The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-23

o. TAlaaAoe oAAws LEssoMs rnoss
+. A SUMMER hovae TRAGEDY.

ri
oAaA's Divine Conmissien to Ne
strsy a. oDDrsssos-Denuaci chatter
of wershipers Of Mamno,, WI,
seoH at the sias Of the World.
Copyright. 1899, by American Press Asso
ciation.l
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 2e.-From scene 1,
ancient story Dr. Talmags In this dis
course draws lessons as appropriate fol
this time a. they were appropriate for tn,
time when the event occurred many cen
turtles ago; text, Judges Iii, Is, "Bu1
when the children Of Israel cried unto til,
Lord, the Lord raised them up deliverer
Ehud the son Of Gera, Benjamite, mar
left handed and By him the children Of
Israel sent present unto Eglon, the king
| Of Moab"
Ehud was ruler in Israel. He was Left
handed, and what was peculiar about the
tribe Of Benjamin, to which he belonged,
there were in 1t 700 left handed men, and
yet 30 dsxterous had they all become in
the use Of the left hand that the Bible says
they could sling stones at q hairbreadth
and not miss. Well, there was king BY
the name Of Eglon, who was an oppressor
Of Israel. He imposed upon them most
outrageous tax. Ehud, the man of whom
first spoke, had o divine commission to
destroy that oppressor. He came pretend
ing 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 tn sit In, tho mkt,
house was place surrounded by flowers
and trees and springing fountains and
warbling birds. Ehud entered the sum-
mer house and said to King Eglon that he
had secret errand with him. Immedi-
ately all the attendants were waved out Of
the royal presence King Eglon rises ND
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 haft went in after
the blade. Eglon falls. Ehud comes forth
to blow trumpet of liberty amid the
mountains Of Ephraim, and q great host
ismarshaled and proud Moab submits to
the conqueror, and Israel IL free. So, O
Lord, let all thine enemies perish So, o
Lord, let all thy friends triumph
learn first from this subject the power
Of left handed men. There are some men
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 men! Genius
ia often self observant, careful Of itself,
mot frivnn tn y,1u1O1, tri1 Ix,r ,kr,nr
to Its own aggrandizement while many a
man. with no natural endowments, actu-
ally defective In physical and mental or
ganization, has an earneStAess for the
right, patient industry, an all consuming
perseverance, which achieve maryels for
the kingdom Of Christ. Though left hand
ed, rs Ehud, they can strike down sin as
great and imperial as Eglon.
FoGgy Pool Of selfshness.
have seen men of wealth gathering
about them all their treasures, shutting at
the cause Of IL world lying in wickedness,
roughly ordering Lazarus off their door
STEP sending their dogs, not to lick his
sores, but to hound him of their premises;
catching all the pure rain of Gods bless-
ing into the stagnant, ropy, frog inhabited
pool OF their own selfshn6ss-right handed
men, worse than jacksonville many o
man with large heart and little purse has
out of his limited means made poverty
leap for joy and started an influence that
ovorspans the grave and will swing round
and round the throne Of God world with
out end. Amen.
All, 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 left hand
out of your pockets. Who made all these
Who set up all these citiesS
Who started all these churches and schools
and asyluMs? Who has done the Juggling
and running and pullingP Men Of no
endowments, thousands Of them !
themselves to DO left hand
ID, and yet they were earnest, and yet |
hey were determined, and yet they were ,
triumphant. |
But do not suppose that Ehud, the
irst time he took sling in his left hand |!
ould throw stone at hairbreadth and
not miss suppose it was practice thM
.avo him the wonderful dexterity. Go
orth to your spheres Of duty and be not
discouraged IT,, in your first attempts, you
MISS tho mark. Ehud missed it. Take an
ther stone, put 1t carefully into the sling,
wing 1t around your head, take better
i'm, and the next time you will strike the
enter. The first time mason rings his
rOwel upon the brick he does not expect
D put up perfect wall The first time
arpenter sends the plane over board or
rlyes bit through beam he does not
xpect to make perfect execution. The first
how ofx ante 1r,hx 1,.,
ypect to chino II Italia Rookh," or q
Lady of the Lake" DO not be surprised
in your first efforts at doing good you
re- not very largely successful. Under
and that usefulness is an art, science,
trade. There was an oculist performing
very difficult operation on the human
,e. A young doctor stood by and said,
How easily you do that; 1t don't seem to
luse you any trouble at all" "Ah,"
i'd the old oculist, ut is very easy now,
ut 1spoiled hatful Of eyes to learn
'at:" Be not surprised II 1t takes some
'actice before we can help men to moral
esight and bring them to vision of
% cross. Left handed men, to the work!
AXE the gospel for sling aud faith and
pentanco for the smooth stone from the
ook, take sure aim, God direct the weap-
!, and great Goliaths will tumble before
III.
When Garibaldi was going out to battle
told his troops what he wanted them to
), and after lie had described what he
Anted them to do they said, well, gen.
a, what are you going to give us for all
isl" WELL" he replied IT don't know
nat else You will get, but you will get
niger, and cold, Hnd wounds, and death
wv do YOU like ita" His men stood BE-
e him for little while in silence and ,
sn they threw up their hands and cried, ,,
Ve are tho 1neni We are the menr' The ,
I'd Jesus Christ calls you to his service. ,
10 not promise you an easy time in this /
rid You may have prosecutions, and {
ais, and misrepresentation, but after !
I'd there comes an eternal weight of y
Try and you can bear the wounds, and 9
J bruises, and the Misrepresentation, II =
1 have the reward afterward. Have you 4
enough enthusiasm to cry out I'VE :,
! tho man! We are the men!' n
learn also from this subject tho danger a
worldly elevation. This Eglon was y
at tho world called a great man. There +
re hundreds OF people who would have "
lsidered it the greatest honor Of their q
} just to have him speak to them, yet, :,
hough he Is SO high up in worldly posi- -
n. he ia mot hayopd the raaph If Ehudta v