Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-09-25
'Thorns amongst the wheat.


Thoras amongst the wheat.
q" Madam, there is no hone,o said the
physicianto the weeping wife, as he was
taking his departure :" L will not deceive
you: there is no hope'' II. -.......
When the physici had departed, and
she that was so soon TO become widow
was left alone with her dying husband, she
fell lther duty to communicate the mournful
intelligence to him, that his mind MIGHT
be more earnestly directed to that state he
was so soon 10 enter. He had been a
professor of religion. had attended divine
service, and kept up domestic worship
regularly; and 10 the world he appeared,
and he believed himself to be, devout
man; but the hour was now come when
all self-deception was to be rent awav.
when the truth of his profession was to be
put to the test and then he was weighed
Inthe balance and found wanting. And
why The word had been sown; it had.
not fallen by the wayside nor did his
religion appear to bethe religion of mo-
ment or an hour. The seed had evident.
ly taken root; it had sprung up and the
eyes OF men beheld it, at distance. anna
rentiy green and fourishing; but it was
gT0a0ang amongst tborns, and the cares Of
me world and the deceitfulness of richness
had choked the word; and when the sow.
Ter sought for fruit, it was found unfrn;t-
full sase ---e 49, ~ ~
Yes the deceitfulness of riches was
his rum. Day after day had he knelt at
the family altar, and poured his PRAYER
for daily bread and then, rushing into
the pursuits OF business and accumuIatino
wealth, had seen around him the hungry.
but had not led them-the naked, but had
not clothed them-the sick, but had not
mInlstered unto them. No; absorbed in
the accumulation Of riches, and enprossed
IN the cares Of business, his eye, if not alb
soutely averted from, was never directed
to, the widow and the orphan: and his
heart, exniting in the success of his husi.
ness and the thriving state of his affairs
had forgotten to listen to the cry ofthe
needy. He had oppressed no one: he
had renderedto every one his due, and
his integrity was unquestioned he was
indeed, as the world terms it, respecta
bic, highly respectable man; and as he
rose in wealth, so he rose in the esteem of
his acquaintance. - --.--
And he was now rich man; his
Thoughts had been all directed to this end,
and he was successful; but could the con-
temptation Of his riches afford him pleas
ure now? When his wife had told him
that al hope was gone. and that he must
soon be summoned to give an account of
his stewardship, what consolation could
his riches afford him! O, in the conten-
nIatlon OF eternity, how worthless did the
things OF time appear and that heap of
gold his life had been dedicated TO collect.
Ilng, what dross did it then seem And
how gladly, how joyfully, would he have
parted with it now for the good of his fel-
towcrea;ures, could he have done it =
/ Had he then but an opportunity of doing
good, how gladly would he have embrac-,
ed it But no; the summer was past,
the harvest was ended; the opportunity
once granted and rejected, was now deni-
ed.
And this, il is to be feared, will be the
case with many. The young, who are
rising IN life, and whose aim is TO acquire
competence and independence, had need
to take care lest this form the chief end Of
their existence; lest the deceitfuiness of
increasing wealth, the excitement ofbuai-
ness, or the cares of the world, should
overcome them, and make their religion
a religion of theory, not of action; but
| let them recollect they must be judged ac-
]cording TO their ao0rks, and that an ac-
lcount of their stewardship will be de-
Imanded; let them remember they are
sent into the world to act apart in it, and