The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-09-22
HELPS IN DISTRESS.
Encouraging Words by Rev. DR..
Talmage to the Distressed.
Climb Up Out of the Shadows. Have Your
Wasted Life Forgiven. and Have
Your Eternal Life Placed on
Sure Basis.

Rev. r. Dewitt Talmage in the fol-
lowing sermon, gives words of cncour-
agement to the afflicted in body and
mind. The text is:
There a sharp rock one one side and a
sharp rock on the other side.-I Samuel, xiv. 4.
The cruel army of the Philistines
must be taken and scattered There is
just one man, accompanied by his
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 we'll slung,
and that 800 Gideonites scattered 10, 900
Amele<ites by the crash of broken
crockerv; but here is more wonderful
conflict. Iondcr are the Philistincs 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 Sene! 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, see the head of
Jonathan above the hole in the noun
tain; and there is challenge, and a
fight, and a supernatural consterna-
tion. These two men, Jonathan and
his bodyguard, drive back and drive
down the Philistines over the rocks,
and opens campaign which demol-
ishes the enemies of Israel. l suppose
that the overhanging and ovcrshadow
ing rocks on either side did not ball1
or dishearten Jonathan or his body
guard, but only reused and filled 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 a man meets one trouble he
can 90 through with it. He 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 piticd.
Did either trouble come along, he
might endure it, but two troubles, two
disasters, two overshadowing mis-.
fortunes, are Bozez and Seneh. God
pity him ''Theie is 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 ~ years Of age.
There is some collision in commercial
circles, and they stop payment II
seems as if 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 i
man must have a 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 d tinan
cial tempest before he learns to keeI
things snug in case of d sudden euro
clydon.
When the calamity does come, it i.
awful. The man goes home in despair
and he tells his family: Well have tc
60 to the poor house. He takes ;
dolorous view of every Ohiug. 1t seem
as if he never could rise. Bat a Httl,
time passes. and he says, why 1 an
not so badly off after all: l have III,
family LETT"
Before the Lord turned Adam cut o
Paradise, He gave him Eve, SO tina
when he lost Paradise he could stant
it. Permit one who has never read bu
q few novels in all his life, and wh'
has not great deal of romance in hi
composition, to say, that if, when
mans fortune 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 talk
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
and the faith in God.
Well, this man of whom l am speak
Ing looks around. and he finds his fam
lily is left. and he rallies, and the ligh
comes to his eyes, and the smile to hi
lace, and the courage to his heart.
twoyears he is quite overit. He IL. X 9
his financial calamity the first chapte
in new era Of prosperity. He me
that one trouble-conquered 1T. II
sat down for a little while under tn
grim shadow Of the rock Bozez: yet h
soon arose, and began, like JONATHAN
to climb. But how often is it tina
physical ailment comes with tinancl'
embarra ss,nent When the forum
Jailed it broke the mans spirit. d