Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-06-02

lOSS VI MS sHS -SS>
Of his property, the loss of his health;
but the most exasperating thing that
came upon him was the tantalizing
talk Of those who ought to have sym.
pathized with him. And looking
around upon them, and weighing what
they had said, he utters the words OF
my text
Why did God let sin come into the
world? 1t is question l often hear
discussed, but never satisfactorily
answered. God made the world fair
and beautiful at the start If our first
parents had not sinned in Eden they
might have gone out of that garden
and found so paradises all around the
earth - Europe, Asia, Africa, North
and South America-so many flower
gardens or orchards of fruit, redolent
and luscious. suppose when God
poured out the Gihon, and the Hidde-
KEEL, He poured out, at the same time,
the Hudson and the Susquehanna; the
whole earth was very fair and beauti.
full to look upon. Why did it not stay
10. God had the power to keep back
sin and woe. Why did He not keep
them back? Why not every cloud
roseate, and every step Joy, and every
sound music. and all the ages long
jubilee of sinless men and sim
less women? God can make
rose as easily as He can make a
thorn. Why, then, the predominance
of thorns? He can make good, fair,
ripe fruit as well as gnarled and sour
fruit. Why so much, then, that is
gnarled and sour? He can make men
robust in health. Why, then, are there
10 many invalids2 Why not have our
whole race perpetual leisure instead OF
this tug, and toll, and tussle for live
Nhood? will tell you why God let sin
come into the world-when l get on
the other side of the river of death.
That is the place where such ques-
tions will be answered and such mys-
teries solved. He who this side that
river attempts to answer the question
only illustrates his own ignorance and
incompetency. All l know is one
great fact, and that is, that herd OF
woes has come in upon US, trampling
down everything fair and beautiful. A
sword at the gate of Eden and a sword
at every gate.
remark, in the first place, that very
voluble people are incompetent for the
work of giving comfort Bildad and
Eliphaz had the gift of language and
with their words almost bothered Jobs
life out. Alas! for these voluble peo-
pie that go among the houses of the
afflicted, and talk, and talk, and talk,
and talk. They rehearse their own
sorrows, and then they tell the poor
sufferers that they feel badly now, but
they will feel worse after awhile.
Silence! Do you expect with thin
court-plaster of words to heal wound
deep as the soul? Step very gently
around about q broken heart. Talk
very softly around those whom God
has bereft. Then go your way. Deep
sympathy has not much to say. A
firm grasp of the hand, a compassion
ate look, just one word that means as
much as whole dictionary, and you
have given, perhaps, all the comfort
that soul needs. A man has terri.
BILE wound in his arm. The surgeon
comes and binds it up. "Now," he
says, Garry that arm in a sling, and
be very careful of it. Let no one
touch it," But the neighbors have
heard of the accident, and they come
In, and they say: "Let US see it,"
And the bandage is pulled off, and this
one and that one must feel it and see
how much it is swollen, and there is
irritation, and Inflammation, and ex.
ASPIRATION, where there ought to be
healing and cooling. The surgeon
comes in and says: what does this
mean? You have no business to touch
those bandages. That wound will
never heal unless you let it alone" So
there are souls broken down in sorrow.
What they most want is rest, or very
careful and gentle treatment; but the
neighbors have heard of the bereave-
ment, or Of the loss, and Wy come in
to sympathize, and they say: 'Show
us now the wound. What were his
last words? Rehearse now the whole
scene. How did you feel when you
found you were an orphan?" Tearing
off the bandages here, and pulling
them off there, leaving a CHASTITY
wound that the balm OF God grace
had already begun to heal. oh, let no
loquacious people, with ever-rattling
tongues, go into the homes of the dis
tressedl
Again l remark that all those per-
sons are incompetent to give any kind
| of comfort who act merely as worldly
| philosophers. They come In and say:
'Why, this is what you ought to have
expected. The laws of nature must
have their way" and then they get
eloquent over something they have
seen in post-mortem examinations
Now, away with all human philosophy
at such time What difference does
It make to that father and mother
| what disease their SON died of? he 10
dead, and it makes no difference
whether the trouble was in the epigas-
rtric or hypogastric region. II the
philosopher be OF the stoical school,
be will come and say: You ought to
control your feelings You must not
cry so. You must cultivate cooler
Temperament. You must have self.
Il 4 ~x.lN