The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-09-19
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Plasters That Will Not
Stick" preached at East
Hampton, N. w.
TEXT: "Miserable couaforters are re ALL
Job xvi, 2

The man OF w naQ RreaG many trlalS-
the loss of his family, the loss of his prop.
asperating thing that came upon him was
the tantalizing talk Of those who ought to
have sympathized with him. Looking
around upon them, and weighing what they
had said, he utters the words OF my text.
Why did God let sin come into the world
It is question I often hear discussed, but
never satisfactorily answered. God made
our first parent had not sinned in Eden,
they might have gone out Of that garden
and found fifty paradises all around the
earth-Europe, Asia, Africa, North and
South America-so many flower gardens, or
orchards of fruit, redolent and luscious: l
suppose that when God poured out the Gihon
and the Hiddekel he poured out at the same
lime the Hudson and the Susquehanna; the
whole earth was very fair and beautifp! to to
had the power to keep back sin and woe.
Why did he not keep them backl Why not
every cloud roseate; and every step JOY,
and every sound music, and all the ages
long jubilee of sinless men and sinless wo-
men! God can make rose as easily as he can
make q thorn. Why, then, the predominance
of thorns! He car make good. fair, ripe
fruit as we'll as gnarled and sour fruit. Why
30 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 alivelihood!
will 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 where SUCH
questions will be answered and such myster-
les solved. He who this side that river at
tempts to answer the question only illustrates
his own ignorance and incompetency. All
know is one great fact, and that is, that
herd of woes have come in upon us, tram
pling down everything fair and beauti-
full. A sword at the gate of Eden, and
sword at every gate More people un-
der the ground than on it. The grave
yards in vast majority. The six thousand
winters have made more scars than the six
thousand summers can cover mp Trouble
has taken the tender heart Of this world in
its two rough hands, and pinched it until the
nations wall with the agony. II all the
mounds Of graveyards that have been lifted
were put side by side, you might step on
them and on nothing else, going all around
the world, and around again. and around
to say that, in a world like this, the grandest
occupation is that of giving condolence.
This holy science Of imparting 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 and are very intelligent,
and yet be able truthfully to say to them in
your days Of trouble, miserable comforters
are ye all"
I remark, In the first place, that very volu.
ble people are incompetent for the work Of
giving comfort. Bildad and Eliphaz had the
oift Of language, and with their words almost
bothered Jobs life out Alas for these volu-
bic people that 60 among the houses OF the
afflicted and talk, and talk, and talk, and
talk! They rehearse their own sorrows, and
then they tell the poor sufferers that they
q while. Silence! Do you expect with a
thin court plaster Of words to heal wound
deep as the souls Step very gently round
about q broken heart. Talk very softly
around those whom God has bereft- Then
90 your way. Deep sympathy has not much
to say. A firm grasp of the hand, compass
sionate look, just one word that means as
much as whole dictionary. and you have
given, perhaps, all the comfort that soul
needs A man has terrible wound in his
arm The surgeon comes and binds it up.
stNow, nhe says, 'carry that arm IN sling and
be very careful of it. Let no one touch it"
But the neighbors have heard Of the accident,
and they come in, and they say: "Let US see
it." And the bandage is pulled of, and this
one and that one must feel it, and see how
much it is swollen; and there IS irritation,
and Inflammation. and evaporation, where
there ought to he healing and cooling. The
surgeon comes in and says: "What does ali
this mean? You have no business to Jouch
those bandages. That wound will never heal
unless YOU let it alone" So there are souls
broken down in sorrow. What they most want
is rest, or very careful and gentle treatment;
but the neighbors have heard OF the bereave-
ment or of the loss, and they come In 10
sympathize, and they say: Show US now the
wound. What. were his last words? Re-
3earse now the whole scene. How did yo!
feel when you found you were an orphan"
Tearing Of the bandages here, and pulling
them off there, leaving ghastly wound tbat
the balm of Gods grace had already begun
to heal Oh, let no loquacious people, with
ever rafting tongues, go into the homes OF
the distressed!
IlAgain remark, that all those persons are
incom petent to give any kind Of comfort who
act merely as worldly philosophers. They
come in and say: "Wny. this is what you
ought to have expected. The laws of nature
must have their way" and then they get elo-
uuent over something they have seen in post
mortem examinations Now, away with all
human philosophy at such time? What dn,
ference does it make to that father ana
mother what disrase their son died OF! DE II
dead, and it makes no difference whether the
trouble was in the epigastric or hypogastric
region. II the philosopher be Of the stoical
schoo. he will come and say: You ought to
control your feelings. You must not cry So
You must cultivate cooler temperament
You must have self reliance, self govern
ment, self CONTROL" an iceberg reproving
hyacinth for having drop OF dew in its eye.
A yiolinisr 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 SOULS an instrument
of a thousand strings, and all sorts OF emo.
tions were made to play on it. Now an
anthem, now dirgs. 1t is no evidence OF
weakness when one IS overcome or sorrow
Edmund Burke was found in the pasture
field with his arms around a horses neck,
caressng him and some one said: why. the
great man has lost his mindi' No, that
horse belonged to his son who had recently
died, and his great heart broke over the
grief. 1t is no sign of weakness that men are
overcome of their sorrows. Thank Col TOR
the relief of tears. Have you never been in
would have given anything for good cry!
David did we'll when he mourned for Ab-
SALON., Abraham did well when be bemoaned
Sarah, Christ did we'll when he wept for
Lazarus, and the last man l want to see come
anywhere near ms when have any kind OF
strouble is a worldly philosopher
Again / remark that those persons are in
competent for the work OF comfort bearing
who have nothing but can't to offer There
are thosa who have the idea that you must
groan over the distressed and afflicted.
There are times in grief when one cheerful
face dawning on mans soul is worth
thousand dollars to him. Do not whine over
the afflicted. Take the promises Of the Cos.
pei, 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 fore
ordained; it will not be any comfort to know
it was million years coming. II you want