, 1861-02-01

from their canyon channels, through rods or
miles Of rocky hills, before the precious
metal can be made their own
Have they determined upon tradiug7
They have not calculated every item Of the
enormous expense, nor foreseen every risk
and h. zard their goods must meet before
they can be conveyed to their destination.
HaVs they fixed npon farming2 They little
dream when cultivating and improving
their claims, that prior title will, in
few years, be presented, which will strip
them Of their ALL Nor whilst boarding up
their produce in hopes of higher prices do
they think it possible that prices should
sink and sink, leaving them at last in hope
less bankruptcy. They know not what q
day may bring forth. Like the thirsty
traveller in the desert, deluded by the de-
ceitful mirage, they follow, follow, follow,
their golden dreams day after day, till at
last they sink upon the sands to perish
from the thirst Of disappointment and des-
pair. A mans ignorance Of the future
renders his success very uncertain. God
has many agents for thwarting the self
willed projects Of men. Those illustra-
tiOns of this fact are as forcible as they
are tritN which call your attention ITO the
richly freighted merchantmen, driven by
the gale, wrecked and sunk with all her
cargo In the deep ocean--to the sweeping
conaagration which eats in an hour ten
thousand fortunes which It took on age TO
accumulate-to the rushing freshets which
sweep the wealth Of fertile townships and
thriving villages to remediless ruin-to the
gaping earthquake, which swallows whole
cities with their wealth and inhabitants in
q moment, leaving the few who may survive
to penniless poverty, and 10 the unforeseen
fluctuations Of trade and commerce, which
leaves thousands in hopeless bankruptcy.
All these illustrations are as striking as
they are familiar But these are not the
only agents God can use to thWart the
projects Of the self willed fortune seeker.
Even mans own mind and thoughts
are in the hands Of God And often Is
ones ewn calculations allowed 10 foil his :
own purposes and thwart his own projects-
Often does God send upon men Of such a
spirit, strong delusion that they may be-
lieve lie. Sometimes that they may bo
trained in the school Of experience, in
which alone, a fool will learn Of other times
that their self Wiled spirit may, like Pba-
raoh and bis hosts, the more speedily work
their own destruction. ~
But still more: Men embarking 10 busi-
ness have oftentimes, nay indeed, always to
a greater or less degree, the contrary wills
and purposes aud plans Of others--many Of
them kindred with their own, to contend
against and govern in order 70 their own
complete success Many have found that
the wills Of others-the schemes and pro-
jects Of others-are the most insnrmounsa-
ble obstacles in their own way TO wealth
and promotion.
All Of these means and many more God
may use as agents in thWArting the self
willed schemes Of men. Surely then il must
be presumption-it must be madness IN
men to east forward their projects into the
future without any respect to the will or
providence Of God: seeing there are 90
many agents over which they. have no con-
trol-to foil them at every step.
Your ignorance Of the future then
your ineapacity to foFesee and provide
against these proTideuces- often termed
casualties, or accidents, makes success fear
folly uncertain. There are many chances
for failure.
But failure, blighted prospects and dis
appointment come not alone. WOnld that
nothing worse accompany them. But alasl
when men have set their hearts on gain---
regardless Of God, and placed dependence
on self and not on their Savior. They
have none to whom to torn when self has
iailed--no counselor 70 whom 10 resort no
friend in whose perfect wisdom they can
con6de, an Almighty arm in whose strength
they can trust
To fail Is to despair; to despair Is 10 sinh
10 self-destruction. Were the history Of
your coast recorded in is miuutia, this fear
fol fact would be attested BY ten thousand
life sketches. Trace the young man who,
with buoyaDt spirits, left home, landed on
this coast, entered the mines and com
menced his orduous tolls, For q while he
bore up under many trials, and resisted
many temptations, in the hope that it
would become better. Snaress and tTaps
and pitfalls are laid for him. The cup, the
card, the dice, the dance, the revelry meet
him on every side. He becomes discour-
aged. His golden dreams, his prineely
fortunes are being slowly realised. Oh,
how slowly He struggles awhile; but
despoDdeucy, almost bordering on despair,
returns, and again returns. BE seeks to
dispel it by minghng 6rs. in the pleasueTS
Of the dance; he hesitates but soon sips
the draught; he falters, bot finally yields
to the dice and card. From these mo-
nents his course is steadily downward.
He becomes the hopeless victim Of the
gambler and liquor Vender. Despair dark
t ems into deeper despair; and himself sinks
D into drunkard's. gamblers, Il not mur-
t derer's grave. This is the history Of thou
5 sands, who with selfcon6dence said: "To-
day or tomorrow will go to the Pacific
; coast, aud continue there o season and
transact business and get gain, thep return
in alauence to the bosom Of my loFed ones
at home.
For what is your IiEsg II Is ste6 va
n ~ Il