Year: 1874

Sympathy in Affliction How i


should be manifested at Funerals.


The following Is an abstract of a ser


mon recently preached in Trinity church


Worcester, by the Rev. Ira g. Bidwell


from Lamentations iii, 81 SO verses


" For the Lord will not cast off forever


but though be cause grief, yet will he


have compassion according to the mul


titude of his mercies. For he doth not


afflict willing, nor grieve ths children OF


of men ; to crush under his feet all the


prisoners of the earth to turn aside the


sight of man before the face of the


Most High; to subvert man in his


cause, the Lord approveth not


No sermon can be preached that how


ers around the text, in the light of a


heavenly Fathers pity and love, to


catch the light of tenderness and love


of God over the heart of sorrow. God


does not afflict willingly, and when the


air is filled with griei and lamentations,


like Rachel weeping for her children, its


phase In life is to bring man nearer to


his God When the minister enters a


sick room and stands beside the bedside


of the dying, the physician and friends


stand around, helpless to speak a word


of comfort aud peace to the soul that is


soon to pass through the dark valley of


the shadow of death the work over


whelms them. 1t is easier to preach a
sermon than to mingle with the sick and


dying; there are SO many particulars in


which it is difficult; the sense of separ-
alton of friends and the witnessing of
their affections, when consolation must


be whispered and not shouted /; the
sense of our own personal unworthiness,
when the only thing wanted is sympathy
and love. Who is sufficient for such oc-
casions when he feels that we should not
intrude? At such time we should lean
upon Jesus. In this place it seems to
be the sphere Of woman to be present
and minister unto the stricken, to smooth
the brow with her hand, and to kiss
away the tears, rather than the harsh
voice aud rough hand of man. When
we see man with spiritual eye, for
moment we are disarmed, and we feel
that they are wicked and we pity them
but when we think of our own condition
of sinfulness we shudder. The Christian
pastor yearns for a holy heart when he
is called upon to sympathize with the
bereaved, but we ever feel the need of |
holiness when our hearts can cry out
exultingly, as we catch glimpse of
of Gods holiness and purity. Those
)nly who have lost friends know how to
in such an hour; till we
have drank of the cup of bitterness,
our talk is like foreign language. One
half of the funeral sermons that are
preached are cold and cruel; they are
crowded upon us by the formality of So
oiety; they want to express sympathy,
but they are SO terribly solemn. Funer-
ais should be private and only loving
hearts should be present. Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people" saith your God.
8 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. /"
Not long since, four brothers had sis
ter, and they thought they would lay
her away in her last resting place, and
consulted me about it, l said, Certainly,
The act will be beautiful" but friends
and the hands of strangers
aid her in the grave. Four years ago
[ knew of four sons who carried with
heir own hands their deceased father to
he tomb they said they could allow no
one else to do it, as be had carried them
IN his arms so much in their infancy
and early childhood. Let each family /
carry out its own ideas of funeral by
BY all means, if there is not a single
word spoken. l would have but few
men speak word over me. Silence
hat is golden is sympathy. People
lon't understand that thirst is something
pure and permanent; thirsty soul
cries out to God the soul yearns after
something pure, vital and most sacred,
'uch as the psalmist speaks of, cas- the
heart panteth after the water brooks, so
panteth my soul after thee, o God" Not
only Christians but the unconverted
nave this yearning. Mourners, think
not of God as an abstract being, but as
l tender, sympathizing friend. "Come
into me all ye that labor and are heavy
aden, and l will give you rest" Open
four hearts to him and he will come in