Milford chronicle., 1907-07-12
Cahnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase, D. D.


ure Of worldly prospects this sermon
comes as message Of consolation and
encouragement The text is Psalm
XXX, ., Weeping may endure for a
night, but Joy cometh in the morning. -
The Bible declares that II is better
to go to the house Of mourning than
to join in the frOlics of the merrymak-
ers. But that does not mean that we
should talk to those in trouble with
the lugubriOus and sepulchral coun-
tenance Of an undertaken officiating at
funeral. If there is any time in life
when we need the curtain up and the
sunlight flooding every room in the
house, It is when the dark clouds Of
bereavement have shOwered the hearth
stone Of the home with bitter, scald-
ing tears. If there is ever a time
when a visitor should enter a room
with a smile upon the lip and with a
ringing note Of Joy in his salutatiOn
and with hope and peace and comfort
radiating from every feature Of his
countenance, that time is when he is
standing by a sickbed or is extending
the warm clasp of affection to one who
Is bowed under the heavy burdens OF
grief. Yet the strange fact is that not
one in fifty knows how to enter the
house Of mourning. Instead Of going
there with a message of comfort and
peace and hope, the average man en-
tering the house of trouble depresses
the barometer Of suffering and makes
the gloomy days of trouble still more
gloomy.
Like Jobs comferters.
Almost all Of US hold in memory the
recollection of the agonizing visits
which some weeping Jeremiahs made
to US when our cup Of anguish was
filled to the brim and OverfOwing.
They came to us with long tales Of
woe to tell US that if we had only gone
to their physician and used his medi-
cines our baby would not have died.
Or they came to tell US that perhaps
God took away our dear ones because
we were not living close enough to him
and had not fully consecrated our lives
TO his service. Or they came to us and
said, my dear friend, you should
thank GOD that he has taken away
your boy, because your child might
have lived to grow up a very bad man,
to be some day executed for the crime |
Of murder, or he might have become a |
drunkard, a llbertine or a thief"
Or they entered our sickrooms and |
homes Of death as the miserable COM |
forters OF Job came to the patriarch |
after he had lost money, children and
health. Those men had the idea that |
heavy trouble was the result of hei-
nous sin. They believed that God pun
ished a man in this way when he had
done wrong. So when they saw Job
suffering the loss Of property and chill
dren and health they concluded that
he had committed some serious crime.
They hinted their belief to him and
urged him to repent and confess, and
when the poor harassed man insisted
that he was innocent they warned him
not to make his case worse by hypoc-
risy. Thus they aggravated Jobs trou-
BILE, and he exclaimed, miserable COM
forters are We ALL"
But though the world may have its
Eliphazes and Zophars and BiIdads,
thank God that the human race also
has its Davids It has the noble men
and women who, in times Of great
trouble, can come into our lives and
speak the sympathetic word in just
the right way. These men may have
l tear in the eye, but they always have
/ smile beaming on the lip. They
20 In, /
Brother, it may be dark for you now,
lut believe me, God is good. From my
,wn personal experience l can testify
hat all things will come out right, if
We only trust him and live for him.
Weeping may endure for a night, but
oy cometh in the morning Thank
Sod, the sunrise of gospel truth can
Ilways follow the darkest nights of
Iespair."
David could speak from experience
bout nights Of weeping. He was no
lovice in sorrow. He had tasted the
litter cup of woe and had drunk its
ontents to the dregs. And as l por- !
ray the sufferings of the shepherd boy |
7ho afterward became the king Of I
srael, want his experience to help
ou to find the peace that passeth all
which the sweet singer
( Israel enjoyed. I
David, in the first place, knew all t
bout the mental sufferings Of an un- y
Apply child. He knew what it was to t
ave little boys heart beat and thrOb L
18th anguish. He knew what it was
go sobbing night after night to bed. &
lie may have known what 1t was to L
rave for parental love and receive it Z
OF. And of all child's troubles d
elieve there is not one greater than d
feel that a father or a mother loves o
le rest of the children better than they 1
we him. Oh, the awful sufferings that ri
,me from parental favoritism! God k
ty the boys or the girls who have n
bear that heavy trial in their youth. II
A Family Story. tt
I never had this fact more power Il
lllv illustrated than at my own din h
g room table. If you will not think al
e personal history impertinent, I may W
II you that my boys and my girls and III