Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-09-12

They come in and say, "Why, this is whai
you ought to have expected. The laws ot
nature must have their way" and then they
get eloquent over something they have seer
in post-mortem examinations. Now, away
with all human philosophy at such time
What difference does it make to that father
and mother what disease their son died of
He is dead, and it makes no difference
whether the trouble was in the epigastrie
or hypogastric region. If the philosopher
be of the stoical school he will come and
say: "You ought to control your feelings.
You must not cry SO. Yousmust cultivate a
cooler temperament. You must have self
reliance, self government, self-control;;" an
iceberg reproving hyacinth for having a
drop of dew in its eye. A violinist 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 string. The human soul
is an instrument of thousand strings, and
all sorts of emotions were made to play Oh
it. Now an anthem, now dirge. 1t is no
evidence of weakness when one is overcome
of sorrow. Edmund Burke was found in
the pasture-feld with his arms around a
horses need, caressing him, and some one
said, ''Why, the great man has lost his
mind % No; that horse belonged to his
son who had recently died, and his great
heart broke over the grief. 1t is M sign of
| weakness that men are overcome by their
sorrows. 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 good cry? David did well
when he mourned for Absalom, Abraham
did well when he bemoaned Harab, Christ
did we'll when he wept for Lazarus; and the
last man want to see come anywhere near
me when l have any kind of trouble is a
worldly philosopher.
Again, remark, that those persons are
incompetent for the work of comfort-bear-
ing who have nothing but cant to Offer
There are those who have the idea that you
must groan over the distressed and afflict-
ed. There are times in grief when one
cheerful face dawning upon mans soul is
worth thousand dollars to him. Do not
whine over the afflicted. Take the promises
of the Gospel, and utter them in manly
tone. Do not be afraid to smile if you feel
| like it. Do not drive any more hearses
through that poor soul. Do not tell him
the trouble was foreordained; it will not be
any comfort to know it was million years
coming. If you want to find splints for a
broken bone do not take cast-iron. Do not
tell them it is Gods justice that weighs out
grief They want now to hear of Gods
tender mercy. In other words, do not give
them aqua fortis when they need valerian.
Again l remark, that those persons are
poor comforters who have never had any
| trouble themselves. A larkspur cannot
| lecture on the nature of a snow -fake-it
never saw a snowflake; and those people
who have always lived in the summer of
foil fo hn
| frozen in disaster. God keeps aged people
in the world, think, for this very work of
sympathy. They have been through all
these trials. They know all that which ir-
ritates and all that which soothes. If there
are men and women here who have old peo-
ple in the house, or near at hand so that
they can easily reach them, congratulate
them. Some of us have had trials in life,
and although we have had many friends
around about us, we have wished that
father and mother were still alive that we
might go and tell them. Perhaps they
could not say much, but it would have been
such a comfort to have them around. These
aged ones who have been all through the
trials of life know how to give coincidence.
Cherish them; lei them lean on your arm
these aged people. If, when you speak to
them, they cannot hear just what you say
the first time, and you have to say it a
second time, when you say it a second time
do not say it sharply. If you do you will
be sorry for it on the day when you take
the last look and brush back the silvery
locks from the wrinkled brow just before
they screw the lid on. Blessed be God for
the old people They may not have so
much strength to go around, but they are
Gods appointed ministers of comfort to a
broken heart.
People who have not had trial themselves
cannot give comfort to others. They may
talk very beautifully and they may give
you great deal of poetic sentiment; but
while poetry is perfume that smells sweet,
it makes very poor salve. Ii you have a
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 mean
ing of childlessness, and the having no one
to put to bed at night. or the standing in a
room where every book and picture and
door is full of memories-the door-mat
where she sat, the cup out of which she
drank-the place where she stood at the
door and clapped her hands-the odd fig
ures that she scribbled-the blocks she
built into 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 who have been
comforted in your sorrows, and stand
around these afflicted souls, and say to
them, II 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 must
have faith in God, practical experience,
and good, sound common sense.
But there are three or four considera-
tions that will bring this morning to those
who are sorrowful and distressed, and that
we can always bring to them, knowing that
they will effect cure. And the first con-
sideration is, that God sends our troubles
in love. 1 often hear people in their
troubles say, "Why, l wonder what God
has against mel" They seem to think God
has some grudge against them because
trouble and misfortune have come. Oh no.
Do you not remember that passage of
Scripture, ''Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth?' A child comes in with a
very bad splinter in its hand, and you try
to extract it. 1t is very painful opera
tion. The child draws back from you, but
you persist. You are going to take that
splinter out, so you take the child with a
genus pub ulH grasp, lOr dltuUuSH bueTo
may be pain in it, the splinter must come
out. And it is love that dictates it and
makes you persist. My friends, really
think that neatly all our sorrows in this
world are only the hand of our Father ex-
tracing some thorn. If all these sorrows
were sent. by enemies I would say arm
yourselves against them; and, as in tropical
climes, when tiger comes down from the
mountains and carries off child from the
village, the neighbors band together and go
into the forest and hunt the monster, so l
would have you, if thought these mis-
fortunes were sent by an enemy, 60 out and
battle against them. But no; they come
from Father so kind, so loving, so gentle,
that the prophet, speaking of His tender
ness and mercy, drops the idea of father,
and says, Gas one whom his mother COM
forteth, SO will comfort you.''
Again remark, there is comfort in the
thought that God, by all this process, is 60
ing to make you useful. Do you know
that those who accomplish the most for
God and heaven have all been under the
harrow? Show me man that has done
anything for Christ in this day, in a public
or private place, who has no trouble and
whose path has been smooth. All, no.
once went through an axe-factory and
l saw them take the bars of iron and thrust
them into the terrible furnaces. Then be-
I IL