The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-05-15
THE PATIENT MAN.
A PRACTICAL LESSON TAUGHT BT
THE STORY OF JOB.

Christian Rellgion-Is il tn bc Co.,de emned
Because Some of Its Professors are Not
What They Should BE?
On Sunday DR.. Talmage preached
on marrow Escapes" taking as his
text Job xiv, 20: II am escaped with
the skin of my teeth" Following is
his sermon in full:
Job had it hard When with boils
and bereavement and bankruptcy,
and u fool of wife, he wished he
was dead; and L do not blame him.
His flesh was gDnc, and his bones
were dry. His teeth wasted away
until nothing but the enamel seemed
left. He cries out, 81 an escaped
with the skin of my teeth" There
has been some difference OF opinion
about this passage. st. Jerome and
Sehultens, and Doctors Good and
Pool and Barnes, have all tried their
forceps on Jobs teeth. You deny
my Interpretation, and say, What
did Job know about enamel OF the
teeth?" He knew everything about
1t. Dental surgery is almost MS old
as the earth. The mummies of Egypt,
thousands of years old, ore found to-
day with gold-filling in their teeth.
Ovid and Horace and Solomon and
Moses wrote about those important
factors of the body. 70 other pro
voking complaints, job, [ think, has
aided an oXasperatmg tOOthache,
and putting his head against the in
famed face, he says, II am escaped
with the skin of my teeth.
A very marrow escape, you say, for
Jobs boGy and soul, but thorc aro
thousands Of men who make just as
narrow escape for their soul. There
was II time when the partition be
tween them and ruin was no thicker
than tooth's enamel; but as lob
finally escaped, so have they. Thank
God! thank God!
Paul expresses the same idea by u
different figure when he says that
JsOme people are "snvcd us by fire."
A vessel at sea is in flames You go
to the stern OF tho vessel. The boats
have showed Off The flames advance;
you can endure the heat no longer on
your face. You slide down on the
side Of the vessel, and mold on with
your fingers, until the fOrkci tongue
OF the fire begins to lick the back of
your hand, and You feel that YOU
must fall, when ono OF the nfrbOntS
comes back, and the passengers say
they think they have room for one
more. The boat swings under yOu---
You drop into it,-you arc saved SO
some men are pursued by temptation
until they ure partially consumed, but,
Il
But like the figure Of Job a httl,.
better than that of Paul, because the
pulpit has not worn it out; and | |
want to show you, if God will help, |
that some men make narrow escape |
for Their souls, and arc saved as with |
the skin Of their tecth.'
1t IL as easy for some people to
look to the Cross as for you to look
to this pulpit. Mild, gentle, tract
able, loving, you expect them to be
como Christians. You go over to the
store and say, "Grandon joined the
ycntcItray IOur business
say: THAT is Just what
might have been expected; he always
WAS of that turn Of miud' In youth
this person whom [ describe was al
ways good. He never broke things.
He never laughed when it WAS i'm
proper to laugh. At seven, he could
SIT an hour in chlnch perfectly quiet,
looking neither to tho right hand nor
the left, but straight into the eyes of
the minister, as though he understood
the whole discussion about the ctcr-
nal uccrccs. He never upset things |
nor lost them. He noatcd into the |
kingdom of God 80 gradually that it |
is uncertain just when the matter was
decided.
Here liz another one, who started
Ill life with M uncomfortable spirit. |
He kept the 1,ursery III an uproar.
His mother found him walking on the
edge OF the hOuSe-rOOf to sec If he
could balance himself There was no
horse that he dared not rido--no tree
he could not climb. His noyhood
was long series fpredicnmonts: his
manhood was reckless; his mid -lifo
very wayward. But now he is con-
and sny, cartwright joined tho church
yesterday. Your friends say: 1T is
not possible! You must be Joking"
You say: ''No; tell you the truth.
He joined the Church." Then they
reply, ''There is hope for any of us il
old ArlwriGht has become a Chris
tian!" In other words, we will admit
that it is more difficult for some men
to accept the Gospel than for others.
| may be preaching to some who
have cut loose from churches and
Bibles and Sundays, and who have
come in here with no intention Of be
coming Christians themselves, but
just to see what is going on; aud yet
you may find yourself escaping, be
fore you leave this house, as with
the skin OF your teeth" [ do not on
pect to waste this hour. 1 have seen
boats go off from Cape May or Long
Branch, and drop their nots, and after
awhile come ashore, pulling the nets,
without having caught single fish.
1t was not u good day or they had
not their ghtllind of net. But we
expect no such excursion to-day. The
water is full of fish, the wind is in the
right direction, the Gospel net is
strong. Oh thou who didst help
Simon and Andrew to fish, show us
to-day how to cast the net on the
right side of the ship!
Some Of you, in coming to God. |