The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-12-24
THE SUPERNATURAL.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Talks Upon
Strange Bible Stories.
Remarkable Lessons of Good Cheer and
Triumph Over Apparent Obstacles
Placed Before the Conscien.
tious Christian.

w
Ting with the Supernatural" was de-
livered by Rev. L. Dewitt Talmage be-
fore his Washington congregation. 1t
was based on the text:
And when he saw tLat he prevailed not
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 he said
Let me 90, for the day breaketh. And he said,
will not let Thee 60 except thou bless me-
Gensis, Xxxii., 25-26
There is cloud of dust from tray-
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 touch wrenches jacobs
thigh bone from its socket, perhaps
manning him for life. AS on the morn
ing sky the clusters of purple cloud
begin to ripen, Jacob sees it is an
angel with whom he has been contend
ing, and not one of his brothers coad-
TUTORS. Let me CO." cries the angel,
lifting himself up into increasing
light, "the day breaketh."
You see in the first place that God
allows good people sometimes to get
into a terrible struggle. Jacob was a
good man, but here he is left alone in
the midnight to wrestle with tre-
mendous influence by the brook Jab-
box For Joseph, q pit; by Daniel, a
wild beast den; for David, dethrone-
meIt and exile; for John the Baptist,
wilderness diet and the executioners
ak; for Peter, prison; for Paul, ship
wreck; for John, desolate Patmos; for
Christ, the cross. For whom the racks,
the gibbets, the prisons, the thumb
screws? For the sons and daughters
OF the Lord Almighty. Some one said
to Christian reformer: 1.-The world
is against you" "Then." he replied:
II am against the world"
will go further, and say that every
Christian has his struggle. With finan-
clal misfortune some of you have had
the midnight wrestle. Red-hot dis
asters have dropped into your store
from loft to cellar. What you bought
you could not sell. Whom you trusted,
lied. 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
Vou have not yet escaped, and it is un-
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, l must stop this" Aud
behold, he found himself alone, by the
brook Of Jabbok; and it WAS mid.
night That evil appetite seized upon
him, and he seized upon it; and oh, the
horror of the conflict. When once a
bad habit hath reused itself up to de-
stroy man, and the man has sworn
that, by the help of the eternal God,
he will destroy it, all Heaven draws
itself out in a long line of light, to
look from above, and all hell stretches
itself in myrmidons of spite to look up
from beneath. | have seen men rally
themselves for a struggle; and they
have bitten their lip, and clenched
their fsts, and cried with blood-red
earnestness, and a rain Of scalding
tears: "Gcd help mel
From wrestle with habit, l 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 it seemed as
If they were getting the upper hand
of their habit; but that habit rallied
Rgain it's Internal power, and lifted
the soul from it's stands, and with
force borrowed from the pit, hurled it
into outer darkness.
But, thank God, / have often seen
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, regaled by the cup of
many descriptions, came out strong
and defiant. They clenched. There
were the writings and distortions OF
fearful struggle. But the old giant
began to waver; 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:
Thanks be unto God, who giveth US
the victory, through our Lord Jesus
Christ"
There is widows heart, that first
was desolated by bereavement, and
since, by the anxieties aud trials that
came in the support of family. 1t is
sad thing to see man contending
for livelihood under disadvantages;
but to see a delicate woman, with
helpless little ones at her back, fight
ing the giants of poverty and sorrow.
is more affecting. 1t was a 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 Thermopyla, OF at Bala'
klava. where into the jaws OF death
!Eeas CO.," These heEees had the whole