The Penn's Grove record., 1896-11-20
REV. DR. TALMAGE,
TIE Eminent Diyine's Sunday
Discourse.
Subject: swrestlilg with the SUI.
pernatural.,,

TEXT: sand when be saw that he prevailed
not against him he touched the hollow OF his
thigh, Hnd the hollow OF jacobs thigh was
out Of Joint as he wrestied with him. And
he said, Let me 70, for the day breaksth,
And he said, ! viii not let thee 20 except
thou tiess me"-Genesis xxxli., Is, 2e.
There is a cloud Of dust from a trayeIine
herd OF cattle and sheep and goats and
camels. They are The present that Jacob
eadsto gain the good will OF his offended
brother. That night Jacob halts by the
brook Jsbbok. But there is no rest for the
weary man, no shining ladder to let the
angels down into bis dream, but a severe
struggle that lasts until morning with an I'M
known yisltor, They each try to throw the
other. Tbs unknown visitor, to reveal his
superior power, by a touch wrenches jacobs
thigh bone from its socket, perhaps manning
him for life. As on the morning sky the
clusters Of purple cloud begIn to ripen.
Jacob sees 1t Is an angel with whom he has
been contending and net one OF his brothers
coadjutors. LET me CO." cries the angel.
lifting himself up into increasing light; ''ths
day breaketh.'t
You see. in the FIRST place, that God allows
good people sometimes to get into aterrlbie
struggle. Jacob was a good man, but here
he is left alone IN the midnight to wrsstie
with a tremendous influence by the brook
Jabbok. For Joseph, a pit; for Daniel, q
wild beasts den; for David, d~ethronsr1ent and
exile; for John the Baptist, + Wilderness diet
and the executioner's ak; for Peter, Il prison:
for Pau, shipwreok; for John. deeciHte Pat
mos; for Christ, the cross. For whom the
racks, the gibbets. the prisons. the thumb
serews2 For The sons and daughters OF the
Lord Almighty. Some one saidto q Christian
reformer, ''The world 10 against you.' .
Then he replied, II am against the
World
/ will go further and say that every Chris
tian has his struggle. With financial mis-
fortune some of you have had the midnight
wrestle. R-dhot disasters have dropped into
your store from loft to cellar. What you
bought you could not sell. Whom you
trusted fed. The help you expected would
arms and grip like death, iook hold Of you
in IN awful wrestle, from which you have not
yet escaped, and II Is unceriain whether
1t will throw you or you will
throw il. HIRE Is another soul
In struggle with some bad appetite. He
knew not how sfea ih,iy 1t was growing
upon him. One hour he woke up. He said,
sFor the sake Of my soul, OF my family. OF
my children and OF my God / must atop
thisi'' And behold he found himself alone
by the brook Of Jabbok, and ii was mid.
night. That evil appetite seized upon him,
and hs seized upon ii, and, Oh, the horror OF
the conflict When once q bad habit hath
reused itself up to destroy q man, and the
man has sworn that By the help OF the etsr-
nal God he will destroy IL, all heaven draws
ilseii out In long line Of light 10 iook from
above. and al hell stretches itself In
myrmidons Of spite 10 look up from beneath.
l have seen men rally themselves for o
struggle, and frey have bitten their lip, and
ciinched their flsi, and cried with q blood
red enrnestness and q rain q 3calaing tears,
s'God help mel
From a wrestls with habit Ihave seen men
fall back defeate3. Calling for no help, but
relying on their scwn resolutions, they have
see ned as IL they were getting the upper
hand Of their habit. But thai habit rallied
agaip its infS{sal power and lifted the soul
from It's siandshg, q MISUNDERSTANDING
from the pit haried II into darkness.
But, thank God have often seen g better
termination than this. l have seen men
prepare themselves for such . wrestling.
