Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-05-04
Christian Struggles.

into increasing light, "Tho day break
ethI"
Christian Struggles.
You see, in the first place, that God
allows good people sometimes to get
into terrible struggle. Jacob was a
good man, but here he is left alone in
the midnight to wrestle with a tremen-
dous influence by the brook Jabbok. For
Joseph, q pit; for Daniel, a wild beast
den; for David dethronement and ex-
lie; for John the Baptist, a wilderness
diet and the executioner's AK; for Peter,
a prison; for Paul, shipwreck; for John,
desolate Patmos; for Vashti, most in
sulting cruelty; for Josephine, Danish
ment; for Mrs. Sigourney, the agony of
drunkard's wife; for John Wesley,
stones hurled by cdn Infatuated mob; for
Catherine, the Scotch girl, the drown
ing surges of the sea; for Mr.. Burns
the buffeting Of the Montreal populace;
for John Brown of Edinburgh, the PTS
toll shot Of Lord Claverhouse; for Hugh
McKail the scaffold; for Latimer, the
stake; for Christ, the cross. For whom
the rocks, the gibbets, the guillotines,
the thumbscrews? For the sons and
daughters of the Lord God Almighty.
Some one said to a Christian reformer,
1.-THE world is against you. " "Then,
he replied, II am against the world. "
will 90 further and say that every
Christian has his struggle. This man
had his combat in Wall street; this one
ON Broad street; this one on Fulton
street; this one on Chestnut street; this
one on State street; this one on Lom-
bard street; this ono on the bourse.
With financial misfortune you have
had the midnight wrestle. Redhot dis
asters have dropped into your store from
loft to cellar What you bought you
could not sell. Whom you trusted fled.
The help you expected would not come.
Some giant panic, with long arms and
grip like death, took hold Of you in an
awful wrestle from which you have not
yet escaped, and it is uncertain whether
1t will throw you or you will throw 1t
Here is another soul in struggle with
some bad appetite. He knew not how
stealthily it was growing upon him
One hour he woke up. He said, For
the sake of my soul, of my family, and
Of my children, and Of my God, must
stop thisl" And, behold, he found him.
self alone by the brook Jabbok, and it
was midnight That evil appetite seiz-
ed upon him, and he seized upon it, and,
oh, the horror of the conflict! When
once a bad habit has aroused itself up
to destroy man and the man has sworn
that by the help Of the eternal God, he
will destroy 1t, all heaven draws itself
put in long line of light to look from
above and hell stretches itself in myr-
nidons Of spite to look up from beneath.
have seen men rally themselves for
such q struggle, and they have bitten
their lip and clinched their fists and
cried, with blood red earnestness and a
rain of scalding tears, "God help meV
The Giant Habit.
From wrestle with habit I have
seen men fall back defeated Calling for
no help, but relying on their own reso-
buttons, they have come into the strug-
gle, and for time it seemed as if they
were getting the upper hand Of their
habit, but that habit rallied again its
internal power and lifted soul from
Its standing, and with force borrowed
from the pit hurled it into utter dark
ness. First saw the auctioneer's NAL
let fall on the pictures and musical in
struments and the rich upholstery of
his family parlor. After awhile saw
him fall into the ditch. Then, in the
midnight, when the children were dream
ing their sweetest dreams and Christian
households are silent with slumber, an
gel watched, 1 heard him give the sharp
thriek that followed the stab Of his own
poniard. He fell from an honored social
position; he fell from family circle Of
which once he was the grandest attrac-
lion; he fell from the house of God, at
whose affairs he had been consecrated;
be fell-foreverl But thank God, /
have often seen a better termination
than that.
have seen men prepare themselves
for such q wrestling. They laid hold of
Gods help as they went into combat
The giant habit, RECALLED by the cup of
many temptations, came out strong and
defiant They clinched. There were the
writings and distortions of a fearful
struggle. But the old giant began to
wavex, and at last, in the midnight
alone, with none but God to witness,
BY the brook Jabbok, the giant fell, and
the triumphant wrestler broke the dark
ness with the cry, Thanks be unto
God, who giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. " There is a
widows heart that first was desolated
by bereavement and since by the anx-
ieties and trials that came in the support
Of family.
1t is sad thing to see a man contend
ing for q livelihood under disadvantages,
but to Te delicate woman, with help
less little ones at her back, fighting the
giants Of poverty and sorrow, is most
affecting. II was q humble home, and
passersby knew not that within those
four walls were displays Of courage
moro admirable that that of Hannibal
crossing tho Alps, or the pass of Their
mopyle or Balaklava, where Into the
jaws Of death rode the six hundred
These heroes had the whole world to
cheer them ON, but there were none to
applaud the struggle in the humble
home. She fought for bread, for cloth
ing. for fire, for shelter, with aching
head, and weak side, and exhausted
strength. through the long night by the
brook Jabbok. Could it be that none
would give her help? Had God forgot
ten to be gracious2 No, contending SOUL
The midnight air is>full of wings COM
ing to the rescue. She hears 1t nov IN
the sough Of the night wind in the rip
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