Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-08-31
SERMONS OF THE DAY

Subject: "People Of Many Troubles"--A
Certain Amount OF Persecution and
TrIbulation Arousss the Rest That Ia
in Man-wo,nan in a Crisis.
TEXT: sThere was sharp rock on tho
one side, and a sharp rock on the other"
I Sam. xiv, 4.
The cruel army OF the Philistines must
be taken and scattered. There Is just one
man, accompanied by his bodyguard. to
do that thing. Jonathan is the hero Of the
scene. I know that David cracked the
skull of the giant with a few pebbles well
slung and that three hundred Gideonites
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 n rock called BOzez; on the other
side is a rock called Seneh. These two
were as famous In olden times "a in modern
times are Plymouth Rock and Gibraltar.
They were precipitous, unscalable and
sharp. Between these two rocks Jon athan
must make his ascent. The day comes for
the scaling of the height. Jonathan, on
his hands and feet, begins the ascent
With strain and slip and bruise, suppose,
but still on and up, first goes Jonathan,
and then goes his bodyguard. Bozez on
one side, Seneh on the other. After sharp
tug. and push, and cltnging, l see the head
of Jonathan above the hole in the noun
TAIN and there Is a challenge and a fight,
and a supernatural CONSERVATION. These
two men. Jonathan and his bodvguard,
drive back and drive down the Philistines
over the rocks, and open campaign which
demOlishes the enemies OF Israel. l SUP
pose that the overhangiug and Overshai-
owing rocks on either side did not balk or
dishearten Jonathan or his bodvguard. but
only reused and filled them with nthnsi-
asm as they went M. "There was sharp
rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on
the other side.'
some OF vou in this crisis Of the text. II n
man meets one trouble he can go through
with 1t. He gathers all his energies, con-
ceDtrates them on one point, and In the
strength OF God or by his own natural de-
termination, goes through II. Rut the ma n
who has trouble to the right of him. and
trouble to the left Of him, is to be pitied.
Did either trouble come alone, he might
endure it, but two troubles, two disasters.
two overshadowing misfortunes. are Boz~z
and Seneh. God pity himi "There is n
sharp rock on the one side, and sharr
rock on the other side"
In this crisis of the text is that man
whose fortune and health fail him at
the same time. Nine e-tenths OF all our mer-
chants capsize in business before they come
to forty-flve years Of age. There Is some
collision in commercial circles, and tn "
| stop payment. 1t seems rs If every man
must put his Eame on the back OF note
before he learns what fool n man Is who
risks all his own property on the prospect
that some man will tell the truth. 1t seems
as II man must have a large amount oi
unstable goods on his own shelf before he
learns how much easier II Is to buy than tc
sell. 1t seems rs II every man must he com.
pleteiy burned ont before he learns the i'm
portance of always keeping fully insured
1t seems as II every man must be wrecked
in financial tempest before he learns Il
keep things snug in case of sudden euro
clydon.
When the calamity does come, 1t Il
awful. The man goes home In despair,
| and he tells his family, "Well have to 60
| to the poor-house." He takes a dolorous
view of everything. 1t seems as IL he never
could rise. But u little time passes, and
he saws, why. an not so badly oil after
all; have my family left
Before the Lord turned Adam out oi
Paradise, He gave him Eve, 50 that-when
he lost Paradise he could stand it. Per-
nit one who has never read but few
novels in all his life, and who has not II
| great deal OF romance in his composition,
to say, that II, when mans fortunes fail,
| he has good wife-a good Christian wife
he ought not to be despondent. ooh, -
you say, "that only increases the embar-
rassment, since you have her also to take
care Of You are an migrate, for the
| woman as often supports the man as the
bring ali the dollars, but the woman gem
| eraiiy brings the courage and the faith in
| God.
Well this man of whom 1 am speaking
] looks around, and he finds his family is
I 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 II. He makes his financial
| calamity the first chapter in a new era OF
prosperity. He met that one trouble CON
| quered it. He sat down for a little Will"
under the grim shadow of the rock Bozrz;
yet he soon rose. 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.
stunned. 1 can show you hundreds of men
| in our cities whose fortune and health
| failed at the same time. They came
prematurely to the staff Their hand
, trembled with incipient paralysis. They
never saw n well day since the hour when
| they called their creditors together for IA
| compromise. II such men are impatient,
and peculiar, and irritable, excuse them.
| They had two troubles; either one of which
| they could have met successfully. IL, when
| the health went, the fortune had been re-
| tanned, II would not have been so bad. The
man could have bought the very best
medical advice, and he could have had the
| very best attendance, and long lines of
carriages would have stopped at the front
| door to inquire to his welfare. But
poverty on one side and sickness on the
| other are Bozez and Seneh and they inter
lock their shadows. and drop them upon
| the poor mans way. God help html
'"rhcre is n sharp rock on the one side,
ani n sharp rock on the other side
| Now what is such II man to do2 In the
| name of Almighty God, will tell him what
| to DO. Do us Jonathan dii--climh; climh
up into the sunlight of Gods favor AMI
| consolation. l can go through the churches,
| and show you men who lost fortune and
| health mt the same time. AMI yet who siug
| all dnv and dream of Heaven all night. II
| you have any iira that sound digestion,
| and steady nerves. and clear eyesiyht, AMI
| good hearing, and plenty of friends, are
necessary to make n man happy, you have
miscalrninted.
1t is difficult thing for Il man to feel his
| dependence upon God when he has ten
thOus and dollars in the bank, and fifty
thousand dollars in Government securities,
| and II block OF stores and three ships.
| well" the man saySto himself, 1t Is silly
| for me- to pray, Give me this day my daily
bread, when my pantry is full, AMI the
| annals from the West are crowded with
| ,rrahStuffs destined for my storrhouses.
Oa, my iriends, If the combined ini-for-
| tunes and disasters of life have made you
| climb up into the arms of n sympathetic.
and com passionate God, through all eter
nifty you will bless Him that in this worl
"there was ii sharp rock on the one ST De
an! u sharp rock on the other si'ir.
Again, that man is in the crisis of the text
who has home troubles and outside rersr-
cu;ion at the same Zine. The world treat
a man well Just as long rs 1t pays to trsa.
him well. As long as it can manufacture
success ont of his bone and briin aud
muscle, it favors him. The world fattens
the horse it wants to drive. But let Il mau
see it is his duty to cross the truck of the
| world. then every busi is full of horns nnd
tGsSs thrust ut him. Tney will brlittio him.
Thty will carici.ture him. TIey will ca!l
his generosity self-a.grandizcment and his
piety ysanciimoniOusncss. The very worst
persecution will sometimes come upon
him from those who profess to be ChIis
tiGns.
John Milton-great and good John Mil
L. L. fo. hirncalH aa q YlH In