They laid hold OF Gods help as they went
into combat. The giant habit, RECALLED by
the cup Of many designations, anne out
strong and defiant. They ciInehsd. There
we're the writings and distortions OF q fear
full struggle. But the old giaut began to
waver, and at last, In the midnight alone,
with 1one but God to witness, by the brook
Jabbok, tho giant fell, and the triumphant
WreStiet pfcko kIS uNrkuNoS with tnt cfys
"fhanks be unto God, who giveth US the
victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ"
There is a Widows heart tnat first was
desolafel by bereavement ami since by the
anxieiies aud trials thar came Id the support
OF a family. It.is 4 sad thing 70 ses q man
c~ontending for d | vslihood under dlsadvan-
lagos, tut to see a delicate woman, with
helpless little, ones nj her back, fighting the
giants Of poverty . sorrow Is more
90 ,rfinu r. suna1 \ h1 noh}a hnma and
passersby kneutnot that within those four
walls were displays OK courage more admir-
able than that OF Hannibal crossing
The Alps, or In the pass of ~Thermopyla, or
at Baiaklava, where s.lnt3 the jaws OF death
rode the six hundred. There heroes had
the whole world 10 cheer them on, but there
was no one 70 applaud the struggle In that
clothing, for fire, Tor shelter with aching
head and weak side and exhausted strength,
through the long night by the brook Jabbok.
Could IL be that none would Rtya her heip2
Had God forgotten to be xracIousf No, con-
tending soul. The midnight air Is full OF
wings coming to the rescue. She hears II
now, In the sonRh OF the niaht wind, In the
ripple OF the brook Jabbok, the promise
made so long ago, ringing down tbs sky.
s.Thy fatherless children, / will preserve
them alive, and let thy widows trust In mel
Some one said to q very poor woman, s'How
is 1t tnat in such distress you keep eheerful2H
She said: II do tby what I cali cross pray
err. When / had my rent to pay and moth
ing to payi Il With and bread to buy and moth
Ing to buy It With. I used to sit down and
cry. But NOW do not get discouraged. II
! go along the street. when ! come 10 9 cor
ner Of the street., Isay The Lord help me!
l then go on until come TO another cross.
ing Of the strcef, and again ] say, The Lord
help met And so I utter a prayer at every
crossing, and since / have got into the habit
Of saying these cross prayers I have beer
able 10 keep Up my courage"
Learn again from this subject that people
sometimes are surprised to nnd out thai
What they have been struggling with in the
darkness is really an angel OF blessing
Jacob found In the morning that's this
strange personsgs was not N enemy, but
God dispatched messenger to promise pros
perity for hine and Tor his ehiidren- And SC
many a man ut the close Of his trial ha:
found u that he has been trying 10 throw
Christian man, ! Will go back In your bis
tory and lind that the grandest things tina
have ever happened to you have been you
tTisis. Nothing short Of seourging, I'm
~prisonment and shipwrsck could have mads
Paul what he was. When David was ieeinl
through the wilderness, pursued by his owl
son, he was being prepared 70 become "a.
hN0FA 4lukSA Va L-AAtAf An0 ~ - ~,
dungeon were the beSt schools at whtcl
Joseph ever graduated. The hurricane tina
upset the tent and killed Jobs children pre-
pared the man Of usto heths subject OF tn
magnificent poem that has astoundsd thl
ages There is no way 70 get the wheat on
OF the straw butte thrash ii. There il NJ
way to purify the gold but to burn IT. Lool
at the peopiewho have always had 1t thst
own way, They are proud. disseminated
use ess aud unhappy. II you want TO mt
cheerful folk, 90 among those who have beer
purifiedby the fire. After Rcsslni had rer.
I dered William Telln ths nve huudredtl
time d compAny Of musicians came under hi
window in Paris aad ssrenaded him. The
put upon his brow u golden crown OF laure
leaves, But and all the applause und On
, thusinsm Rcssinf turned to 9 friend and said
II would give all this hrlihant scene for
few DAYS Of youth and love- Contrast th
me areholy feeling Of RcEsinis who ha
eyeryfhingt this world could give him. Wit
I ne Joyful experiences Of Isaac Watte5 wnc&
sorrows were great. when be sayss
The hill OF Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before We reach the heavenly helds
Qrwsik tbs eoldsn streets
Then 1T our songs abound