Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-05-10
THE -I'ALNAGE SERMON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches on
Marrow Escapes
The Many Stumbling Blocks in the Way
of the Seeker After Religion.

The Many Stumbling Blocks In the Way
OF the Seeker After Religion.
TEXT: II am escaped ,cith the skin Of my
teeth. job XIX, 20.
Job had it hard. What with boils aud be-
reavements and bankruptcy, and fool OF
wife. he 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 enamel seemed left DE
cries out: Il am escaped with the skin OF
my teeth There has been some differ
ence of opinion about this passage: st.
Jerome and Schultens, and DrS Good ana
Poole and Barnes have all tried their for
ceps OH Jobs teeth. You deny my inter
probation and say: "What did job know
about the enamel of the teeth?' Ho
knew everything about it. Dental surgery
is almost as old as the earth. The num-
mics of Egypt. thousands of years DID, are
found to-day with gold filling III their teeth.
Ovid and Horace and Solomon aud Moses
wrote about these important factors of the
body To other provoking complaints, Job,
think, has added an eXasperating tooth
ache, and putting his hand against the ill.,
tanned face he says Il 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 marrow escape for
their soul. There was time when the par
titon between them and ruin was no thicker
than tooth'S enamel; but as job finally es-
capped, ST. have they. Thank God! thank
Cod
Paul expresses the same idea by different
figure when he says that some people are
saved as by fire. A vessel at sea is in
flames. You go to the stern of the vessel. Tae
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 ves-
sci and hold on with Your fingers, until the
forked tongue of the fire begins to lick the
back of your hand aud you feel that You
must fall. when one OF the lite-boatS comes
back and the passengers 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 temp
tation until they are partially consumed, but.
after ALL get otf-''Sayed as by fire. But
like ths figure of Job a little batter than that
of Paul, because the pulpit has not worn it
ont; and want TO show you, if God will help,
that some men make narrow escapes for
their souls and are saved rs with The skin
OF their teeth
1t is 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 so over
'Su vJ S rssrsr ,iau hnsines: comra1as
Gov. .:rhot i ;nst what MIGHT bava boan
anao-ad ''t ba - 1Ir,~i vas If thar turn of
,n;,,d r., ,-,nth rI;s narson whom de-
scribe was always good. He never broke
things He never laughed when it was
improper TO laugh. At seven, he could sit
an hour i'll church, perfectly quiet. looking
srra;rbt inro tIe ayes of ths minister rs
tLoMSi, - ,,-,S,r,tcod tho Who'll, discnssiou
$50 +ha atarnaI docroae He navsr inset
tM. nor los- tbsn, Flo do,tsl into ths
t;na?on, of c;o1 50 cr,dn,Iiv that ir * nm.
carfo;n inst whom the matter was decided.
Herr is anothar one who started in life
,vith an nnconrroahle shirt He kent the
N M,i .,l in az ,,n r His mntbsr fond
him walking ON the edge of the house roof
Il, sae il he could balanc, himself. There
was no horse that ne dared no; ride---no
tree he could not climb. His boynood
was long series of predicameuts: his man,
hood was reckless: his midlite very way
ward. But now he is converted. and YOU
go over To the store and say, ''Arkwright
ioined the church Yesterday" Your friends
saw. 1T is not possible, You must be iok-
ing" You say: No: | tell YOU th4 TRUTH
He Joined the church Then they reply.
There is nope for any of lis il old Ark
wright has become Christian" In other
words. we will admit that it is more difficult
for some men 10 accept the Gospel than for
Others.
may be preaching to some who have cut
loose from churches and Bibles and Sun
days and who have come in here with no
;ntenton Of becomna Christians them
selves but inst to sas what is going on.
and vat Won may find Yourself ESCAPING. be-
fore Won lssva tbis housa az ..with ths skin
OF your teeti, do nor expect 70 waste
this hour. | have seen boats go off from
Cana My mr. lonp Branch and drop their
nets and after awhile come ashore. pulling
in their nets. without having caught a single
6sh TT was NOT a rood Cay, or they had not
rba richt kind of - ner But Wa eynect no
such excursion today. The water is full of
fish the wind is i'm The RIGHT direction. the
Gosnai net is stronc on Thou who didst
helm simon and Andrew TO fish show us to-
day how 10 cast the net on the right side OF
the ship,
Some OF Won. in coming TO God will have
10 run against skeptical notions 1t is use
less for people to saw sharp and cutting
1hinns RI rboSa who reject tba Christian re-
lirion I cannot saw such things By what
process of temptation or trial or BETRAYAL
You have come to your present state | know
nor There are Two gates TO your nature
the cate of the head and the gate of the
heart The rate of your head is locked with
bolrs and bars that an archanpel could not
break but the cate of vour heart swings
easily ON its HINGES. IL assaulted
vour 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: bur if I
come and knock at the door Of vour house
YOU open if. and give me tle best seat in
your paror. II should come at you now
with an argument YOU would answer me
with an argument: If with sarcasm, you
would answer me with sarcasm: blow for
blow, stroke for stroke: but when l come
and knock at the door OF your heart YOU
open it and say, 'sCome in. my brother, and
tell me all YOU know about Christ and
heaven
Listen to two or three questions: Are you
as happy as YOU used to be when YOU be.
lieved in the truth OF the Christian reliei ons
1vou1d va, lie n ba,.. 1-orr ch;ldran travel
IN j., tbe road in which VIZ, ara now travai-
inrs You had relative VINO rrofessed to
he a Christian ond was thoronohlv CON
s;stent iyin@ and dving in the faith Of the
Gosnel Wan7Id VOL, not like TO oil live The