Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-08-30
TALMAGE AT HOME.
on Beth sIdes," the Subject Of his
Sermon at Broeklyn.

Trouble on Both Sides and his text;
There was a sharp rock on the q side.
and a sharp rock OF the other side
Samuel, xiv. 4.
The cruel army Of the Philistines must be
taken and scattered. There is just n man,
accompanied by his bodyguard. TO do that
thing. Jonathan Is the hero of the scene. l
know that David cracked the skull Of the
giant with a few pebbles well siung, and
that o Gideonites scattered 10000 Amale-
kites by the crash of broken crockery; but
here is a more wonderful conflict. Yonder
are the PhiIistines on the rocks. Here is
Jonathan with his ~bodygnard in the valley.
On the one side is a rock called BoEez; on
the other side is q rock called Seneh. These
two were as famous in olden times as are
Plymouth Rock and Gibraltar in modern
times They were precipitous, unscalabie
and sharp. Between these two rocks Jona-
for the scaling OF the height. Jonathan, on
his hands and feet, begins the ascent.
With strain, and slip and bruise. ]
suppose, but still on and up, first
goes Jonathan, and then goes his b~odyguard-
Bozez on one side, Scneh on the other. After
8 sharp tug. and push, and climbing, see
IN. mead Of Jonathan above the hole in the
mountain; and there is q challenge, and q
fight. and q supernatural CONSERVATION
These two men, Jonathan and his b~odygusrd,
drive back and drive down the Philistines
over the rocks. and open a campaign which
demoiishes the enemies OF Israel. / suppose
that the oyerhanging and overshadowing
rocks on either side did not balk or disheart-
en- Jonathan or his ~bodyguard but only
reused and filed them with enthusiasm Is
they went up. There was a sharp rock on
the one side, and a sharp rock on the other
side"
Ny friends, you have been, some of you,
in this crisis of the text. na man meets one
trouble, he can go through With 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 it. But the man h has trouble
10 the right of him and trouble to the left
of him is to be pitied. Did either trouble
come alone, he might endure il; but two
troEbles, two disasters. two o~vershadowing
misfoFtunes. are Bozez and Seneh. God pity
AA1As AA%sE 10 - ESSA 49,
and a sharp rock on the other side"
In this crisis of the text Is that man whose
fortune and health fail him at the same time.
Niue-tenths OF all our merchants capciEe in
business before they come to ~ years of age.
There IL some collision in commercial circles
and they stop payment. IL seems as il every
man must put his name on the back OF a note
before he learns what afool a man is who
risks all his own property on the pros
pect that some man win tell the truth. Ii
seems as IL 3 man must have n large amount
punishable goods Of his ova shelf before he
learns how much easier il rs to buy than TO
sell. IL seems as il every Ban must be com
pletely burned out before he learns the i'm
portance of always keeping fully insured. Ii
seems as If every man must be wrecked in a
financial tempest before be learns 70 keep
things snug in case of a sudden cataclysm.
When the calamity does come, it Is awful.
The man goes home in despair and be tells
house" BE takes n dolofous view of every
thing. IL seems as IL he never could rise.
But q little time passes, and he says: Why,
| nm not so badly of after all; have my
family left"
Before the Lord turned Adam out OF Para
disc he gave him Eve, so that when he lost
paradise be could stand it. Permit one who
has never read but a few novels in all his
life, and who has not a great deal ofromance
In bis composition, to say, that il, when a
mans fortune fail, he has a good wife-a
good Christian wife-he ought not tosbe de
~spondent. Oh. you say, that only in
ereaSes the embarrassment, since you have
her also to taxi care or" You are an Migrate.
for the woman as often supports the man as
the man supports the m The man
may bring all the dollars, but the woman
generally brings the courage and faith N
God.
