The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-09-07

ought to control your Feelings. You
must not cry SO. You must cultivate q
cooler temperament. You must have
self reliance, self government, self con-
trol;" an iceberg reproving a hyacinth
for having drop of dew in itA 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 can not
play all the tunes on one string.
The human soul is an instrument OF a
thousand strings. and all sorts of emotions
were made to play on 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 field with his arms around a
horses neck 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
no sign of weakness that men are over
come of 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 a
good cry9 David did well when he
mourned for Absalom, Abraham did well
when he bemoaned Sarah, Christ did well
when he wept for Lazarus; and the last
man want to see come anywhere near
me when have any kind of trouble is a
worldly philosopher.
Again remark, that those persons are
incompetent for the work of comfort
bearing who have nothing but cant to
offer. There are those who have the idea
that you must groan over the distressed
and afflicted. There are times in grief
when one cheerful face dawning upon a
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 COM
fort to know it was million years COM
ing. 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 FORTS
when they need valerian.
Again I remark that those persons are
poor comforters who have never had any
trouble themselves. A larkspur cannot
lecture on the nature of snowfake-it
never saw snowflake; and those people
who have always lived in the summer of
prosperity cannot talk to those who are
frozen in disaster. God keeps aged peo-
pie 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
soothes. If there are men and women
here who have old people in the house,
OF near at hand SO they can easily reach
them, I 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.
These 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 cannot
hear just what you say the first time, and
you have to say it 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 silvery locks from the
wrinkled brow just before they screw the
lid on. Blessed be God for the old peo-
pie! They may not have so much strength
to go around, but they are Gods ap-
pointed ministers Of comfort to broken
heart.
People who have not had trial them
selves 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 a very poor
salve. If you have grave in your path
way, and somebody comes and covers it
all over with flowers, it 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
childlessness, and the having of 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 We who
have been bereft and ye who have been
comforted in your sorrows, and stand
around these afflicted souls, and say to
them, 81 had that very sorrow myself.
God comforted 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 ex-
perience, and good, sound common sense.
But there are three or four considera-
lions 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 consideration is that God
sends our troubles in love. I often hear
people in their troubles say, "Why, I
wonder what God has against mel"
They seem to think God has some grudge
against them because trouble and mis-
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