Democratic messenger., 1888-08-25
MiSiOrtune'S Lesson.
DIR. TALMAGE breaches AT THE
BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.
He Counsels Those who Have 'sTrouble
On Both Sides" 20 Rise Superior
60 Clrcumstauces-The Wisdom
That Il Horn Of Adversity.

That Is Horn of Adversity.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Aug. 10.-The Rev.
DR.. T. Dewitt Talmage's subject to-day
was Troubles on Both Sides" and his
text There was sharp rock on the one
side, and sharp rock on the other side"
Il. Samuel XIV, 4.
The cruel army Of the Philistines must
be taken and scattered. There Is just one
man, accompanied by his bodyguart, 70
do that thing. Jonathan Is the heroe Of the
scene. know that David cracked the
skull Of the giant with few pebbles we'll
slung, and that 800 Gidconites scattered
10000 Amalckites by the crash Of broken
crockery; but here is more wonderful
conflict. Yonder are the Philistincs on
the rocks. Here Is Jonathan with his
bodyguarl in the valley. On the one side
is rock called Bozez; on the other side Is
u rock called Seneh. These two were rs
famous In olden times as In modern times
are Plymouth Rock and Gibraultar. They
were prec.pitous, unscalable and sharp.
Between these two rocks Johathan must
make his ascent. The day comes for the
scaling Of the height. Jonathan on his
hands and feet, begins the ascent. With
strain, and slip, and bruisc, suppose, but
still on and up first goes Jonathan, then
goes his bodyguard. Bozez on one side,
Sench on the other. Aiter sharp tug,
and push and clinging, l see the head Of
Jonathan above the hole In the mountain,
and there is challenge, and fight, and
a supernatural CONSERVATION. These two
men-Jonathan and his bodyguard-drive
back and drive down the Philistines over
the rocks, and open campaign which
dem0lishes the enemies of Israel. sup.
pose that the overhanging and Overshad-
owing rocks on either side did not balk
or tishear,en Jonathan or his bodyguard,
but only reused and filed with cnthusi-
asm rs they went up. "Therc was a sharp
rock ON 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
man meets one trouble he can go
through with il. lie gathers all his encr-
gies, concentrates them upon one point,
and in the strength OF God or by his own
natural determination goes through il.
But the man who has trouble to the right
of him and trouble to the left Of him Is TO
be piiicd. Did either trouble come alone
he might endure IL, hut two troubles, two
disasters, two ovcrsha'iowing misfortuncs,
are Bozcz and Scncll. God pity him.
"Thcrc is sharp rock on the one side,
and sharp rock on the other side"
WISDOM CONES WITH MISFORTUNE.
In this crisis of the text Is that man
whose fortune and health fail him at the
same time. Nine.tenths of all our mer-
chants capsize in business before they
come to 45 years of age. There is some
collision in commercial circles. and they
stop payment II seems as II every man
must put his name on the back Of a note
before he learns what n fool man Is who
risks all his own property on the prospect
that some man will tell the truth. II
seems rs II man must have large
amount Of unstable goods on his own
shelf before he learns how much easier 1t
IS to buy than to sell. II seems rs if every
man must bc completely burned out be-
fore he learns the importance of always
keeping fully insured. II seems as IL
every man must he wrecked IN finan-
cial tempest before he learns to keep
things snug In case Of sudden curocly-
don. When a calamity does come. 1t Is
awful. The man goes home In dispair.
and he tells his family :"we'll have to so
to the poorhousc" lie takes dolorous
view Of everything. It seems rs If he
never could rise. But little time passes.
and he says: "why, am not so badly of
after all /; ! have my family leh."
Before the Lord turned Adam out of
Paradise he gave him Eve, so that when
he lost Paradise he could stand II. Permit
one who has never read but few novels
in all his life, and who has no, great deal
romance in his composition, TO say that II,
when mans fortunes fail, he has good
wife-a good Christian wife-he ought
not 10 be dcspondent. "Oh" you say.
"that only increases the embarrassment,
since YOU have her also take care Of"
You are an migrate, for the woman as
often supports the man as the man sup
ports the woman. The man may bring
all the dollars, but the woman generally
brings the courage and the faith In God.
MS FAMILY LEFT HIN.
Well. this man Of whom am speaking
Hooks around aud 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 la his heart. Intwo years he
Is quiet over H. lie makes his financial
calamity the first chapter in new era OF
Iprospcrity. lie met that one trouble
lcunauercd Il. lie sat down for little
while under the grim shadow Of the rock
Isozez; vet he soon rose and began, like
Jonathan, 10 climb. But how oftcn Il Is
ihat phy siVH ""V"' N"N" "'
cal embarrassment When the fortune
failed II broke the mans spirit HIS nerves
were suffered. Ills brain was stunned
| can show you hundreds OF men in New
York whose fortune and health tailed at
the same time They came prematurely
10 the staf, Their hand trembled with
incipient paralysis. They never saw wei
day since the hour when they called their
creditord together for a compromise. II
such men are impatient, and peculiar, and
irritable, excuse them.
They had two troubles; either one Of
which they could have met successfully. II.
when the health went. the fortune had
been retained Il would not have been so
Ia at.s