The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-09-10

ut the front door to inquire as to his
welfare. But poverty on the one side
and sickness on the other are Bozez and
Seneh, and they interlock their shad-
ows, and drop them upon the poor
mans way. God help himl "There
was a 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 Doas Jonathan did
climb; climb up into the sunlight of
Gods favor and consolation. can go
through the churches, aud 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 difficult thing for man to
feel his dependence upon God when he
has $4,000 in bank and $50,O00 in gov
eminent securities, and 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 friend, if the COM
bined misfortunes and disasters of life
have made you climb up into the arms
of a sympathetic and compassionate
God, through all eternity you will bless
Him that in this world there was
sharp rock on the side, and 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 Il 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 drive. But let man
see it his duty to cross the track of the
world, then every bush is full of horns
and tuslss thrdst at him. They will be-
little him. They will caricature him.
They will call his generosity self-ag-
grandizement, and his piety sane
timoniousness. The very worst persecu-
ton will sometimes come upon him
from those who profess to be Chris
tians
John Milton-great and good John
Milton-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 as to say,in regard to his
theological opponents: "Put them in
whichever sauce you please, roasted,
or fl ed, 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 supercilious air
in condemnation of him; as though
Lord Jeffreys 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 a man than he would
have been without the persecution. So
it was with the great Reformer when
he said: 81 will not be put down; /
will be heard" And so it was with
Willard the preacher, in the time of
Louis XI. When Louis XI sent word
to him that unless he stopped preach.
ing in that style he would throw him
into the river, he replied: "Tell the
king that will reach Heaven sooner
by water than he will reach it by fast
horses" A certain amount of persecu.
ton is a tonic and inspiration, but too
much of it, and too long continued, be-
comes the rock of Bozez throc ing dark
shadow over mans life. hhatis he To
do then? Go home, you say. Good ad
vice, that. That is just the place for q
man to 60 when tie world abuses him.
Go home. Blessed be God for our quiet
and sympathetic homes! Bat there is
many man who has the reputation oil
having home when he has none
Through unthinkingness or preciplta
ton there are many ma tches made thai
ought never to have been made. Al
officiating priest can not alone unite q
couple The Lord Almighty must pro
claim banns. There are many home:
in which there is no sympathy, and nc
happiness, and no good cheer. The
clamor of the battle may not hav,
been heard outside; but God knows
Notwithstanding all the playing
of the wedding March," and all the