The Progress., 1898-08-20
copyright, 1898. by American Press Asso-
ciation.I

of DR.. Talmngo is full Of encouragement
for thosa who know not which way to
turn because Of accumulated misfortunes;
text, Samuel xiv, 4, There was a sharp
rock On tho ono sido and sharp rock on
the other side.'
The cruel army Of the Philistines must
be taken and scattered. There is just one
man accompanied by his bodyguard to do
that thing. Jonathan is the hero of tho
scene. I know that David cracked the
skull of the giant with few pebbles we'll
Slang, and that 800 Gideonites scattered
10000 Amalekites by the crash of broken
crockery, 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
O rock called Seneh These two were as
famous in olden times as in modern times
are Plymouth Rock and Gibraltar. They
were precipitous, unsealable 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
stillDn and up, first goes Jonathan, and
then goes his bodyguard. Bozez on one
side, Seneh on the other. After sharp
tug and push and clinging see the head
of Jonathan above the hole in the noun
tain, and there is challenge, and fight,
and supernatural CONSERVATION. These
two men, Jonathan and his bodyguard,
drive back and drive down the Philistines
over the rocks and open campaign which
demolishes the enemies of Israel. sup
pose that the overhanging and overshadow-
ing rocks on either side did not balk or
dishearten Jonathan or his bodyguard,
but only reused and filled them with en-
thusiasm as they went up. "There was
sharp rock on the one side and 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. If
a man meets one trouble, he can go
through with it. He gathers all his ener
gies concentrates them on one point and
In the strength Of God or by his own nat
ural determination goes through 1t. But
the man who has trouble to the right OF
him and trouble to the left of him is to be
pitied. Did either trouble come alone, he
might endure 1t, but two troubles, two
disasters, two overshadowing misfortunes,
are Bozez and Sepeh. God pity himt
There Is sharp roc, 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 mer-
chants capsizo In business before they
come to 40 years of ago. There Is some
collision In commercial circles, and they
stop payment. 1t seems as IL every man
must put his name on the back Of a 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 unsuitable 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 be-
fore he learns the Importance OF always
keeping fully insured. 1t seems as II every
man must be wrecked In financial tenn
pest before he learns to keep things snug
In case of sudden euroclydon.
When the calamity does come, 1t Is aw-
full. The man goes home in despair, and
he tells his family, we'll have to go to
the poorhouse. He takes dolorous view
Of everything. 1t seems as If he never
could rise. But little time passes, and
he says: "Why, lam not SO badly OIL after
ALL have my family left"
Blessing Of . Family.
Before the Lord turned Adam out Of
paradise he gave him Eve SO that when
he lost paradise he could stand 1t. Permit
one who has never read but few novels
In all his life, and who has not great
deal of romance in his composition, to say