The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-23

mourned for Absal6m Abraham did well
when he bemoaned Sarah, Christ wept
for Lazarus; and the last man that l want
to see come anywhere near me when 1
have any kind of trouble is a worldly
philosopher.
Again. I remark, that those persons
are incompetent for the work of comfort
bearing who have nothing but cant to
offer. There are those who have The idea
that you must groan over the distressed
and afflicted. There are times in grief
when one cheerful face, dawning upon a
mans SOUL IS worth a thousand dollars TO
him. Do not whine over the afflicted.
Take the promises of the Gospel, and
utter them in manly tone Do not be
afraid to smile If you feel like il. Do
not drive any more hearses through that
poor soul Do not tell him the trouble
was fore-ordained; it will not be any com
fort to know it was a million years COM
ing. If you want to find splints for
broken bone, do not take cast iron. Do
not tell them II is Gods justice that
weighs out grief. They want to hear of
GOES tender mercy. In other words, do
not give them aquafortis when they need
Valerian.
Again I remark, that those persons are
poor comforiers who have never had any
trouble themselves A larkspur cannot
lecture on the nature of a snowdake-it
never saw a snowflake; and those people
Wiz nave always iNcu IN the summer OF
prosperity cannot talk tC those VINO are
frozen in disaster. God keeps aged peo-
pie in the world, I think, for this very
work of sympathy. They have been
through all these trials They know all
that which irritates and all that which
soothes. If there are men and women
here who have old people in the house. or
near at hand, so that they can easily reach
them, l congratulate you. Some of US
have had trials in life, and although we
have had many friends around about US
we have wished that father and mother
were stiil alive that we might go and tell
them. Perhaps they could not say much.
but it would have been such a comfort TO
have them around These aged ones who
have been all through 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 cannot hear just what you say the
hrst time, and you have to say it a second
tlme, when you say ii a second time, do
not say it sharply. If 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 much
strength to go around but they are Coos
appointed ministers of comfort to a broken
heart.
People who have not had trial them.
selves cannot give comfort to others. Taey
may talk very beautifully and they may
give you a great deal of poetic sentirn-nt:
but while poetry Is perfume that smells
sweet, 1t makes very poor salve. If you
nave a grave in a pathway, and somebody
comes and covers it all over with flowers
II is a grave yet. Those who have not had
grief themselves know not the mystery of
a broken heart. They know not the iuean-
ing OF chidlessness, and the having no ono
70 put to bed at night, or the standing in
room where every book and picture, and
door are full of memories-the door-mat
where she sat, the cup out of which she
drank-the place where she stood at the
door and clapped her hands-the odd fig
ures that she scribbled-the blocks she
built into a house. Ali no, you must have
trouble yourself before you can comfort
trouble in others. But come all We who
have been bereft, and We who have been
eomforted in your sorrows. and stand
around these afflicted souls and say to
them; Il had that very sorrow myself
God comforted me and he will comfort
you; and that will go right to the spot
In other words, to comfort others. we
must have faith in God, practical exper-
fence, and good, sound, common sense
But there are three or four considera-
tons that l will bring to those who are
sorrowful and distressed, and that we can
always bring to them, knowing that they
will effect a cure. And the first consi terra
ton is that God sends our trouble7 in
love. l often hear people in their IL lbles
say: "Why, l wonder what God has
against me?' They seem to think God has
some grudge against them becau g trou
bic and misfortune have come. Oh. no. Do
You not remember that passage Of Scrip
tule: Whom the Lord loveth he chastcn-
eth?' A child comes in with a very bad
splinter in its hand, and you try 10 ex-
. 10 81
Child draws back from you. but you per-
sist. You are going to take that splinter
out. so you take the child with a gentle
but firm grasp, for although there may be
pair in it, the splinter must come out AMI
il is love that dictates it, and makes YOU
persist. My friends, I really think thai
nearly all our sorrows in this world are
cnly the hand of our Father extracting
some thorn. If all these sorrows We're sent
bv enemies, | would say, Arm yourselves
against them, and as in tropical chimes
when tiger comes down from the noun =
tains, aud carries off a child from the viii
i2ge, the neighbOrs band together and go
into the forest and hunt the monster, So 1
would have you if / thought these msfor-
tunes We're sent by an enemy, go out aud
| battle against them. But no. they come
from Father 50 kind. so loving, so gentle,
that the prophet speaking of MS tender =
ness and mercy, drops the idea of a ia
comforteth, so will l comfort you"
Again l remark there is comfort in the
thought that God by all this process is
going to make you useful Do you know
that those who accomplish the most for
God and heaven have all been under the
harrow? Show me a man that has done
anything for Christ in this day. in a pub
lie or private place, who has had nc
trouble, and whose path mas been smooth.
| An, no.
I once went through an ak factory, and
/ saw them take the bars of iron and
thrust them into the terrible furnaces.
! Then besweated workmen with long tongs
| stirred the blaze. Then they brought out
a bar of iron and put 1t In a crushing ma
chine and then they put il between Jaws
/ that bit il in twain. Then they put il on
/ an, anvil, and there were great ham
mers swung by machinery-each one halt
| a ton in weght-that went thump! thumpl
! thumpl If that iron could have spoken il
/ would have said: why all this baatingq
! Why must l be pounded more than any
! other iron?' The workmen would have
! said: I'VE want to make axes out OF
| you, keen sharp axes-aXes with which to
! hew down the forest. and build the ship
| and erect houses, and carry on a thousand
| enterprises of civilization That Is tbe