The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-11-09
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject; 'Plasters That Will Not
Stick Preached at East
Hampton, y. "

TExT: Miserable eon1orters areye all"
job XVI. =
Tie man Of u had great many trials
the loss OF MS family, the loss Of his prop
erty. the loss Of his health; but the most ex-
asperating thing that came upon him was
tie tantalizing talk Of those who ought to
have sympatAized with him Looking
around upon them, and weighing what they
bad said, he utters the words OF my text
Why did God let sin come into the worldi
Il Is a question l often hear discussed, but
never satisfactorily answered. God made
the world fair and beautiful at the start II
our first rarent had not sinned in Eden,
they might have gone out OF that garden
and found atty pgradises all around the
earth-Europe. Asia, Africa, North and
South America-so many Cover gardens, or
orchards Of fruit, redo.ent and luscious
suppose that when Col poured out the Glhon
and the Hiddekel he poured out at the same
lime the Hudson and the Susquehanna. the
whole earth was very fair and BEAUTIFUL TO
look upon. Why did it not stay sol God
had the power 10 keep back sin and woe.
Why did be not keep them backi Why not
every cloud roseate. and every step JOY,
and every sound music, and all the ages
long jubilee OF sinless men and sinless wo-
mem God can make a rose as easily as he can
make a thorn. Why, then, the predominance
oil tlornsf He can make good, fair. ripe
fruit as well as enariel and sour fruit Why
50 much. then, that is gnarled and souri, lie
can make men robust IN health. Why, then,
are there 50 many invalids. Why not have
for our whole race perpetual leisure, instead
Of tins tug and toll and tussle for LIVELIHOOD
] will tell YOU why God let sin come into the
world-when l get on the other side of the
River Of Death. That is the ploce whera such
questions will be answered and such myster-
ies solved He who this side that river at
tempts 10 answer the question only illustrates
his own ignorance and incompetency. All
know is one great fact and that IS that
herd Of wo=s have come in upon US, tram
ping down everything fair and beauti-
fuL A sword at the gate Of Eden, and a
sword at every gate. More people un-
der the ground than on it. The grave
yards in vast majority. The six thousand
winters have made more scars than the six
thousand summers can cover mp Trouble
has taken the tender heart Of this world in
It's two rough hands, and pinched it until the
nations wall with the agony. II all the
mounds OF graveyards that have been lifted
were put side by side, you might step on
them AMI on nothing else, going all around
tho world. and around again. ami around
again These are the facts And now have
70 say that in a world like this, the grandest
OCCUPATION IS that Of giving copdoence.
This holy science Of impariing comfort TO
the troubled We ought all Of US TO study
There are many Of you who could look
around unon some Il your very best friends
who wish you well and are very intelligent,
and yet Be able truthfullv to say to them in
your days Of trouble, Miserable comforters
are We al
remark, in the first place, thr, very volu-
BE people are incompetent for the work of
giving comfort Eildad and Eliphaz had the
gift OF language, and with their words almost
bothered jobs life out Alas for these volu-
bic people that 90 emong the houses Of the
afflicted and talk. and talk, and talk. and
talk They reaelrse their own sorrows, and
then they tell The poor sufferers that they
feel bad now, but they viii feel worse after
a while Slencei Dc YOU expect with a
thin court pllster OF word, TO heal a wound
deep as the soult step very gently round
about broken heart Talk very softly
around those whom God has hcreft. Thea
20 your way. leep sympathy has not much
20 say. A firm grasp Of the hand compass
sionate look, Just one word that means as
much as whole dictionary. and you have
given PERHAPS, all tie comfort that soul
arm The surgeon comes and binds it up.
