Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-08-25
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 uat Into
the Sunilght.

troubles and misfortunes. 1t is based
on the text:
There was q sharp rock one one side and
sharp rock on the other sids.-l Samuel, xiv,
The cruel army of the Phllistjnes
must be taken and scattered. There is
just one man, accompanied by his
body-guard, 10 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 400 Gideouites scattered 10000
Ameiekitcs by the crash of broken
crocitery; hat here is more wonderful
conflict Wonder 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 PERCEPTIONS, 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
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
Jonathan above the hole in the noun
tain; and there is II challenge, and
fight, and a supernatural consterna-
ton. These two men, Jonathan and
his bodyguard, drive back aud 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 filled tin 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. 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 pitied.
Did either trouble come along, he
might endure it, but two trou bies two
disasters, two overshadowing mis-
fortunta, are Bozez and Seneh. God
pity him. "Inete is a sharp rock on
the one side, and a sharp rock on the
other side.
In TINS 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 III business be-
fore they come TO is years of age.
TAere is some collision in commercial
circles, and they stop payment. 1t
seems as if every man must put his name
on the back of Il note before he learns
what Il 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 a large amount of uu-
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
IL hSl W 10blPANtSA CuA iS't oab cSiOhS
he learns the Importance of always
keeping fully insured, 1t seems as if
every man must be wrecked in u inau.
cial tempest before he learns to keep
things snug in case of a 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
go to the poor house" He takes u
doorous 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; l 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
a few novels in all his life, and who
has not great deal Of romance in his
composition, to say, that if, when a
mans fortune fail, he has a good wife
Ia good Christian wife-he ought not
to be 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
two years he is quite over it, lie makes
his financial calamity the first chapter
in new era of prosperity. He met
that one trouble-conquered it. He
sat down for little while under the
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
embarrassment! When the fortune
failed it broke the mans spirit Us
nerves were shattered His brain wa,
stunned | can SNOW yod hundreds OF
men in our cities whose fortune and
health failed at the same time.