West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-08-30
THE DARK SIDE.
TROUBLE on EVERY side.
DIR. Talmage Compares the Trials of
Earth with tho Pleasures
OF Heaven.

OF Heaven.
TEXT. "Thcre tcos sharp rock on Me
one stde, and sharp rock on the other
SIDE. IL Samuel, xiv, 4.
The cruel army Of the PhIIlstines must DO
taken aud scattered. There Is lust one man.
accompanied by his bodyguard TO do that
thing. Jonathan is the hero OF tho scene.
] know that David cracked the skull of the
giant with few pebbles well slung, and that
three nundrei Gldeonites scattered ton thou
| sand Amalekites by the crash of broken crock.
| eryi but here is a more wonderful conflict.
nonder arc the Philistines on the rocks
here Is Jonathan with his bodyguard in the
Naliey. On the ono side Is q rock called
bozez; on the other side is n rock called
Seneh. These TWO were as famous i'm olden
times as In modern times arc Plymouth Rock
anu Sioraiter They were precipitous, I'M
scaleaDlo, and sharp. Between these two
rocks Jonathan must make his ascent Tho
Gay comes for the scaling OF the height.
jonathan, on his hands and feet begins the
9seent With strain, aud slip, and bruise,
Il suppose, but still on and up, first goes
Jonathan, and thcn goes his bodyguard.
Bozez on one side, Seneh on the other. After
sharp tug, and push, and clingin2. see the
head or Jonathan above the hole in the
mouhtaln' ana there Is a challenge, and a
light, and supernatural CONSERVATION.
These two men, Jonathan and his BODY
guard, drive back and drive down the Phiiis-
unes over the rocks, and open a cam
4
OF israel 1 suppose that the over
hanging and overshadowing rocks on either
side did not balk or dishearten Jonathan or
M. ms podyguard, but only reused and filed
tnem with enthusiasm as they went up.
There was sharp rock on the one side and
sharp rock on the other side.n
My friends, you have been or are now.
some OF you, in this crisis of the text liz
man meets one trouble he can 90 tbron0b
WITH II. lie gathers all his energies, con
centrates them upon one point, aud in the
strength OF God, or by his own natural
determination, goes through It. But the
man who has trouble to the right of him and
trouble 10 the left OF him IS TO be pitied
Did either trouble come alone he mioht
endure it, but two troubles, two disasters.
two overshadowing misfortunes. are Bo-sl
and Seneh. God pity himl There Is n
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 him mt the same time
Nine-tenths OF all our merchants cansize In
business before they come 10 forty-fve years
OF age. There is some collision i'm commer
clai circles, and they stop payment. Itseems
MS IL every man must put his name on the
back OF a note before he learns what fool n
man IS who risks all his own property on tbe
prospect that some man will tell the truth It
seems as II man must have large amount
OF unstable goods on his own shelf before
ne learns how much easier it is TO buy than
TO sell. IL seems as il every man must be
completely burned out before he learns fine
Importance of always keeping fully insured.
III seems as IL every man must be wrecked in
q financial tempest before he learns TO keeD
things snug in case of a sudden curoclydon
When the calamity does come it is awful.
IN me man goes home in despair, and he tells
his family: "Well have to 60 to the moor
house" He takos dolorous view of every
thing. It seems il he never could risa
But little time passes, and he says: "Wbv.
I am not so badly Off after all; have my
Before the Lord turned Adam out OF Para.
dlse he gave him Eve, so that when he lost
PARADISE he could stand it, Permit one who
nus never read but few novels in all his life,
ana VINO has not great deal of romance I'm
ms composition, to say. that If, when a mans
fortunes fail, he has a good wife-a cool
Christian wife-he ought not TO be despond-
enS on, 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
h hr9 tne .i dollars, but the woman generally
brings the courage and the faith in God
Well, this man OF whom l am speaking
Iooks around, and he finds his family is left
and ne 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 ero Of
prosperity. lie met that one trouble-con-
quered 1t. He sat down for n little while
under the grim shadow of the rock Bozez.
yet he soon rose, and began like Jonathan
to climb. But how often il II thot rhvsicai
ailment comes with financial embarrassment.
When the fortune failed it broke the mans
spirit. His nerves were shattered His brain
was stunned can show you hundreds OF
men in New York whose fortune and health
Ialled at the same time. They came pre-
nliaiiuiely 20 the stair. Their hand trembed
with incipent paralysis They never saw n
well day since the hour when they called
their creditors together for a COMPROMISE
~ such men are inpatient, AMI
peculiar, end 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 re-
tainei 1t would not have been so bad. The
man l,.l couiu nave bought the very best medical
advice, and he could have had the very best
attendance and long lines of carriages would
have stopped at the front door TO inouire ne
TO bis weltard But poverty on the one side,
end sickness on the other, are Bozez and
Semen, and they interlock their shadows. and
crop them upon the poor mans way. God
heip him! There is a sharp rock on the ons
side and sharp rock on tie other siden
Now, what is such n man % doi In the
nape Of Almighty God, I will tell him what
70 do Do0s Jonathan did-climb: climb up
into the sunlight Of 6 ods favor and conso!a.
ton. i can go through the churches, and
show you men who lost fortune and health
ut the sane time and yet who sing all day
ana dream OF heaven all night IL you have
any idea that sOJnd Digestion, and steady
nerves, and clear eyesight, and good hear
''1t etnA piHtlbJ oI illcuuA are necessary 70
make a man happy, you miscalculated.
suppose that these overhanging rocks only
made jonathan scramble harder and tho
faster 70 get up and out into the sunlight.
and this combined shadow Of inyaiidism and
financial embarrassment has often sent q man
up the quicker into the sun ight OF Gods
favor and the monday Of IFS glorious
promises. IL is a difficult thing for man to
feel his dependence upon God when no has
ten thousand dollars in the bank, and fifty
thousand dollars in GOvornm3nt securities,
and block OF stores and three ships "WeUb
the man says To himself, 10 Is silly for mo
20 pray; Give me this day my daily
bread when my pantry Is fun, and
the canals from tbs West are
crowded with breadstuns destined for my
storehOuses.n Oh, my friends, III the com
bincd misfortune5 and disasters Of life have
made you climb up into the arms Of sym
pathetic and compassionate COL through all
eternity you will bless Him that I'M this
world there was sharp rock on The ono
SIDE, and a sharp rock on tho other side
Again, that man is i'm the crisis OF the text
Who has home troubles and on side persccu-
ton at the same time. The world treats a
man well just as long as Q pays best 20 treat
him well As long as 10 can manufacture
success out Of BIS bone and BRAIN and
muscle. Do f0vOrs him. The world fattons