Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-12-09

How hard 1t Is for the minister's wife
to 40 to her husband after the sermon
has been preached and say: John, you
ought not to have said that! When you
tell incidents like that in the pulpit
you are truly undermining your own
influence, and you do but little good"
How hard 1t is for a minister's wife
to do that! Yet there Is many minis
ter today who is ready to say that he
wife had been faithful critic Of his
sermon. How hard it is to tell that old
boyhood friend that he is doing wrong
and that unless he stops his sins his
life will be ruined. How hard 1t Is to
tell that young girl classmate that she
has no business to be going out at
night with the men with whom she Is
going! Easy to praise our friends for
their virtues! Are you ready to be true
and brave and to lift the danger signal
over your friends faults? You know
you can put your hand upon the life
weaknesses of your friends as no one
else can. Are you ready to be a Cen
eral Joab TO your King David?
But we must not stop here. When
we find King David going forth to
work we also find General Joab, the
great emanclpatOr Of grief. When we
find David being induced to go forth
to meet the responsibilities Of his king
dom we find him breaking the shackleS
of sorrow which have bound him hand
and foot, as the Roman captiyes used
to be bound to the chariOts Of their
cOnquerOrs in the triumphal entries
into the capital Of the Caesars. And
thus, my friends, If you and l want to
be truly helpful to our friends In their
time of trouble we should not try so
much to pet them and sympathize with
them, but we should go as General
Joab went to King David to compel
them to go forth and do something.
Work as a Panacea.
Work is the best panacea for grief.
Many years ago a great trouble came
to my fathers home. The best COM
forter my father had was not to be
found among those who came to weep
with him and to sympathize with him,
but the best comforter was the old
cassmate who came and said: DE
Witt, l am going through trouble far
worse than yours. My wife for ten
years has been In the insane asylum.
want to give you the only cure l
know to help you at this time. DO
not stay at home and cry. Go forth
into Gods great harvest field and work.
Work for God in the morning, work
for God at noon, work for God at night,
work and keep on working for God all
the time, and the blessed comfort from
God will be yours" Thus, my brother,
when you and / are going to carry true
comfort to our friends IN their time Of
trouble do not go to them to pet them.
Go to them and rouse them out Of them
selves by urging them to do something
for some one else. 1t was by work
that David overcame his grief, not by
selfish tears and sobs and weepings In
the silence of his bedchamber
And by the same reasoning, if there
our days OF 'ng above all others for
blessing Of work. BY imposing on us
tbe necessity of earning our daily bread
and caring for those who are depend
ont unon us God Is able to throw OH
the heavy burdens Of our grleI' Anu
how near those burdens were once 10
DESTROYING us! today would nave
Won treasure your necessity OF work
ing for your daily existence. Sorrow
and trouble raised their axes anu
smote Mt you. At first you were SUN
nod by the cruel blows. Eut hardly
had the blows of trouble and sorrow
descended When, like David, you mao
to he ND and out and doing. Anu IL
vour necessity for daily toll you fouhu
one of Gods great panaceas Tor grlel
oh NV friends, thank God today INA
Won have TO work and continue to worf
and like King David, that you nave u
work all the time.
Put there is another fact l want yo'
r. notice about JOab's upbraldment an'
dopunciation. He did not waste an
words about other peoples shortcom
= inos He did not go to the king AM
GOV. "Now. David, Absalom was d
unorateful dog. You ought to nav
hanged him long ago. And those pee
nIe who mutinied against you an
A made Won flee from your capital ougI
e 70 be sought out and punished" vi
j no Joab did not bother himset aOol
CRYING over the departed past II
u practically said to David: Here u
s insurrection has taken place. An aV
J. ful lot of damage has been done Ihel
Il ,s no use Of talking about who cause
% the difficulty. The one great tact
u want to solve Is how can we get u
e ,,inodom back upon its old, stable 1ou
II datlon. It Is not now a question WI
GOT fire TO your palace. but how we CT
mt the conhagration out Now, y
N had better get out Of this room as so
N ne nossible and get back to your capl'
st and pick up the reins OF governme
" without one moments delay" A
Of David returned and came to the J'
ve dan and went back to Jerusalem. a
ut Won and I ready to do as did DaVi
of Are you trying to jump In and oV
ed come the evil deeds Of others inste
en- of sitting down and crying about th'
~ and magnlfying them?
ng The world will never be saved by
xt proving that other people are liars Il
an ingrates. l read an article some YET
he ago. which l cut out Of paper d
Die pasted in my scrapbook, with the p
en- pose of quoting it, but | lost the aru
he and lost the book. The article, nc
i'm ever. went something like this: wv
ng ,s the use of men in business compla
an ing that their employees are slotn
'as and ignorant? What is the use OF
nd ing that your help IS lazy ana unt
aid | - .o16ob1 Men have always D