The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-09-10
MEETING TROUBLES.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Gives Encourage
ment to the Unfortunate.
Where Happiness May be Found Even In
the Midst OF the Most Severe
Trials-Getting Out Into
the Sunlight.

The following discourse by Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage contains encourage
ment for those who are in the midst Of
troubles and misfortunes. 1t is based
on the text:
There was a sharp rock one one side and q
sharp rock on the other side. Il Samuel, xiv, 4
The cruel army of the Philistipes
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 | know
that David cracked the skull of the
giant with few pebbles well slung,
and that 300 Gideonites scattered 10000
Amelekites by the crash o. broken
cr9ckery; but here is more wonderful
conflict. Yonder are the Philistines 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 rock called Seneh. These two
modern times are Plymouth Rock and
Gibraltar. They were precipitous, I'M
scalable and sharp. Between these
two rocks Jonathan must make his as
cent. The day comes for the scaling
of the height. Jonathan, on his
hands and feet, begins the ascent
With strain and slip and bruise, sup.
pose, but still on and up, first goes
Jonathan, and then goes his body
guard. Bozez on one side, Seneh on
the other. After sharp tug, and
push and clinging, | see the head of
tain; and there is challenge, and a
fight, and supernatural consterna-
ton. These two men, Jonathan and
his bodyguard, drive back and drive
down the Philistines over the rocks,
and opens campaign which demol-
ishes the enemies of Israel. l suppose
that the overhanging and overshadow-
ing rocks on either side did not balk
or dishearten Jonathan or his body
guard, but only reused and filed tn EN-
with enthusiasm as they went up.
There was sharp rock on the 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 a 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 along, he
might endure it, but two troubles, two
disasters, two overshadowing mis-
fortunes, are Bozez and Seneh. God
pity him!" "Thete is sharp rock on
the one side, and sharp rock on the
other side"
In this crisis of the the text is that
man whose fortune and health fail him
at the same time Nine-tenths of ali
our merchants capsize in business be-
fore they come to As years of age.
There is some collision in commercial
circles, and they stop payment. 1t
seems as if every man must put his name
on the back of a note before he learns
what fool a man il 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 un-
salable goods on his own shelf before
he learns how much easier it is to buy
than to sell. 1t seems as If every man
must be completely burned out before
he learns the Importance of always
keeping fully insured. 1t seems as if
every man must be wrecked in u fnan-
cial tempest before he learns to keep
things snug in case of sudden euro
clydon.
When the calamity does come, it is
awful. The man goes home in despair,
and he tells his family: "We'll have to
90 to the poor house" He takes a
dolorous view of everything. 1t seems
as if he never could rise. But little
time passes, and he says, "Why am
not so badly off after all; have my
family left"
Before the Lord turned Adam out of
Paradise, He gave him Eve, SO that
when he lost Paradise he could stand
it. Permit one who has never read but
few novels in all his life, and who
has not II great deal of romance in his
composition, to say, that it, when a
mans fortune fail, he has good wife
"a good Christian wife-he ought not
to he respondent. "Oh," you say,
"that only increases the embarrass-
ment, since you have her also to take
care Of" 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
woman generally brings the courage
and the faith in God.
Well. this man of whom am speak.
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
twoyears he is quite overit lie makes
his financial calamity the first chapter
in new era of prosperity. He mel
that one trouble-conquered l.. lie
sat down for u little while unde, che
grim shadow of the rock Bozez; yet he
soon arose, and began, like Jonathan
to climb. But how often is it that
physical ailment comes with financial
Z embarrassment! When the fortune
failed it broke the mans spirit. Hi:
nerves were shattered. His brain was
slammed. l can show you hundreds Of
men in our cities whose fortune and
health failed at the same time