The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-09-07

comforters who hay never had any trouble
themselves. A larkspur cannot lecture on
the nature of q snowAake-it never saw q
snowflake; and those people who rave al
ways lived In the summer Of prosperity can.
not talk to those who are frozen In disaster.
God keeps aged people In tho world, I think,
for this very work OF sympathy. They have
been through all these trials. They know al
that which i~rritates and all that which
soothes. II there are men and women here
who have old people In the house, or near al
hand so that they can easily reach them, !
congratulate them Some Of us nave 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 Il would have
been such q comfort to have them around
These aged ones who have been all through
the trials Of life know how to give condo
lence. Cherish them; let them lean on your
arm-these aged people. II, when you speak
to them, they cannot hear just what you say
the first time, and you have to say it q second
time, when you say it the second time do moi
say it sharply. If you do you win be sorry
for it on the day when you take the last look
and brush bach 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 &c
around, but they are Gods appointed minis.
tiers Of comfort TO a broken heart.
People who hav not had trials themselves
cannot give comfort to others. They may
talk very beautifully, and they may give you
q great deal Of poetic sentiment; but while
poetry is perfume that smells sweet, it makes
a very poor salve. II you have a grave In
your pathway, and somebody comes and
covers it all over with fowess, 1t is a grave
yet. Those who have not had grief them
selves know not the mystery of a broken
heart They know not the meaning of child
~lessness, 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 maj where she sat. the
cup out Of which she drank-the place
where she stood at the door and
clapped her hands-.the odd figures
that she scribhled-the blocks she built into
q house. All, no; you must have trouble
yourself before you can comfort trouble In
others. But come all We who have been be-
reft and ye who have been comforted in
your sorrows, and stand around these afflicted
oO04o, 1AA0 ~ ~ kbCl1s u LII tua9 e
sorrow myself. God comforted me, and he
win comfort you" and that win go right to
the spot. In other words, to comfort others
We must have faith in God, practical expert
ence and good, sound common sense.
But there are three or four considerations
that I viii bring this morning to those who
are sorrowful and distressed, and that we
can always bring to them, knowing that
they will effect q cure. And the first con
sideration is, that God sends our troubles in
love. 1 often hear people in their troubles
say, "Why, / 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 passageof Scripture, "Whom
the Lord loveth he chastenethf' A child
comes In with a very bad splinter in its
hand, and you try to extract it. 1t is a very
painful operation. The child draws back
from you, but you persist. You are going
to take that splinter out, SO you take the
child with a gentle but firm grasp; for al
though there 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 nearly all our sorrows in
this world are only the hand Of our Father
extracting some thorn. If all these sor-
rows were sent by enemies / would
say, arm yourselves against them; and, as in
the tropical chimes, when a tiger comes down
from the mountains and carries of a child
from the village, the neighbors band together
and go into the forest and hunt the monster,
SO I would nave you, If I thought these mis-
fortunes were sent by an enemy, go out and
battle against them. But no; they come
from a Father so kind, so loving, so gentle,
that the prophet, speaking of his tenderness
and mercy, drops the idea of a father, and
says, GAS one whom his mother comforteth,
so will / comfort you"
Again l remark, there is comfort in the
thought that God, by all this process, is going
to make you useful. Do you know that those
who accomplish the most for God and heaven
have all been under the harrow7 Show me q
man that has done anything for Christ in
this day, in a public or private place, who has
had no trouble and whose path has been
smooth. All, no.
/ once went through an az factory, and ]
saw them take the bars of iron and thrust
them into the terrible furnaces. Then
besweated workmen with long tongs stirred
the blaze. Then they brought out a bar Of iron
and put it into a crushing machine, and then
they put it between jaws that bit it in twain.
Then they put it on an anvil, and there were
great hammers swung by machinery-each
one a half ton in weight-that went thumpl
thumpl thumpi If that iron could have
spoken, it would AVE said, "Why all this
beatinga Why must / be pounded any more
than any other ironP' The workmen would
have said, 1--WE want to make axes out of
you, keen, sharp axes-axes with which to
hew down the forest, and build the ship, and
erect houses, and carry ON a thousand enter
prises of civilization. That's the reason We
pound you" Now, God puts a soul into the
furnace Of trial, and then it is brought out
and run through the crushing machine, and
then it comes down on the anvil, and upon it
blow after blow. blow after blow, and the
soul cries out, 30 Lord, what does all this
meanp' God says, II want to make some
thing very useful out Of you. You shall be
something to hew with and something to build
with. 1t is a practical process through
which am putting you.n Yes, my Chris
tan friends, we want more tools in the
church Of God Not more wedges to split
with; we lave enough of these. Not more
bores with which to drill; we rave too many
bores. What we really want is keen, sharp,
well tempered axes, and if there be any other
way of making them than in the hot furnace,
and on the hard anvil, and under the heavy
hammer, I do not know what it is. Remem-
Der that If God brings any kind Of chastise-
ment upon you, it Is only to make you use
full. Do not sit down discouraged and say,
81 nave no more reason for living. l wish
I were dead Oh, there never was so much
reason for your living as now! By this or
deal You lave been consecrated q priest OF
the Most High God. Go out and do your
whole work for the Master.
Again, there is comfort in the thought that
all our troubles are q revelation. Have you
ever thought Of it in that connecticut The
man who has never been through chastise-
ment is ignorant about q thousand things In
his soul he ought to know. For instance,
here is a man who prides himself on his
cheerfulness Of character. He has no pa
thence with anybody who is depressed in
spirits. Oh, it is easy for him to be cheer
full, with bis fine house, his filled wardrobe,
and well strung instruments Of music, and
tapestried parlor, and plenty Of money inthe
bank waiting for some permanent invest
ment It is easy for him to be cheerful. But
suppose his fortune goes to pieces, and his
house goes down under the sheriffs hammer,
and the banks win not have anything to do
with his paper. Suppose those people who
were once elegantly entertained at his table
get 80 short sighted that they cannot
recognize him upon the street. How
theni Is 1t so easy to be cheerful
It Is easy to be cheerful in the home, after
the days work Is done, and the gas is turned
on, and the house is full of romping little
ones. But suppose the piano Is shut because
the fingers that played on It will no more
touch the keys, and the childish voice that
asked so many questions will ask 10 more
Thenas 1t SO easyf When q man wakes up
and finds that his resources are all gone, he
begins to rebel, and be says; .sGod Is hard;