Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-12-15
Lesson from WaIl street Gambling.

On Sunday last Mr.. Boecher preached. in
Plymouth church, q sermon bearing on the
recent gambling operations in Wall street
He read his text from Matthew 9th chapter
10Th and Goth verses
Lay not up FOR yourself treasures upon earth whore
moth ena t9st dgth corrupt ana whofc thievG break
through and steal But lay up Tor yourself treasures In
heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and
thieves do not break through and steal"
The desire to lay up property is distin-
gushing difference between the human and
animal nature. Up to certain point the
pursuit Of wealth is made by Providence a
means for obtaining happiness and prosperi-
ty There is general impression among
men that riches can make one perfectly hap.
by if they are not mislsed Others think
that they alone are not capable Of making
man truly happy. SO they are beginning to
think over the way lin Wall street) Some
Of the best men on this continent are found
in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and in
Washington. The nearer man lives to he'll.
if he is good, the better he is There are as
good men in Wall street as ever breathed, but
but they don't walk in platoons.
1t means something for a virtuous man to
be upright in the midst of temptation.-
Many Of you are here while the banks are
closed, and you agree with the gospel that
riches are good while they do not 20 higher
than the pocket People listen to sermons
with great interest on Sunday but the next
day they ridicue them, and not unfrequenty
they say, My minister told me that riches
make men unhappy; well, think that | can
bear great many troubles for half million.
know that the pursuit Of wealth is danger.
Gus, but | like danger" The Lord does not
teach that to seek riches is wicked, but that
the lovers Of truth and Of happiness cannot be
filled by riches alone The divine command
ment is First seek the Kingdom Of Heaven,
and all the rest shall be added. The treas
ures spoken Of by Christ are not such treas.
ures as men run after in Wall street. They
are not left behind when we leave this world,
but they alwaysgo with Us. Death is great
strainer, and all the riches Of men are left
at the grave. Neither gold nor the appetites
can be carried through. Men walk as kings
down to the dust but as beggars thereafter
Reason is part Of immortality, and it will ex.
tend beyond the portals of death. As We
have trained the mind here, so we shall begin
with it in the other life No person who has
ever made his higher nature resplendent here
will ever lose it in the world to come 1t is
impossible for man to hide his good works
even on earth. He might as well attempt to
put the sun in dark lantern. Aspiration is
vital. 1t is that which tends to make
thought larger, to lead man higher, and i
is eternal Love, however, is the great treas
ure-house Of God and man. 1t fills the uni
verse. There is no hell that can hold love
and even God himself cannot make love mis-
erable Wherever love exists there is heav
en-. No thieves get there, and where ther,
are no thieves, there is certainly heaven
Those who seek the baseness of this eartI
have no room for heaven. They give thu
noblest part Of their nature for the thing
which are corrupt, You abhor the men VIII,
have the orphans portion in trust and sell i
for their own aggrandizement. Yet you d.
things just as bad. When you sell the no
blest part Of your nature you are Judas
When you varnish man with smiles, tina
you may enrich yourself at his expense, yo
sell yourself for thirty pieces of silver. Wha
can man gain that exchanges the purity o
his own soul for gold Large bells are al
/ ways poorly cast and sooner or later the
crack. Our overgrown rich men are like thes
big bells, full Of flaws, and they soon lose a
! the sweetness they ever possessed. Death
Gods bankrupt court, and where men ar
, cleared of their debts and their riches, an
/ when they 60 through the gate opening int
the other life they have not enough to pa
q their ferriage over. In closing, Mr.. Beecl
er said L" l do notsay these things profession
ally, nor do preach because it is my bus
ness. do it because | want to--for the rei
son that the birds want to sing. | woul
preach salary or no salary, whether the ar
dence was large or small. speak to you
$ a friend of these things that intimately col
l. cern your happiness here and hereafter