The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-11-26


against him, he touched the hollow Of his
thigh; and the hollow Of Jacobs thigh was
ONT OF joint as he wrestled with him. And
ne said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.
And ne said, will not let thee go except
thou bless me.''-Genesis xxi, 1926
There Is a cloud Of dust from a trav-4
cling herd of cattle, and the sheep,
and the goats, and camels. They are
the present that Jacob sends to gain
the good will Of his offended brother.
That night Jacob halts by the brook
Jabbok. But there is no rest for the
weary man. No shining ladder to let
the angels down into his dream; but a
severe struggle that lasts until morn
ing, with an unknown visitor. They
each try to throw the other. The un-
known visitor, to reveal his superior
power, by a touch wrenches Jacobs
thigh bone from it's socket, perhaps
manning him for life. AS on the morn
ing sky the clusters of purple clouds
begin to ripen, Jacob sees it is an
angel with whom he has been CON
tending, and not one Of his brothers
coadJutors. Let me CO., cries the
angel, lifting himself up into increas-
ing light, "the day breaketh.''
Oh see in the first place, that God
allows good people sometimes to get
into terrible struggle. Jacob was a
good man, but here he is left alone in
the midnight to Wrestle with tremen-
dous influence by the brook Jabbok.
For Joseph, a pit; for Daniel, a wild
Deast den; for David, dethronement
and exile; for John the Baptist, q will
derness diet and the executioner's AK;
Tor Peter, a prison; for Paul, ship
wreck; for John, desolate Patmos; for
Christ the cross. For whom the Ia cks,
the gibbets, the prisons, the thumb
screws? For the sons and daughters
Of the Lord Almighty. Some one said
to a Christian reformer, ''The world is
against you" Then he replied, 81
am against the world
will go further, and say that every
Christian has his struggle. With f.
nanclal misfortune some of you have
had the midnight wrestle Red-hot
disasters have dropped into your store
from loft to cellar. What you bought
you could not tell. Whom you trusted,
led. 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 it is I'M
certain whether it will throw you or
you will throw it. Here is another
soul in struggle with some bad appe-
tite. He knew not how stealthily it
was growing upon him. One hour he
woke up. He said, For the sake of
my soul. of my family, of my children
and of my God, I must stop this. "And
behold he found himself alone by the
brook of Jabbok; and it was midnight
That evil appetite seized upon him
and he seized upon it; and, oh, the hor-
ror of the conflict. When once bad
habit hath reused itself up to destroy
a man, and the man has sworn that, by
the help of the eternal God, he will de-
stroy it, all heaven draws itself out in
a long line of light to look from abOve,
an dali hell stretches itself in myrmi-
dons Of spite to look up from beneath
/ have seen men rally themselves for
a struggle; and they have bitten their
lip and clenched their fists and cried
with a blood-red earnestness, and a
rain of scalding tears, God help mev'
From wrestle with habit I have
seen men fall back defeated. Calling
for no help, but relying on their own
resolutions, they have come into the
struggle; and for q time it seemed as
if they were getting the upper hand Of
their habit; but that habit rallied again
it's internal power, and lifted the soul
from it's standing and with q force Dor
rowed from the pit hurled it into outer
darkness. ", =
But, thank God, have often seen
better termination than this. I have
seen men prepare themselves for such
wrestling. They laid hold of Gods
help as they went into combat. The
giant habit, regaled by the cup of
many designations, came out strong
and defiant. They clenched. There
were the writings and distortions OF
a fearful struggle. But the old giant
began, to wayer; and at last in the
midnight alone, with none but God to
witness, by the brook Jabbok, the
giant fell; and the triumphant wrestler
broke the darkness with the cry Of
Thanks be unto God, who giveth us
the victory, through our Lord Jesus
Christ"
There is widows heart, that first
was desolate by bereavement, and
since by the anxieties and trials that
came in the support of a family. It is
for a livelihood under disadvantag I;
but to see delicate woman, with help
less little ones at her back, fighting the
giants of poverty and sorrow is more
affecting. 1t was humble home; and
passers-by knew not that within those
four walls were displays of courage
more admirable than that Of Hannibal
crossing the Alps, or in the Pass Of
Thermopy1ae, or at Balaklava, where
'into the jaws of death rode the six
hundred These heres had the whole
world t, cheer. them on; but there We're
none to applaud the struggle in that
humble kome. She fought for bread,
forsclothjng, for fire, for shelter, with
aching head and weak side, and ex-
haustad strength, through the long
night by the brook Jabbok. Could it
be that none would give her help? Had
God forgotten to be gracious? No!
contcrding soul. The midnight air is
full Of wings, coming to the rescue
She hears it now, in the sough Of the
night wind, in the ripple of the brook
Jabbok the promise made SO long ago,
rining dowr the sky: '.Thy fatherless
ohildrf.n r will 13raSorya Them a1iva.