Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1851-02-25


led through the heart Of Mr.. Willis. Hc
tried to speak, but his tongue refused to dc
its usual Office.
God is good resumed the old man 'Hc
is good to all and kind oven to the complain
ing and unthankful His tender merces are
over all his works. But man, poor, short.
sighted man, is ever doubling his goodness;
is ever seeing his gifts dispensed witha par.
tial. instead ola wise and generous hand
Your complaints have been heard. lie who
because he knows what is in man, knows
what is best for him. has hs'to fhI.jn xnu
subserve the best and highest interest oI
| your immortal soul. He gave you all the
good things of this lifo that il was possible
to givo you, without doing your spritua
part an injury. But, because He would moi
curse you with wealth. you murmured a
I gainst him. and called his Providence parta
and unjust. Behold, you ere given up to the
desires of your heart. Money you can now
( have in abundance
The old man, after saying this, arose slow
+. ly from the place where he had sat down,
and turning away, walked silently from the
room. He had been gone only u few mo-
/ ments, il seemed to Mr.. Willis, when the
1 door opened. and one of his clerks walked in
holding letter in his hand, which he said
had been sent to the store after he left by a
, merchant in whose package it had come
The letter proved to be from the captain OF
the vessel. in which his -four had been ship
ped. 1t stated that he had refused TO sell at
| tho prices he had agreed to take, as men.
toned in former letter, and bad sailed for
a neighboring island, where he obtained a
very handsome price for the whole cargo =
This made the profit of the voyage just four
/ thousa nd dollars TO Mr.. Willis, who was
/ now as much eated as he was before de-
pressed. The singular visit of the old man
was at once forgotten. in the gladness of
! mind that followed this unexpected intelli
gence.
From this period the lifo of Mr.. Willis
seemed to be one whirl of excitement. There
appeared little or no intervening space be-
tween the time of his reception of this lettor
and the morn; nor between his parlor and
4 his counting room. He next found himself
at his desk, busy with the schemes for ma
! king money. Another adventure was plan
ned, and executed in great haste. Ii was
even more successful than the first. Bust
ness increased at every point, and all his
operations were profitable. Money flowed to
him, rapidly, from almost every quarter. In
his eagerness for gain, he scarcely allowed
! himself sufficient time TO eat and sleep. He
took no pleasures in his family; the old eve
ming home circle was broken up lie had
no time to indulge in pleasures ofthis kind,
Tho consequence was. that his children. as
| they grow up, felt but few attractions at
home, and wandered away.
Nv
Willis used to 60 regularly with his family
| to church, every Sabbath but he had no in
clination to attend pu0lc worship now. 1t
was irksome to him. lie would much rath-
er stay at home and think over his plans and
business for the coming week.
Years went by with almost the speed of
days. His children grew up and passed from
under his care. One son became dissipated.
and another fell into dishonest practices, and
his eldest daughter was married to man
whose unkindness and evil courses were
breaking her heart. These things began to
disturb, seriously the mind of Mr.. Willis
Eager as he was for more money, and suo-
cessful as were all his efforts to attain il. he
could not be indifferent to those sad conse-
quences of his neglect of his children.
One day there was presented to MIR. VIII
lis the opportunity of making very large
sum of money, provided he would enter into
scheme that must certainly result in serious
loss and injury to others. The only thing
that made him hesitate about entering into
this scheme, was the fear that his reputation
might suffer. He thought nothing of what
his ncighbors might loose, nor of the spiritu-
al injury that he would himself sustain. All
day nc pondered over tho golden opportuni-
ty that had presented itself and in the ove-
ming, no still thought about it, while sitting
alone, and he has now accustomed 10 do. IN
:he parlor, missing on plans for getting more
gain. Every argument, for and against the
scheme, was carefully weighed, and at length !
il was deliberately settled in his mind. that
he would enter into it, and risk all danger OF
suffering in the good opinion of others.
While contemplating, in pleasant mood,
the rich return no would get from this new |
mode of acquiring wealth, he was disturbed /
by the entrance of some one, and looking up, /
he saw the venerable Cd man who had visi- /
ted him, in the same place years before. His I
countenanee was not so mild as then; but /
upon il there rested severe expression -
advanced close to Mr.. Willis, and stood look
ing at him for some time IN silence. At
length he said
You have had your wish
,remor and fear seized upon the heart
of Mr.. Willis.
God has given you over continued the
old man, to your own evil lusts. Wisely he
withheld from YOU that which He knew wo'd
provo to be the ruin of your children; but
you complained against hun. With pleas-
ant homo. innocent children, and all things
needful for bodily comfort and worldly well
being, you were not satisfied. You envied
your neighbors the goods they possessed,
and made yourself miserable because you
were not as rich as they were; and now. IN
your eager pursuit of wealth, you are doing
a great wrong--you are about robbing, in
fact, your neighbor Of what is righttully his
Will this make you happy No--only the
wise and good are happy. A conscience
stained with evil is no pleasant companion.--
Are you better man for tho wealth you
have been permitted to accumulate! NO
You are a worse man, and your eternal
oondition tvilI ba N hundred. fold more mlsOr-