The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-05-19
a Worldly Choice, and its Consequences.
(FRoM "THE DAWN AND THE RAINY

| (FRoM "THE DAWN AND THE RAINY
"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the
plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every
| where. &. Then Lot chose him all the plain Of
| Jordan But the men of Sodom were wicked,
and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. gen.
| xiii lob.
That Lot was good man in the ground
of his character there is no reason to doubt.
The course of the narrative shows it, in
which, though sorely punished, he is finally
delivered, and the apostle Peter q Peter ii.
y expressly terms him "just Lot, vexed
with the filthy conversation of the wicked"
But good men have their besetting SINS
Lots was worldliness, and it cost him dear.
One of the first things we shall attempt
to show is, some of the features of the choice
which Lot here made.
One of these is this, that worldy advan-
tage was the chief element IN determining
his place IN life. "He lifted up his eyes,
and beheld all the plain of Jordan, even as
the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt The volcanic fires, slumbering
beneath, made that vale so fertile that its
riches have become proverbial; and the Jor-
dan, which has now so short course to the
Dead Sea, then wandered through the plain,
like the rivers Of Eden. Lots eye regarded
neither the dangers sleeping beneath, nor
the light of God above, but only the corn
and wine and verdant pastures. 1t is not
the part of religion to teach us to despise
natural beauty, or make us prefer to culti-
vate barren soil if we can get better. As
ceticism is no feature of the Bible, from first
to last. But to make outward advantage
the first and main object in choosing our
path in life, is certainly not the guidance of
the Word of God; anS either Lot was with
out true principle at the time, or he had for
the season forgotten it. Wealth, or the
chance of making it, is not the one thing
needful; and that man pursues very un-
wise and unchristian course who rushes
straight at it, without taking other things
into account. There are many signs of
materialism in our age, and this among
them, that the acquisition of money is one
of the first things which men think Of in
choosing profession for themselves or their
children. Our natural capability of mind
is one thing to be considered, for only as
we cultivate it can we be most useful to our
fellow-men, and most happy in ourselves
1t is not with impunity that man can do
violence to his own nature, or crush that of
his child, with no other motive than hasting
to be rich. And still higher than natural
taste is principle. The question, Can l,
with clear sense of duty, enter into such
I a line of pursuit? Am 1 not venturing into
relationships where it will be hard, if not
impossible, for me to maintain a conscience
void of offence? These points do not seem
at all to have troubled Lot, or they were
lightly put aside in view of his material in.
terests. We do him no injustice, for he re-
mained clinging to Sodom, years afterwards,
though he must have felt the deleterious at.
mosphere. He returned to Sodom when he
had lost all, and had recovered it again
through Abraham. That sharp warning was
Intellectual, and he needed to be forced from
the place by Gods destroying angel
What weighed with him all the while was
that which determined him at irst,-the
rich returns of the fertile SOIL When, in
any step of life, the readest thought which
occurs to man is not duty, or benevolence,
or mental taste and capability, but bare
worldly advantage, let him look at it well in
other lights. Such motive, if INDUCED,
is certain to end by shutting out his view Of
all that is high and true in life, and to lead
him into dark and miry ways.
See how Lots choice came back on him.
He grasped recklessly at worldly advantage,
and twice he lost his entire possessions
the second time, as it would seem, beyond
recovery. In the first instance, the kings
of the East plundered Sodom, and carried
off Lot and all he had. "They took Lot
and his goods, an emphatic conjunction.
There was much property, and it was much
to him, for his heart was in it. No doubt it
. was sore Blow to Lot, and was meant as
, warning to quit the place. But he refused
to take it, and the stroke came next time
direct from God, and with more crushing
t weight. He, who would not leave Sodom of
t his own free will, must be driven from it by
r the sword of the avenging angel. He went
: out poorer than he entered, and all his
/ wealth perished with the men of Sodom.
So when God Furnishes open sinners, He
| can judge the sins of his own people by the
, way. He can mingle judgment with mercy,
:. but also mercy with judgment, and Lot was
G made to feel it when he fed from the fiery
j; rain, stripped of the labors of years, and