Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-12-09

lns been preached ami say: John, you
ought not 10 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 IL is for Il minister's wife
10 do that. Yet there Is many Il minis
ter today who j. ready 10 say that he
would not bc what he is unless his
wife had been n faithful critic of his
boylood friend that he Is doing wrong
AMI that unless he stops his sins his
life will bc ruined. How hard IL Is TO
tell that young girl classinatc that she
has no business To be going out at
night with the men with whom she Is
going. Easy 10 praise our friends for
their virtues. Are you ready To be true
and brave and 10 lift the danger signal
over your friends faults? You know
you can put your hand upon the life
else can. Are you ready TO he Gen
crdl Joab Ia your King David!
I:ut we must not stop here. When
we find king David going forth to
work we also find General Joab, the
great emancipation Of grief. When we
iimd David hrlng induced 10 20 forth
To meet tile responsibilities of his king
dom we find him breaking the shackles
of sorrow which have bound him hand
ana foot. ns the Roman captives used
IA ln In h. inls s.f hai
conqucrors In the triunphal entries
into the capital of the Caesars And
thus. my friends. II You and want TO
be- truly helpful TO our friends In their
time ~ trouble. we should not try SO
much To pet them and sympathize with
them. but we should 20 rs General
Joab went 10 King David 10 compel
them To 20 forth and do something.
work ms "a Pnnacea.
Work is the best panacea for grief.
Many years ago great trouble came
10 my fathers home. The best com
fortcr 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
cassnatc who came and said DE
Wit. am going through trouble far
worse than yours My wife for ten
years las lccn IN the insane asylum.
! want 10 give you the only cure
know 20 help you III this time. DO
not stay at home and cry. TO forth
into Gods great harvest field and work
Work for God In the morning. work
for God at noon. work for God NJ night,
work and keep on working for God all
the time, and the blessed comfort from
God will lie yours" Thus. my brother.
comfort To our friends IN their time OF
trouble do not go 10 them 10 pet them
Go To them and rouse them out of them
selves by urging them 10 do something
for some one else. II was 10y work
that David ovcrcamc his grief, not by
selfish tears and sobs AMI wccpings In
the silence Of his bcdchambcr.
And 10y the same reasoning. II there
he any blessing above all others for
which you and ! should he thankful In
our days OF adversely. II Is for the
blessing Of work. by imposing Oh us
the necessity OF earning our daily bread
and caring for those who are depend
cnt upon US God Is able TO throw Off
the heavy burdens of our grief. And
how near those burdens were once TO
destroying us. | today would have
you treasure your necessity of work
Ing for your daily existence. Sorrow
and trouble raised their axes and
smotc ut you. At first you were stun
ned by the cruel blows. But hardly
hnd the blows of trouble and sorrow
descended when. like David. you had
to he up and ont and doing. And in
your necessity for daily toll you found
one of Gods great panaceas for grief
oh. my friends. thank God today that
you have to work and continue TO work
and. like King David. that you have to
work all the time.
But there Is another fact want you
TO notice about Joab's upbraldment and
denunclation. He did not waste any
words about other peoples shortcom-
ings He did not 90 to the king and
say: "Now. Dnvid. Absalom was an
ungrateful dog You ought to have
hanged him long ago And those peo-
pie who mlriincd against you and
made you lice from your capital ought
TO be- sought out and punished" oh.
no. Joab did not bother himself about
crying over the departed past lie
practically said TO David; Here. the
insurrcction has taken place. An aw-
full lot Of damage has been done. There
IL M use of talking about who caused
the difficulty The one great fact we
want Ia solve Il how can we get the
kingdom back upon It's old. stable foun-
dation II Il not now question who
set fire to your palace. hut how we can
put the connngration out Now. you
had better get ont of this room as soon
ms possible and get back 10 your capital
and pick up the reinS of government
without one moments delay" And
David returned AMI came 10 the Jor.
dan and went back 10 Jerusalem. Are
YOU ana ready To do rs did David?
Are YOU trying 10 Jump In and over
come the evil deeds Of others instead