The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-09

ohy W0
lpen 4e4a9eRS@ 8igel VIII
whom he has been ~contending, and not
one Of his brother'scoadjutors- s'Let me
go" messthaanges lifting himselfnR
INTO increasing Light, 3sThe day break
ethi''
4Ghg6tian Struggles
You see, in the first place, that God
allows good pSople sometimes toy get
into q terrible struggle. Jacob was a
good mar but here he is left alone lf
the midnight to wrestle with a tremen-
dous influence by the brook Jabbok. For
Joseph, 3 pit; for Daniel a Wild beast
den; for David. reinforcement and ex-
lie; for John the Baptist, aswiaderness
diet and the executioner's ak; for Peter,
q prison; for Paul. shipwrecas for john,
desolate Patnos; for Vashti, most m
sulting cruelty; for Josephine, Danish
ment; for Hrs Sigourney, the agony OF
a drunkard's wife; for John Wesley,
stones hurled By an infatuated mob; for
Catherine The &otch 4El, theedroVE1-
ing sufges Of tie sea- Tor Nj. Burns
the bu12eting Of the Montreal populace;
for JoAM.Brvwnuf@E dinburgh;s etfer pts
tol shoaoekfo EHggghs
McKaiil, % Laesner, aEhs
stake; for Christ, the cross For whom
the rocks, the gibbets, the g~aillotines,
the @umbscrews? Foe tse sons and
daneafhsg@ 6SgI3GH& Alm5ehg
oENEsA3y2sE2&|SSn -6CSmna
ssThe world is against yon-" ''Then,"
he 9plie1u II ap as5iust theysedds,'
IWR IS f6rthefa md ssy shaeevsar5i
Christian has his struggle. This man
had his combat IN Wall street; this n
onesBraaa street; this a ON Fulton
street; this one ON Chestnut street; this
one on State street, this enc OF L0m-
bard street; this one on the bourse:
With financial mistaSfMe yen Raves
had the midnight wrestle. Redhot dis
asters have dropped intoyour store from
Loft to cellar. What you bought you
could NOT senL-sWhm yon. frosted fed.
The helfymapseted would 1pt come
Some giant panic, with Tong 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
it viii throw you or youwin throw it
Here ia another soal in struggle with
some had appetite. He knew nosshow
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 ch6adren,sand af my Gods ! must;
stop this!!''a And, Behold he found him
self alone by the brook Jabbok, and it
was midnight That evil appetite seiz-
ed upon him, and Re seized upon II, and,
oh, the aog1pr6 tie cqlaIct! When
n Md1abis hasarousa itself up
to destroq snss andsse man has sworn
that, bysAeAaP1f@eetsral God,hes
will destroy it, all heaven draws itself
out in a long line Of light to look from
above, and hell stretches itself in myr-
midons of spite to look upfrom beneath.
I have seen men rally themselves for
sucha struggle, and they have bitten
their Lip and clinched their fists and
cried, with a bloodred earnestness anda
rain Of scalding tears, "God help mel"
The Giant Habit.
From a wrestle with habit I have
seen men fall back defeated. Calling for
no help, but relying on their own reso-
lutions, they have come into the strugg-
gle, and for a time it seemed as if they
were getting the upper hand Of their
habit, but habit rallied again its
infernaa power and lifted a soul from
its standing, and with a force borrowed
from the pit hurled it into utter dark
ness First I saw the auctioneer's NAL
Let fall on the pictures and musical in
struments and the rich upholstery Of
his family parlor. After awhile l 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 slunber, an
gel watched, I heard him give the sharp
shrek that followed the stab Of his own
poniard. Hefen from an honored social
position; he fell from a family circle Of
which once he was the grandest attrac-
ton; he fell from the house Of God, at
whose affairs he had been co~nsecrated;
he feu-forever! But, thank God, !
have often seen a better termination
than that
I have seen men prepare themselves
for such a 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 q fearful
struggle. But the old giant began to
waver, and at last, in the midnight