Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-06-16
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "Lessons Learned From the
Story of Ehud.''

cried unto the Lord the Lord raised them up
deIiUere1, Ehud, the son Of Ger0, a Be'ydns-
tic, a man left handed. Judges ill.,, 10.
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 700 left handed 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 of the name OF
Eglon who was an oppressor of Israel. He
imposed upon them a most outrageous tax.
Ehud, the man Of whom first spoke, had
divine commission to destroy that oppressor.
He came pretending that be was going to
pay the tax, and asked to see King Eglon. He
was told he was in the summer house, the
place to which the king retired when it was
too hot to sit in the palace. This summer
house was place surrounded by flowers and
trees and springing fountains and warbling
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
EgIon rises up to receive the messenger.
Ehud, the left handed man. puts his left hand
to his right side, pulls out a dagger and
thrusts Eglon through until the haft went
in after the blade. Eglon falls. Ehud comes
forth to blow trumpet of recruit amid the
mountains of Ephraim, and a great host is
marshaled and proud Moab submits to the
conqueror, and Israel is free. So, O Lord,
let all Thy enemies perish So, o Lord, let
all Thy friends triumph
learn first 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 rig t
hand, but there is something in the writing
OF this text which implies that Ehud had
some defect in his right hand which COM
PEELED him to use the left. o. the power of
LEFT handed men Genius is often self obser-
want. careful OF itself, not given to much toll,
burning incense to its own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT,
while many man with no natural endow
ments, actually defective in physical and
mental organization has an earnestness for
the right, patient industry, an all consum-
ing perseverance which achieve marvels for
the kingdom of Christ. Though left handed
as Ehud, they can strike down q sin as great
and imperial as Eglon.
! have seen men of wealth gathering about
them all their treasures, snuffing 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 of their premises, catching all the purs
rain of Gods blessing into the stagnant, ropy,
frog-inhabited pool OF their own selnshness
-right-handed men, worse than useless
while many 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 peck
ct. Who made all these railroads? Whoset
up all these cities? Who started all these
churches and schools and asylums2 Who
has done all the tugging and running and
pulling? Men of no wonderful endowments,
thousands of them acknowledging themselves
to be left handed, and yet they were earnest,
and yet they were determined, and yet they
were triumphant.
But I do not suppose that Ehud the first
time he took a sling in his hand could throw
stone a hairs breadth and not miss. I
suppose it was practice that gave him the
wonderful deXterity. Go forth to your
spheres of duty and be not discouraged if in
your first attempts you miss the mark. Ehud
missed it. Take another stone, put 1t care
fully into the sling. swing it around your
head, take better aim, and the next time you
will strike the center. The first time that
mason rings his trowel upon the brick he
does not expect to put up a perfect wall.
The first time carpenter sends plane over
a board or drives bit through beam he
docs not expect to make perfect execution.
The first time boy attempts a rhyme he
does not expect to chime "Lalla Rookh"
or a Lady of the Lake" Do not be sur
prised if in your first efforts at doing good
you are not very largely successful. Under
stand that usefulness Is an art a science,
trade.
There was an oculist performing very
difficult operation on the human eye.
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 old ocu-
list, sit is very easy now, but spoiled hat
full of eyes to learn that" BE not surprised
if it takes some practice before we can help
men to lloral 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. tako sure aim, God direct the
weapon. and great Goiaths will tumble be-
fore you.
l learn also from this subject the danger
of worldly elevation. This Eglon was what
the world called great man. There were
hundreds OF men who would have considered
it the greatest honor OF their life Just to have
him speak to them. Yet, although he is 80
high up in worldly position, he is not beyond
the reach of Ehud's dagger. see great
many people trying to climb up in social
position, having an idea that there Is safe
place somewhere far above, rot knowing that
the mountain OF fame has a top like Mount
Blanc, covered with perpetu Il snow.
We laugh at tho children of Shinar for try
Ing to build a tower that could reach to the
heavens, but think II our eyesight were
only good enough we could see Babel in
many dooryard. Oh, the struggle is fierce
1t is store against store, house against
house, street against street, Nation against
Nation. The goal for which men are run
ming is chairs and chandeliers and mirrors
and houses and lands and presidential equip
ments. II they get what they anticipate,
what have they got? Men are not safe from
calumny while they live, and, worse than
that, they are not safe after they are dead,
for have seen swine root up graveyards.
One day man goes up into publicity,
and the world does him honor, and
people climb up into sycamore trees to
watch him as he passes, and as he
goes along on the shoulders of the people
there is waving OF hats and wild huzza.
Tomorrow the same man is caught between
the jaws of the printing press and mangled
and bruised, and the very same persons who
applauded him before cry: "Down with the
traitor! Down with him ~
Be.shazzar sits at the feast, the mighty men
OF Babylon sitting all around him. Wit
sparkles like the Wine and the wine like the
wit. Music rolls up among the chandeliers;