Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-09-15


and he sends portion to each of
them, but sends larger portion to
Benjamin, or, as the Bible quantity
puts it, "Benjamin's mess was five
times as much as any of theirs" Be
quick and send word back with the
swiftest camel to Canaan to old Jacob,
that Benjamin is we'll; all is well; he
is faring sumptuously: the Egyptian
lord did not mean murder and death;
but he meant deliverance and life when
he announced to us on that day. '9e
shall not see my face unless your
brother be with you"
Well, my friends, this world is fam
innsbruck of sin. 1t does not yield a
single crop of solid satisfaction 1t is
dying. 1t is hunger-bitten. The fact
that it does not, cannot feed a mans
heart was we'll illustrated in the life
of the English comedian. All the
world honored him-did everything
for him that the world could do. He
was applauded in England and APP
plauded in the United States. He
reused up nations into laughter. He
had no equal. And yet, although
many people supposed him entirely
happy, and that this world was COM
ple.ely satisfying his soul, he sits down
and writes:
never in my life put on new hat
that it did not rain and ruin it. /
never went out in a shabby coat be-
cause it was raining and thought all
who had the choice would keep in
doors. that the sun did not come out
in it's strength and bring with it all
the butterflies of fashion whom | knew
and who knew me. | never consented
to accept a part | hated out or kind
ness to another, that | did not get
Kissed by the public and cut by the
writer. | could not take drive for a
few minutes with Terry without be-
ing overturned and having my elbow
broken, though my friend got off I'M
harmed. could not make covenant
with Arnold, which | thought was to
make my fortune, without making his
instead than in an incredibly short
space of time-I think thirteen months
i earned for him twenty thousand
pounds, and for myself one. i am per-
suaded that if | were to set up as a
baker. everyone in my neighborhood
would leave off eating bread
I want to make three points. Every
frank and common-sense man will ac-
knowledge himself to be a sinner,
What are you going to do with your
sins? Have them pardoned, you say.
How? Through the mercy of God.
What do you mean by the mercy of
God? Is it the letting down of bar
for the admission of all, without re-
spect TO character? Be not deceived.
| see soul coming up TO the gate OF
mercy and knocking at the corn-crib
of heavenly supply; and voice from
within says, Are you alone?" The
sinner replies, "All alone" The voice
from within says, you shall not see
my pardoning face unless your divine
Brother. the Lord Jesus, be with you.'
o. that is the point at which so many
are discounted. There is no mercy
from God except through Jesus Christ.
Coming with him, we are accepted.
Coming without him, We are rejected.
Am right in calling Jesus Benja-
min? O, yes. Rachel lived only long
enough to give a name to that child,
and with a dying kiss she called him
Benoni. Afterward Jacob changed his
name. and he called him Benjamin.
The meaning of the name she gave
was, Son of my Pain" The meaning
of the name the father gave was, Son
of my Right Hand" And was not
Christ the Son of pain? All the sor-
row of Rachel in that hour when she
gave her child over into the hands of
strangers, was as nothing compared
with the struggle of God when he gave
ND his only Son. And was not Christ
appropriately called Son Of the Right
Hand?" Did not Stephen look into
heaven and see him standing at the
right hand of God? And does not Paul
speak of him as standing at the right
hand of God making intercession for
us? o. Benjamin-Jesus! Son of pang!
Son of victory! The deepest emotions
of our souls ought to be stirred at the
sound of that nomenclature. In your
prayers plead his tears, his sufferings,
his sorrows, and his death. If you re-
fuse to do it, all the corn-cribs and
the palaces OF heaven will be bolted
and barred against your soul, and a
voice from the throne shall stun you
with the announcement, You shall
not see my face except your brother be
with you"
The world after that was a blank to
me. | went into the country. but found
no peace in solitude / tried 10 get
into society. but I found no peace in
society. There has been horror hang
ing over me by night and by day, and
am afraid to be alone.
How many uGutterable troubles
among you! No human ear has ever
heard that sorrow o, troubled soul,
| want TO tell you that there is one
salve that can cure the wounds of the
heart, and that is the salve made out
OF the tears Of sympathetic Jesus.
And yet some OF you will not take this
solace; and you try choral. and you
try morphine and you try strong
drink and you try change or scene.