The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-20
WHY MEN MUST SUFFER.
Rev. Chas. II. stronG's Seventh Ser
mon on the Apostles Creed.


Rev. Charles II. Strong preached the
seventh sermon in his series upon the
Apostles Creed" at St Johns church
last night. 1t was a most able and inter-
esting discourse throughout. The words
chosen from the creed were Born of the
Virgin Mary; Suffered Under Poutius Pi-
late"
Rev. Mr.. Strong spoke especially of hu-
man suffering, remarking upon the fact
that in all ages and by all classes the
question had been asked and is still being
asked, Why is it that human beings are
permitted to suffer? Poets, philosophers.
scientists and men and women in the or
binary walks of life, all have asked that
question, for IL is one that concerns all.
Ihere was physical suffering, the suffer-
ing from the doubts and distresses of the
mind, and from the longing and affections
OF the human heart He spoke of the suf-
ferings of the man who discovers that he
no longer believes the old creed ana who
finds he can no longer reconcile the les
sons he learned at his mothers knee: the
suffering of the human heart, when
loved one falls into disgrace, or when a
loved one is taken away. \ deeper sor-
row still, he said, is that of the man who
face to face with human sin sees its desc
lation and misery. The feeling that one
is lost is the deepest desolation of the hui
man heart.
The question is, he said, why do men
suffer in mind, in heart, in body and in
conscience. There are the sufferings, he
said, which men bring on themselves.
There is an inevitable law, binding wrong
doing with its penalty. Bodily dissipa-
ton leads to a wrecked physical manhood.
This is true with regard to the morals of
q 4re1 xrith ar1 No 1,e.4,
Before a man dies he will tell the story
of his life TO the world in his character
and in his appearance For these there
is no cause save in the man himself.
The second kind of sufferings he spoke
of are those which are brought upon men.
These the Blessed Master himself expert
enced. He had human body and hui
man spirit, and knew the sufferings Of
the martyrdom of truth and the loneliness
of purity. He spoke also of such suffer-
ings as those of the mother when her
child is sick, though. she has done no
wrong.
The third class of sufferings are those
which men voluntarily take upon them
selves, suffering willingly for the cross of
Christ. Such suffering men embrace, to
be true. to their God and true to them
selves.
AS to the reasons for suffering, Rev. Mr..
Strong said the first class was for the pur-
pose of giving pain TO deter men from
evil. The second class of sufferings was
for the purpose of deepening, charging
and enriching mems natures. The third
class had for It's purpose the blessing and
blessedness of the world
The nature of man, he said, is full OF SEN
sbilities which need cultivation and deVe-
oping. Man must eradicate the evil in him
self in the brief span of life allotted to
him, and suffering is Gods agent to devel-
op man, to make him better and truer and
nobler. No matter how far down a man
might be in the scale of heroism, he said,
there are moments in the life of everyone
when the sufferings of the world come like
the clarion sound of a trumpet and they
feel eager to rush forward and to aid man
kind