The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-01-09

would have given anything for good cJs
David did well when he mourned for Ansa'
lon, Abraham did well when he benosnea
Sarah. Christ did well when he wsDs Boz
Lazarus: aud the last man I want to ees
come anywhere near me when l hs7e e2y
kind Of trouble is a worIdlyNphilosophsa
Again I remark, that those persons are
incompetent for the work of comfort-oear-
ing who have nothing but can't to offer.
There are those who have the idea that you
must croan over the distressed and afflicted
There are times in grief when one cheerful
face dawning upon mans soul IS worth
thousand dollars to him. Do not whine over
the afflicted Take the promises OF tne
Gospel and utter them IN manly tone. 10
not be afraid to smile if you feel like IT, DO
not drive any more hearSes through thaI
poor soul. Do not tel him the trouble was
foreordained; it will not be any comfort to
i HSS spills f0F FearS bSEen u5ns g
not take cast iron. Do not tell them it is
God's justice that weighs out grief. They
want now to hear of Gods tender mercy.
In other words, don't give them aqua FORTS
when they need valerian.
Again / remark that those persons are
poor comforters who have never had any
trouble themselves. A larkspur can not
lecture on the nature of snow6ake-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 people
in the world, think, Or this very work Of
sympathy. They have been through all
49, hot ,rhi hinh
ritates and all that which soothes If there
are men and women here who have old peo-
pie in the house, or near at hand so that
they can easily reach them, l congratulate
them. Some Of US have had trials IN life,
and although we have had many friends
around about US, we kave wished that father
and mother were still alive that we might 90
and tell them. Perhaps they could not say
much, but it would have been such COM
fort to have them around. These aged ones
who have been all sh-ough 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 70 say it second time,
when you say it the second time do not say
1t sharply. II 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 people!
They may not have 80 much strength to go
around, but they are Gods appointed min
listers of comfort to broken heart.
People who have not had trial themselves
can not give comfort to others. They may
talk very beautifully, and they may give
you a great deal Of poetic sentiment; but
while poetry is perfume that smells sweet,
it makes very poor salve. If you have
grave in your pathway, and somebody comes
and covers it all over with flowers, it is
grave yet. Those who have not had grief
themselves know rot the mystery of a
broken heart. They know not the meaning Of
childlessoess, and the having no one to put
to bed at night, or the standing in room
where every book and picture and door is
f,,n o+ roarnorias xl>--->aoor mat Wnere Sne
sat, the cup out Of which she drauk-the
place where she stood at the door and
slapped her hands-the odd figures that she
scribbled-the blocks she built into house.
All no, you must have trouble yourself be-
fore you can comfort others. But come all
We who have been bereft and ye who have
y
around these afflicted souls, and say to them,
''I had tnat very sorrow myself. God COM
forted me and he will comfort you" and
that VIII 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 considerations
that will bring this mo rning to those who
are sorrowful and distressed, and that we
can always bring to them, knowing that
they viii effect cure. And the first con-
sideration is, that God sends our troubles in
love. often hear people in their troubles
say, "Why, wonder what God has against
me?" They seem to think God has some
grudge against them because trouble and
misfortune have come. o, no. do you not
remember that passage Of Scripture, 'Whom
the Lord loyeth He chasteneth2" a child
comes in with very bad splinter in its
hand, and you try to extract it. 1t is 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 gentle but firm grasp; for al
though there may be pain in il, the splinter
must come out. And it Is love that dictates
it and makes you persist Ny friends,
really think that nearly all our sorrows in
this world are only the hand Of our Father
extracting some thorn. II all these sorrows
were sent by enemies, l would say, arm
yourself against them; and as in tropical
climes, when the tiger comes down from the
mountains and carries of child from the
village, the neighbors band together and go
into the forest and hunt the monster, so
would have you, If thought these misfor-
tunes were sent by an enemy, go out and
battle against them. But no; they come
from Father 80 kind, so loving, 50 gentle,
that the prophet, speaking of His tender
ness and mercy drops the idea OF father,
AND eayo, tiAe one whom his mother GsD-
forteth SO will I comfort you"
Again remark, there ia comfort in the
thought that God, by all this process, is go1
those who accomplish the most for God and
heaven have all = been under the harrow3
Show me man that has done anything for
Christ in this day, in public Or private
place, who has had no trouble and whose
path has been smooth. Ah, no.
Ionce went through an ak factory and
saw them take the bars Of iron and thrust
them into the terrible furnaces. Then be-
sweated workmen with long tongs stirred
the blaze. Then they brought out bar OF
iron and put it into crushing-machine;
then they put it between jaws that bit 1t in
twain Then they put it on an anvil, and
there were great hammers swung by ma
chinery-each "a half ton in weight
that went thump! thump! thump! If that
iron could have spoken, it would have said,
ssWhy all this beatiag3 Why must l be