The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-03-06
WHY ARE THIS AND THAT.
Or. TALMAeE EXPLAINS DARK SAYINGS
Answering Questions Which Arc So Many
Times Askrd-why SO Many Good
People Die and Useless
People Live. Etc.

preached one of his most interesting SER
mons:
81 will open nv dark saying upon the
harp" Psalms xix, l. Looking forward
upon society to-day we find great many
persons in unhappy conjunction OF cl'-
Cumstances, and they do not understand
it, and they have right to ask, why Is
this? ?" and 'Why is that" and l
think ] will be doing a good work this
morning il | try to solve some OF these
mysteries and answer questions which
have been asked Us and which we have
all asked ourselves thousand times, and
try TO set these mysteries to music anu
open these dark savings on Gospel
harp. Interrogation the first: Why does
God take out OF the world useful people
and those whom we cannot spare and
leave alive and in good health many OF
those who are the nuisances, II not the
positive injuries OF society? thought L
would take one OF the toughest lnscruta-
bles to start with. John Careless wrote
TO Bradford, the martyr, just before his
death, saving, "Why is 1t that such poor,
miserable caterpillars as myself and
others, who can only feed on the aims of
the church, should live on. and you and
other men of such vast Importance should
be taken out of the vineyard?" That
question has been asked again and again
and through all the ages. Here is man
"a noble character and a cOnsecraCed
Christian. He selects for his companion
in life one tenderly reared, and she is
worthy of him and he is worthy OF her.
The time passes on He tolls nightly to
achieve a livelihood for his household. He
Is tolerably successful and he does his
very best to educate his children and put
II l. int ar on. II hpfnPa
he has established that family in compe-
tency, and before the mortgage is lifted
from his house. one day on his way
home the northeast wind strikes
through him and he is chilled to the bone,
and after four days OF pneumonia he ex-
pires, and his family 60 out into terrible
struggle for shelter and for food. Next
door TO him Is a man who, though well
and strong, lets his wife support him. he
spends the evening at the grocery or in
some place of general ioaferdOm while his
wife sews. His boys are coming up imi-
tating his example, and they lounge and
swear and swagger. That man IS OF no
use 10 his family except 70 rave when the
coffee is cold as he comes down 10 late
breakfast. or TO criticise his wifes dress
when ne provides nothing in the way OF
wardrobe. The best thing that could hap
pen 10 that family would be that mans
funeral. But he declines to die, and he
lives on and on and on. And so you have
seen useful people die at thirty or forty
years of age, while some who have been
utterly useless have lived on to sixty or
seventy or eighty. Why does God allow
those who are so useful 10 be taken out of
the world, their lie cut short in
the very midst OF their days, while some
who are the very parasites OF society have
wonderful tenacity? Now, | take the
dark saying on the gospel harp and give
two or three thrums to the strings in the
way of surmising and hopeful guess. Per-
haps that good man and his family were
so constituted that they could not endure
very great prosperity, and there was some
great prosperity inst ahead. and If ii had
come upon them they would have gone
down in the vortex of wOrldliness where
tens of thousands Of families go down
every year. God took that man while ne
was humble and cOnsecrated and when he
was not tempted and his family went
into seventies which kept them close up
TO the heart OF Christ and prepared them
for usefulness and a very high seat in
heaven, and when they all come together
around the throne they will acknowledge
that though the furnace was hot il puri-
fed them, and they were prepared for a
higher career OF glory and renown in
heaven than they could have heen pre-
pared for by any other style OF life. The
loafer lives on. Perhaps it is to give him
a chance for repentance. At any rate, the
only easy time he will ever have will be
IN this world, and why should YOU be-
grudge him his longevity, for in all the
ages there has never been a loafer that
entered heaven. There would not be
any place for them to lounge around No
place in the temple, for that is filed with
vigorous, alert and rapturous wOrshipers.
No place on the river bank, for that is
where the cOnquerors recline. No place
IN the gate, for there are great multitudes
going in, and each OF the twelve gates has
an angel, and the celestial guard
would not allow the place to
be blocked up. Rejoice that
the good man went away from this world
where life is struggle at the very best
and that this other man, this loafer, this
good for nothing, had opportunity for re-
pentance; at any rate. that he was kept
many years more in the fresh air OF this
world before his final incarceration. In
terrogation the second: Why do such
very good people have so much trouble =?
question you have asked a thousand
times, and | have asked il. I bethink
myself OF a very good friend l once had.
He was a cOnsecrated. Christian man. an
elder in a church, and as fine a gentleman
as ever walked Broadway. I used the
word gentleman" in its highest and
grandest sense. In mid-life his health
gave way and he hobbled around on
q crutch at forty, an old man. A little
while after he was struck with paralysis
and was speeches. the rest OF his DAYS.
A little while after. his beautiful
only daughter died. A little while after
that his son became demented, hopelessly
demented. 4 little while after that an
other son of splendid physique and fine
intellect, who had resolved upon the sup
port of his father and the entire house
hold. went down under yellow fever at
Fernandina, Fla, and expired. Trouble
enough for one good man, was il not? So
you have known men and women who
have had trouble enough to kill fifty peo-
pie. | defy human philosophy to take
that and put it upon anv violin, flute,
harp, dulcimer OF sackbut and make
music out of it. But / take that dark
saying on the gospel harp. You wonder
that so many very consecrated people
have so much trouble. Did you ever see
a very consecrated person who had not
had a great deal OF trouble? In other
words, il was sanctiied trouble that made
them so good If you can find in this
city, or in this world, a man in good
Lo.ltb 49,. h. 10. a., Ioo,, -. -. i