The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1888-09-08
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Comfort I'm the Thought thnt God Ii
Going 10 Make xou Useful.

preached AZ East Hampton, y. u. sunday.
lie took for the subject Of his vacation SER
mon "Plasters That Will Not Stick His
text was miserable c0mfortcrs are ye ALL"
job xvi, >.
lie said:
The man OF Uz had great many trials
the loss OF his family. the loss Of his prop
erty, the loss OF his health; but the most ex-
sspcraiing thing that came upon him was
the tantallzing talk Of those who ought 10
have sympathized with him. Looking around
upon them, and weighing what they had
said, he utlers the words Of my text.
Why did God let sin come INTO the world?
IL il a question | often hear discussed but
never satisfactorily answered. God made
the world fair and beautiful at the start III
our first parents had not sinncd In Eden,
they might have gone out OF that garden
and found fifty paradises all around the
earth-km opc, Asia. Aria, North and
South America so many flower gardens, or
orchards OF fruit red0lent and luscious. /
suprosc that when God poured out the Gihon
and the lliddekel he pour ed out at the same
time the Hudson and the Susquehanna; the
whole earth was very fair and beautiful TO
lcok upon. Why did IL not stay soi God
had the power to keep back S,n and woe.
Why didbe not keep them backl why not
every cloud rJseaie, aud every sep JOY. and
every sound music, and all the age. long
Jubilee OF sincss men anu sinlcss women
God can make a rose AS easily as he cnn make
n thorn. Why, then, the predominance OF
thornsg He can make good, fair, ripe fruit
as well as gnarlcd and sour fruit. Why 20
much then, that 4 gnarled and soury Hecan
make men robust la health. Why, then, are
there so many inyaldsy Why not have for
our whole race perpetual leisure, instead OF
tins tug and toll and tus.c for l.yelihoodr
j VIII tell you why God lets come into the
world-when get on the other silc OF the
River OF Death. That is the place where
such questions will be answered and such
mysteries solved. lie who this side TINT
river attempts TO answer the question only
illustrates his own ignorance and incompe.
tcncy. All know II one great fact. and
that Is that herd OF woes have come IN
til01 Us, irampllng down everything fair
and beautiful. A sword at the gate OF Eden,
and sword az every gate. More people
under the ground than on IL. The grave
yards 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 I'm
its two rough hands, and pinched 10 until
the nations wall with the agony. III all the
mounds OF grayeyards that have been lifted
were pat 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. And now |
have 10 say that, In a world like this the
grandest occupation IL that OF giving con-
dol,nce. This holy science OF imparting
10 study. There are many OF you who
could look around upon some OF your very
best FRI nds WHO wish YOU well and are
very intelligent and yet be able truthfnlly
90 say 10 them in your days OF trouble,
Miserable comforters are ye ALL"
remark In the first place. that very vol
ublc people are incompetent for the work
OF giving comfort. Bldad and Eliphaz had
the Gift OF language, and with their words
almost bothered jobs life out. Alas for
these volatile people that 90 among the
houses OF the afflicted and talk and talk, and
talk, and talk They rehearse Their own sOr-
rows. and then they tell the poor sufferers
that they feel badly now, but they will feel
worse after n while. Silence! DO you ex-
pest with thin court plaster OF words 20
heal wound deep as the soull Step very
gently around about broken heart. Talk
very softly around those whom God has be-
reft Then 20 your way. Deep sympathy
has not much % say. a firm grasp OF the
hand compassionate look, just one word
that means rs much rs whole dictionary,
and you Rave given, perhaps, oil the comfort
that "A soul needs A man has n terrible
binds IL up. "Now," he says, carry that
arm in a sling and be very careful OF II.
Let no one touch It," But the nolghbors
have heard OF the accident and they come
i'm, and they say, "Let las zee It, And tho
bandage Il pulled OF, and this one and that
swollen; and there Is irritation. and infla-
mutton and cNns Grafton, where there ought
10 he cooling. The surgeon comes In, and
SAYS: Nv hat doe, all this mean. You have
mo busincs, 10 touch thee bandages. Tint
wound will never heal n es7 YOU let 10
alone" SO there are souls lroken down in
sorrow. what they most want Il rest, or
VERY careful and gentle treatment; but tn.
neishbors have heard OF the bereavement or
OF the loss, aud thy come In To srmpathize,
aud they say "show rs now the wound.
What were his last wOrdsy Reheir>e now the
whole aegc. How did you feel when you
fouad YOU were an orphan Tearing on
the banaages here and pulling them OF
there leaving CHASTITY wound that tho balm
Of Gods trsc has already begun 10 heal.
Oh, le. no loduaclous people, With ever rat
Ting tongues, 20 into the homes OF the dis
trcs.tdl
Again I remark. that oil tho-e persons are
incomrctent 90 give any knd OF comfort
who act merely as worldly philosophers.
They come IN and say: w ny, this Is What
YOU oul ht 10 have expected. The laws OF
nature must have their way and then they
ret eloquent over something thev have sotn
In rostmortcm examinations. Now, away
with all human philosophy at such time
What difference 90 = II make TO that father
aud mother what disease their son di-d OFT
lie Il de- q, ana u makes no dinerece whethef
the trouble was In the epigastric or hypo-
gastr G region. II the philosopher bs OF the
sto.cal school he Will come aud say: "lou
ought to control your Feelings. You must
not cry so. You must cultivate a cooler tenn.
perment. You must have self rtlancG self
government s'lf uontrol;' an iceberg ~ SroN'
In hyacintn Tor ha, Ing a drop OF dew In
IT'S eye A vl0linist has his In trumcnt. tnd
he sweeps his fingers ario>s the strings, now
cyoging strains OF Joy, and now strains oi
sadness. lie cannot play all the tunes on one
string. The human soul - an instrument ol
L.. "A all q al
,verc made 10 play on II. Now an an hem
.no,v n a,rge "A I, no evidence Of weakness