The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-08-17
OUR TROUBLES.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Compares Them
to Sharp Rocks.
That Arc Peculiarly Their Own
They Are Urged to Get Up Into
the Sunlight of Gods Fa-
VOr and Consolation.

The following sermon contains much
encouragement for those who are
struggling against adversity-victims
of accumulated misfortunes. The text
is L. Samuel 14:24: "There was a
sharp rock on the one side, 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. Jona-
than is the hero of the scene. | know
that David cracked the skull of a
giant with few pebbles well slung,
and that three hundred Gideonites
scattered ten thousand Amalekites by
the crash of broken crockery, but here
is a more wonderful conflict. Yonder
are the Philistines on the rocks. Here
is Jonathan with his bodyguard in
the valley. On the one side is the
rock called Bozez; on the other side
is rock called Seneh. These two
were as famous in old times as in mod
ern times are Plymouth Rock and
Gibraltar. They were precipitous, un-
scalable, and sharp. Between these
two rocks Jonathan must make his
ascent. The day comes for the seal
ing 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
IN 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 a
fight, and supernatural consterna-
ton. These two men, Jonathan and
his bodyguard, drive back and
drive down the Philistines over
the rocks, and open cam
ign which demolishes the enc
lies of Israel. suppose that the
overhanging and overshadowing rocks
on either side did not balk or dishear-
ten Jonathan or his bodyguard, but
only reused and filled them with en-
thusiasm as they went up. There
was sharp rock on one side, and
sharp rock on the other side"
My friends, you have been, or are
now, some of you, in the crisis of the
text. If man meets one trouble he
can go through with it. He gathers al
his energies, concentrates them on one
point, and in the strength of God, ol
by his own natural determination
goes through it. But the man who ha:
trouble to the right of him, and trou
BILE to the left of him, is to be pitied
Did either trouble come alone, ht
might endure it, but two troubles
two disasters, two overshadowing mis-
fortunes, are Bozez and Sineh. Goo
pity him! There is sharp rock OF
the one side, and a sharp rock OF
the other slde."
In this crisis of the text is that maj
whose fortune and health fail him a
= the same time. Nine-tenths of all ou
merchants capsize in business before
they come to forty-five years of age
There is some collision in commercial
circles, and they stop payment. l
seems as if every man must put hi
name on the back of note before III
learns what fool man is who risk
all his own property on the prospec
that some man will tell the truth. l
seems as if a man must have larg
amount of unstable goods on his owl
shelf before he learns how much easie
it is to buy than to sell. 1t seems a
if every man must be completed,
burned out before he learns the impor
tance of always keeping fully insured
1t seems as if every man must b
wrecked in financial tempest befor
he learns to keep things snug in cas-
of sudden euroclydon.
When the calamity does come, it i
awful. The man goes home in despair
and he tells his family, We'll have t.
go to the poor house." He takes
dolorous view of everything. 1t seem
as if he never could rise. But littl
time passes, and he says: "Why, l al
not so badly off after all; 1 have m,
family left"
Before the Lord turned Adam out O
Paradise, he gave him Eve, so tina
when he lost Paradise he could stan
it, Permit one who has never rea
but q few novels in all his life, an
who has not great deal of romance i
his composition, to say that if, when
mans fortunes fail, he has a good wifi
"a GOOD Christian wife-he ought NO
to be respondent. "Oh," you say
that only increases the embarrass
ment, since you have her also to TAX
care Of" You are an migrate, for tn
woman as often supports the man a
the man supports the woman. Th
man may bring all the dollars, but tn
woman generally brings the courag
ard the faith in God.
Well this man of whom l am speal
ing looks around, and he finds his fan
lily is left, and he rallies, and the ligh
comes to his eyes, and the smile to hi
face, and the courage to his heart.
two years he is quite over it. II
makes his financial calamity the frs
chapter in new era of prosperit,
He met that one trouble-conquered i
He sat down for little while unde
the grim shadow of the rock Boze2
yet he soon rose, and began, like Jon;
than, to climb. But how often is
that physical ailment comes wit
financial embarrassment! When tn
fortune failed it broke the mans spiri
His nerves were shattered. His brai
was stunned. can show you hui
dreds of men in our cities whose foI
tue and health failed at, the same tim
They came prematurely to the stat
Their hand trembled with incipier
paralysis. They never saw well da
since the hour when they called the
creditors together Tor comproms