The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-04-11
God Gives Jacob a New Name.

ed canaan alter his exile IN PaQan-
aram. There was joy! Before
him lay the land promised" to
him-a land flowing with milk
and honey. And he was making
his entrance in good form. He re-
turned not as he went out, with
merely a staff in his hand. He
came as a mighty sheik, who could
look complacently at his vast
flocks and herds, and the caravan
of his followers, with all the i'm
pedimenta of great camp. Nor
were his thoughts wholly upon
temporalities. He had learned
many religious lessons in his ban
ishment. He came with the in
tention of discharging well the
priestly function inhering in his
headship of the nation. He had
some conception, however incom-
plete, of One who was to be born
Of his line, a Prince and a Savior.
He had the Messiauic hope. :.
But all the brightness of Jacobs
Joy was darkened by one cloud Of
angry portent. He must needs
meet the consequences of the sins
of forty years ago-his unbrother-
1y action; his ambition, greed, and
fraud; his overhaste and use Of
foul means to accomplish what he
had reason to believe was the
Lords will-all of these assumed
a spectral form to haunt him. His
wronged brother was approaching
in hostile mien and force. Esau
was accustomed to nothing else but
striking the blow of death. /.
To Jacob it seemed as if all was
lost. What did it amount to-the
sight of the Promised Land-if he
must needs stain its border with
his life's blood? And all the Mes
sianic hopes and promises would
perish in him. There is a touch
of the domestic and af1ectionate
spirit of the patriarch in his pray
er. He fairly screens his eyes
from sight of the impending
slaughter Of the innocents. He
can not brook the thought of an
other tragedy Of a Niobe and her
children. In the extrem-
ity Of his peril, the ruling passion,
the strategic spirit of Jacob assert
ed itself. But the advance in
character is manifest in that it
took no ignoble form. There was
nothing unworthy in the division
of his caravan into two bands. The
advantage of it was, that if one
was taken, the other might be left.
And the presents sent in a series
would be cumulative in their et-
feet to soften the anger Of his in
jured brother. . Having
done all that human tact could
suggest, Jacob had recourse to
prayer. Some one once asked a
minister whether he believed in
healing by faith or medicine. His
very apt reply was: II believe in
healing by faith and medicine. 1"
Jacob used all the expedients he
could think of to placate his broth
er and save himself and his family,
just as if everything depended
upon himself. Then he went to
prayer, just as if everything de-
pended upon God. The
prayer of Jacob is the first recorded
prayer, as it is one of the noblest
of all in the Bible. 80 God of
my father Abraham, and God of
my father Isaacw Here is an ap-
peal to the God of the covenant.
The entrance of pathetic claim to
the mercies of the covenant.
(Which saidest unto me, Return :"
The present extreme peril is not
incurred by any presumption or
rashnsss on Jacobs part; but by
his very obedience to the explicit
command of God. II am not wor-
thy" This is depreciation. Ode
liver me-" This is supplication.
And thou saidst, l will surely do
thee good" This is an appeal to,
and pressing of, the promises of
God. Nature seems at
that nartiCt1Iar Spot IN Ne -,