Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-12-17
THE GIANT SAMSON.
HIS STRENGTH THE SUBJECT OF REV.
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.


sanctifed Muscle and What 1t Can Do
The Treacherous Delilah and Her Work.
samson's Misg guided strengtb-The Weak
That Are Strong and That Are Weak.
copyright, 1897. by American Press Asso-
ciation.J
WASHINGTON, Dec. l2.-Taking the
exciting story of Samson's fall as a sug-
gestion, DR.. 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
xiv. 1. "And Samson went down to Tim
nath. "
There are two sides to the character
nf Samson. The one phase Of his life, II
followed into the particulars, would ad-
minister TO the grotesque and mirthful,
but there is a phase Of his character
fraught with lessons Of solemn and eter-
nal import. To these grayer lessons we
devote our sermon. This giant no doubt
in early life gave evidences Of what he
was to be. 1t is almost always so. There
were two Napoleons-the boy Napo-
leon and the man Napoleon-but both
alike; two Howards-the boy Howard
and the man Howard-but both alike;
two Samsons-the bog Samson and the
man Samson-but both alike. This
giant was no doubt the hero Of the play
ground. and nothing could stand before
his exhibitions Of youthful prowess At
IS years Of age he was betrothed to the
daughter Of a Philistine. Going down
toward Timnath, lion came upon him.
and. although this young giant was
weaponless, he seized the monster by
the long name and shook him as hun
ery hound shakes q March hare and
made his bones crack and left him by
the wayside bleeding under the smiting
of his fist and the grinding heft OF his
heel.
There he stands, looming up above
other men, q mountain Of flesh, his arms
bunched with muscle that can lift the
gate of a city, taking an attitude defiant
of everything. His hair had never been
cut. and it rolled down in seven great
plaits over his shoulders adding to his
bulk fierceness and terror. The Philis-
tines want to conquer him, and there
fore they must find out where the secret
of his strength lies.
The Treacherous Delilah.
There is a dissolute woman living in
the valley Of Sorek Of the name OF De-
lilah. They appoint her the agent In the
case. The Philistines are secreted in the
same building, and then Delilah goes 70
work and coaxes Samson to tell what is
the secret Of his strength. well, be
saws. If you should take seven green
withes, such as they fasten wild beasts
with, and put them around me should
be perfectly powerless. So she olndi
him with the seven green withes. Then
she claps her hands and says, "Iney
come-the Philistinesp And he walk'
out as though they were no impedlment
She coaxes him again and says, NOV
tell me the secretof this great strength.
And he replies, IF you should taxi
some ropes that have never been usee
and tie me with them, should be JUS
like other men," She ties him with thu
ropes. claps her hands and shouts
"They come - the PhilistinesV III
walks out as easily as he did before
not a single obstruction. She coa1e
him again, and he says, NOW, II yo'
should take these seven long plaits o
hair and by this house loom weave then
into q web, 1 could not get away. 3
the house loom is rolled up, and tn
shuttle flies backward and forward, am
the long plaits of hair are woven INTO
web. Then she claps her hands and says
"They come - the Philistlnes! II
xyalks out as easily as he did before
dragging a part Of the loom with him.
Bnt after awhile she persuaded hin
TO tell the truth. He says, IL 20
should take a razor or shears and cut OF
this long hair, should be powerless an
in the hands of my enemies. Samso
sleeps, and that she may not wake hir
, ND during the process Of shearlng hei
is called in. You know that the barber
:. of the east have such skillful way {
manipulating the head to this very Ga
that instead of waking up sieepin
man they will put man wide awak
sound asleep. l hear the blades CT u
shears grinding against each other al
see the long locks falling on. IN
o shears or razor accomplishes what gree
withes and new ropes and house iooi
could not do. Suddenly she claps h'
q. hands and SAYS, "The Philistines
upon thee. Samsonw He rouses up VIII
a struggle, but his strength Is all gon'
! He is in the hands Of his enemies
II outglanted by Low Passion
3 hear the groan Of the giant as the
take his eyes out, and then see nn
staggering on in his blindness, feeiin
his way as he goes on toward oa1'
= The prison door is open, and the giai
is thrust in. He sits down and puts n
II hand ON the mill crank, which, wl'
exhausting horizontal motion goes "a
after day. week after week, month aft
=, month-work, work, work. The COZ
b sternation Of the world in captivity. d
locks shorn, his eyes punctured' srin
ing corn i'll GAIA.
- First Of all behold in this giant
the text that physical power is not .
WAYS an index Of moral power lie '"
% a huge man. The lion found 1t out' al
At the 3. 900 men whom he slew iouno
a. ont vet he was the subject OF petty
= vences and outgianted by low pasSio
"a I am far from throwing any discreo
10 upon physical stamina There are 1e1.i tho .
In who seem to have great admiration
d ! delicacy and sickliness OF constitu'lo
40 never could see any glory IN "e'
ar nerves or sick headache. Whatever
40 fort in our day is made to make q
N men and women more robust shou
RI have the favor of every good citizen
s. we'll as of every Christian. Gymnas'i
IS, may be positively religious
ry Good people sometimes ascrioe 70
I'd wicked heart what they ought 70
es cribe to slow liver. The body and
soul are such near neighbors tnat th