The Red Cloud chief., 1889-03-01

d.. Talmage on tho Mysterious
Ways Of the Deity.

Why the Good Are Isken and the Had
observation-disclosures Through Troubles
; Trials Here Bring Greater Re
wards hereafter.
preached on the subject: Ozark Savings
on . Harp" T~~x,-Psalms xix. 4: Il will
open my dark saying upon the harp" He
said:
The world il full Of the insxplicable, the
impassabls, the unfathOmable. the insur.
mountable. We can not 60 three steps in
any direction ithOut coming up AIN
ahard wall Of mystery. riddles. ~paradoxss,
profundities. labyriuths. prObiems that We
can not solve, hierogiyphics that We can
not decipher. anagram> We can not spell
out sphinxes that will not speak. For
that reason. David in my text, proposed
to take up some Of those sombsr and dark
things and try to set them 20 sweet music:
Il will open my dark saying . the
harp"
So I look OF upon society and ind people
In unhappy conjunction Of circumstances
and they do not know what it means. and
SoVy low ssA9 SoADs eao
| why 10 that: md I think I will b. doing .
good work by trying to explain some OF
these TRANCE things and make you more
content with your lot. and l shall only b
answering questions that have often been
asked me. or that We have ali asked our.
selves. while I try to set these mysteries
to music and open my own dark sayings
On q harp.
Interrogation the first: Why does God
take out Of this world those that are use.
full unJ whom We can not spare and leave
alive and in good health many who are
only . nuisance or . positive injury to the
world! thought I would begin with the
very toughest Of all tho seeming inscrut.
ablss. Many Of the mort useful men and
women die ut thirty or forty years Of age.
while yOu often find useless people alive at
sixty and seventy and eighty. John Care
less wrote to Bradford. who WAS soon u bs
put to death. saying: why doth Sol
suffer me and such caterpillars to live that
can do nothing but consume the aims Ut
b Church. and taxi away 90 manv
worthy workmen in the Lords viueyard!"
Similar questions are often asked. Here
arc two men. The one 10 y noble character
and . Christian man: he chooses for life
time companion one who has been tenderiy
reared, and she is worthy Of him and he Is
worthy Of her; a. . merchant or farmer.
or professional man. or mechanic. or artist,
he tolls to educate and rear his children;
he il succeeding but he has not yet estab.
lished for his family = full competency; he
seems absolutely indispens able to that
household, but one dav before he has paid
Oh the mortgage on his house ne Is coming
home through . strong northeast wind and
. chill s:r,kes through him aud four days
Of pneumonia end his earthly career and
the wife and children go into . struasl.
for shelter and food. His next door neigh.
Dor is . man who. though strong and well,
lets his wife support him; he 10 round 1T
the grocery store or some general loafnR
place in the evenings while his wife sews;
his boys are initiating his example and
lounG. and swaGge n swear: all the
use that man 10 in that house 10 to rave be-
cause the coffee il cold when he comes to
. late breakfast or to say cutting things
about his wife's looks when no furnishes
nothing for her wardrobe. The best thing
hat could happen to that family would
bs that man, funeral: but no declines 20
die; he lives on AMI on and On. SO we
have all noticed that many OF the useful
are early cut of while the parasites of So
ciety have great vital ,snaciiy.
take up this dark saying on my harp
and give three or four thrums o q the string
in tho way Of surmisinG and hopeful
guess Perhaps the useful man was taken
out Of the world, tecau<e he and his
family were 80 constructed tha they could
not have endured some great prosperity
and might have Rone down in the vortex
Of wOrldliness which every year swallows
up 1000 households. Aud 30 he went
while he was humble and consecrated and
they were by the seventies Of life kept
close to Christ and fitted for usefulness
hero and high seats in Heaven: and when
they meet at last before the thrOae. they
will acknowledge that, though the furnace
was hot it purified them and prepared
them for An eternal career OF glory and
reward. for which nc other kind OF life
could have lifted them On the othsr
hand, the useless man ived on to 6fty. or
sixty, OF seventy years. because all the
ease hs svsr can have ~ must hsve
in this world. and you Ought not there.
fore. bsgrudgs him bis earthly longevity.
in all the ages there has not . single loaf~r
entered Heaven. There 10 no place there
foe him % hang around. Not i'm the ten.
ples. for they are full Of the most vigor.
ous. alert and rapturous worship Not On
the river bank, for that 10 the place where
the conquerors rscline. Not In the gates.
because sAsre are multitudes entering. and
ws are told that at esch Of the twelve
gates there 10 IN angel, and . celestial
guard would not allow the place to h.
blocked up with idlera II the good aud
useful 60 early. rejoice for them hat they
have so soon got through With human life.
which at best 10 . struggle And II the
useless and bad stay, rejoice that they
may b out In the worlds fresh air . good
many years before their final iecarcers-
ton.
Interrogation the second: Why do %
many good people have so much trouble.
sickness. bankruptcy. persecution. the
three black ~vulturss sometimes putting
their ne1cs beaks into one set Of jsngied
nerves.: think now Of . cool friend !
nee bad He was . coasecrsted Christian
man, IN elder In the church and - pol.
shed . Christian gentiemaa 90 ever
walked Broadway. Pirst his general
health gave out md he hobblsd around On
the paralysis struck him Having by poor
health been compelled suddenly IN quit
~busiaesa he lost what property be had.
Then his beasiiful daughter died. Then
. son became hopelesaly dementsd An.
other son. splendid Of mind and command
ing Of presence resolved that he would
take care OF his fathers household. but
under the swoop OF yellow fever 1t Fer
nandinA Fla, hs suddenly expired. So
you know good men and women Who have
had enough troubles. you think, to crush
afty people. No worldly PHILOSOPHY cosii
take such . trouble and set IL 20 music OF