Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-11-30
ASATURDAY
GR NIGHT
J \ SERMONS
BY
s]s,,ne xSA'auuw.puuVEl
THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT.


Bethel. and his vision there. to Padan
Aram--and his old tricks! jacob was
so human. lie was bone Of our bone.
We cannot keep step with Enoch. but
we can with Jacob. lie Is the Simon
Peter Of the Old Testament jacob
was a queer mixture of good and evil.
But when he met Laban Il was Greek
meet Greek. I.aban changed his wages
ten times. cheated him out OF seven
years salary. dcfraudcd him by many
n trick. But before he Is through
Jacob pays I.aban In his own coin at
compound interest.
There's Hope For Lover.
In all those years OF cheating and
counter cheating there's one bright
spot And Jacob loved Rachel and
served for her seven years. and they
seemed but n few days for the love
he had for her" ! like that. II sounds
like the music Of harp. When Laban
by contemplate trick cheated him out
OF her whom he loved. Jacob gladly
served seven years more to get her.
Love will do anything. Loves labor
is always light. a young Mohammed-
an ruler. Shah Jchan. told his bride
he would build for her the most mag
nificent temple ever built. The wife
suddenly dying. the young king cried
In his grief. You shall yet have your
temple though 1t now he your tomb"
And so for twenty years 22OO0 men
labored and S20.000.O00 was spent. and
then stood the indescribable TAI Mnhal
of Agra. India. over its door the In
scription. ITO the memory OF an I'M
dying love" Love will suffer any
thing. Jacob endured frost by night
and hunger by day. deception and
wrong. for loves sake. At last. hav
Ing fully repaid Laban for all his
cheatlng--and some more. Jacob slips
away by night. back toward his native
land. Laban pnrsues. overtnklng him:
bitter quarrel cnsues. which ends In
the beautiful "Mizpah." The Lord
watch between me and thee while we
are absent one from another" May
all our differences so sweetly end!
When Sins Come Home.
Jacob hnrrying on suddenly hears
the unwelcome news that Esau Is com.
Ing 10 meet him with 400 soldiers.
wild and lawless. Jacob is not man
Of war and never was lie remembers
Esau's VOW 10 Stay him. The ghost of
twenty-five years ago rises before him.
Jacob Is coward. has been bad
man. haggled with u starving man
for his birthrlght. deceived blind. old
man. and that man his father It's
revolving portrait. My Christian Sci
ence neighhor. hulnorless chap. says
even he finds II hard 10 put Jacob
down among the good | feel toward
him. Jacob. rs ! do toward Uifah
Iiecp lie sort OF puts humanity Mt n
discount Yet. thank God. this strange.
~ damaged soul turns out Ia he n
good man. That leaves hope for rs.
The Wrestler ut the Brook.
That night. ncroSs the brook Iabhok
separated from his family. stripped of
all human help. In place weird and
wild. his only companion the baying
coyote. Jacob was left alone" Esau
In front. l.aban behind. robbers around
him. The only way open was up.
Jacob Is cornereh Like Peter sinking,
like Job stripped. like Samson In pris-
on. jacob cries 10 God for help. He
thought lie was alone. but he who was
twenty-five years ago ut the top OF
the ladder was now at the bottom.
The critical hour has come.
Solomon says. The crooked cannot
he made straight" God says. Il will
make the crooked straight" Now to-
night God stands by this crooked.
slippery. tricky supplanter and will
straighten him. II Is easy TO straight
en- sprout. hut 10 take the twist out
OF knotted oak Is Il task for God.
Jehovah had To break Jacob before
he could make him straight. Some
times Il Is the last aud greatest act OF
Gods mercy to goddess man. prayer
less and worldly Ia hay on him many
pains ana Affections and losses. to
hedge him IN and finally to break him.
Ont Of the darkness came wrestler
God wrestling with man. As the day
breaks God breaks Jacob his thigh.
his self. his crooked nature. He comes
ont limping. but straight. lie Ia given
a new name Jacob the thief Is now
Israel prince Of God. That helps
us understand the thief at Calvary.
From that night Jacob IL changed
from hawk TO dove. No longer con-
formed. buf transformed The divine
Angelo takes n cracked. Scared.
worthless marble and chlscls from II
heavenly Image Now we also can
understand Richard Baxter. the swear
ing skeptic: Christmas Evans. the
scoffing inndci: John Bunyan. the Sab
bath breaker: John u Cough. the
drmnkard; Jerry MacAulcy. the river
thief This God Of Jacob Is the God
NJ the wicked MS well ms of the good
As bird Flies Home