Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-02-23
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: "The Power of Perseverance"-
The Successful Are Not the Most Bril-
liant, But Those Who Everlastingly
Stick to One Line of Endeavor.
TEXT: "But when the children OF Israel
cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them
up a deliyerer, Ehud the son of Gera, q
Benjamite, a man left handed; and by him
the children of Israel sent present unto
Eglon, the king of Moab. b.'-Judges ILL.,, To-
Ehud was a ruler in Israel. He was left
handed, and what was peculiar about tho
tribe OF Benjamin, to which he belonged,
therewere in 1t 700 left handed men, and get
SO dexterous had they all become in the use
OF the lett hand that the Bible says tney
rould sling stones at hairbreadtn ana not
miss. Well, there was king by the name
of Eglon, who was an oppressor OF Israe'.
He imposed upon them most outrageous
tax. Ehud, the man of whom first spoke,
had divine commission to destroy that
oppressor. He came pretending that he
was going to pay the tax and asked to see
Eglon. He was told that he was in the sum-
mer house, the place to which the king re-
tired when it was too hot to sit in the
palace. This summer house was a, place
surrounded by flowers and trees and spring
ing fountains and warbling birds. Ehud
entered the summer house and said to
Eglon that he had secret errand with him.
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 dagger and
thrusts Eglon through until the shaft went
in after the blade. Eglon falls. Ehud
comes forth to blow q trumpet OF liberty
amid the mountains Of Ephraim, aud II
host is marshaled, ana proud Moab sub
mits to the conquerer and Israel is free.
So, Lord, let oil Thine enemies perish!
So, Lord. let all Thy friends triumph!
learn first from this subject the power
who by physical organization 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 defect In his right hand
which compelled him to use his left. Oh,
the power of left handed menl Genius Is
often self-observant, careful of itself, not
given to much toll, burning incense to its
own ACKNOWLEDGMENT, while many man
with no natural endowments, actually de-
fective in physical and mental organ1za-
ton, has an earnestness for the right, pa
tient industry all consuming persever-
ance, which achieve marvels for the king
dom Of Christ. Though left handed as
Ehud, they can strike down sin as great
and imperial as Eglon.
have seen men of wealth gather about
them all their treasures, snuffing at the
ing 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
stagnant, ropy, frog inhabited pool OF
their own selAshness-right handed men
worse than useless-while many a man
with large heart and little purse has out
of his limited 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.
Ah, me, 1t is high time that you left
handed men, who have been longing for
this gift and that eloquence and the other
mans wealth, should take your hands out
of your pockets. Who made all these rail-
roads? Who set up all these cities? Who
started all these churches and schools and
asylums? Who has done the tugging and
full endowments, thousands of them ac-
knowledging themselves to be left handed,
and vet they were earnest, and yet they
were triumphant.
But do not suppose that Ehud, the first
time he took sling in his left hand could
throw stone at hair-breadth and not
miss. suppose it was practice that gave
him the wonderful deXterity. Go forth to
your spheres of duty and be not discour-
aged IT, in your first attempts you miss the
mark. Ehud missed it. Take another
stone, put it carefully into the sling, swing
it around your head, take better aim and
the next time you will strike the centre.
The first time mason rings his trowel
upon the brick he does not expect to put
in perfect wall The first time a carpen-
ter sends this plane over board or drives
u bit through beam he does not expect
to make perfect execution. The first
time boy attempts a rhyme he does
not expect to chime "Lalla Rookh," or
a LADY of the Lake, Do not be
surprised II tin your first efforts at doing
good you are not very largely successful.
Understand that usefulness is an art, sell
ence, trade. There was an oculist per-
forming very difncult operation on the
human eye. A Ayoung doctor stood by and
said: "How easily you do that; 1t don't
seem to cause you any trouble at all"
"Ah," said the old oculist, sit is very easy
now, but 1 spoiled hatful OF eyes to learn
that" Be not surprised If 1t takes some
practice before we can help men to moral
eyesight and bring them to vision Of the
cross. Left handed men, to the work!
Take the gospel for sling an faith and
repentance for the smooth stone from the
brook, take sure aim, God dire;t the weap-
on, and great Goliaths will tumble before
you.
When Garibaldi was going out to battle
he told his troops what he wanted them to
do, and after he had described what he
wanted them to do they said, "Well gen.
eral, what are you going to give us for oil
this?" "WeIl, he replied, II cont know
what else you will get, but you will get
hunger, and cold, and wounds and death.
How do you like it?" His men stood be-
fore him for little while in silence and
then they threw UP their hands and cried,
1--WE are the men! We are the men!" The
Lord Jesus Christ calls you to His service.
do not promise you an easy time in this
world. You may have prosecutions, and
afterwards there comes an eternal weight
OF glory, and you can bear the wounds,
and the bruises, and the misrepresenta-
tions, II you have the reward afterward.
Have you not enough enthusiasm to cry
out, "We are the men! We are the menl'
We laugh at the children OF Shinar for
trying to build tower that could reach to
the heavens, but think If our eyesight
were only good enough we could see
Babel in many dooryard. Oh, the strug-
gle is flercel 1t is store against store,
house against house, street against street,
nation against nation. The goal for which
men are running is chairs and chandeliers
and mirrors and houses and lands and
presidential equipments. II they get what
they anticipate, what have they? Men are
not safe from calumny while they live. and,
worse than that, they are not safe after
they are dead, Cor have seen swine root
up graveyards. One day man goes up