The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-10-30
THE USES OF TROUBLE.
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, D. D.
From Being Too Attractive-How
Human Beings are Fitted for
Heaven by Their suf-
ferings on Earth.


their eyes"-Rev. vii, II. The eloquent
divine spoke as follows:
Riding across Western prairie, wild
flowers up to the hub of the carriage,
wheel, and while long distance from
any shelter, there came sudden shower,
and while the rain was falling in tor
rents, the sun was shining as bright
as ever saw it shine; and thought
what a beautiful spectacle this is!
So the tears Of the Bible are not
midnight storm, but rain on pansied
prairies in Gods sweet and golden sun
light. You remember that bottle which
David labeled as containing tears, and
Mary's tears, and Paul's tears, and
Christ's tears, and the harvest OF Joy
thatis to spring from thesowing Of tears.
God mixes them. God rounds them. God
shows them where to fall. God exhales
them. A census Is taken OF them, and
there is record as to the moment when
they are born, and IS to the place Of their
grave. Tears Of bad men are not kept.
Alexander, in his sorrow, had the hair
clipped from his horses and mules, and
made great ado about hfs grief; but in
all the vases Of heaven there is not one
OF Alexander's tears. l speak Of the
tears Of the good. Alas! mel they are
falling all the time. In summer, you
Sometimes hear the growing thunder,
and you see there is storm miles away;
but you know from the drift Of the clouds
that 1t will not come anywhere near you.
So, though 1t may be all bright around
about u.s. there is a shower Of trouble
somewhere all the time. Tearsl Tearsl
What Is the use Of them anyhow?
Why not substitute laughter? Why not
make this world where all the people
are we'll and eternal strangers to pain
and aches? What is the use of an east
ern storm when we might have a per-
petual nor'wester. Why, when a family
Is put together, not have them all stay,
or II they must be transplanted TO make
other homes, then have them all alive?
the family record telling a story of mar
riages and births, but of no deaths.
Why not have the harvests chase each
other without fatiguing toll? Why the
hard pillow, the hard crust, the hard
struggle? 1t is easy enough to explain
smile, or success, or q congratula-
ton; but, come now, and bring all your
dictionaries and all your philosophers
and all your religions, and help me ex-
plain tear. A chemist will tell You
that It Is made up OF salt and lime and
other component parts; but he misses
the chief ingredients-the acid Of
;oured life, the viperine sting OF bitter
memory, the fragments of broken
heart. will tell You what tear is; II
Is agony in solution.
Hear me, then, while / discourse TO
you OF the uses Of trouble.
First-It is the design OF trouble TO
keep this world from being too attrac-
live. Something must be done to make
US willing TO quit this existence. IL II
we're not for trouble this world would
be a good enough heaven for me. You
and / would be willing TO take lease OF
life for a hundred million years II there
were no trouble. The earth cushioned
and upholstered and pillared and chan
1eliered with such expense, no story OF
other worlds could enchant us. We
would say: "Let we'll enough alone. II
you want TO die and have your body dis
lntegrated in the dust, and your soul go
put on celestial adventure, then you
san go; but this world is good enough
Tor me- You might as we'll go TO man
who has just entered the Louvre at
Paris, and tell him TO hasten of TO the
picture galleries Of Venice or Florence.
why" he would say, "what Is the use
of my going there? There are Rem
brandts and Rubenses and Raphaels here
that haven't looked at yet"
No man wants to 90 out Of this world,
or out Of any house, until he has bet
ter house. To cure this wish to stay
here God must somehow create a dis
rust for our surroundings. How shall
Ia N aH A.d 10 InN
His horizon, or TO tear of fiery panel
from the sunset, or TO substract an an.
ther from the water lily, or TO Danish
the pungent aroma from the mignonette,
ar 10 drag the robes Of the morning in
mire. You can not expect Christopher
Wren TO mar his own st. Paul's cathe-
iral, or Michael Angelo to dash out his
own "Last Judgment" or a Handel tc
discard his "Israel In Egypt" and you
,an not expect God TO spoil the archi.
lecture and music OF his own world.
How thensre we.tocbe made willing tc
lea7e2 Here Is where trouble comes In.
After d man has q good deal OF trouble
he says, 1'Welf, I am ready 10 20. II
there Is q house somewhere whose roof
oesntaealc'I would like to live there.
II there Is an atmosphere somewhere
that does not distress the lungs would
like TO breathe 1t. II there is society
where there Is no tittle-tattle, would
like TO live there. II there Is home
circle somewhere where / can find my
lost friends, would like TO 90 there"
He used TO read the first part OF the Bible
shelly, now he reads the last part Of tho
Bible chiefly. Why has he changed
Genesis for RevelaHon2 Ahl he used TO
be anxious chiefly TO know how this
world was made, and all about its geolog-
lcal construction. Now he Is chiefly
ANXIOUS TO know how the next world was
made, and how II looks, and who live
therh, and how they dress. He reads
Regulation ten times now where he
reads Denesis once. The old story, 'In
the beginning God created the heavens
md the earth," does not thrill him half
ismuch as the other story, 81 saw new
heaven and new earth" The old
mans hand trembles as he turns over
this apocalyptio leaf, and he. has TO take
out his handkerchief TO wipe his spec
Lacles. That book ,of Revelation Is q
prospectus now OF the country into which
he Is TO soon immigrate; the country In
which he has lots already laid out, and
avenues opened, and trees planted, and
mansions built.
The thought OF the blessed place
comes over me nightly, and declare
that II this house we're one great ship,
and you all were passengers on board II,
and one hand could launch that ship
into the glories Of heaven, should be
tempted to take the responsibility and
launch you all into glory with one
stroke, holding on 10 the side OF the boat
antil Iconld. get In myself. And yet
there are people here 10 whom this
worlds brighter than heaven Well,
lear souls, lido not blame you. II Is