The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-03

Talks About the Deliverer Sent to
Children of IsraeI When They Cried
Unto the Lord for One

From a scene in ancient story DR.. Tai
mage, in this discourse, draws lessons as
appropriate for this time as they were
appropriate for the time when the event
occurred many centuries ago: text,
Judges, iii, Is, But when the children of
Israel cried INTO the Lord the Lord rails
ed them up a deliverer, Ehud, the son of
Gera, a Benjamite, a man left handed,
and by him the children of Israel sent a
present unto Eglon, the king of Moab"
Ehud was a ruler in Israel. He was
left handed, and, what was peculiar
about the tribe of Benjamin, to which
he belonged, there were in it 700 left
handed men, and yet so dexterious had
they all become in the use of the left
hand that the Bible says they could
sling stones at a hairbreadth and not
miss. Well, there was a king by the
name Of Eglon, who was an oppressor
OF Israel. He imposed upon them a most
outrageous tax. Ehud, the man of whom
/ first spoke, had a divine commission to
destroy the oppressor. He came, pre-
tending that he was going to pay the
tax, and asked to see King Eglon. He
was told he was in the summer house,
the place to which the king retired when
it was too hot to sit in the palace. This
summer house was a place surrounded
by flowers and trees and springing foun-
tains and warbling birds. Ehud entered
the summer house and said to King Egg
Ion that he had a secret errand with him.
Immediately all the attendants were wav-
ed out of the royal presence. King Eglon
rises up to receive the messenger. Ehud:
the left handed man. puts his left hand
to his right side. pulls out a dagger and
thrusts Eglon through until the haft
went after the blade. Eglon falls. Ehud
comes forth to blow a trumpet of liberty
amid the mountains of Ephraim, and a
great host is marshaled, and proud Moab
gIJhnnifn tn tho nnnniInrnr nn1 T.-o11 l..
free! SO, o Lord, let all thine enemies
triumph!
I learn, first, from this subject the
power of left handed men. There are
some men who, by physical organiZa-
ton, have as much strength in their left
hand as in their right hand but there
Is something in the writing of this text
which implies that Ehud had some de-
feet in his right hand which compelled
left handed men! Genius is often self
observant. careful Of itself, not given to
much toll, burning incense to it's own
ACKNOWLEDGMENT, while many a man
with no natural endowments, actually
defective in physical and mental organ
a patient industry, an all consuming
perseverance, which achieve marvels for
the kingdom of Christ. Though left
handed. as Ehud, they can strike down
a sin as great and imperial as Eglon.
j have seen men of wealth gathering
about them all their treasures, snuffing
CT LIZ dOO III " Will III III WlChCu-
ness, roughly ordering Lazarus off their
doorstep. sending their dogs, not to lick
his sores, but to hound him off their
premises, catching all the pure rain of
Gods blessing into the s%tagnant, ropy,
frog inhabited pool of their own self
ishness-right handed men, worse than
useless-while many q man with large
heart and little purse has, out of his linn
tied means, made poverty leap for joy
and started an influence that overspanS
the grave and will swing round and
round the throne Of God. world without
end. Amen!
All, me! 1t is high time that you left
this gift, and that eloquence, and the
other mans wealth, should take your
m 1eft ha ai t out OF ri your ro1G po9 Wen VINO nc
all these cities? Who started all these
church, and schools, and asylums? Who
has done the Juggling, and running, and
pulling? Men of no wonderful endow-
ments. thousands of them acknowledging
themselves to be left handed, and yet
determined, and yet they were triumph
ant.
But 1 do not suppose that Ehud the
first time he took a sling in his left
hand could throw a stone at a hair
breadth and not miss. I suppose it was
practice that gave him the wonderful
duty and be not discouraged if in your
first attempts you miss the mark. Ehud
missed it, Take another stone, put it
next time you will strike the center. The
first time a mason rings his trowel upon
~a-perfect wall. The first time a carpen-
ter sends the plane over a board or drives
a bit through a beam he does not expect
to make perfect execution: The first time
a boy attempts a rhyme he does not ex-
poet to chime a "Lalla Roohk" or a
if ia Your tire flfst Le efferts do at not Soin be gooG yea
are not very largely successful. Under
stand that usefulness is an art, a science.
a trade. There was an oculist performing
a very difficult operation on the human
eye. A young doctor stood by and said:
GLOW easily you do that. 1t doesn' t
seem, to cause you any trouble at all"
"Ah,' said the old oculist, sit is very
easy now, but I spoiled a hatful Of eyes
to learn that" Be not surprised # it
men to moral eyesight and bring them to
a vision of the cross. Left handed men,
and faith and repentance for the smooth
stone from the brook. Take sure aim
God direct the weapon, and great Coli
- aths will tumble before you.
When Garabaldi was going out to
battle. he told his troops what he want
ed them to do, and after he had de
to give US tor all this?S Wei" he re:
piled, Il don't know what else you will
and wounds and death. How do you like
it?" His men stood before him for a lit
tie ne T Fhs,e b in silence sed and met then nW {ney ar thr ths
1p I"N piN SAAt ~ ~.
men! We are the ment" The Lord Jesus
Christ calls you to his service. l do mo-
promise you an easy time in this world
You may have prosecutions and trials
and Misrepresentation, but afterwar6
there comes an eternal weight of glory
and you can bear the wounds and the
bruises. and the misrepresentation. il
you can have the reward afterward
Have you not enough enthusiasm to cry
out: we are the men! We are the
men,
1 learn also from this subject the dan.
ger of worldly elevation. This Eglon was
what the world called a great man. There
were hundAeds of people who would
have considered it the greatest honor OF
their life just TO have him speak to them
position he is not beyond the reach OF
Ehud's dagger. l see a great many PEG
pie trying to climb up in social position
having an idea that there Is a safe place
far above, not knowing tina
the mountain of fame has z top like
Mont Blanc, covered with perpetual
SnON