The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-21
THE TALMAGE PULPIT.
The Eloquent Doctors Discourse
of Yesterday.
TEXT, TROUBLE ON BOTH SIDES"
IT Man Meets One Trouble He Can Go
Through with II, But Man with
Too Much Trouble to be Pitiad

a sharp rock on the other side" /. Samuel,
chap. xiv, 14,v. 4.
The cruel army Of the Philistnos must be
taken and scattered. There is Just one man,
accompanied by his bodyguard, to do that
thing. jonathan is the hero Of the scene. /
know that David cracked the skull of the giant
with few pebbles well slung, and that three
hundred Gidconites scattered ten thousand
Amalektes by the crash Of broken crockery
but here is more wonderful conflict. Yonder
are the Philistines on the rocks. Here is Jon
athan with his bodyguard in the valley. Tn
the one side is a rock called Bozez; on the 9TH
er side is a rock called Seneh. These two were
as famous in olden times as IN modern times
are Plymouth Rock and Gibraltar. They
were prccipitous, unscalable, and sharp. Be
tween these two rocks Jonathan must make
his ascent. The day comes for the sealing Of
the height. Jonathan, on his hands md feet,
begins the ascent With strain, and slip, and
bruise, | suppose, but still on and up; first
goes Jonathan, and then goes his bodyguard
Bozez on one side Seneh on the other. After
sharp tug, and push, and clinging, see the
head OF Jonathan above the hole in the noun
tain and there is y challenge, and fight, and
"A supernatural CONSERVATION, These two men,
Jonathan and his body guard drive back and
drive down tho Philistines over the rocks,
and open campaign which demolshes the
enemies Of Israel. [ suppose that the over
hanging and ovorshadowing rocks on either
side did not balk or disheartcn Jonathan or
his bodyguard, but only reused and Tiled them
with enthusiasm rs they went up. "Ihere was
q sharp rock on tho one side, and a sharp rock
on the other side"
My friends you have BEEN or are now, some
of you, in this crisis Of the text If man
meets one trouble he can 90 through with it,
III a rot
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 DO
pitied. Did either trouble como alone he
might endure It, hut two troubles, two disas-
tiers, two oyershadowing misfortuncs, arc Bozez
and eneh. God pity him! 'rhere is a sharp
rock on the one side, ana a sharp rock on the
other side"
In this crisis of the text is that man whose
fortune and health fail him at tho same time.
Nine-tenths OF all our merchants capsi2o 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
if every man must put his namo on tho back
Of a note before he learns what fool 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 u large amount OF I'M
saleable goods on his own shelf before he
learns how mnCh easier it is to buy than to
sell IL seems az if every man must be com
pletely burned out before he learns the impur-
tance of always keeping fully insured. Tt
seems as il every man must be wrecked in
financial tempest before he learns to keep
things snug In case of n sudden ouroclydon
When the calamity does come it is awful. The
man goes home in despair, and he tells
his family: "We'l have to 70 90 the poor
house " llo takes dolorous view Of every
thing. It seems as if he never could rise.
But a little time passes, aud lie says: "Whv,
1 am not so badly off after all have niy
family left"
Before the Lord turned Adam out Of Para
disc, He gave him Eve, SO that when he lost
Paradise, he could stand il. Permit one who
has never read but n few novels in all his life
and who has not n great deal of romance in
his compositions shy that ii, when aman's for
tunes fail he has good wife good Christian
wife-he ought not to be Respondent. "Oh,"
you say, chat only increases the embarrnss-
ment, since you have her also 10 take care Of
You are an migrate, for the woman as often
supports the man as the man supports the wo-
man. The man may bring al the dollars but
the woman generally brings the courage and
the faith in God
Wei, this man of whom am speaking,
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.
lio makes his financial calamity the first
chapter in a new era Of prosperity. lie met
that one trouble-COnquered it, he sat down
for n little while under the grim shadow OF
the rock Bozez yet he soon rose, and began,
like Jonathan, 20 climb. But how often Ills
that physical ailmCnt comes with financial
embarrassment. When the fortune fanod il
broke the mans spirit His nerves were
shattered Ills brain was stunned. | can
show you hundreds of men in New York
whose fortune and health failed at the same
time. They came prematurely to the staff
Their hand trembed with ucipient paralysis.
They never saw we'll day since the hour
when they called their creditors 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. If, when
the health went, the fortune had been retain
cd, IL would not have been so bad. Tho man
could have bought the very best medical adj
vice, and he could have had the very best
attendance, and long lines 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 Bozoz and Sench
and they iptoyock their shadows, and drup
them upon the poor mans way. God help
him! There is sharp rock on the one side
and a sharp rock on the other side"
Now what is such man TO do2 In the
name OF Almighty God. | win tell him what
TO do, DO as Jonathan did climb: climb IN
into the sunlight OF Gods favor and oOns1la-
ton. l can 10 through the churches, and
show You men who los, fortune and health at
the same nme and vet who sing all day and
dream of heaven all night. If you have any
idea that sound digestion, and steady nerves,
md clear. eyoSight, and good hearing. and
plenty OF friends are necessary TO make a man
happy, You have miscalculntcd. l suppose
that these oyerhanging rocks only made jon
ATTAIN scramble the harder and faster 60 yet up
and out into the sunlight: and this combined
shadow OF invahdiSm and financial embarraSs-
ment has often sent man up the quicker into
the sunlight OF Gods favor and the noonday
of His glorious promises. Ii is difficult
thing for man to feel his dependence upon
God when lac has ten thousand dollars in tho
bln6 fifty thousand dollars in government Sc
curties and a block ef stores and three ships.
"Welh' tAo man says % himself 1T is silly
for me 10 pray give me this day nay daily
bread, when my pantry is full, and the canals
from the west are crowded with hread-stutIs
destined for my Storehouses.' Oh, my friends
il the combined misiortunes and disasters Of
life have made YOU climb up into HE arms Of a
sympathetic and compassionate God, through
all eternity you Will bless Him that in this
world there was sharp rock ON tho one side
and sharp r1ck onsthe other side"
Again. that man Is Ia the crisis OF the tcxt
who has home troubles and outside porsocu-
ton az tho SAME time Tho world treats q
man we'll just IS long as & PAYS best 10 treat
linn we'll As long as U cau manufacture
success out Of las bone, aud brain, and muscle,
it iavogs him, The world fattcus ulc horse o.
HVIa la I'D.