The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1897-12-17


character fraugh
with lessons of solemn and eternal
import. To these graver lessons We
devote our sermon. This giant nc
doubt in early life gave evidences Of
what he was to be. 1t is almost al
ways so. There were two Napoleoni
the boy Napoleon and the man Ma
poleon-but both alike; two Howard'
the boy Howard and the man How
ard-but both alike; two Samsons-
the boy Samson and the man Samson
but both alike. This giant was nc
doubt the hero of the playground, and
nothing could stand before his eXhl-
bitions of youthful prowess. Al
eighteen years of age he was betrothed
TO the daughter of a Philistine. Going
down toward Timnath, a lion came
upon him, and, although this young
giant was weaponless, he seized the
monster by the long name and shook
him as hungry hound shakes a
March hare, and made his bones crack
and left him by the wayside bleeding
grinding heft of his heel.
There he stands, looming up above
other men, a mountain of flesh, his
arms punched with muscle that can
lift the gate of city, taking an atti-
tude defiant of everything. His hair
has never been cut, and it rolled down
in seven great plaits over his should
ers, adding to his bulk, ferceness and
terror. The Philistines want to con-
quer 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
Delilah. They appoint her the agent
in the case. The Philistines are secret
ed in the same building, and then Del
ilah goes to work and coaxes Samson
to tell what is the secret of his
strength. Well" he says, IF you
should take seven greer withes. such
as they fasten wild beasts with, and
put them around me l should be per-
fectly powerless." So she binds him
with the seven green withes. Then
she claps her hands and says: They
come-the Philistines! and he walks
out as though they were no impede
ment. 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 should be just Ike other men"
She ties him with the ropes, claps her
hands and shouts: 'They come-the
Philistinesw He walks out as easily
as he did before-not a single obstruc-
ton. 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 a web.
Then she claps her hands, and says:
"They come-the Philistinesr He
walks out as easily as he did before.
dragging a part of the loom with him.
But after a while she persuaded him
to tell the truth. He says: IF you
should take a razor or shears and cut
off this long hair, l should be power
less, 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
no. no of hn
a skilful way of manipulating the head
to this very day that instead of walk
ing up sleeping man. they will put
a man wide awake sound asleep
hear the blades of the shears grinding
against each other, and | see the long
locks falling off. The shears or razor
accomplishes 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
in the hands Of his enemies.
/ hear the groan of the giant as they
take his eyes out, and then | see him
staggering 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 cap
tivity, his locks shorn, his eyes pune
tured, grinding corn in Gazal
First of all. behold in this giant of
the text that physical power is not al
ways an index of moral power. He
was huge mantle lion found 1t out.
and the three thousand men whom he
slew found it out; yet he was the sub
ject Of petty revenges and out-gianted
by low passion. l am far from throw
ing any discredit upon physical STAN
Ina. There are those who seem to have
great admiration for delicacy and
sickness of constitution. I never
could see any glory in weak nerves
or sick headache. Whatever effort in
our day is made to make the men and
women more robust should have the
favor of every good citizen as well as
Of every Christian. Gymnastics may
be positively religious.