The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-02-12
A. SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY ThE
REV. Or. ROBERT collYeR.
He Took For His Subject Light on .
Hidden Wsy Livery Life should Be
an Open, Self Contained Providence
Lose Not Heart and Hope.

BROOKLYN. y. N.-Dr Robert Collver
who recently passed hls eightieth birthday,
preached sunday morning IN the Second
Unitarian Church The audience flled
the church and listened with great atten.
ton 20 the eloquent words OF the famous
preacher. DIR. Collyer took for his subject
Light on a Hidden Way" His text was
Job lu.-o: Why Is light gwen 10 man
whose way is hid:' lie said
The Book OF job. says Thomas Carlyle.
rs one Of the grsndes. things ever written
with pen: our hrst statement, IN books,
ol the problem OF the destiny OF man and
the way God takes with HIM on this
earth: grand IN It's simplicity and epic
melody, sublime IN ats sorrow and recon
citation; a choral melody, Old as the
heart OF man, soft as the summer md
night, wonderful as the world with Its
seas and stars, and there Is no other thing
IN the Bible, or out OF II, Of equal merit
1 suppose AZ is not possible now 10 tell
whether the book Is a true story or sort
II Oriental drama. The question is one
mat Will always keep the critics az work
as long as there are rational and what
ought, ~ all fairness. to be called not
rational schools IN theology. Ny own
idea is that the rude outline OF the story
sas floating abcut the desert a. the story
OF Lear or Macbeth hoated about IN later
times among our own fore-elders, and that,
like those great dramas 10 was taken into
came ont again endowed with this won
irous quality of inspiration and life, that
Will bear II onward through al time. But
whatever the truth may be IN this direc-
ton this rs clear. that when job put the
question l have taken for a text he was as
far down IN the world as a man can be
who is not abased by stu.
job had been the richest man in the
countryside. bonored by all who knew HIM
Tor ms wisdom, hIs goodness or lis money.
He was now SO poor that, he says. men
dcrlded HIM whose fathers he would not
have set with the. dogs OF his flock. He
had been a sound, healthy man, tull of
human impulses and activities; he had been
sight to the blind, feet TO the lame, a
father TO the poor and defender of the
oppressed. He was row "A diseased and
broken man, sitting IN the ashes of IA
ruined home; his fires all gone out. his
household goods all shattered, his children
all dead and his wife. the mother of his
ten children, lost 10 the mighty love which
Will take ever so delicate and true hearted
woman at such time and make her
a tower OF strength TO the man. His wife,
VINO should have stood, as the angels stand,
at once by his side and above him, turned
on HIM IN his uttcrmost sorrow. and said,
"Curse God, and de
Two things, in this sad time, eeem TO
have smItten Job with unconquerable
pam. First, he could not make his copdi-
ton chord with ms conviction OF what
ought to have happened. He had been
trained TO believe IN the axiom we put up
IN our Sunday schools, that TO be good IL To
be happy. Now he had been good and yet
here he was, as miserable az 1t was pos
.lblc Tor a man to be. And the worst of
all was, he could not dcaden down TO the
level of his misery. The light given MIN
on the divine justice would not let HIM
rest HIS subtle spirit, pierced, restless,
dissatisfied, tried him every moment.
Questions like these came up in has mind:
why have | lost my money? | made II
honestly, and made good use of II. Why
,s my home ruined: | never brought upon
1T one shadow of disgrace. WHY am |
bereavcn OF my children, and worse than
bereayen Of my wife? Ii this ~ the result
ot goodness, where Is cause and eiiecty
What Is there TO hold on by. 1t all this
misery and mlldew can come OF upright,
downright truth and purity
The second element IN jobs misery
seems 70 lie IN the fact that there appeared
to be light everywhere except on his own
life. ii life would only strike a fair aver
age; If other good men had suffered. too,
or even bad mcn-then he could bear II
better But the world went on Just the
same. The sun shone with as much
splendor as on hs wedding day. The moon
poured out her tides OF mOulton god, u ght
frettcd the blue vault with fires. trees
maIdcns danced under the palms. Other
homes were fun OF giadness. This man
had sold hls CLIP for a great price; the
lightning had slain Jobs sheep. That
man had done well in dates. the tornado
had twisted Jobs trees down. Nay. worst
OF all, here We're wicked men, mighty in
wealth; thcr hoases in peace, without fear;
Their children established IN their sight,
sending forth little ones ike a flock, spend
ing their days IN prosperity and yet say
ing, Who is the Almighty that we should
fear Him. While here he was. poor
wreck, stranded on a desoate shore
broken man crying. oh, that 1t were with
me as m days gone by, when the candle Of
the Lord shouc round about me: when |
took my seat IN the market place, and
justice was my robe and diademi When |
think OF it, | am confounded. One dieth
in the fuliness OF his prosperity, wholly
at case and quiet; another dicth IN the
bitterness % hrs soul. not having tasted
pleasure. How - IT. What does L mean
Why Is light gwen to a man whose way -
hIdT'
Now | suppose that not many men ever
fall INTO such supreme desolation az this
that Is made to centre IN the life of this
most sOrrowiul man. 1T u the possible
Of that which i5 IL itself positive" But
then. It IL true that We may reach out IN
al directions and find men and women
who are conscious OF the light shining. but
who cannot find the way; whose condition
Will not chord with their conception Of
HE, and who. Iu certain sense. would
be better II they were not so good. The
very perfection Of their nature j. the way
hy which they are most easily bruised
Keen, earnest, onward, not satisfied TO be-
below their own ideal, they are yet
turned SO woeiully this way and that by
adverse circumstances that, at the last
they come 20 accept their lie as a doom.
and bear 1t IN grim silence, OF they cu'
the wasts when the storm COMES and
driit. a helpless hull, broadside 20 the
breakers, 20 20 down finally like a stone.
A young man comes TO town from the
country full Of purpose and hope He finds
difficulties confron. him: he strives. bu'
remains poor Al last. when hungry and
faint and alone the devil comes-a nice
person, probably, but still a devil-and
tempts HIM The young man yields. Or.
be succeeds. and then slides into the belief
that there - a Providence that viii keep
h,m prosperous because he is a good man
Disaster comes. and he loses hls all IN
c.uding nIs belief IN God. Or. a maiden
leaves her nome full OF trust and love
Under adverse conditions she loses hope,
and asks Why Is life given when the
wav Is bid"
And So ! cay. in men and nations vou
will hnd everywhere TINS dissord between
the longing that is IN the soul. and what
the man can do. Our life. as some one
SAID Of the Cathedral al Cologne. seems to
b. a broken promise made TO God.
Now, IA trying 20 find come solution oi
tls question. ] want 10 say frankly that
] cannot pretend 20 make the mystery al
clear. 20 that II will give you no more
trouble, because ] cannot Put a rirdle
around the world IN forty minutes and
also heCausc a full solution must depend
greatly on Our own dissolution. l believe