Sharp County record., 1888-09-20


the times on one string. The human soul
is an instrument of thousand SVlIuE9'
and all sorts of emotions were mauo "
play on it-nOw an anthem, now ul's
IL is no evidence of weakness Wnen on0
| is overcome Of sorrow.
Edmund Burke was foundin hepaSture
field with his arms around horse 5 neVA'
caressing him, and some one Sala; -,
"Whv. the great man has lost ms
mindv y; No; that horse belonged 10 MS
son, who had recently died, and his great
heart broke over the grief 1t IS no SlSu
of weakness that men are overcome VI
their sorrows. Thank God for the rene
Of tears Have YOU never been in trouDie
when Won could not weep, and you WouIu
have giyen any thing for a good c[y'
David did we'll when he mourned lor
AbsoIom. Abraham did we'll when he pc
moaned Sarah; Christ did well when he
went for Lazarus, and the last man l
want to see come anywhere near NE wITn
| have any kind of trouble Is a WorIul!
philosopher
Again remark, that those persons are
incompetent for the work OF comfort
bearing who have nothing but cant 10
offer, There are those who have the ldea
that Won must groan over the distressed
and afflicted. There are times IN grlel
when one cheerful face daWnlng upon
mans soul is worth one thousand dollars
TO iim. Do not whine over the athlcteu'
Take the promises of the Gospel, and Ut
fer them in a manly tone Do not De
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 one million years coming
If YOU want to find splints for 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 remark that those pers ons are
poor comforters who have never ha d any
trouble themselves. A larkspur can not
lecture on the nature of a snOwfake-it
never saw snowflake; and those people
who have always lived in the summer OF
prosperity can not talk to those who are
frozen in disaster. God keeps aged peo-
! ple in the world, | think, for this very
work of sympathy. They have been
through all these trials. They know all
that which irritates and all that which
sOothas. If there are men and WON en-
here who have old people in their house.
| paSllV
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
comfort to have them around. The aged
ones who have been all through the trials
of life know how to give coincidence,
Cherish them; let them lean on your arm
these aged people. If, when you speak
to them, they can not hear just what you
say the first time, and you have to say it
a second time, when you say it the 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
silverv 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 Lad trials them
selves can not give comfort to others.
They may talk very beautifully, and they
may give you a great deal of poetic senti-
ment, but while poetry is perfume that
smells sweet, it makes very poor salve,
If you have a grave in your pathway, and
some body 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 broken heart. They
know not the meaning 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 figures that
she scribbled, the blocks she built into a
house. All, no, you must have trouble
yourself before you can comfort trouble
in others. But come all ye who have
been bereft, and We who have been com =
forted in your sorrows, and stand around
these afflicted souls, and say to them: 81
had that very sorrow myself. God COM
forted me, and He will comfort yOu," and
that will go 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 l will bring this morning to
those who are Sorrowful and distres sed
and that we can always bring to them
knowing that they will effect a cure. And
the first consideration is, that God sends
our trouble in love. often hear people
in their troubles say: "Why, l wonder
what God has against mew 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 q very bad splinter In its
! hand, and you try to extract it. 1t is q
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 although there may be pain in
| it, the splinter must come out, Aud it is
| love that dictates it and makes you per-
sist. My friends, Ireally think that all
| our sorrows in this world are only the