Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-05-04
REV, DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'> SIN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Spiritual Conflicts OF
life"

I-Alts
TEXT "4aI Elrsi ,r1s ttl 0oa'. ~.
n.5e 5srsslh-i u man Ir,h han, t,Hf.i H' DR. 70
I ma affhS do. .iHd trl,H q. sdirhd q. It'
I rdiIsd not aqdins, IAN. he 'nu"i.a h' tt'
loir his hiyL. ant he ho''"ir II .la,".
h,igh ont OF J0,n' as h" 'rI' si.'' run h',".
And h. sad. II Bis 90. tn.' H. lag hr'gL.it.
And h. sdid. IIrW an hf h'' ~ fr r. 'h''
bless me. '-GeneSis NTN.i., 2l-2G
The dust arose from travelling hrrt ~
cattle and sheep and goats and canes.
They are the present that Jacob sends 10 gam
the good will Of his offended brother That
night Jacob bats by the brook JIhhok Bnt
there IA no rest for the weary man, no shining
ladder to let the angels down int" his dream,
but fierce combat. that lasts until the morn
ing with an unknown visitor. They 'a'h
try 10 throw the other. The unknown visit
or 10 reveal his superior power. hN touch
wrenches Jacobs thigh bone from its socket.
perhaps manning him for life. A. on the
morning sky the clusters OF purple clonl h"-
gin To ripen Jacob secs it is an angel with
! whom he has been contending. an not one
OF his brothers cOadJutors. Let me 20.
cries the angel. lifting himself up into in
creasinG light. Tho day br1lkcth ~
You see in the first place, that COL allow
good people sometimes t0 get into atcrrihlc
struggle. Jacob was a good man. but here
he is left alone in the midnight to wrestir
! with tremendous influence by III" brupE
/ Jabbok. For Joseph y pit for Daniel. a
I wild beast den for David, dethronaM"n, an
exile: for John the Baptis', u wilderness
diet and the eNc'utiOu"r's aN : for Peter, i
/ prison for Paul. Shpwrrrk for John. DESC
/ late Patmos for Nashti most insultn !:
cruelty for Josephine. Punishment for Mrs.
Sgourney the agony Of drunkard'S vii" ;
! for John Wesley. stones hurled 10y an infuri-
ated mob for Catherine th2 Scotch girl. the
/ drowning surges OF the sea for Mr.. Burns,
the bureiing Of the Montreal popnllce for
John Brown. Of Edinburgh. the pistol lot
Of Lord ClaverhOuSe for Hugh Mrk1'l TN"
scaffold for l.atimer the stake for Christ.
I the cross. For whom the rocks. the gibbct-,
the guillotnes, the thumhscrcws; For the
sons and daughters II the Lori God A.
mighty. Some one said to Il Christian re-
former, "The world Is against you. Then.
he replied, II am against the world.
will 90 further AMI say that every Chris
tian has his struggle This man hal his
combat in Wall street this one on Broa
street this one on Fulton street his one OH
Chestnut street this one on ate street
this one on Lombard street thi- ono on the
bourse. With financial misfortune you h1v''
had the midnight wrestle Redhot Disaster
have dropped INTO your store from loft 70
cellar What you bought you could not al.
Whom you trusted fled The help you eJ.
pected would not come. Some giant panic.
with long arms and grip like death took
hold of you In an awful wrrstIc from which
you have not yet escaped. AM 1t is unr r.
tain whether it will throw YOU or you viii
throw It.
Here is another soul IN strugGl" with som
bad appetite. He knew not how -tealthiIy
1t was growing upon him. One hour b,
woke up. He said. For the SAX" OF my
soul, OF my family, and Of nv children, IA
OF my God, | must stop this And behold
he found himself alone by the brook Jab-
box, and it was midnight. That evil appe.
tte seized upon him, and he seized upon 1t.
and. oh, the horror OF the conflict! When
once bad habit has aroused itself up to de-
stroy man and the man has sworn that By
the help OF the eternal Got, he will destroy
it. all heaven draws its'lt out in long linz
OF light 10 look from above. ami hell
stretches itself in myrnidons OF spite TO look
up from beneath. have seen men rail-,
themselves for such struggle. and they
have bitten their lips and cIinched thelr
fists and cried, with n blood red earnest
ness and rain Of s'alding tears. "CiOt
help me-"
From wrastlc with habit have seen mel
fall back defeated. Calling for no help. bu
relying on their own resolutions. they hav
come into the struggle, and for time I
seemed as II they were getting the uppe
hand OF their habit, but that habit rail-"
again its Internal power ant lIftrt sou
from its standing, and with a force horrowe'
from the pit hurled II into utter darkness
First | saw tho auctioncers mallet fall NJ
the pictures and musical instruments an It'll
rich upholstery OF his family parior. Ate
awhile | saw him fall into the ditch. Then
Ia the midnight, when tho children wcr
dreaming their sweetest dreams and Chrt.
tan households are silent with slumber, an
gel watched. | heard him give the shar
shrek that followed the stab al his Ow
poniarl. II" fell from an honOred social pc
1itiOn he fell from II family r,r'l' OF whic
once he was tn" grandest attraction he +"
from the houS" 81 Got ut waosn alter, b
had been ronsccratod no fell forever
But thank Got, have often seen bette
termination than that
have seen men pr'pLrr thnns 'lyr1 70
such u wrestling. They hid hold OF 60
help when they went into combat The gar
hanit, RECALLED by the cup NJ many temota
ttOns, came ont strong AMI defiant. Tnr
c!incned. There were th" writhn = an
distortions OF a fearful struggle But ia
Old giant began to wayer, an I, At last III tn
midnight alone, with non" but Got 10 wi
ness, by the brook JaDhok. the giant fe!
and tn" triumphant wrestler broke the darI
ness with the cry. "InHnXs he unto Gu
who gvcth Us tho victory ..r " III our I.or
Jesus Christ" There il a widows hear
that first was desolated by Bereavement an
since by the anNieties and trials that cam
in the support OF family.
Its sad thing to sec man cOntcnlin
for a livelihood under disadvantages, hut t
sec a delicate woman, with helpless it'll
ones at her back, fighting the giants of POI
erty and sorrow. is most affecting. Ii WAS
hamblc home, AMI pGSS'r3hy knew not thu
within those four walls were displays
courage more admirable than those OF II
nlbal crossing the Alps, or the pass al Taa
mopylR or Bllaklava. whore Into the aw
OF death rode the six hundred"
These heroes had the whole world to chez
them on, but there We're none to applaud III
struggle In the humble home. She fought fC
bread. for clothing. for fire, for shelter, wit
aching head, and weak side. and exhauste
strength through the long night by the broo
Jabbok Could it be- that none would ri,
her help? Had God forgotten to be gracious
No, cOhtcniing soul Tho midnight air
full Of wings coming to the rescue. Sh
hears 1t now in the sough OF tho night wlnC
in the ripple NJ the brook JGbhok the prom
Use made 80 long ago ringing down the SIX,
THY fatherless children, | will preserI
them alive, and let thy widows trust in Mc
Some one said 10 II very poor woma
"How Ia II that in such distress YOU ket
cheeriul?' She said 81 do 1t bv what ca
/ cross prayers When | had my rent to pa
and nothing to pay it with, and bread to bu
and nothing to buyit with | used to sit dow
and cry. But now do not get discourage
II go along the street. when | come to
corner of the street | say. The Lord no
| me- I then 20 on until come to anothC
II | n h.R a. ND 1fT I