Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-09-23


at the front door to inquire as to his
welfare. But poverty on the one side
and sickness on the other are Bozea and
Scneh, and they interlocls their shad-
ows, and drop them upon the poor
mans way, God help hint "There
was sharp rock on the one side, and
a sharp rock on the other side
Now what is such man to do? In
the name of Almighty God, | will tell
him what to do Do as Jonathan did
climb; climb up into the sunlight of
Gods favor and consolation. can go
through the churches, and show you
men who lost fortune and health at the
same time, and yet who sing all day
and dream of Heaven all night. If you
have any idea that sound digestion,
and steady nerves, and clear eyesight,
and good hearing, and plenty of friends
are necessary to make man happy,
you have miscalculated. suppose
that these overhanging rocks only
made Jonathan scramble the harder
and the faster to get up and out into
the sunlight; and this combined shadow
of invalidism, and financial embarrass-
ment has often sent man up the
quicker into the sunlight of Gods favor
and the monday of His glorious
promises.
1t is u difficult thing for man to
feel his dependence upon God when he
has $4,000 in bank and S50,0D0 in gov
eminent securities, and a block of
stores and three ships. well" the
man says to himself, lit is silly for me
to pray, give me this day my daily
bread, when my pantry is full, and
the canals from the west are crowded
with breadstuffs destined for my store
houses" Oh, my trend, if the COM
bined misfortunes and disasters Of life
have made you climb up into the arms
of sympathetic and compassionate
God, through all eternity you will bless
Him that in this world there was u
sharp rock on the side, and a sharp
rock on the other side"
Again, that man is in the crisis Of
the text who has home troubles and
| outside persecution at the same time.
The world treats a man well just as
long as it pays to treat him we'll. AS
long as it can manufacture success out
of his bone and brain and muscle it
favors him. The world fattens the
horse it wants to driYe. BIT let man
see it his duty to cross the track of the
world, then every bush is full of horns
and tusks thrust at him. They will be-
little him. They will caricature him.
They will call his generosity sclfag-
grandizement, and his piety sane
,noniousness. The very worst persecu-
ton will sometimes come upon him
from those who profess TO be Chris
tians
John Milton-grcat and good John
Miton-so far forgot himself as to
pray, in so many words, that his enc
mics might be eternally thrown down
into the darkest and deepest gulf of
| hell, and be the undermost and most
detected, and the lowest down vassals
of perdition! And Martin Luther so far
forgot himself Us to say,in regard to his
theological opponents; "Put them in
whichever sauce you please, roasted,
or fled, or, baked, or stewed, or
boiled, or hashed, they are moth
ing but asses!" All, my friends,
if John Milton or Martin Luther
could come down to such scurrility,
what may you not expected from less
elevated opponents? Now, sometimes
the world takes after them; public
opinion takes after them; and the I'M
fortunate man is lied about until all
the dictionary OF Billingsgate is ex.
hausted on him. You often see man
whom you know to be good and pure
and honest, set upon by the world, and
mauled by whole communities, while
vicious men take on a supercilious ali
in condemnation of him; as though
Lord Jeifreys should write an essay on
gentleness, or Henry VIII. talk about
purity, or King Herod take to blessing
little children.
Now, a certain amount OF persecution
rouses mans defiance, stirs his blood
for magnificent battle, and makes him
so times more q man than he would
have been without the persecution Sc
it was with the great Reformer wher
he said: II will not be put down;
will be heard" And so it was will
Willard, the preacher, in the time o
Louis XI. When Louis XI. sent wore
to him that unless he stopped preach
| infr IL, hnt oT Ia Lao ,yat,lI Ia
into the river, he replied: "Tcll TIN
king that | will reach Heaven soone
, by water than he will reach it by fas
J horses" A certain amount of persecu
! ton is tonic and inspiration, but too
, much of it, and too long continued, be
comes the rock of Bozez thro :: ing darI
shadow over mans life. What is he l.
: do then? Go home, you say. Good ad
vice, that, That is just the place for
, man to go when tie world abuses him
) Go home. Blessed be God for our quie
, and sympathetic homes! But there i
2 many q man who has the reputation o
> having home when he has none
Through unthinkingness or precipita
ton there are many matches made tina
ought never to have been made. A
t officiating priest can not alone unite
s couple. The Lord Almighty must pre-
l claim banns. There are many home
in which there is no sympathy, and n,
r happiness, and no good cheer. TIL
t clamor of the battle may not hav
e been heard outside; but God know,
| 4 l. lo Ill =.
e of the Wedding March, and all tn
/, odor Of the orange blossoms and tn
t benedicton of the officiating pastor
l there has been no marriage. SO some
G times men have awakened to find o
5 one side of them the rock of persecu
5 ton, and on the other side of them tn
( rock of domestic infelicity Wha
l shall such one do? Do as Jonathan d
. climb. Get up the heights of God