"Now, he says, -'carry that arm in n sling and
b. very careful Of it, Let no one touch itn
But the neghuors have heard of the accident,
and they come in, and they say: LET US see
it. And the banda.e Is pulled of, and this
one and that one must feel It, and see how
much it is swollen; and there is irritation,
and Inflammation. and evaporation, where
there ought TO lie healing and cooling. The
surgeon comes in. and says: "Whnt does all
this mean. You have no business 10 touch
those banlages That wound will never heal
unless YOU let il alone" so there are souls
broken down in sorzow. What they most want
is rest. or very careful and gentle treatment;
but the nei.hbors have heard of the bereave-
ment or Of the loss, and they come in TO
sympathize and they say: SHOW us now the
wound What were his last words. Re
hearse .low the whole scene How did YOU
feel when YOU found you were an orphan"
Tearing of the ban1ages here, ami pulling
them OF there leaving ghastly wound that
the balm Of God grace had already begun
to heal Oh, let no loquacious people, with
ever rafting tongues, 60 INTO the homes OF
the distressed
Again remark. that all thosa persona are
incompetent TO give any kind Of comfort who
act merely as worldly philo ophers. They
-ome in and say: why This is what you
ought TO have expected. The laws OF nature
must have their way and then they get elo-
quent over something they have seen IN post
norton examinations Now. away with all
human philosophy at such time, What diff
ference does 1t make to that father and
mother what disease the son died of He IL
dead, and It makes no difference whether the
trouble was in the epigaStrlc or hypogastric
REGION II the philosopher be OF the stoical
school he will come aud say: . You ought to
control your feelings You must not cry So
You must cultivate a cooler temperament.
You must have self reliance, self govern
ment, self CONTROL an iceberg reproving a
hvacinfh for having drop Of dew in its eye.
A violinisr has his instrument, and he
sweeps his fingers across the strings, now
evoking strains of JOY, and now strains
Of sadness. He cannot play all the tunes on
one striug The human soul is an instrument
Of a thousand strings, and all sorts Of emo
tions were male to play on it Now an
anthem now dirge. Il is no evidence OF
weakness when one IS overcome oil sorrow.
Edmund Burke was found in the pasture
field with his arms around a horses neck
caressins him and some one sad; w ny, the
great man has lost his mindl' No, that
horse belonged T. his son VINO had recently
di.-l, and his great heart broke over the
grief. Il is no sign OF weakness that men are
overcome OF their sorrowS Thank God Tor
the relief OF tears. Have you never been IN
trouble when you could not weep, ana on
would have given anything for a good cryt
David did well when he mourned for Ab-
salon. Abraham did well when he bemoaned
Sarah. Christ did well when he wept for
Lazarus and the last man want to see come
anywhere near me when / have any kind oil
trouble is a worldly philosopher.
Again / remark that those persons are in
competent for the work OF comfort bearing
who have nothing but cant TO offer. There
are those who have the idea that you must
croan over the distressed and aiiiicted |
There are times in grief when one cheerful
face dawning on a mans soul IS worth |
thousand dollars TO him. Do not whine over
the afflicted. Take the promises OF the Gos-
Del. and utter them in a manly tone. DO not /
he afraid 10 smile if you feel like it. DO not
drive any more hearses through that poor
soul. DO not tell him the trouble was lore
ordained; il will not be any comfort to Know |
10 was a million velrs coming. IL you want
to find spIints for a broken bone, do not tahe
c st ron. DO not tell them 1t IS Co.'s JUS
tee that weighs out gries. They want now
To hear Of GODS tender mercy. In other
WORKS DO not give them aqua fortis "hen
they need vaerian-
Aeain. remark that those persons are po5r
who have never had any trouo.e
themselves A larkspur cannot lecture On
the nature OF a snOwiiake-It never saw a
snowflake; and those people who have al
ways lived in the summer OF prosperity can
not talk 10 tho-e who are frozen IN disister-
Cod keeps aged people in the world, l tlihA,
for this very work OF sympathy. lhey nave
bs-en through all these trials Ihey Know al
that which irritates and all that which
s00thes
TeOole who have not had trials themselves
cannot give comfort 10 others lhey may
talk very beautifully, and they may give on
a great deal Of poetic sentiment; but willie
poetry is a perfume that smells sweet II III ii5'
4 very poor sllve. If you have grave ia
-FOUR pathway, and somebody comes anu