The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-08-27
MEETING TROUBLES.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Gives Encourage
ment to the Unfortunate.
Where Happiness May be Found Even In
the Midst of the Most Severe
Triais-Getting Out Into
the Sunlight.


The following discourse by Rev. T
Dewitt Talmage contains encourage
ment for those who are in the midst O
troubles and misfortunes. 1t Is base,
on the text:
There was o sharp rock ono one side and
sharp rock on the other side.-I Samuel, XIV, 4
The cruel army of the Philistinel
mustSbe taken and scattered. There Il
just one man, accompanied by hi
body-guard, to do that thing. iona
than is the hero OF the scene know
that David cracked the skull of the
giant with few pebbles well slung
and that 400 Gideonites scattered 10, OOt
Amelekites by the crash of broker
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 a rock called Bozez: on the other
side is rock called Seneh. These two
were as famous in olden times as in
modern times are Plymouth Rock and
Gibraltar. They were precipitous, un.
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 a sharp tug, and
push and clinging, l see the head of
Jonathan above the hole in the noun
tain; and there is a challenge, and a
fight, and a supernatural consterna-
ton. These two men, Jonathan ard
his bodyguard, drive back and drive
down the Philistines over the rocks,
and opens campaign which demol-
ishes the enemies of Israel. 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 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. lie 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 pi.ied.
Did either trouble come along, he
might endure it, but two troubles, two
disasters, two overshadowing mis-
fortunes, are Bozez and Seneh. God
pity himr' There is a 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 II every man must put his name
on the back of n note before he learns
what fool a man is who risks all his
own property on the prospect that some
man will tell the truth. 1t seems as if |
a 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 il |
every man must be wrecked in finan.
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 lie tells his family: "WeIl have to
go to the poor house" He takes a
dolorous view of everything. 1t seems
rs II he never could rise. But a little
time passes, and he says, "Why l. am
not so badly off after all, 1 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
t. Permit one who has never read but
few novels in all his life, and who
aas not great deal of romance in his
to say, that if, when
mans fortune fail, he has good wife
"a good Christian wife-he ought not
% be respondent "Oh," you say,
that only increases the embarrass-
nent, since you have her also to take
are Of" You are an migrate, for the
woman as often supports the man as
he man supports the woman. The
nan may bring all the dollars, but the
woman generally brings the courage
md the faith in God.
Well, this man of whom am speak, ,
ng looks around, and he finds his fam ,
ly is left, and he rallies, and the light :
omes to his eyes, aud the smile to his :
ace, and the courage to his heart. In :
wo years he is quite overit He makes ;
is financial calamity the first chapter :
n new era Of prosperity. He met =
hat one trouble-conquered 1t. Hell ;
at down for n little while under the :
rim shadow of the rock Bozez; vet he =
BON arose, and began, like Jonathan,
D climb. But how often is it that !
hysical .ailment comes with financial =
Embarrassment! When the fortune :,
iiled 1t broke the mans spirit. His =
erves were shattered. His brain was =
,unned. can show you hundreds OF :
len in our cities whose fortune and
ealth failed at the same time.
hey came prematnraIv - 49,