The Progress., 1898-05-28

| OF sympathy They have been through a
| these trials. They know all that which
initiates and nli that which soothcs. If
there are men and women here who haN,
old people in the house or near at hand
| so that they can easily reach thcm | CON
graduate you. Some of us have bad trials
| in life, and although VIC have had many
| friends around about us we have wished
that father ana mother were still alive
that we might go and tell them. Perhaps
they could say much, but it would
have been such II 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 they
lean on your arm, these aged people, If
when you speak to them they cannot hear
just what you say the first time, and YOU
have TO say it IL second time, when YOU
say it u second tim" 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 silvcry locks from the wrinkle
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 Gods appointed ministers of
comfort to u broken heart
People who have not had trials them
selves cannot give comfort to others. Thcy
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 salvc If you
have Il grave in pathway, and somebody
comes and covers it all over with flowers,
it is a grave yet. Those who have not had
grief themselves know not the mystery OF
broken heart They know not the
meaning of childlessncss, and the having
no one to put to bed at night or the stand
ing in a room where every book and pic
ture and door is full of memorics-the
doormat 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 she
built into n house Ah no, you must
have trouble yourself before you can com
fort trouble in others. But come all We
who have been bcreft and We who have
been comforted 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 experience
and good, sound common sense.
But there are three or four considcra-
tons that l will bring to those who are
and distressed and that we can
always bring to them, knowing that they
will effect cure. And the first consider
alton is that God sends our troubles in
love. / often hear people in their troubles
say, ''Why, wonder what God has against
mc?" They seem to think God has some
grudge against them because trouble and
misfortune have come. Oh, not Do you
not remember that passage Of Scripture,
Whom the Lord lovcth he chasteneth?"
A child comes in with very bad splinter
in its hand. and you try to extract it. 1t
IS very painful operation. The child
travis back from you, but you persist.
You are going to take that splinter out, 50
you take tho child with gentle but firm
grasp, for although there may be pain in
t the splinter must come out And it is
owe that dictates it and makes you persist.
My friends, l really think that nearly all
our sorrows in this world are only the
hand of our Father extracting some thorn.
# all these sorrows were sent by enemies,
would say arm yourselves against them
md in tropical climes when tiger
zones down from the mountains and car
les off a child from the village the neigh
Dors band together and go into the forest
md hunt the monster so / would have
you, if I thought these misfortunes were
cnt by an enemy, go out and battle
against them. But no, they come from a
Father SO kind, so loving, SO gentle that
he prOphet SDeaking of his tenderness and |