The Progress., 1896-11-28
DR., TALMAGE'S SERMON.

times DR.. Talmage, in his sermon 10. c
dav draws remarkable lessons OF goou
cher and triumph. His subject ls -, I
"Wrestling with the Supernatural ;
end the text: Genesis 1925, 70: Anu
wagn he saw that he preVaiieu Nv.
against him. he touched the hollow u
his thigh; and the hollow of JACOB
thigh was out of joint as he WreS'i0u
with him. And he said, Let me 90,
for the day breaketh. And ne saiu,
will not let thee go except tnou 0'''-
me-"
There is a cloud of dust from traVei-
ing herd of cattle, and sheep anu
, goats, and camels. They are the plsS pa
sept that Jacob sends to gain 'ne soOa
vii of his offended brother Nat
night Jacob halts by the brook 'aO
bok But there is no rest lor th1
weary man. No shining LADDER u 10.
tho angels down into his dream; ou'
a severe struggle, that lasts until moin-
inc with an unknown visitor lhe'
each try to throw the other. Inc un-
known visitor, to reveal M super ~.
mower. by touch wrencnes 'aoop
thigb- hone from it's socket, perhaps
uaiming him for life. AS on the morn
ing sky the clusters Of purple cloud DE-
2 gin to ripen, Jacob sees it is an ansei
with whom he has been contehulus'
and not one of his brothers coaoJu-
tors. Let me CO." cries the Anse,'
lifting himself up into increasing lsn'
''the day breaketh."
You see, in the first place, that uou
allows good people sometimes " 90
into a terrible struggle JACOB was d
good man: but here he Is LETT aiohe
in the midnight to wrestle with ire
mendous influence by the brook JAP
bok For Joseph. pit; for Danlei'
wild beast den; for David, dethfohe-
q ment and exile: for John the Baptist
IA a wilderness diet and the executloher
a axe: for Peter, prison; for Paul
| shipwreck: for John, desolate Patmosi
for Christ, the cross. For whom the
racks, the gbbets, the prisons, the
thumbscrews? For the sons ant
daughters of the Lord Almighty Some
one said to a Christian reformer, lh'
world is against you" Then III
replied. 81 am against the world.
I will 20 further, and say that ever.
Christian has his struggle. VIII
financial misfortune some of you nav
had the midnight wrestle. Red-ho
disasters have dropped into your stor
from loft to cellar What you bougn
YOU could not sell. Whom you trustee
fed. The help you expected Woul
not come Some giant panic, with Ion
arms, and grip like death, took hol
of YOU in awful wrestle, from Whlc
you have not yet escaped, and 1t
uncertain whether it will throw yo'
oryou will throw it. Here is anotht
soul. in struggle with some bad app
tite. He knew not how stealthily
was growing upon him. One hour
woke up. He said, "For the sake
my soul, of my family, of my childre
and OF my God, must stop this!' Al
behold. he found himself alone, by L
i brook of Jabbok; and 1t was midnigl
That evil appetite seized upon hi
/ and he seized upon it; and oh, the M
j ror of the conflict! When once a b
i habit hath reused itself up to destr
man. and the man has sworn tn
4 by the help Of the eternal God, he "
II destroy 1t, all heaven draws itself
Il In long line Of light, to look fr'
4 above, and all hell stretches itself
a myrmidons of spite to look up fr
beneath. have seen men rally the
selves for struggles and they h;
Il bitten their lip and clenched their
a and cried with blood-red earnestn
and a rain of scalding tears, God b
me!'
a From a wrestle with habit, / h
seen men fall back defeated. Call
for no help, but relying on their {
resolutions, they have come into
struggle; and for time it seemed
II they were getting the upper hant
their habit; but that habit rallied az
rs Internal power, and lifted the
from its standing, and with force
rowed from the pit, hurled 1t into o.
darkness.
But, thank God, l have often SEE
better termination than this |
seen men prepare themselves for
wrestling. They laid hold of G
help as they went into combat.
giant habit, RECALLED by the cup of n
designations, came out strong and
faint. They clenched. There were
writings and distortions Of a fe'
struggle. But the old giant bega
waver; and at last in the midr
alone, with none but God to wit
by the brook Jabbok, the giant
a and the triumphant wrestler broke
darkness with the cry, Thanks b.
to God, who giveth us the vic
through our Lord Jesus Christ"
There is a widows heart, that
was desolated by bereavement,
since by the anxieties and trials