The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-22
THE CITY PULPIT.
THE WORLD OR YOUR SOUL"


Reformed Church, Eleventh and Fu-
bert streets, Last Evening,
ESPECIAL REPORT FOR EVENING rELEeRAPH.1
What shall u 1'roft a man " he shall gain the
whole aDorLd and lose hts ot0n ouf"-Mdrk viii 49,
"Whdt shall u profit a mdnFr The very oues
tion which men put at the bottom of ar the
enterprises of life. The consideration on which
hinges every outlay of capital, every Invest
ment of possessions, every exertiOn of ener.
gies, every decision with respect to llfe's call.
Ing and lifes aims. And here is a practical
whole world. with the loss Of your soul to find
the profit attained. Your every day arithmetic
is equal to the solution of the problem. And
this proposition is not only practical but most
solemn and momentous In issue TO every one
Every one has a soul ever to exist in one of
two states. Every one has more or less of the
world before him open to his acquisition To
every one the salvation of his soul is offered
AND every one has access to that reVeation
which makes known the magnificent proyision
made for his souls salvation, the grace that
bestows that priceless benefit, and the condItIons
requisite necessary to attaining 1t, This pronos
sition Is made to each and al, with the view to
prompt them to careful consideration of
its be aringS on their moral relations and their
eternal destinies. Shall not this very hour he
devoted to the momentouS calculation?
The spirit of truth guide us, ana held us TO
decision. Let us proceed to gather the items of
profit on one side and loss on the other foot
them them up, and strike the balance. And this,
tual ways shall be governed by that balance
And first gain the whole world" and what
have you? What does the world afford? Sill
yer and gold, houses aud lands, sumptuous
| living and brilliant equipage Yes, It can
cover you with honors surfeit you with plea
sures, surround you with:fawniTlg sycophants.
1t can endow you with power, load you with
cares, distress you with anxieties harass you
with fears. Itcan swell you with PRIDE freeze
you with haughtiness, stiffen you with selhsh-
ness Here ends the catalogue, as far as our
observation eXten IS. We have never heard OF
the widest possessions bestowing anything dif-
ferent We hare heard of these things accom-
panyihg occupancy of the world in full propor-
tion to the amount in hand. And now let us
see what we have here.
Stlrer and gold. ConventerceS, indeed USE
laid up on earth" however, "where moth
and rust corrupt, and where thieves
break break through and steal" And the con:
thieves, is their sure entailment. Sometimes,
| too, "they take to themselves wings" and their
| lands. Comforts, indeed; necessary blessing
| for which their possessor owes a debt of grail
Yet they furnish their comfort to the flesh only,
nor go beyond the confines OF this life; of earth
| they are, to earth adapted only, with earth re-
main; The spirit goes away without them, leav
| ing them behind, then they are of no worth.
! Sumptuous living and brilliant equipage.
Neither conveniences, nor necessary comforts.
The first, magnificent plague of body, decay
| ing its functions, running It's symmetry, and
rendering It's working pain! The other, a
out sensibility, poisoning the springs OF
| thought and the motives of action, and breed
| of fbenevolence, and makes man disproportion-
ed monster. Honors and pleasures. A brilliant
| shadow the one, the other, an imaginary
tertainment. Neither seems what tits. Neither
satisfies. With both at command, the head
| aches, the heart burns, the life becomes a
| WEAKNESS, the past is blank, the present,
| row; the future, nothing but darkness and hide
| Gus apparitions, so fearful, as TO make 1t q
dread TO take one step into 1t! Fawning syco-
| plants. The obsequtous "friends," the hungry
parasites OF the rich and honored, while they
Beyond that, the enemies who delight In their
fall and contribute to their anguish! Power.
Remember the sycophants, and know this. The
n w
pay for making fool of youi But enough To
gain the world we see is to obtain some things,
temporarily considered both necessary and sub.
stanttal: some things, in any light viewed
empty, frivolous, vain some things perplexing
buTdensome, dangerous! And all you attain
and use, in their fullness, and exclusively ONLY
by contracting with the prince of this world to
fall down and worship him ~ You thus mort
gage your existence, assured of foreclosure, Just
at that stage of it when you most need some
things to furnish you the relief "a drop of water
could afford! For you cannot take single one
OF these things with you when you exchange
worlds!
Grant them, then, the power of serving your
purposes ana securing your peace while you
have Them (Which latter all experience affirms
Is not the case), the time is surely coming when
that power shall be wrested from them. They
are OF the world and the benefit of them is only
for the world. But man wants more He goes
further, ana he wants something to carry with
MIN; something to breast the waves of death;
something to stand upon and refer to when q
righteous judgment shall make its requisitlons
But when we remember that their natural in
huence upon mans spirit is to make it earthly
sensual; TO put it into bondage TO the Prince OF
this world, debarring it from that association
and those exercises which alone can satisfy the.
cravings OF its nature, and develope its true
vitality and powers, we can truly see what
pront Tue gain OF the whole world is. We need
not underrate the real value OF the possessions
OF this world, nor condemn the pursuit OF law
Inl temporal gains as either improper or de-
can give, of itself, is visionary transient un-
tlsStia;etoTy, ruinous! What, then, is the
'Worlu's all, viewed as an offset to that "better
and enduring substance" which a gracious God
oners, 70 lalth, the price OF which TO Him is the
Di30d 3G,i OF d, HIS LIS well. well beloved Son?
decide definitely. This is
secondly. The loss OF ones own SOUL And
we might combine il all In one sentence: Ex:
clusion from the blessedness of Heaven and
consignment to the bitterness OF hell IoIeyor y
and ever! For the loss of the soul is It's remain I
ing without the salvation which Is Dy jesus
Christ But there are items here too a. -.
To lose the soul is Is to be Jorever GT W STS"'
communication tOiLh God There IS picture OI
lost soul drawn by the blessed heufSetSSit: tSt H
feature OF that picture is ggived1 giyd1 and You the
iost9 there is great gulf liked Z, An impossible
chasm of separation! AnucdDid Anu not ba 80 at t,v vuo
tb Teiieve The misery Of that lost statel OH
then OF all thai 'Jtchss vi EfInS EflnS on dGa5ioru.
SeI 5e 59d t lba value of drop OF water can be
eniovsd X From the 'liteip that puts the im-
Pre- press OF bat makes that being Blessed:
ttom the graces. that nt that being for solid
ebSs ttSines dwell in God, aud flow out from
- ts' 10 such only as are, saved" by faith in
Il Is atoning Son The 0ply enduring portion
theu is, couGhed in the terrible terms lever
ibstipg exclusion from the presence of the
Lord, and the glory of His poweriP
Agaln;-To lose me soul Is tob debarred the
society, contemplation, instructions, and glory
u the blessedf Hedeemer. That society is COM
Win 1.-The being Of glory.n There,
.he exalted Emmanuel, hold molly converse, and
walk in sanity white, and wear crowns lifet