Evening journal., 1916-02-05
Triumph Through Subjeciion
preached yesterday afternoon Dr.

Genesis xxxii: 2S-"And He said,
Thy Name Shall BE Called No More
Jacob. But Israel; for Thou Hast
Striven With God and With Men, and
Hast Prevailed"
There is something especially at
tractive in the character Of Jacob, be-
cause he had so many qualities com
mon to mankind Most famous lives
seem. either from reality or fancy,
raised upon some lofty pedestal above
the plane of other men, But not so
with this man; we feel instinctively
that he was like the rest of us. More
than thirty times in the Scripture,
Jehovah is spoken Of as the God Of
Jacob; not only the God OF Abraham.
the faithful man; Of Isaac, the gentle
man; but also the God Of Jacob. the
tried and tempted man.
N we are 10 understand the scope
and nature OF this struggle at Jab-
boks Ford. we cannot regard il as
a solitary event, but must trace the
workings OF the earlier acts and in
fiuence OF which il was the culmina-
tion. By the law OF compensation.
great strength of soul is apt to be as
sociated with corresponding weak
ness. Jacobs natural characteristics
seem predominant in the wrong di-
rection. He exemplifes the unprom-
ising material from which our Father
has TO construct citizens for His
Kingdom.
From his mother. he had inherited
shrewd, crafty nature that had beer
aggravated and intensified by the
early training she had given him. The
short-sighted impulse of Esau in bar
terlng away his inheritance for q
warm meal has been the theme OF
many a moral: but the selfish and un.
fraternal bargaining Of Jacob. in prof
iting from anOthers necessity, If moi
commended has at least been follow
ed IN all branches of modern business
/ II the highwayman with mask anC
pistol compels the traveller to hanC
over his yaluables, public sentimen
designates the deed as robberc; but
when a speculator corners the marke
on some necessity. and forces hi:
fellowmen to pay an exorbitant price
he is hailed as a Napoleon of finance
| When shall we learn that the sin o
Jacob is not whit nearer white in
the singht OF God than that OF Esau
The elder brother, in the Saviour
parable. with a spirit OF pride an,
envy, needed repentance in the sigh
of God equally with the younger il
his prodigality.
The years that Jacob spent in tn,
home OF Laban, are the story OF tw,
shrewd manipulators, each striving 4
outdo the other This finds its cOun
terpart in cur present-day CONNER
cial competition. where every man
hands seems raised against every 9th
er Such methods OF training repres
the highest instincts OF the soul. an,
stimulate the worst. May not this b
one reason why many men hold them
selves aloof from the church and tn
Christian life? So often does a ma
seek 20 excuse himself for question:
bic transactions. with the exclama
tion. We'll one has 10 ONlive" An
sometimes I have been prompted I
reply. THAT isn't essential. But 70
do have 10 die and face the Judgment.
IL is a bad bargain when you pur
chase success at the cost of char
acter. It is little wonder, with tn
qualities Jacob had been developin
in this environment, that he shoul
wander from the covenant and con
munion of the God OF Bethel.
Al last the crisis came. Sooner O
later to every soul il is sure TO come
Like the prodigal in the far countr,
Jacob came to himself; just unlilI
that one, this was due. not TO hi
poverty. but to his prosperity. II ha
brought upon him the envy OF hi
uncle, and he was forced TO flee. An
no sooner has he appeased the wrat
OF Laban. who has followed in he