The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-05-10
AT THE 7ABtRNACLE.
Sermon OF Imagery on tho Spi,itual
Cor fltcts of LIE.

nacle was crowded this morning with th
usual throug of eager listeners. DR.
Ialmage preached on the sp ritual con
hicts OF lilo, taking for his text Gencsi
xxxu, 1926: "And Jacob was lt fC alone
and there wrestled man with HIM unit
The breaking of the day. And when h.
saw that he prevailed not against him j
touched the hollow OF his thigh, and III
hollow Of jacobs thigh was out of ;oin
as he Wrestled with HIM. And he said
Let me go, Tor the day breakeLh. An
ne said, / will not let thee 90 except tho,
bless me-"
The dust arose from travelling her,
OF cattle and sheep and goats aud cumels
IheY are tho present that Jacob sends Il
gain the good will of his oher dcd brother
That night Jacob halts by tho brool
Jabbok. But thero ls no rest tCr In,
weary man. No shining ladder TO lo
the angels down into his dtcam, Gn, &
fierce combat that lasts until the morn
ing with on unknown visitor. They
each try to throw the other. The un
known visitor, to reveal bis superior
power, by n touch wrcnchea jacobs
thleh bone from it's socket, perhaps
manning him for life. AS on tho morn,
ing sky the clutcrs Of purple clcud bo.
gin TO r'pei. Jacob sees II is an angel with
whom be has been contcndinH aud moi
ono Of his brothers. coadutors. Let inc
co." cries The angel lifting hlmselrup
Into increasing light. "rho day break.
eth.D
You SEQ III the first plnce that Uod al.
lows good people eome&mce to got into
a terrible struggle. Jacob wns good
man, but here he s lett alone in The mid.
night TO wrestlo with n tremendous in
luence by the brook Jahbok. For Joseph
pit, Tor Daniel, n wild beast der for
DAVID, dethronemrnt and exile; Tor } ut,n
the Baptist, a wilderness die, and the
eXecuuonel y OK; for Peter, II prisou; tor
Paul, shlp"!rCk; tor j Ohm desOlule pai.
mos; Tor Vnshli, most iosul,iH. cruc,,
Tor J"sephinc, bat ishmcnl; for Mrs
SigCurEey, tic agony nf drunkuru'>.
VIE; Tor John wesley, stones ur!cJ U>
an mfuriated mob; tcr Catherine, the
Scotch girl, the drownly surncs of tnc
seq; Tor MIR. Burns. the hutlrlip9 OF The
Monutal populacc; for Joiu Blown CT
Edinturph, the pistol shot Of Lord
Claverh' use; for Hugh Mct<ai], the scat
told; Tor ltnmer, tho stake; Tor Christ,
the cross. Fol whom tnerocs 9, the llh
betP, the gulllolines, the ,humbscreN
For the sODs and daughters Of The |. ri
God Almighty. sumo one sad 10 n
Christian retormer, "Tno world is
againsU YOU" "Then," he replied, "l
am.ngainst the world.'
| will go further and sav tNat cyer>
Christian has his struggle. Thus man
had his combat in Wall street; this on,
ntn ~
street; this one on Chcstpu, strcc,; this
one on State strcet, tnis one II L1mbard
stree; this one on tho buursc. WHY
financial misfortune You have had the
midnight wrestie. Redhot disasters
have dropped into your store
from loft 10 cellar. What YOU
bought you could not sell. Whom YOU
trusted He'd. Tho help you expected
would no. c1me. Some giant panic,
with long arms and grip like death, took
mold OF you in an awlul wres,le, from
which on have not yet escaped, and 1t
ls uncertain whether it will throw You or
you will throw
Hero Is another in struggle with some
bad appetite. lie knew not how STEALTH.
ly it was growing upon him. One hour
ne woke up. lie said, "Eor the sake OF
my soul, of my family and of my chill
dren and Of my God, l must stop thisu,
And, be hold, be found himself alone by
the brook Jabbok, and it was midnight,
Ihat evil appetite seized upon hln, and
ne seized upon it, and, oh, the horror of
the conflict! When once bad habit
has aroused itself up to destroy q man.
and the man has sworn that, by the help
OF the eternal God, he will DESTROY It.
all heaven draws itself out in long line
of light to look from above, and he'll
stretches itself In myrmidons of spite to
look up from beneath. l have seen men
rally themselves for Sucha struggle, and
they have bitten their lip and clinched
their lists and cried with blood red
earnestness and ram Of acaldiDg tears,
God help mel"
From wrestlo with habit l have seen
men jail back defeated. Calling Tor 40
nelp, put relying On their own resolu.
tlons, theY have come into The struggle,
ana 1or Time it seemed as if they wero
gettipg the upper hand Of their habit, but
that hablt rallied again It's Internal power
and lifted n soul from its standing and
with a iorce borrowed from the,plt hurle d
IL INTO utter darkness. First / saw the
auctioneer's mallet fall on the pictures.
and nusical Instruments, and the rich
upholstery OF his family parlor. Alter
awhile l Saw him tall into the ditch,
!hen, i, in the midnight, whcu tho chill.
aren arsn were dreaming their sweetest
dreams and Christian households are all.
eht with slumber angel watched I heard
nlm give the sharp shriok that followed
Che STAB OF his own poniard. IIe fell from
an honored social position; he tell from
family c'rcleiof which once he was the
grandest attraction; he fell from the
hoase OF God, at whose allnre Iva hoS 'aS
been consecrated; he iell--ioreyer, Rm ,T
thank God, I have often seen a het,rr r
termination than that. ''''
bave seen men prepare themse,veo
for such a wrestling. They laid hold ot
Gods help as they went into combat
The giant habit, regalcd by tho cup Of
many temptations, came out strong aud
defiant. They clinched. There wore
the writings ard distortions OF fearful
struggle. But the old giant began to
waver, and at last, in the midnight alone
with mono but God to witness, by the
look Jabbok, The giant fell, aud the