they ought 20 ascribe to a
slow liver. The body and the soul are such
near neighbors that they often catch each
others diseases. Those who never saw a
SICK day, ana who, like Hercules show the
giant in the cradle, have more to answer
for than those who are the subjects of life
long lnfirmities. he who can lift twice as
much as you can, and walk twice as far.
and work twice as long, will have a double
account 10 meet in the judgment
How often is il that you do not find
physical energy indicative Of spiritual pow
er. If clear head is worth more than
one dizzy with perpetual Vertigo-if mus