The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-06-04


REySAMUEL W. pURv1S.D.D
rHE SILVER LINING OF THE CLOUD.
Text. Blessed are they that MOURN
Matt v, 4.
We enter the world with cry. I'm
ess we are utterly worthless we shall
cave it in a rain Of tears. Even if we
ire that, there may be some one who
will weep when we go. We are told
hat God will wipe all tears from the
Eyes of his people. Why does he not do
t now: The commonplace OF consola,
ion exasperate the pain they are
meant to sOOthe.
The toad beneath the harrow knows
Precisely where each sharp tooth goes:
The buttcrfl on the road
breaches contentment to the toad
No one can quote these lines of Kip
ing when the Man of Sorrows ntters
his own experience in the words.
Blessed are they that mourn, for they
shall be comforted." Yet even in his
the questions come: Were it
better never to mourn than to mourn
and be comforted! Can there be
fine enough to make lameness
a blessingg Plainly we either do not
agree with the Master or we do not I'M
ilerstand him. For we see in the wild
owls veil crown of thorns. He saw in
It a crown Of thorns We emphasize
the thorns; he puts emphasis on the
crown.
A Strange Paradox.
The fool hath said, There is no
God" but he isn't foolish enough to
say. There is no sorrow" because its
stream flows through every street,
close by the doorstep of every life. 1t
is fed by many springs, and sometimes
it seems all the springs are Overf1owing
ut once There is the spring Of pow
erty. Il plentiful source Of trouble.
the horizon. cutting off re-
sources, forbilding travel. withholding
Of mind and opportunity.
Another source Of trouble is i'll health.
/ lose money; another gets it. | have
added no burden to the world. But
when health fails the spirit bruises it.
self against the bars of its limitations.
Lack of friends causes trouble. Death
only is irrevocable. Friends may come
back, health may return. money may
he remade, but the dead never come
back. Christ says, blessed are they
At all icts .No n &c
none is stranger than this. AS II he
had said, Happy are the sad" In
harmony with the imagined purport Of
this sentence Christ is pictured only
as the Man Of Sorrows. His followers
have entombed themselves in grave
like cells. wear black garb of mourn
ers and have tasted, whipped and tor
tured themselves. They hoped to reach
the heights Of heaven by the paths of
pain. And when folks do not have
trouble enough today they borrow from
tomorrow.
The Ability to Mourn.
Today there is school surging to
the other extreme and are seeking hap
piness in ii denial of sorrow, They
train their eyes to be fearless They
are exercising their souls in the art OF
oblivion. They say to sin, Il know
you not" and to pain. You are only a
ghost" and to suffering. "Ion are only
a phantom and do not exist" Laugh
ut grief and it will burst as bubble
All is mental. and the mind is the con
troller. say these philosophers. Notice
Christ's fine discrimination. He drives
the hired mOurners from the house OF
Jairus because they We're hired. HI
spoke OF Lazarus sleeping-beautifu
met;ipllOr!-and Immediately added
that be was dead. He constantly spoke
Of sinners as lost men He did not
deny sorrow and sin. but wept ovel
Lazarus and grieved over Jerusalem
With the cross before his eyes he said
THAT my JOY might remain in you ant
Your joy be full"- his joy. an hour be
fore Getllsemane! Let us weigh hi.
words He did not say, Happy art
they who are bereaved of health. prop
erty. friends" That. think. would
not always be true. Misfortune some
times develops strength. sometimes
brushes it. Prosperity made Henry v
hero and Macbeth brute Misfor
tune poisoned the soul of Timon ant
sweetened the spirit Of Cordelia. Til,
search for those who do not mourn
leads us not upward toward the an
gels. but downward toward the oyster
Which are the blessed-the higher .
the lower? The ability to mourn Is
large one.
Meaning Of Comfort.
Christ tells ns why such as he ar
blessed '"rhey shall be comfOrted'
not consoled or soothed, but comfortet
comforts" strengthened. A shiver
ing man is wrapped up in blankets 0
brought in before the stove That |
our idea Of comforting His vita
forces may be stimulated by Il brisl
walk or exercise That is the New
Testament idea Of comforting Pau
says, Comfort (strengthen) one anotl
or by these words Suffering ism
punishment. but education How coul
one acquire courage if he never cor
fronted danger? How patience Ii h
hever knew trial? How pity If h
never knew suffering? Mourning ri
veals richer things. The Hood washe
away the Californian's home and mill
all he had in the world When til
| waters subsidized he stood broken hear
I'd and discouraged. Then somethin
| glistened in the sand. 1T looks lik