The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-08-10
TRUTH TRIUMPHANT.
Against Which Error Cannot
Prevail.
"There is Sharp Rock on One Side and
Sharp Rock on the 0ther."-
Gospel Truth Over All.
IT. Dewitt Talmage.l
SUBJECT: TRUTH ON ALL SIDES" {"

a sharp rock on one side and a sharp
rock on the other side."
The cruel army of the Philistines must
be taken and scattered. There is just
one man accompanied by his bOdy-guard,
to do that thing. Jonathan Is the hero
of the scene. know that David cracked
the skull of the giant with few peb-
bles, we'll sIung, and that 300 GideOnites
scattered 10000 Amalekites by the crash
of broken crOckery, but here is a more
wonderful conflict. Yonder are the
Philistines on the rocks. Here is JOna-
than, with his body-guard, in the valley.
On the other side is rock called BOzeZ,
on the other side is rock called Seneh.
These two rocks were as famous in Olden
times as in modern times are Plymouth
Rock and Gibraltar. They were preci-
nitOus, unscalable and sharp. Between
these two rocks Jonathan must make
his ascent. The day comes for the seal
ing of the height. Jonathan on his
hands and feet begins the ascent. With
strain and slip and bru1se l suppose, but
still on and up; first goes Jonathan and
then goes his body-guaTd; BOzeZ on the
one side, Seneh on the other. After a
sharp tug and push and clinging | see
the head of Jonathan above the hole in
the mountain, and then l see the head
of the bOdy-guard above the hole in the
mountain, and there is challenge and
afight and supernatural cOnsternatl0n.
These two men, Jonathan and his body
guard, drive back and drive down the
Philistines over the rocks and open
campaign which demOlishes the enemies
of Israel. l suppose that the overhang-
ING and OyershadOWing rocks on either
side did not balk or dishearten Jonathan
or his body-guard, but only reused and
filled them with enthusiasm as they
went up. "There was. a sharp rock on
the one side and sharp rock on the
other side."
My friends. you have been, or are now,
some of YOU, in this crisis of the text. Ii
a man meet one trouble he can go
through it. He gathers all his energies,
concentrates them upon one point and
in the strength of God, or by his own
natural determination, goes through 1t.
But the man who has trOnble to the left
of him is to be pitied. Did either trOu-
BILE come alone he might endure 1T; but
two troubles, two disasters, two over
Seneh. God pity him! There is sharp
rock on the one side and sharp rock on
the other side.
In this crisis of the text is that man
whose fortune and health fail at the
same time. Nine-tenths of all our mer-
chants capsize in business before they
come to fOrty-fve years OF age. There
is some collision in commercial circles,
and they stop payment. 1t seems as II
every man must put his name on the
back of note before he learns what a
fool a man is who risks all his own
property on the prospect that some man
will tell the truth. 1t seems as If
man must have a large amount OF .un-
salable goods on his own shelf before he
learns how much easier it is to buy than
to sell. 1t seems as If a man must be
oH hafnrn 10 loorno.
the Importance of always keeping fully
insured, 1t seems as If every man must
be wrecked in financial tempest before
he learns to keep things snug in case of
a sudden eurOclydon. When the calam-
ity does come, it is awful. The man
goes home in despair, and he tells his
family, "Well have to go to the poor
house." He takes a dOlorous view of
everything. 1t seems as If he never
could rise. But little time passes and
he says, "Why, l am not so badly off
after all; have my family left"
Before the Lord turned Adam out Of
Paradise He gave him Eve, so that when
he lost Paradise he could stand it. Per-
NIT one who has never read but three or
four novels in all his life, and who has
not q great deal of romance in his
mans fortunes fail, he has good wife,
a good Christian wife, he ought not to
be respondent. "OhP' you say, ."that
only increases the embarrassment, since
you have her, also, to take care Of" You
are an ingrate; for the woman as often
supports the man as the man supports
the woman. The man may bring all
the dollars, but the woman generally
brings the courage and faith in God.
Well, this man of whom am speak
ing looks around, and he finds his family
is left, and he rallies, and the light
comes to his eyes, and the smile to his
face, and the courage to his heart. In
two years he is quite over it. He makes
his financial calamity the first chapter
in new era of prosperity, He met that
one trouble and conquered 1t. He sat
down for little while under the grim
shadow of the rock Bozez, yet he soon
rose and began, like Jonathan, to climb.
But how often it is that physical all
ment comes with financial embarrass-
ment. When the fortune failed it broke
the mans spirit. His nerves were shat
tered, his brain was stunted. can
show you hundreds of men in New York
whose fortune and health failed at the
same time. They came prematuTely to
the staff. Their hand trembled with
incipient paralysis. They never saw a
we'll day since the hour when they called
their creditors together for cOmpro-
mise, If such men are impatient and
peculiar and irritable, excuse them.
They had two troubles, either one of
which they could have met successfully.
If, when the health went the fortune
had been retained, it would not have
been so bad. The man could have bought
the very best medical advice, and he
could have had the very best medical
attendance, and a long line of carriages
would have stopped at the front door to
inquire as to his welfare. But poverty
on the one side and sickness on the other
are Bozez and Seneh and they interlOck
their shadows and drop them in the poor
mans way. God help him! "There is
sharp rock on the one side, and sharp
rock on the other side"
Now, what is such a man to do? In
the name of Almighty God 1 will tell
him what to do. Do as Jonathan did
climb; climb up into. the sunlight of
Gods favor and consolation. l can go