The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-01-16

IIf "H|NI W." HfiN N" IN. ".f.|H NN NNfIHIIMs MHu
! in this dream he beh0'ds Tho ladder which
/ leads me 90 say Chat earth has always
/ been linked to heaven, not with a golden
/ chain as the poet sings, not with the silkcn
/ cords ui graNJatlOu us Che scientist dc.
care these certainly, hut before an of
/ these heaven united boo Him who became
/ luclruatc 1900 years ago. The interesting
/ thing Co me about Tins ladder IS that 10
reaches down just where we are. 10 may
| be we are ln poverty possibly in suffering,
/ perhaps I'm despair. but the ladder is lust
| before us. Bring your burdens 10 the foot
/ of H. and let the ascending angels bear
| them away and then wait until the de.
sCoudIng angels bring heavens blessing
/ upon YOU. You will notice that when be
was asleep that he had his revelation Of
| heaven. His eyes were closed, his fever
/ had cooled, his excitement had subsidized
| I'm other words he lost himself and then he
| heheld heaven When we lose ourselves
this weary, selfish, busy, seii-liie of ours,
we shall see Him.
The lark never sings when &c is on the
| ground. The moment 1t leaves the ground
| 10 bursts into song, but just the instant
/ that il folds its wings IL begins TO drop TO
the earth So let as mount up this morn
| ing, and as we mount let us rejoice that
our names, which in the olden time stood
| for suiiering5 and sin may stand for power.
III.
What is thy name? and he might we'll
| have said Teacher, for he teaches what
| discipline really is, and the story of how
| this man was changed from Jacob TO Israel
| is helpful TO us all. IL was real spiritual
/ education, but education means to draw
! out, and you might draw out from some
/ thing which has been implanted. and that
| something must be the divine nature Dis
| cipine for the man who is not a Christian
| is a failure You will rememherwhen Jacob
| was at Haran he began to be discon-
! tented with his lot. and the craitiness OF
/ his nature was constantly growing, 40
| God sent him away from the place. lie
! had everything a man could want but he
| must become a wanderer If he would 90
| on to the Israel nature. We doubtless all
/ of us have learned that that which is loss
/ for us has been gain for Christ, and suf-
! tCring is a good thing. but 1t is comforting
! to know that the hand that stirs the nest
| is the hand of Christ and the hand that
/ leads out is the one that is pierced by the
nails, while the one that goes before us is
| the good Shepherd Himself. lie will not
! lead us too far nor suffer us to be tempted
/ above that we are able to bear. The love
| of God often means discipline People or
! dinagily have low thoughts Of love; they
only count he love which caresses and
sooths and makes of itself a shield that no
rough wind may blow upon us They have
no notion of q love that can say no, love
I that can use the rod and the scourge and
call the object of its power to pass through
the fire, and it is interesting to hear the
| Scripture declare concerning God and
Jacob Chou are Jacob whom | have
/ loved" vet his life was one long struggle
filed with constant disappointment. How
ever it is true that every trial and every
disappointment was step nearer his
| princely nature. | myself would take
every trial he had and every disappOint-
ment he met, would endure every heart
ache if only ] might become a prince hay
ing power with God and with men.
".
We are nearing the time when his name
is to be changed. Behind him is Laban,
before him Esau, for he is coming nearer
to him constantly, and he is afraid. Above
him rs God He has come to Jabbok's
ford, the loneliest place in the Holy Land.
One could not easily remain there the night
through. He has reached the lonehest
hour of the night; across the Jabboll is his
property, his children, his beloved Rachel,
and Jacob was left alone. Around him the
profound silence of the desert place. beside
him the murmur of the brook as it hurries
on to the sea, above him the heavens
studded with stars. This is not an illus.
tration of Jacobs earnestness in prayer,
but rather the earnestness Of the angel Of
the Lord. who would take from Jacob that
which is between him and power
Notice first, how Jacob holds on to the
angel. 1t is marvellous thing how long a
man can hold out against God. Some of us
have been doing it for years.
Notice, second, that the angel touched
the hollow of bis thigh. Whatever enables
a soul to hold out against God He will
touch. 1t may be pride, wealth, affection,
it may be something natural, as a slnew
and as small as a sinew, but He will touch
it. ! can see Jacob struggle in the angel s
embrace. and then l behold him coming
away with a new name; he is Israel, the
prince. The way to princehness is the way
Of sure surrender. We must yield ourselves
to God for power afterward. 1t is said he
called the place Pencil, for said he, II
have seen God face to face" and as he
crossed over Jabbok the sun rose. Doubt
less he felt as if he had never seen it rise
before.
My dear friend, Mr. S. H. Hadley, the
morning after his conversion said as he
opened his eyes and looked out of the win
dow, "Why, is this heaven? / have never
seen the sun shine like this, and are those
the trees of life? for I have never seer
trees like these" and yet they were the
same trees and it was the same sun thai
was shining yesterday, but he was looking
with the power of a new vision. Oh, may
God help us to come to the same expe
rience to-day.
, And Jacob went down and met Esau, anG
then we are told he went over to She
chem. Somebody has said that doubtless
/ his wife might have said to him, at IS fal
, better for us to live in the city rather thar
| the plain; it will be better for our chill
, dren, they will become more. cultured,
the greatest shipwrecll of their home, anC
. they turned away from it after a Will,
. with broken hearts, and God said o him