Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-07-01

bemoancd Sarah. Christ wept for
Lazarus; and the last man that | want
to see come anywhere near me when
have any kind of trouble is worldly
philosopher.
Again | remark that those persons
are incompetent for the work Of com.
fort-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 mans soul is worth
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 it Do not drive
any more hcarses through that poor
soul. Do not tell him the trouble was
foreordained; it will not be any COM
fort to know it was million years
coming If you want to ind splnts
for broken bone do not take cast iron
Do not tell them it is Gods justice that
weighs out grief. They want to hear
of Gods tender mercy. In other words,
do not given them aqua fortis when
they need valerian.
Again | remark that those persons
are poor comforters who have never
had any trouble themselves. A lark
spur can not lecture on the nature of q
snowilake-it never saw snowflake;
and those people who have always
lived in the summer of prosperity can
not talk to those who are frozen in
disaster, God keeps aged people in the
world, think, for this very work of
sympathy. They have been through
all these trials. They know all that
which initiates 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, 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 still alive
that we might go and tell them. Per-
'aPS WV NpuiN NV odl puI IL
would have been such 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 can not hear just
what you say the first time and you
have to say it n second time, when you
say it II second time do not say it
sharply. 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 wrinklcd brow Just be.
fore they screw the lid ON. Blessed be
God for the old people! They may not
have much strength to go around, but
they are Gods appointed ministers of
comfort to broken heart.
People who have not had trials them
selves can not give comfort to others.
They may talk very beautifully, and
they may give you great deal of poetic
sentiment; but while poetry is perfume
that smells sweet, it makes very poor
salve. If you have II grave in a path
way, and somebody comes and covers
it all with wild flowers, it is IL grave
yet. Those who have not had grief
themselves know not the mystery of n
| broken heart. rhvy huUw not the
meaning of childlessneSs, and the hav-
ing no one TO put to bed at night, or
the standing in n room where every
book and picture, and door are full of
memories--thc door-nat where she
sat, the cup out of which she
drank, the place where she stood at the
door and clapped her hands, the odd
figures that she scrubbed, the blocks
that she built into house. All! no
you must have trouble yourself before
you can comfort trouble in Others
But come all yc who have been bereft
and We who have been comforted in
your sorrows, and stand around these
afflicted souls and say to them: II had
that very sorrow myself. God com
forted me and IL. will comfort you;"
and that will go right to the spot. In
other words, to comfort others, we
must have faith in God, practical ex
perience, and good, sound, common
sense.
But there are three or four consid-
erations that will bring to those who
are sorrowful and distressed, and that
we can always bring to them, knowing
that they will effect cure. And the
first consideration is that God send.
our troubles in love. | often hear PEG
pie in their troubles say: "Why,
wonder what God has against me-?
They seem to think God has som,
grudge against them because troubl,
aud misfortune have come. Oh, no
Do you not remember that passage o
Scripture: Whom the Lord loveth II,
chasteneth?' A child comes in with
very bad splinter in its hand, and yo,
try to extract it. 1t is u very painfu
: operation. The child draws bacl
from you, but you persist. You ar,
: going to take that splinter out, 81
/. you take the child with gentl
, but firm grasp, for, although ther
: may be pain in it, tho splinter mus
come out. And it is love that dictate
it, and makes you persist. My friend,
: | really think that nearly all our sor
| rows in this world are only the han
7 of our Father extracting some thorn
F.: If all these sorrows were sent b
9 enemies | would say, arm yourselve
t against them, and as in tropical cline.
t when tiger comes down from tn
G mountains and carries Off child fror
!. the village, the neighbors band tt
Y gether and go into the forest and hun
S the monster, SO | would have you, if
r thought these nisfortunes were sent b
S an enemy, go out and battle agains
e them. But no. they come from II;
+ ther so kind, SO loving, so gentle, tia
e the prophet, speaking Of His tendc
|, ness and mercy, drops the idea of Fl
o ther, and says: las one whom h
It mother comforteth, SO will | comfol