West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-09-13
JOBS COMFORTERS.
SERMON BY DIR. rALmAGE
People Who Annoy One Who Is I'm
TronbIe, Instead OF sympathiz-
ing With Him.

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 OK.
asperatng thing that came upon him was
tho tantalizing talk of those who ought IA
have sympathized with him IooLins
around upon them, and weighing what thew
had said, he utters the words OF my text
% why ala @od let sin come into the world;
~ is question L often hear discussed but
never satisfactorily answered. Goj nsde
the world fair and beautiful at tho start n
our first parent had not siuned I'm Fden
they might have gone out OF that garden
ana round hity paradises all around the
earth-Europe, Asia, Africa, North and
south America--so many flower gardens OF
orchards OF fruit redolent and luscious
suppose that when Col poured out the Gihon
i anu INC nc, 1Iddekei he poured out at the same
hme the Hudson and tho Suaquehanna. tho
whole earth was very fair and benutifnlto
look upon. Why did it not STAY soS God
mad the power to keep back sin ana woe.
my ulI ne not keep them backl Why not
every cloud roseate, and every step n low
ana every sound music, and all the Noes n
long jubilee OF sinless men and sinleSs ,yo-
menf Tod can make rose as easily as he can
make ss a morn Why, then, the predominance
or thornsi He can make good. fair rine
fruit as well as gnarled and sour gruit WHY
30 much, then, that is gnarled and souri, He
can make men robust in health. Why then.
are tnere so many invalidsi Why not have
Tor our whole race perpetual leisure. instead
OF TINS tug and toll and tuSsle for n liyelihooJl
VIII tell you why God let sin come into the
world-when get on the other side of the
river OF Death. That is the ploce whore such
questions will be answered and such rnvstar-
hes solved. He who this side that river at-
.empts to answer che question only illustrates
ms own ignorance and Incompetence. An
know IS one great fact and that Is. that
herd OF woes have come in upon ms tram
ping down everything fair md bcouti
tut a sword at the gate Of Eden. and n
sworo at every gate. More people I'M
Ter the ground than on it, The grave
yards IN vast majority. The six thousand
winters have made more scars than tbo siS
Thousand summers can cover no Trouble
mas taken the tender heart OF this world in
aus TWO rough hands, and pinched il until tho
na.lons wall with the. agony. If all the
mounds OF grayeYards that have been lifted
We're put side by side, you might stem ON
tnem ana on nothing else going NIL around
the world and around again, and around
LIAM LIAM nese arc the facts. And now 1have
20 say that, in a world like this, the grandest
occupation IS that of giving condolence
ms holy science of impartinp comfort 10
the troubled we ought all OF us to study.
mere are many OF You who could look
hLounu upon someo OF your very best friends
VINO wish you well and are very inteIlipent.
ana yet be able truthfully to say 10 them i'm
your days OF trouble, miserable comforters
1 remark, in the first place. that vary, ,,o,,,
Die people are incompetent for the work of
giving comfort Bildad and Eliphaz Ind tho
ElIt OF language, and with their words aImost
, pSo.nered JOBS life out. Alas for these voIu-
De people that go among the houses of tho
AFFLICTED and talk, and talk, and tall and
talk They rehearse their own SORROWS and
then they tell the poor sufferers that thcv
zee, naa now, but they will feel worse after
Whlie. Sllencel Do YOU expect with n
thin court plaster of words 10 hsaI n wand
deep as the soul! Step very gently round
about a broken heart. Talk very softly
around az, ,l those whom God has berefE Then
to say. A firm grasp of the hand con,r,"s
sionate look just one word that means M
much as whole dictionary. and Won bave
given, perhaps, all tho comfort that n sonI
neeuS- ~, "A man has terrible wound in his
arm Inc surgeon comes and binds IL mn
NOW, he says, carry that arm i'm a sling and
be very careful OF it. Let no one touc6 r. y
but the neighbors have heard of the accident
n :. ~ lney come III, aud they say; "Let us see
IL And the bandage is pulled Off and tbis
one and that one must feel it, and sec how
mucn u Is swollen; and there is irritation
ana Inflammation. and exaSperation xvhera
tnere ought 70 be healing and cooling The
surgeon comes in, and says: t'yVhat docs all
TINS meant You have no business 10 to,icb
those bandages. That wound will never heal
unless you letit alone.n So there ara sonIs
broken down in sorrow. What they most want
Is rest, or very careful and gentle Treatment,
but the neighbors have heard of tho bnraa,y,,
ment or OF the loss, and they come in to
sympathize, and they say: SHOW ms noyy tho
wound. What were his last words. Re
hearse now the whole scene How did vo,,
feel when you found You were nm o,.nbs,, =,
Tearing OF the bandages here and pnIlinp
them of there, leaving CHASTITY wound fbai
the balm OF Gods grace had already be0un
70 neal. On, let no loquacious people. with
the distressed "
alAgain remark, that all thosa persons ara
incompetent to give any kind OF comfort who
49, merely e as worldly philo ophers. They
ought TO have expected. The laws Of naf,,re
must have their way and thon they Get elo
quent over something they have seen In most
norVem examinations Now, away with all
human philosophy at such timer What dif.
ference does il make TO that father and
other what disease their son died of He is
dead, and IL makes no difference whether The
trouble was ia the epigastric or hyDo0astric
region. III the philosopher be Of the stoical
school he will come and say: - You ouerht Ia
control your feelings. You must NOT c,.v so
on must cultivate cooler temperament.
4 on must have self reliance, self govern.
ment, self c0ntrol.n an iceberg repr0ving a
nyacinth Tor having drop Of dew in its eye
n violinise has his instrum mt and he
sweeps his fingers across the strings. now
eyoking strains Of Joy, and now strains
or sadness. He cannot play all tho Tunes on
one string. The human SOULS an instrument
or thousand strings. and all sorts OF emo.
stons "srO ma1e 70 pay on H. NOW an
anthem, now dirge. It IS no evidence OF
weakness when one is overcome OF sorrow.
Edmund Burke was found i'm the pasturs
neid with bis arms around n horso's neck
care3sing him and some ono said: "IVhy. the
great man has lost his mindw No. that
horse belonged to his son who had recently
died aud his great heart broke over the
grief. IL is no sign Of weakness that men are
overcome Of their sorrowA Thank God FOR
the relief Of tears. Have you never been In
trouble when you could not wesp ami YOU
would have given anything for n good cryi
DAVID did well when be mourned for Az
saiom, Abraham did well when be bamoaued
sarah, Christ did well when he went FOR
Lazarus, and the last man ! want 20 see come
anyWnere near me when ] have any kind Of
trouble ig worldly philosopher
again j remark that those persons are In
competent for the work Of comfort Laarinr
VINO have nothing but cant % Offer There
are those who have the idea that YOU must
Eroan over tho distressed and afflicted
mere arc times in grief when On8 cheerful
face dawning on o mans soul is worth d
thousand dollars - bin. DO not whine over
bne afflicted. Iake the promises n tho Cos
psi ana utter them I'm manly tone. DO not
- afraid tOemiis if you feel ike 70 DO not
drive any more icarsss through that poor
soul DO not tell him the trouble vas fore.
Ordained % viii uOt De any comfort 20 know
~ vas million years coming. If you want |
- Ind spliuts for "a broken bone do not take |
cast iron. DO not tel them 10 a Coils ius.
tco that weighs out gf.e. They want now
- hear of Gods tender mercy. fn otber
words do not give them aqua forts whom (
they need ve'eriau
Again. remark that thOso persons arc poor
comforter who have never bal any trouble /
tnenso.ve1 larkspur cannot lecture on