Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-08-18

Is n rock called BOzCH; on tho Other SluC is
q rock called Scnoh. These two were ~
famous in oldcn times as In modern times
are plymouth Rock and Gibraltar. They
were prccipitous, unsCalahlo and sharp.
Between these two rocks Jonathan must
make his ascent. Tho day comes for tho
scaling of tho 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, and
then goes bis bodyguard. Bo2ez on ono
side, Sench on the other. After sharp
tug and push and clinging l sec the head
of Jonathan above the hole in the noun
tain, and there Is u challenge and fight
and supernatural CONSERVATION. These
two men, Jonathan and his bodyguard
drive back and drive down the Philstincs
over the rocks and open campaign which
dcmolishcs the enemies of Israel. l sup
pose that the overhanFing and ovorshadow-
ing rocks on either side did not balk or
dishcartCn Jonathan or his bodyRuard,
but only reused and filled thon with en-
thusasm as they went up. "Thcrc was u
sharp rock on the one side and n sharp rock
ON the other side
Sharp Rocks of Trouble.
My friends, you have been or are now,
some of you, in this crisis Of the text. II
man meets one trouble, he can 30
through with 1t. Ho gathers all his encr-
gies concentrates them on one point and
in the strength of God or by his own nat
ural determination goes through 1t. But
tho man who has trouble to tho right of
him and trouble to the left of him is to be
pitiod. Did either trouble come alone, he
might endure it, but two troubles, two
disasters, two overshadowing misfortunes,
are Bozez and Sench. God pity himl
There is n sharp rock on the one sido and
a sharp rock on the other side. D."
In this crisis of the text is that man
whose fortune and health fail him at tho
same time. Nine-tonths of all our NOR
chants capsize in business before they
come to as years of age. There is some
collision in commercial circles, and they
stop payment. 1t seems Us if every man
must put his name OH the back of noto
before he learns what IA fool a man is who
risks Ill his own property on tho prospect
that somo man will tell the truth. 1t
seems as If "A man must have n large
amount of unstable goods on his own
shelf before he learns how much easier it
Is to buy than to sell. 1t scoms rs If every
man must be completely burned out be-
fore he learns tho importance Of always
man must be wrecked in financial tenn
pest before hc learns TO keep things snug
IN case Of % sudden curoclydon.
When the calamity does come, it is aw-
full. Tho man goes home in despair and
he tells his family, "Wc'll have to 90 to
tho pOorhousc." He takes u 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
I'LL. | have my family left"
BLESSING of Family.
Before tho Lord turned Adam out of
paradise no gavo him Eve 80 TINT when
he lost paradise he could stand it. Permit
one who has never read but "A few novels
in all his life, and who has not great
deal OF romance in his composition, to say
that If whom mans fortunes fail he has
II good wifo-a good Christian wife-ho
ought not to be Respondent. ooh" you
say, that only increases tho cmbarrass-
ment, since you have her also to take care
of" You are an migrate, for tho woman
as often supports the man as tho man sup
ports the woman. Tho man may bring
all the dollars, but the woman generally
brings tho courage and the faith in God.
Well, this man Of whom l am speaking
looks around, and he finds his family Is
left, and b. rallies, and the light comes to
his eyes, and the smile to his face, and tho
courage to his heart. In two years hc is
quite over it. He makes his financial ca
lamity the first chapter in IA new era Of
prosperity. He mot that ono trouble
conquered 1t. He sat down for "a little
while under the grim shadow Of the rock
Bozez, yet he soon rose and began like
Jonathan to climb. But how often is 1T
that physical ailment comes with financial
embarrassment! When the fortune failed,
st broke the mans spirit. His nerves were
shattered. His brain was stunned. / can
show you hundreds Of men in our cities
whose fortune and health failed ut tho
Same time. They came prcmaturely to the
staff. Their hand trembled with incipient
paralysis. They never saw we'll day
since the hour when they called their cred
itors together for compromise. If such
men are impatient and peculiar and irri-
table, excuse them. They had two trou-
bles, either one of which they could have
met successfully. If when the health went
the fortune had boon retained 1t would
not have been so bad. The man could
have bought the very best medical advice,
and he could have had tho very best at
tendance 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 arc Bozc2
and Soneh, and they interlocll their shaf
ows and drop them upon the poor mans
way. God help him! There is SHARP
rock on the one side and sharprock or
the other side.
Sunlight of Gods Favor.
Now, what is such q man to do2 In the
namo of almighty God, / will tell him
what to do. DO as Jonathan did climb
climb up into tho sunlight of Gods favor
and consolation. can go through the
churches and show you men who lost for
tuno and health at tho same time, and YET
who sing all day and dream of heaven al
night. If you have any idea that sound
digestion, and steady nerves, and clear eye
sight, and good hearing, and plenty OF
friends arc necessary to make O man hap
py, you have miscalculated. ] suppose
that 6hcso oyerhanging rocks only mad,
Jonathan scramble the harder and til,
faster to get up and out into the sunlight
and this combined shadow of invalidisn
and financial embarrassment has Otter
sent man up the quicker into tho sunligh
of Gods favor and tho MONDAY Of hi
glorious promises.
1t is difficult thing for man to fee
his dependence upon God when no ha
$4,000 in the bank, and $50, 900 In gov
eminent securities, and block of store
and three ships well, " tho man says /,
himself, ut Is silly for mo to pray, Civ
mo this day my daily bread whom m,
pantry Is full and tho canals from the Yves
arc crowded with brcadstutfs destined fol