Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-08-16


Well, then, what do you want? A
thousand voices in the audience cry
out: Comfort. Give us comforti"
For that reason I have rolled away
the stone from the wells mouth.
Come, all ye wounded of the flock,
pursued of the wolves, come to the
fountain where the Lords sick and
bereft ones have come. 'Ah," says
some one, you are not old enough to
understand my sorrows. You have
not been in the world as long as I
have, and you can't talk to me about
my misfortunes in the time of old
age" Well, I may not have lived as
long as you, but I have been a great
deal among old people, and I know
how they feel about their failing
health and about their departed
friends and about the loneliness that
sometimes strikes through their
souls.
After two persons have lived to-
gether for 40 or so years and one is
taken away, what desolation! I shall
not forget the cry of DIR. De Witt, of
New York, when he stood by the open
grave of his beloved wife and after
the. obsequies had ended he looked
down into the open place and said:
Farewell, my honored, faithful and
beloved wife. The bond that bound
us is severed. Thou art in glory, and
am here on earth. We shall meet
again. Farewell, farewell!"
You get little worried for fear that
some time you will come to want, do
you? Your children and grandchil-
dren some times speak little sharp to
you because of your ailments. The
Lord will not speak sharp. Do you
think you will come to want? What
do you think the Lord is? Are His
granaries empty? Will He feed the
raven and the rabbit and the lion in
the desert, and forget you? Why, nat
uralists tell us that the porpoise will
not forsake it's wounded and sick mate.
And do you suppose the Lord of Heaven
and earth has not as much sympathy
as the fish of the sea? But you say:
ST am so near worn out, and I am of
no use to God any more" think the
Lord knows whether you are of any
more use or not. If you were of no
more use, He would have taken you
before this. Do you think God has for
gotten you because He has taken care
of you 70 or so years? He thinks more
of you to-day than He ever did, be-
cause you think more of him. May
the God of Abraham and Isaac and ia
cob and Paul the aged be your God for
ever! But I gather all the promises to-
day in a group, and I ask the shepherds
to drive their f1ocks of lambs and sheep
up to the sparkling supply. Behold,
happy is the man whom God correct
eth" Though He cause grief, yet will
He have compa ssion." "Many are the
Affections of the righteous, but the
Lord delivereth him out of them ALL
weeping may endure for night, but
joy cometh in the morning." I am
determined that no one shall go out Of
this house uncontrolled. Yonder is
a timid and shrinking soul who seems
to hide away from the cons o1a tions
am uttering as a child with a sore
hand hides away from the physician
lest he touch the wound too roughly,
and the mother has to GO and compel
the little patient to come out and see
the physician. So I come to your
timid and shrinking soul to-day and
compel you to come out in the pres
ence of the Divine Physician. He will
not hurt you. He has been healing
wounds for many years, and He will
give you gentle and omnipotent medi-
cament.
But people, when they have trouble,
go anywhere rather than to God. De
Quincy took opium to get rid of his
troubles. Charles Lamb took to
punch. Theodore Hook took to some
thing stronger. Edwin Forrest took
have run all around the earth, hoping
in the quick transit to get away from
their misfortunes. 1t has been a dead
failure. There is only one well that
can Stake the thirst of an afflicted
spirit, and that is the deep and mex
haustible well of the Gospel.
But some one in the audience says:
Notwithstanding all you have said
this morning, I find no allevia ton for
my troubles" Well, I am not through
yet. have left the most potent con-
for the last. I am going
to soothe you with the thought of
Heaven. However talkative we may
be, there will come time when the
stoutest and most empha tic interroga-
ton will evoke from US no answer. AS
soon as we have closed our lips for
the final silence no power on earth
can break that taciturnity. But where,
O Christian, will be your spirit? In
a scene of infinite gladness. The
spring morning of Heaven waving it's
blossoms in the bright air. Victors
fresh from battle showing their scars.
The rain of earthly sorrow struck
with the rainbow of eternal
joy. In one group Goo and angels and
the redeemed. Paul and Silas, Latimer
and Ripley. Isaiah and Jeremiah, Pay
son and John Milton, Gabriel and Mi
chael the archangel. Long line of