Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-03
THE PATIENCE OF JOB
FURNISHES A TEXT FOR DR.. TALNAGBS
DISCOURSE
On Oomiortsrs Good and Bad-The Men Who
0fsr Us Worldly OonsOlatOn-Christ the
True Comtortsr-Ths Brightest
Of Hopes.
soecidl Tsleordn 10 TIE Register.

The Rev. T. Dewitt Talmsge. d. D., whit
spends good part of hissummer rest here
took for the subject of his vacation sermon
of this date, "Plasters That Will No
Stick" His text was, Miserable com
forters are ye ALL" Job, ch. xvi, v. 2
Following is the sermon:
The man of Uz had agreat many trials
the loss of his family, the loss of his prop
erty, the loss of his health; but the mos
exssperatiug thing that came upon hin
was the tantalizing talk Of those wh'
ought TO have sympathized with him
Looking around upon them, and weighing
what they had said, he utters the words o
my text.
1 remark, in the first place. that very
yoluble people are incompetent for the
work of giving comfort. Bildad and Eli
phsz had the gift of language, and with
their words almost bothered Jobs life out.
Alas for these voluble people that 90
among the houses of the afflicted and talk
and talk, aud talk, and talk They re-
hearse their own SORROWS, and then they
tell the poor sufferers that they feel badly
now, but they will feel worse after a
while. Silence Do you expect, with 6
thin court-plaster of words, to heal a
wound deep as the soul? Step very gen
tly around about broken heart. Talk
yery softly around those whom God has
bereft. Then 90 Your way.
Trouble has taken the tender heart Of
this world in its two rough hands, and
pitched it until the nations wall with the
agony. If all the mounds of graveysrds
that have been lifted we're put side by
side, you might step on them and on
nothing else, going all around the world
and around again, and around again,
These are the facts. Aud now have tc
saw this in world like this, the grandest
occupation is that of giving coincidence,
This holy science Of impsrting comfort tc
the troubled we ought all of Us to study
There are many of you who GUILD look
around upon some of your bsst friends who
wish you we'll and are very intelligent,
and vet be able truthfally to say to them
in your days Of trouble, miserable com
forts are ye ALL"
NOT WORLDLY COMFORT.
Again ] remark, that all those persons
are incompetent to give any kind OF COM
fort who act merely as worldly philoso
pliers. They come in and say, why,
this is what you ought to have expected
The laws of nature must have their way;3'
and then they get eloquent over something
they have seen in post-martem examina'
tions. Now, away with all human philos'
ophy at such time! What difference
does it make to that father and mother
what disease their son died of? He il
dead, and it makes no difference whether
the trouble was in the epigsstric or hypo.
gastric region. If the Philosopher he of the
stoical school he will come and say, 'You
ought to control your feelings. You must
not cry 30. You must cultivate a cooler
temperament. You must have self.reli.
ance, self-government, sell. lf.control;" an
iceberg reproving hysGinth for having
drop Of dew in it's eye. A vi0linist has
his instrument, and he sweeps his fingers
across the strings, now evcking strains OF
Joy, and now strains Of sadness. He can
not play all the tunes on one string. The
human soul ia an instrument Of thou,
stand strings, and all sorts of emotions
were made to play on it. Now an anthem,
now dirge. 1t is no evidence OF weak
ness when one is overcome of sorrow. Ed
mund Burke was found in the pasture.
field with his arms around horses neck,
caressing him, and some oHe said: "Why,
Al l. h,s ,,n.nIvt
that horse belonged to his son who had re
Gently died, and his great heart broke over
the grief. 1t is no sign of weakness that
men are overcome of their sorrow. Thank
God for the relief of tears. Have you never
been in trouble when you could not weep,
and you would have given anything for a
good cryp David did we'll when he mourned
for Absalom, Abraham did well when he
benz 7aned Sarah, Christ did we'll when he
wept for Lazarus; and the last man want
to see come near me when have auykind
of trouble is a worldly philosopher.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRIALS.
People who have not had trials them
selves can not give comfort to Others.
They may talk very beautifully, and they
may give You great deal Of poetic senti
ment; but while poetry is perfume that
smells sweet, it makes very poor salve.
If YOU have grave in your pathway, and
somebody comes and covers it all over
with flowers, it is a grave yet. Those who
have not had grief themselves know not
the mystery of a broken heart. They
know not the meaning of childlessness,
and the having no one to put to bed al
night. or the standing in a room where
every book and picture and door is full oi
memories-the door-mst where she sat,
the cup out of which she drank-the place
where she stood at the door and clapped
her hands-the odd figures that she scrib'
bled-the blocks she built into g
house. All no, you must have trouble
yourself before you can comfort
trouble in others. But come
all ye who have been bereft and ye whc
have been comforted in your sorrows, and
stand around these afflicted souls, and say
to them, 81 had that very sorrow myself
God comforted me-. and he will comfort
you" and that will 60 right to the spot
In other words, to comfort Others, we mus
have faith in God, practical experience
and good, sound common sense.
But there are three or four considera.
tions that will bring this morning tt
those who are sorrowful and distressed, and
that we can always bring to them, know
ing that they will effect care. And the
first consideration is, that God sends oul
troubles in love. ] often hear people in
their troubles say, why, I wonder what
God has against mew They seem to think
God has some grudge against them because
trouble and misfortune have come. Oh no
Do you not remember that passage o.
Scripture: "Whom the Lord loveth HI
chasteneth?"
Again / remark, there is comfort in the
thought that God, by all this process, i:
going to make you useful. Do you know
that those who accomplished the most for
God and heaven have all been under the
harrow2 Show me man that has done
anything for Christ in this day, in Q pub
lie or private place. who has had no trou'
BILE and whose path has been smooth. All,
no.
FOR THE BEST.
once went through an axe-factory, and
/ saw them take the bars of iron and thrus'
them into the terrible furnaces. Then be
sweated workmen with long tongs stirred
the blazs. Then they brought out bal
Of iron and put it into crushing machine
and then they put between jaws that bi'