The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-10-04
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
An Inter sting Sermon on An
Everyday Subject.
"PIasters That Will Not Stick" or World
ly Philosophers Versus Christ's Dis
clpIes as Ministers to Troub-
led Spirits.

'ftaSBcHD 1n4G w III Not SttCks W sNoHAu-
" Philosophers Versus Christ's Dis
clpIes as Ministers TO Troub-
led Spirits.
The following sermon was delivered by
Rev. T. Dewitt Talpage at East Hamp-
ton, N. Y. where he is spending his sum-
mer vacation. His text was:
Miserable comforters are We ail-Job, xvi. 5.
The man OF Uz had great many trials
property, the loss of his health; but the
most exasperating thing that came upon
him was the tantalizing talk of those who
ought to have sympathized with hin.
Looking around upon them, and weigh
ing what they had said, he utters the
words Of my text
Why did God let sin come into the
worldf 1t is a question / often hear dis
cussed, but never satisfactorily an
swered. God made the world fair and
beautiful at the start. II our first par
ents had not sinped in Eden they might
have gone out of that garden and found
fifty paradises all around the earth-Eu-
rope, Asia, Africa, North and South
America-so many flower gardens, or
orchards of fruit, redolent and luscious.
/ suppose that when God poured out the
Gihon and the Hiddekel. he poured
out at the same time, the Hud-
son, and the Susquehanna; the
whole earth was very fair and beautiful
to look upon. Why did it not stay So?
God had the power to keep back sin and
woe. Why did He not keep tn EN- back?
Why not every cloud poseate, and every
step q Joy, and every sound music, and
all the ages long jubilee Of sinless men
and sinless women? God can make q
rose as easily as He can make a thorn.
Why, then. the predominance Of thorns?
he can make good, fair, ripe fruit as we'll
as gnarled and sour fruit. Why so much,
then, that is gnarled and sour? He can
make men robust in health. Why, then,
are there so many invalids? Why not
have for our whole race perpetual leisure,
instead Of this tug and toll and tussle for
q livelihood?
will tell you why God let sin come into
the worid-when get on the other side Of
the River of Death. That is the place
where such questions will be answered
and such mysteries solved. He who this
side of that river attempts to answer this
question, only illustrates his own igno-
rance and incompetency. All know is
one great act and that is that herd of
woes have come in upon us, trampiing
down every thing fair and beautiful. A
sword at the gate of Eden, and a sword
at every gate. More people under the
ground than on it. The gravey ards in
vast majority. The six thousand winters
have made more scars than the
six thousand summers can cover
up. Trouble has taken the tender
heart of this world in its two rough hands,
and pinched 1t until tbs nations wall with
the agony. II all the mounds of grave
yards that have been. lifted were put side
by side, you might step on them, and
nothing else, going all around the world,
and around again, and around again.
These are the facts. And now have to
say that, in world like this, the grand
est occupation is that Of giving condo
1ence. This holy science OF impartine
comfort to the troubled we ought all OF
us to study. There are many of you who
could look around upon some of your
very best friends who wish you well ani
are very intelligent, and yet be able
truthfully to say to them in your days Of
trouble:
Miserable comforters are We all.
remark, in the first place, that very
voluble people are incompetent for tn,
work of giving comfort. Bildad ant
Eliphaz had the gift Of language, ant
with their words almost bothered Job.
life out. Alas for these voluble peopl,
that 60 among the houses of the afflicted
and talk, and talk, and talk, and talk
They rehearse their own sorrows ant
then they tell the poor sufferers that the,
feel badly now, but they will feel wors,
after awhile. Silencei Do you expect
With a thin courtplaster Of words, to hea
wound deep as the soul? Step yer!
gently around about broken heart
Talk very softly around those whom Got
has bereft. Then go your way. Deel
sympathy has not much to say. A firm
grasp Of the hand, a compassionate look
just one word that means as much as
whole dictionary, and you have given
perhaps, all the comfort that q sou
needs. A man has a terrible wound il
his arm. The surgeon comes and bind
1t up.
Nov" he says, ''carry that arm in a
sling, and be very careful of it Let nc
one touch it."
But the neighbors have heard Of the &C
cident, and they come in, and they say:
Let us see it." And the bandage is
pulled of, and this one and that one mus
feel it, and see how much it is swollen;
and there is irritation, and Inflammation
and evaporation, where there ought to bs
healing and cooling. The surgeon come
in and says:
What does all this mean? You have
no business to touch these bandages
That wound will never heal unless yo,
let it alone"
So there are souls broken down in sor-
row. What they most want is rest, O.
very careful and gentle treatment; bu
the neighbors have heard of the bereave
ment or Of the loss, and they come in Il
sympathize, and they say:
s'Show US now the wound. What were
his last words? Rehearse now the Who'll,
scene. How did you feel when you fou n,
you were an orphanp
Tearing off the bandages here, and pull
ing them off there, leaving CHASTITY
wound that the balm of Gods grace hat
already begun to heal. Oh, let no loaua.
cious people with ever-rattling tongues q
into the homes of the distressed
Again, / remark that all those persons
are incompetent to give any kind of com
fort who act mel ely as worldly philoso
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