The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-05-03
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvtNE's SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: -The Spiritual Conflicts OF
Life"

! efhis thigh. and he hoiio,r Of Jacobs Miqi
| ,rds oW Of jO'Hf as he gresfied ,rih him. And
Ae SAID. LET ne 20. for ne day bredkeh. And
he said. I trW not iei hee % crcepi thou bless
me. ."-Genesis xSxii.. af-26.
| The dust arose from travelling herd of cat
tie and sheep and goats and camels. They
/ are the present that Jacob sends to guin the
| good will ~ his offended brother That night
/ Jacob halts by the brook Jabbok. But there
/ Is no rest for the weary man. no shining lad
| der TO let the angels down into his dream, but
fierce combat. that lasts until the morning,
with AN unknown visitor. They each try Co
/ throw the other. Tho unknown visitor, To-
| reveal hissuperior power. .bya touch wrenchcs
jacobs thigh bono from its socket. perhaps
| manning him for life. As on the morning
1 SKY the clusters OF purple cloud begin TO ripcn
Jacob sees u Is nm angel with whom he has
been contending, and not one of his broth
et.s coadjutors Let me GO cries the angel
The day breakethl'
You See, In the first place. that God allows
good people sometimes 20 got into u terrible
struggle. Jacob was good man. but here
he is left alone In the midnight to wrcstlc
with tremendous influence 10y the brook
Jabbok. For Joseph, u pit; for Daniel ~ wild
beast den; for David, dethronement and
exile; for John the Baptist, wilderness diet
aud the eNecutioners AK; for Peter. n prison:
Tor Paul, n shipwreck; for John, desolate
Patmos; for Nashti. most insulting cruelty for
Josephine, banishment; for Mrs. Sigourney.
the agony Of a drunkard's wife. for Johnwss-
Icy, stones hurled by an infuriated mob: for
Catherine, the Scotch girl. the drowning
surges OF the sea; for Mr.. Burns. the buffet
ing OF the Montreal populace for John Brown
~ Edinburg. the pistol shot of Lord Claver-
house; for Hugh McKail, the scaffold; for
Latimer, the stake; for Christ the cross. For
whom the rocks. the gibbets the guillotines
mi lhanF tNay EAr th.a md la...
ers OF the Lord God Almighty. Some one
said TO Christian reformar. THE world Is
against you" Then" he replied. IL am
against ths world"
will go further and say that every Chris
tian has his struggle. This man had his COM
bat In Wall street, this one on Broad street,
this one on Fulton street this one on Chest
nut street. this one on state street. this one
on Lombard street, this one on the boursc
With financial misfortune you have had the
midnight wrestle. Redhot disasters have
dropped into your store from loft to cellar
What you bought you could not sell. Whom
you trusted He'd. 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 II il uncertain whether
II 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 RIONiug upon MIN. Ont nDllr us WOKE
up. He said. For the sake Of my soul. my
family. OF my children. aud OF my God
| must stop this And. behold. he found
himself alone by the brook Jabbok. aud il
was midnight. That evil appetite seized up
on him and he seized upon IT, and. oh. the
horror Of the conflict When once "a bad
habit has aroused itself up 10 destroy a man
and tho man has sworn that, by the help OF
the eternal God. he will destroy Il. all heaven
draws itself out In long line OF light to look
from above. and hell stretches itself In myr-
midons of spite to look up from beneath.
hHve seen men rally themselves for snch y
struggle, and they have bitten their lips and
clinched their fists and cried, with a blood
red earnestness and "a rain Of scalding tears,
God help me.'
From wrestle with habit / have seen men
fall back defeated. Calling for no help, but
relying on their own resolutions. they have
come into the struggle, and for a time II
seemed they we're getting the upper hand Of
their habit, but that habit rallied again its
Internal power and lifted soul from its
standing. and with n force borrowed from
the pit hurl II into utter darkness. First |
saw the auctioneers mallet fall on the pie
lures and musical instruments and rich up
holstery Of his family parlor. After awhile
saw him fall into the ditch Then. In the
midnight, when the children were dreaming
their sweetest dreams and Christian house
holds ara silent with slumber. angel watched.
| heard him give the sharp shrek that fol-
lowed the stab Of his own poniard lie fell
from an horored social position. he fell from
a family circle oi which once he was the
grandest attraction. he fell from the house of
God, ut whose alters he had been consecrated
he fell-forever, But. thank God, | have
often seen a better termination than that.
nave seen men prepare themselves for
such n wrestling They laid hold Of Gods
help when they went into combat. The
giant habit, regaled by the cup OF many
temptations came out strong aud defiant
They clinched. There were the writings
and distortions OF "A fearful struggle But
the old giant began TO waycr. aud. at last
in the moonlight alone, with noncbut God to
witness. by the brook Jabhok. the giant toll
and the triumpant wrestler broke the dark
ness with the cry: Thanks be unto God who
,veth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ There il n widows heart that first
was desoated by bereavement and since by
the anNietes and trials that come in the sup
port OF n family,
II isa sad thing tosee man contending for
"a livelihood under disadvantages but to soc a
delicate woman, with helpless little ones at
her back, lighting the giants Of poverty and
sorrow, il most affecting. Il was u humble
home, aud passsrsby knew not that within
those four walls were displays Of courage
more admirable than those Of Hanaibal
crossing the Alps. or the pass Of Thermopylr
or BalhklaNa, wnefe INTO the Jaws OF death
rode the six hundred
These heroes had the whole world to cheer
them on. but there were none 10 applaud
the struggle In the humble home. She
fought Tor broad, for clothing. for nre.
for shelter, with aching head. and weak side.
and exhausted strength, through the long
night by the brook Jabbok. Could IL be that
none would give her help Had God for
gotten to be gracious? No. contending soul.
The midnight air Is full OF wings coming to
the rescue. She hears IL now IN the sough OF
the night wind, in the ripple Of the brook
Jabbok the promise made so long ago ring
ing down the sky, 'Thy fatherless children,
| will preserve them alive, aud let thy widow
trust In Me-"
Some one said to "A poor woman, How Is il
that In such distress you keep cheerful?" She
said; II do il by what call cross prayers.
When had my rent to pay and nothing TO
pay II with, and bread to buy aud nothing TO
buy II with used to sit down aud cry. But
now do not get discouraged. II | go along
the street. when ! come TO corner of the
street say '"rhe Lord help me-" | then 20
on until come to another crossing Of the
street, and again say; "1ho Lordhslp met