Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-03-15
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject; The Responsibility OF Those Who
Are Well and Strong-Phystcai Energy
Not Indicative of Spiritual Power
Fight the Battles OF the Weak.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON D. C.-In this discourse DIR.
Talmage sets forth the responsibility OF
those who are strong and we'll, as In a
former discourse he preached to the dis
nbled and "the shut in" text, Judges XIV.
/, "And Samson went down to Timnath." !"
There are two sides to the character OF
Samson. The one phase OF his life, ii fol-
lowed into the particulars, would admins
ter to the grotesque and the mtrthful, but
there Is u phase OF his character frauRht
with lessons Of solemn and eternal import.
TO these grayer lessons we devote our
sermon.
This giant no doubt in early life gave
evidences of what he was 20 be. It ia al
most always so. There we're 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 nike. This
giant was no doubt the hero OF the play
ground. and nothing could stand before
his exhibition Of youthful prowess. At
eighteen years OF age he was betrothed to
the daughter of q Philistine. Going down
toward Timnath, Il lion came out 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 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 punched
with muscle that can lift the gate Of a city,
taking an attitude defiant OF everything.
| His hair had never been cut, and 1t rolled
| down seven grent plaits over his shoul-
| ders, adding to his bulk flerceness and ter
ror. The Philistines want to conquer him,
and therefore they must find out where
| the secret OF his strength lies.
There Is an evil woman living in the val-
| ley of Sorek by the name of Delilah. They
appoint her the agent In the case. The
Philistlnes are secreted In the same build
! ing, and then Deliiui goes to work and
| coaxes Samson to tell what Is tho secret OF
| his strength. "Well." he says, "if you 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 Philistines!'' and he walks out
as though there were no impediment She
conXes 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 like other men," She ties
| him with ropes, claps her hands and shouts,
''They come-the Philistines!' He walks
out as easily as he did before mot single
obstruction. She coaxes him again, and
| he says, Now, IL you should take these
seven long plaits of hair and by this house
| loom weave them into web, could not
| get away" So the house loom is rolled
up, and the shuttle flies backward and for
ward, and the long plalts Of hair are woven
! into web. Then she claps her hands and
says, "They come-the Philistines!" He
walks out as easily as he did before, drag
ging II part OF the loom with him.
But after awhile she persuades him to
tell the truth. He says, "If you should
! take razor or shears and cut off this long
hair, should be powerless and in tho
| hands of my enemies" Samson sleeps, and
that she may not wake him up dur
ing the process of shearing, help
IS called in. You know that the BARRIERS
OF the East have such skillful way
! of manipulating the head to this very day
that instead of waking upa sleeping man,
| they MI put Il man wide awake sound
asleep. ! hear the blades of the shears
grinding against each other, and l see the
| long locks falling off. The shears or razor
accom- plishes what green withes and new
| ropes and house loom could not do. Sud-
denly she claps her hands and says. "The
! Philistines be upon thee, Samson!" He
rouses up with struggle, but his strength
is all gone. He is in the hands OF his en-
emies.
take his eyes out, and then 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 hands on the
mill crank, which, with exhausting hori-
after week, month after month-work,
work, work! The CONSERVATION of the
world in captivity. his locks shorn, his
eyes punctured, grinding corn in GAIA!
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 1t out and the 5000 men
| whom he slew found 1t out; yet he was the
subject OF petty revenges and ontgianted
by low passion. am far from throwing
any discredt upon physical stamina.
| 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. WHAT
ever effort In our day Is made to make the
men and women more robust should have
| the favor OF every good citizen rs we'll as
of every Christian. Gymnastics may be
| positively religious.
Good people sometimes ascribe to a
| wicked heart what they ought to ascribe
| to slow liver. The body and soul are
such near neighbors that they often catch
| saw sick day and who. like Hercules.
| show the giant in the cradle have more to
answer for than those who are the SUBJ
| jects OF lifelong inirmities. He who can
| lift twice us much rs you can and walk
twice as fur and work twice as long will
| have a double account to meet In the judg-
ment.
| How often it is that you do not find
| physical energy indicative OF spiritual
| powerl II a clear head Is worth more than
| one dizzy with perpetual vertigo, II muscles
| with the play of health In them are worth
more than those drawn up in chronic
"rheumatics," II an eye quick to catch
passing objects is better than one with
| vision dim and uncertain, then God will
require OF us efficiency just In proportion
| to what He has given as. Physical energy
ought to be type OF moral power. We
ought to have rs good digestion of truth rs
we have capacity to assimilate food. Onr
| spiritual hearing ought to be as good rs
| our physical hearing. Our spiritual taste
| ought to be as clear as our tongue. Sam
sons In body, we ought to be giants in moral
| power.
But while you find great many men who
tDa thot oy,y RI no fhatr mn nv