The weekly intelligencer., 1900-10-20
PRACTICAL LESSONS.
Dr.. Tsinags Prsaehss a Sermon fer
Young Men.
The Ternptatlons of College Life
saEE~stioR, Tor Those WAs Are
Re1aired TO Leave Their
Hsmes-Earls Training.
Lcopyrl.aL l0s. " -. Klop.eA.l

Or. Talmage staid in London 10 Occu-
py the famous Wesley pulpit in the
City Road chapel. where he had
preached several times before, always
receiving q hearty welcome. Thence
he went to Ireland. preaching in Bel
fast and Dublin. The discourse he has
sent this week describes the behavior
of a young,man away from home and
suggests practical lessons for people
OF every age and class. The text Is
Daniel /, S: ~And the king appointed
them a daily provision of the kings
meat and Of the wine which he drank;
so nOurishing them three years, that
at the end thereof they might stand
before the king"
Ny text opens the door Of a college
10 Babylon and introduces you 10 4
young student II years Of age, Daniel
by name. Be not surprised II in the
college you find many hilArities. Put
hundred young men together and
they are sure 10 have good time. There
is no harm in that. God does not write
out the trees and the grass and the
blossoms in dull prose. The old robin
does not sit mopihg in the nest because
of the ehirpings and the lively adven-
lures of the hedglings thsi have lust
begun to Hy. Do not come into an
orchard looking for winter apples on a
Nay morning.
But Daniel Of the text is far from be-
ing gay. What oppressive thoughts
must have come over him as he re-
membersd that he was a captive in a
strange land. The music that came
into his study window was not the
song of Zion, but the sound Of flute.
saekbut and duleimer in the worship Of
the heather god. Moreover, he had no
hope Of getting back home again and
meeting those who had missed him
long and bitterly wondering II he
were still alive and finding many a
luxury tasteless because they did not
know but Daniel might be lacking
bread.
When you and were in school or col
lege and the vacation approached we
were full Of bright anticipation. and
we could not study the last day, and
we could not study the last night. The
lexicon and the philosophical appa'
ratus were transparent, so we could SEQ
right through them into the meadow
and the orchards. Not so with pool
Daniel, He did not know that he should
ever escape from captivity, or escaping
he did not know but when he got HON,
the loved ones would be dead, and h'
would 60 wandering and weeping
among the Eepulchers OF his fathers
Besides that the king tried to maxi
him forget his home and forget hi
countryi for that purpose actually
changed his name. The king wante,
him TO be a prodigy In personal ap
pearance, and so he ordered meat an,
wine sent from his own table to Daniel
but Daniel refuses all this and put
himself upon the humblest diet, tn
poorest Of all herbs, called pulse, AM
plain water. His attendants cry ou
against this and tell him-h he will per
ish under such a diet. "No," he says
D '-you try Us for ten days, and IL at tn
end OF that time you are not ful
checked and robust as any, II will b
surprising" Ten days pass along, an
students come up for examination, an
all declare that none are SO ruddy an
robust as Daniel and his fellow car
tives. The days of Industrious pupi
age and the years pass by, and III
day Of graduation has come, and DaI
iel gets his diploma, signed by tn
king, and reading as follows: "In a
matters Of wisdom and understandin
!, that the king inquired of them h
found them ten times better than a
the magieians and astrologers ths
were in all his realm" And so DaI
y lei took the first honor, and here th
story ends, for Daniel the student her,
= after will be Daniel the prime mini
j ter.
The first thought suggested to m
by this subject ia that young me
may be carried into captivity by the
enemies. There is a captivity moi
'' calling than the one In which Danii
was transported; II Is the captivity {
evil habit. Men do not go into thi
: Willingly. Slyly and imperceptibl
u are the chains forged upon them, an
" one day they wake up to find then
J. selves away down in Babylon. Cyrt
Is afterward consented that some OF h
captiyes should return, and $4,000 {
them accepted the opportunity, BIT
tell me what evil habit ever consente
TO let man go. Ten plaques mac
Pharaoh consent to the departure {
Gods people, but tell me what Pha
ct aoh Of evil habit ever cheerfully col
'c scented to let any Of its victims z
" Men talk OF svil habits as thoug
: they we're light and trivial, but the
. are scorpion whips that tear Il
n flesh; they are spikes more blood
sr than the path of a Brahman; the
IA make the poisonous robe Of Nessul
- they are the sepulchers in which mi
rs lions are buried alive.
y The young are in more peril b
4 cause they are unsuspecting. II
lions are asleep in their soul al
10 their power is not suspected. II
&c time when q ships company maxi
10 mutiny is when the watchman Is O
q his guard. When a spider meets
h- fy It does not say: Go down vii
.. me to the place where | murder 4
:, seets" No; il says; Come and tai
,d q bright morning walk with me {
this suspension bridge Of glitterir
Iy Rossamer." Oh, there is a differen'
between the sparkle OF serpent
a. eye and the crush Of Its Shiny fold
There Is a difference between II
bears paw toying with Kid aud u
cracking Of the bones In the terrii
o hug Pixies peak looks beautiful
the distance. but ask the staryi
travellers by the roadside what tbs
O think OF Pixies peak. Are the
those around whom suspicious col
- panions are gathered2 DO their jet
and their entertainments make Il
hours 70 blithely by when you al
with them? Have you taken a 8
a from their cup Of sin or gone vii
them in one path Of unrighteonSnesi
a Turn back. From Babylon they can
A and TO Babylon they would carry yo
II so many plague stricken m'
!. would like to enter your companio
:. ship. before anyone is allowed TO pa
into the intimacy Of your heart pl
on them seyerest quarantine.
Let me say TO those Christian paren
who are doing their best in the educ
: tion Of their children; Take good hear
your sons this morning may be Il
ID away from you and In a distant cit
but God, 10 whom you dedicated then
will take care OF them. The God
Daniel will take care Of them far awi
In Babylon. Train up child In u
way he should 20. and when he IL 0