The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-08-25
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
PEOPLE OF MANY TROUBLES,
THE SUBJECT.

from Samuel, 14:4, as Follows: ..rhere
Was Sharp Rock on One Side, and
. Sharp Rock ON the Other''-Scatter-
Ing of the Philistines.
Inc cruel army of the Phllistlnes
must be taken and scattered. There
is just one man, accompanied by his
body-guard, to do that thing. Jona-
than is the hero of the scene. 1 know
That David cracked the skull Of the
giant with a few pebbles we'll slung,
and that 800 Gideonites scattered ten
thousand Amalekites by the crash of
broken crockery; but here is more
wonderful conflict. Yonder are the
Phlllstines on the rocks. Here is
Jonathan with his bodyguard in the
valley. On the one side is rock
called Bozez; on the other side is a
rock called Seneh. These two were as
famous in olden times as in modern
times are Plymouth Rock and Gibral-
tar. They were precipitous, unscala-
BILE and sharp. Between these two
rocks Jonathan 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 bruise, I suppose, but
still on and up, first goes Jonathan and
then goes his bodyguard. Bozez on
one side, Seneh on the other. After a
sharp tug and push and clinging, l
see the head of Jonathan above the
hole in the mountain; and there is a
challenge, and fight, and a supernat-
ural CONSERVATION. These two men,
Jonathan and his bodyguard, drive
back and drive down the Philistines
, over the rocks, and open a campaign
which demolishes the enemies Of Is
rael. I suppose that the overhang-
ing and overshadowing rocks on either
side. did not balk or dishearten Jona-
than or his bodyguard, but only reused
and filled them with enthusiasm as
they went up. There was a sharp
rock on the 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. If man meets one trouble he
can go through with it. He gathers
all his energies, concentrates them on
one point, and 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 trou-
BILE to the left Of him, is to be pitied
Did either trouble come alone, he might
endure it, but two troubles, two dis
asters, two overshadowing misfortunes
are Bozez and Seneh. God pity him!
There is 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 at
the same time. Nine-tenths Of all
our merchants capsize in business be-
fore they come to forty-five years OF
age. There Is some collision in COM
mercial circles, and they stop payment
1t seems as II every man must put his
name on the back of 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 large
amount of unstable goods on his own
shelf before he learns how much easier
1t is to buy than to SELL 1t seems as
II every man must be completely
burned out before he learns the impor-
tance OF always keeping fully insured.
It seems as If every man must be
wrecked in financial tempest before
he learns to keep things snug in case OF
a sudden euroclydon.
When the calamity does come it is
awful. The man goes home in despair,
and he tells his family, We'll have to
60 to the poor-house." He takes a do
lorous view of everything. 1t seems as
If he never could rise. But little time
passes, and he says, why, am not so
badly on after all; have my family
left"
Before the Lord turned Adam out
OF Paradise, he gave him Eve. so that
VIXEN he lost Paradise he could stand
1t. Permit one who has never read
but few novels in his life, and who
has not great deal of romance in his
composition, to say, that If, when a
mans fortunes fail, he has good wife
"a good Christian wife-he ought not
TO Ne respondent. Oh" you say,
that only increases the embarrass-
ment, since you have her also to take
care or. You are an migrate, for the
woman as often supports the man as
the man supports the woman. The man
may bring all the dollars, but the wom-
an generally brings the courage and the
faith in God. - .....
Well, this man o. whom I am sneak
ing looks around, and he finds his fam
lily 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. He makes
his financial calamity the first chapter
in new era Of prosperity. He met
that one trouble-conquered it. He
sat down for little while under the
grim shadow Of the rock Bozez; vet he
soon rose, and began, like Jonathan.
to climb. But how often is if that
physical ailment comes with financial
embarrassment! When the fortune
failed 1t broke the mans spirit. His
nerves were shattered His brain was