The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-30

THIS evening In the Brooklyn tabernacle on the
subject Awkward Usefulness" When, by
electric touch, the fifteen hundred lights of the
! Tabernacle flash up the auditorium affords a
brilliant scene not to be forgotten The aisles,
and the Corridors and the entrances of the
church are thronged. The opening hymn at this
evenings services was
| My soul, be on thy guard!
Ten thousand foes arise
/ The hosts of sin are pressing hard
To draw thee from the skies.
The text was from Judges iii, To- ''But when
| the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the
Lord raised them up q deliverer, Ehud, the son
| of Gera, Benjamite, man left-handed and by
| him the children of Israel sent a present unto
Eglon, the King of Moab" DR.. Talmage said:
Ehud was ruler in Israel. He was left
handed, and, what was peculiar about the tribe
of Benjamin, to which he belonged, there were
in it seven hundred lefthanded men; and yet
| so dexterous had they all become in the
use of the left hand that the Bible
| says they could sling stones at a
| hairs breadth and not miss Well, there was
king by the name of Eglon, who was an oppressor
of Israel He imposed upon them most out
rageous tax. Ehud, the man of whom I first
| spoke,s had divine commission to destroy the
oppressor. He came, pretending that he was
| going to pay the tax, and asked to see Kings
| Eglon. He was told he in the summer
! house, the place to which the King retired when
| it was too hot to sit in the palace. This sum-
| mer-house was a place surrounded by flowers
and trees, and springing fountains, and warbliug
| birds. Ehud entered the summer house, and
| said to King Eglon that he had secret errand
with him. Immediately all the attendants were
waved out of the royal presence King Eglon
| rises up to receive the messenger. Ehud, the
| eft-handed man, puts his left hand to his right
side, pulls out dagger and thrusts Eglon
through until the haft went in after the blade
| Eglon falls. Ehud comes forth to blow a
trumphet Of right amidst the mountains of
Ephram and all Israel is free. So, 0 Lord, let
all Thine enemies perish So q Lord, let all
Thy friends triumph
| learn from this subject the power of left
| handed men. There are some men who by
| physical organization have as much strength in
| their left hand as in their right hand but there
| is something in the writing of this text which
implies that Ehud had some defect in his right
| hand which compelled him to use the left. Oh,
| the power of left-handed men! Genius is often
well 7observant, careful of itself, not given to
| much toll, burning incense to its own aggran-
dizement, while many man with no natural en-
dowments, actually defective in physical and
mental organization, has an earnestness for the
right, patient industry, all-consuming per-
severance, which achieve marves for the king
dom of Christ Though left-handed as Ehud,
they can strike down sin as great and impe-
rial as Eglon. l have seen men of wealth gath
| acsx, oh0,xL &lo.~ Gc.~A
at the cause of world lying in wickedness,
roughly ordering Lazarus off their doorstep,
sending their dogs not to lick his sores but to
hound him off their premises; catching all the
pure rain of Gods blessing into the stag
nant, ropy, frog inhabited pool of
their own selfshness - right-handed men
worse than useless-while many a man
with large heart and little purse has
out of his limited means, made poverty leap for
| joy and started an influence that overspans the
grave, and will swing round and round the
throne of God world without end; amen. All
me- it is high time that you left-handed men
who have been longing for this gift, and that
eloquence, and the other mans wealth should
take your left hand out of your pockets. Who
made all these railroads. Who set up all these
schools, and asylums! Who has done the tug
ging, and running, and pullingl Men of no
wonderful endowments, thousands of them &C.
knowledging themselves to be left-handed, and
yet they were earnest, and yet they were deter
Mined and yet they were triumphant
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY FAILURE.
But do not suppose that Ehud, the first time
he took sling in his left hand could throw a
stone hairs breadth and not miss. I suppose
it was practice that gave him the wonderful dex
terity Go forth to your spheres of duty, and
be not discouraged if in your first attempt you
miss the mark. Ehud missed it. Take another
stone, put it carefully into the sling,
| swing it around your head, take better
| aim, and the next time you will strike the CEN
ter. The first time a mason rings his trowel
| upon the brick he does not expect to put up a
| perfect wall. The first time carpenter sends
plane over board, or drives bit through
beam, he does not expect to make perfect execu-
| ton. The first time boy attemts a rhyme he
does not expect to chime "Lalla Rookh' or a
Lady of the Lake" Do not be surprised il in
your first efforts at doing good you are not very
largely successful. Understand that usefulness
| is art science, trade There was an ocu-
list performing very difficult operation on the
human eye. A young doctor stood by and said:
How easily you do that. 1t doesn't seem to cause
you any trouble at ALL" "Ah," said the ocuist.
sit is very easy now, but l spoiled hatful of
eyes to learn that" Be not surprised if it takes
some practice before we can help men to moral
eyesight and bring them to vision of the cross.
Left handed men, to the work! Take the gospel
for sling, and faith and repentance for the
smooth stone from the brook. Take sure aim
God direct the weapon. and great Goliahs will
tumble before you. When Garibaldi was going
out to battle he told his troops what he wanted
L Alo.. A. L. "a L. lol 4 L