Wen, this man Of whom I am speaking.
looks around, and finds his family ls left,
and he rallies, and the light comes to his
eyes, and the smile 20 HE face. and his eour-
Z to his heart. In two years he is quite
ever IL He makes his financial calamity the
first chapter in a new era Of prosperity. He
met that one trouble-onquered it. He sat
down for q little while under the grim
shadow Of the Rock BoEez, yet he soon rose
and hogan, Ike Jonathan, to climb. But
how often is IL tina physical ailment comes
with financial embarrassment When the
fortune failed il broke the mans spirit. His
nerves we're shattered. His brain was
stunned. lean show you hundreds of men
in New York whose fortune and health
failed at the same time. They came prema-
turely 70 the staff. Their hand trembled with
incipieut paralysis. They never saw a well
day sine the hour when they called their
creditors together for a compromise. IL such
men a~reimpatient, and peculiar, and irritable.
excuse them.
They had two troubles, either one Of which
they could have met successfully. IT, when
the health went. the fortune had been ne
tanned, il would not ave been so bad. The
man could have bought the very best med.
ical advics, and be could have had the very
best attendants, and long lines Of carriages
would have stopped at the front door to in.
quire as to his welfare. But poverty on the
one side, and sickness on the other, are Borev
and Seneh. and they interlock tSeir shadows
and drop them upon the poo- mans way
God help him, There i a sharp rock on fbs
one side, and a ~sharproek on the other side. =
Now, what IS such a man to do? In the
name Of Almighty God ! viii teIIhim what to
do. Do as Jonathan did-cIimb; climb m
into the sunlight Of Gods favor and eonsoIa.
ton. | can go throughthe churches and shov
you men b lost fortunes and health at the
same time, and yet who sing all day and
dream Of heaven all night. Hyou have an '
idea that sound digestion. and steady nerves.
and clear eyesight, and good hearing. aud
plenty Of friends are necessary to make A
man happy, you have miscalculate6, / sup
pose that these oyerhanging rocks only made
Jonathan scramble the harder and the
faster TO get up and out into the sunlight;
and this combined shadow Of iuFalidism and
financial Embarrassment has often sent a
man up the quicker intothe sunlight Of Cod
faTor and the MONDAY Of His glorious prom.
ises. Ii Is q difficult thing for a man to fee
biz dependence upon God when he has SIC.
0 in the bank. and $50 600 in govern.
ment securities, and a block Of stores and
tbree ships.
well. the man says to himself. 1T is silly
for me to pray Give ms this day my daily
bresd. when my pantry fali. ard the canals
from the West ARE crowded with hreadstufs
destined for my storehouses." Oh. my friends
II the combined misfortuBes and disasters o
hfe have made Jon climb up into the arms Of
a sympathetic and compassionate God
through al eternity you viii bless Him tina,
IN this world there was a sharp rock on ths
one side, and a sharp ock on the other side. =
Again, that man is in the crisis Of the text
who has home troubles and outside perseca.
ton at the same time. The world treats a
nan vel just as long as ever it pays to treat
him well. As long as IL can manufacture sue.
cess out OF bis bone, and brain, and muscle,
IT favors bin The world fattens the horst
it wants to drive. But let a man ~. il Eis
duty TO cross the track Of the world, theu
e-ery bush is fun Of thorns and tusks and
thrust at him They viii belittle him. They
sill earicature him. They win call his gener.
osity seh-aggrandiBement. and his piefy
saDetimonionsness- The very worst perse
eution viii some time come upon him from
those wh 4 profess TO be christians.
John MIiton-Sreat and good John Milton
80 forgot himself as to pray, in SO Tany
words, that his enemies might BE- thrown
down into the darkest and deepest gulf o
bell. and be the undermost and most detected
and the lowest down rassals OF perditioHl
And Martin Luther so far forgot himself as
80 say, IN regard TO his theological op.
peosHts: Put them in whatever sauce you
please roasted, or fried, or baked. or stexed.
or boiled, or hsshed. they are nothing hut
etsesf All, my friends, il John Milton OF
Martin Luther could come down to such
seurrilfty- what you may not expect from
less elevated o~pponents7 Now, the world
sometimes takes after them; the n-evspapers
take aftsr them; public opinion take after
them, and the unfortunate man is lied shout
Until ali the dictionary Of Billingsgate j.
exhausted on him You often see a nan
whom you know to be good. and pure. and
honest, so upon By the world and married by
whole eomrnunities, while vicious men put on
q supsrclious air of condemnation ofhim: a.