Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-04-25

pushes it aside with his paw, moves
round 1t or leaps over it, but when that
trap is concealed under the green grass
a short distance from the tempting
meat then the mountain bear has need
for fear. No sooner Is the great paw
placed upon that harmless looking Gov
ering than the steel teeth of that trap
spring shut. The massive limb is held
In wise, and the great beast is as help-
Hess as the murderer about to be exc
cuted in the prison yard. The wild
turkey will not stoOp down of his own
accord and enter the small aperture OF
dhe fatal trap. but after the hunter has
scattered along the forest path the
many grains of corn this wild fowl Will
lower his head and eat and eat until
he is confined within the wire screens
from which he will be taken out to his
death. My brother and sister, are you
among those whom King Solomon des-
ignates as fools? DO you mock at SIN
merely because it comes around In Il
harmless way? The mere fact that the
highwayman crouches behind the rock
makes his sudden attack the more dan
gerous; the mere fact that the quick
sands look to the unpracticed eye as
strong rs the rock under your feet
makes their invitations to step upon
them the more fatal
EVIL temptations should not be de-
rided. They assail man at his weak
est points Of character. They 90 not
try to assault his impregnabe citadel
or attack him at those points Of his ma
ture that are protected by massive
walls. so high and thick that the heav-
lest of battering rams can only make
the slightest indentations, but they
try to destroy their victims by strategy,
by throwing them off their guard;
wounding Achilles not through the
breastplate, but in the heel; conquerlng
! Alexander the Great not with the
sword, but with the wine cup; destroy
ing Charles Stewart Parnell not with a
mans gruff voice, but with woman
gentle arm: making Thomas Cranmer
sign his recantation not by the power
of argument. but by the power OF fear
II only needs a comparatively llgh'
blow between the eyes to stun the most
powerful animal which was ever drlv'
on into the Chicago slaughter houses
II only needs one small sinful tempta
ton TO appeal to MS in the right way
TO destroy any man unless he Is uphelc
by divine panoply.
Sin Strikes the Weakest Point.
Evil temptations always assall then
victims at their weakest points. Is
there any man foolish enough to thlnF
that his character is 50 perfectly form
cd that there is no weak point in his
moral armor? \ constructor wh(
would not try to strengthen his sag
cling girder Is a criminal. Awful wa'
the catastrophe when few years ag'
n great bridge across the river Seine
broke under the feet Of the multitude
merely because one of the iron link
snanped. Poor is the general wh'
void not be vigilant about the weak
I est part of his Notifications. 1t wa
after the famous mine was eXplod
ed under the earthwOrks of Peters
burg that the Federal troops were aDl
to drive back Robert Il. Lees force
into Richmond. And can it be tina
with all your brain and force ana pas
experience you do not realize there l
some helplessncss, some weakness, Il
your nature? Have you never bee
tempted in the past and overthrown
Can YOU not realize that you may b
tempted again in the future and over
thrown in the same way!
By being aware of and trying I
strengthen our weaknesses we are abl
TO supplement our strength. n we
known and thrilling story is told tina
the engineer of the Holland dikes wa
one night invited to a party. Ihat al
ernOon an awful storm arose. AS III
hour drew near for the festival tn
engineer vavercd. but at last he said
mo: | will 90 TO the dikes, where m
duty calls My services may be neet
ed there" When he arrived upon tn
dikes. he found that under the cease
less bombardment of the seas some c
the stones in one place had becom
loosened and a little water was begil
ming to trickle through. That llttl
stream was gradually growing large
Over the walls the engineer went. II
tried to stop that hole first with stone
Then he took off his coat and Jamme
II into the lOosened rocks. MOI
olothesr he shouted. More clothes
And he made his men take off the
garments. and Mt last the dikcs wei
saved Had that water been Above
to tricl,le on and had not the wea
part of the wall been strengthened Il
tbe dil1es would have been swept ava.
and thousands of men. women an
children would have been drowned.
Solomon well said that when ma
with his moral weaknesses SCOTS nj 81
he IS fool. | heard the reforme
lohn Cough. after he had been fort
years Il teetotaler. say: Rather tia
eat n piece Of mince pie favored Wit
: brandy would cut off my right arli
l I would no more touch 1t, knowing III
! physical and moral weakness for drin
: than I would he willing to touch
: lighted match to.a keg of eunpowder
y II is sometimes more manly to ru
from sin than it is to fight sin. &c
gave us two feet as well as two fist
That means there arc certain tm'
when we should fee from Temptation
that we should never allow ourselv'
: to be placed IN position where v
may be tcnipte/ Temptation alwa.
iendishly strike, its victim at his weal
, est point. Therefore "let him th'
> thinketh he standcth take heed lest
9 fall"
i Effects of Evil Indulgcnces.
a Evil indulgenccs should not be derl
- ed. They dull the moral sensiDililie
= Their sinful effects cannot be seen
\ much in the wasting away of the NOR
, .isc,os ae Brigl.t'S disease mig