Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-05-22
NARROW ESCAPE FOR SOULS.
The Rev. Dr.. Talmage on Salvation as by
Miracles.

Miracles.
Many People Saved as with the Skin Of
Their Teeth'-More Difficulty Found by
Some in Accepting the Gospel Than by
Others.
DIR. Talmage preached last Sunday on
s'Narrow Escapes" taking as his text Job,
xix, 20, II am escaped with the skin of my
teeth" Following Is his sermon in full:
JOB had it hard. What with boils and
Bereavement and bankruptcy, and a fool
OF wife, h. wished he was dead. and do
not blame him. His flesh was gone and
his bones were dry. His teeth wasted
away until nothing but the en- amel seemed
left. He cries out, IL am escaped with the
skin of my teeth" There has been some
difference of opinion about this passage.
St Jerome and Schultens, and Doctors
Good and Poole and Barnes, have ali tried
their forceps on Jobs teeth. You deny
my Interpretation, and say, "What did Job
know about the enamel OF the teeth" He
know everything about it. Dentsl sur
gerry is almost as old as the teeth. The
mummies Of Egypt, thousands of years old,
are found to-day with gold filling in their
teeth. Ovid and II GRACE and Solomon and
Moses wrote about those important factors
OF the body. To other provoking com.
plants, Job, l think has added an exas-
perating toothache, and, putting his hand
against the inflamed face, he says: ~
am escaped with the skin Of my teeth"
A very narrow escape, you say, for Jobs
body and soul; but there are thousands OF
men who make just rs narrow escapes for
their souls. There was q time when the
partition between them and ruin was no
thicker than tooth's enamel but as Job
finally escaped, so have they. Thank God |!
thank God
Paul expresses the same idea by differ
emit figure when he says that some people
are Saved as by 6re." A vessel at sea is
in flames You 20 to the stern OF tho
vessel. The boats have showed of. Tho
flames advance; you can en- iuro the heat
no longer on your face. You slide down on
the side of the vessel, an hold on with
your fingers, until the forked tongue OF the
fire begins TO lick the back OF your hand,
and you feel that you must fall, when one
of the lifeboats comes back, and the pas
sengcrs say they think they have room for
one more. The boat swings under you
you drop into it-you are saved.
So some men are pursued by temptation
until they are partially consumed, but
after all, get off-"saved as by fire." But
like the figure Of Job little better than
that OF Paul. because the pulpit has not
worn it out; and l want to show you, il
God will help, that some men make narrow
escape for their souls and are saved as
''with the skin OF their teeth"
1t ia as easy for some people to look to the
cross as for you to look to this pulpit. Mild,
gentle, tractable, loving, you expect them to
become christians You go over to the
>t<> nnA ar a., -.
yesterday" Your business comrades say,
s'Thxt Is just what might have been ex-
pected; he always was OF that turn of
mind" In youth this person whom l do
scribe was always good. He never broke
things. He never laughed when it was
improper t, laugh. At Z h, could sit an
hour in church, perfectly quiet, looking
neither to the right md nor to the left,
but straight into the eyes OF the minister,
as though he understood the wa ole discus
sion about tie eternal DEGREES. He never
upset things nor lost them. He floated into
the kingdom Of God 80 gradu lily that it Is
uncertain just when the matter was de-
cided.
Here is another one, who started in life
with an uncomfortable spirit He kept the
nursery in an uproar His mother found him
walking on the edge Of the house roof to
see II he could balance himself. There
was no horse that he dara not ride-no tree
he could not climb. His boyhood was q
long series Of predicaments; his manhood
was reckless; his mid life very hayward.
But now he is converted, ana you 90 over
TO the store and say, cartwright joined the
church yesterday" Your friends saw, ut
Is not possible! You must be joking"
You say, mo, tell you the truth. He
Joined the church." Then they reply,
"'Therc is hope for any OF US II old Ark.
wright has become q Christian!" In other
words, We will admit that it is more diff
cult for some men to accept the Gospel
than Others
may be preaching to some who have
cut loose from churches and Bibles and
= -ndays and who have come In here with
no intent of becoming Christians them.
selves, but just to see what is going on, and
yet you may find yourself escaping before
You leave this house, "as with the skin
of your teeth" l do not expect
70 waste this hour. l have seen
boats go off from Cape May or Long
Branch and drop their nets, and after
awhile come ashore, pulling in their nets
without having caught a single fish 1t
was not good day, or they had not the
right kind 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. o, 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, will have
to run against skeptical notions. It is use
less for people to say sharp and cutting
things to those who reject the Christian
religion. l can not say such things. BY
what process Of temptation or trial or be-
trayal you have come to your present state,
know not There are two gates to your
gate Of the head and the gate
OF the heart. The gate OF your head 10
locked with bolts and bars that an arch.
angel could not break, but the gate of your
heart swings easily on its hinges. II as
sau!ted your body with weapons, you
would meet me with weapons and it would
be sword stroke for sword stroke, and
wound for wound, and blood for blood; but
II come and knock at the door of your
house you open it and give NE the best