The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-08-02

ne angel to strengthen Christ. Your
friends, your business friends,
your Christian friends, God sent them to
bless you, and II any of them have proved
traitorous it is only to bring out the value
Of those who remain. II some die, it is
only that they may stand at the outpost
Of heaven to greet you atyour coming.
You always will have friends, warm.
hearted friends, magnanimous friends,
and when sickness comes to your dwelling
there will be watchers; when trouble
comes to your heart there will be sympa-
thizers; when death comes there will be
gentle fingers to close the eyes and fold
the hands, and gentle lips to tell Of
o, we are comprised by
body guard OF friends! Every man, II he
has behaved himself well, is surrounded
by three circles Of friends-those of the
outer circle, wishing him well; those in
the next circle, willing to help him; while
close up to his heart ara few who would
die for him. God pity the wretch who has
not any friends! He has not behaved
well.
Iremark again: That God puts down
the limit to our temporal prosperity. The
world of finance seems to have no God in
1t. You can not tell where q man will
land. The afliuent fall; the poor rise.
Tie ingenious fail; the ignorant succeed.
An enterprise opening grandiy shuts in
bankruptcy. while out of the peat dug up
from some New England marsh the mill
lionaire builds his fortune. The poor man
thinks It is chance that keeps him down;
the rich man thinks it Is chance which
holds him up, and they are both wrong. It
is so hard to realize that God rules
the money market, and has q hook
in the nose Of the stock gambler, and that
oil of the commercial revolutions
of the world shall result in the very best
for Gods dear children. My brethren, do
not kick against the divine allotments.
God knows just how much money 1t is
best for you to lose. You never gain un.
less it is best for you to gain. You 60 up
when it is best for you to 60 up, and go
down when it Is best for you to 60 down.
Prove it, you say. will: Romans. viii,
%:
All things work together for good 10 them
that love God.
There are two things, says an old prov.
erb, you ought not to fret about: First,
things that you can help: and, second,
things which you can not help. II You can
help them, why do you not apply the rem.
edy? II you can not help them, you might
as we'll SUR ender first as last. My dear
brethren, do not sit any longer moping
about your ledger. Do not sit looking so
Responding upon your stock of unstable
goods. Do you think that God Is going to
allow you, Christian man, to do business
aloneY God is the controlling partner in
every firm; and although your debtors
may abscond; although your securities
may fail; although your store may burn,
God will, out of an infinity Of results,
choose for you the very best results. Do
not have any idea that you can overstep
the limit that God has laid down for your
prosperity. You will never get one inch
beyond II. God has decided how
much prosperity you can stand hon.
orably and employ usefully, and con.
troll righteously; and at the end Of
1886 you will have just so many
dollars and cents, just SO much wardrobe,
just SO much furniture, just so many bonds
and mortgages, and nothing more. will
give you 500 for every penny beyond
that. God has looked over your life. He
knows what is best for you, and He Is
going to bless you In time, and bless you
for eternity and he will do II in the best
way.
Your little child says: "Papa. l wish
you would let me have that knife"
mo-" you say, sit is sharp knife, ard
you will cut yourself"
He says: ~ must have IT,"
"But you can not have it," you reply.
He gets angry and red in the face, and
says he will have it; but you say he shall
not have it. Are you not kind in keeping
It from hlmy So God treats His children
l say:
~ wish. Heavenly Father, to get that
God says: mo, my child"
lsay: ~ must have it,"
God says: "You con not have It,"
l get angry and say: NJ will have it,
God says: "You shall not have III" anC
l do not get il.
Is He not kind and loving and the bes
Of fathersP Do you tell me there Is M
rule and regulation In these thingsS Tel
tlat to the men who believe In no God ant
no Bible. Tell it not TO me.
A man Of large business concludes to x
o,,t NJ h3o efora los y;uup much ~ hsa H.,
vestments In the business, aud he 50 vs. t,
his sons: ..,
snow, I am going to leave this business
in your hands. Perhaps may come bach
in little while, and perhaps not. Will,
! am gone you will please to look afte
affairs"
After awhile the father comes back ant
finds every thing at loose ends, and tn,
whole business seems to 10 going wronI
He says:
II am going to take possession Of thi
business-you know never fully surren.
dered it; and henceforth consider your.
selves subordinates."
Is he not right in doing III He saves tn,
business. The Lord seems to let us 20 OF
in life, guided by our own skill, and ",
make miserable work Of 1t. God come,
down TO our shop or our store, and says:
fittings are going wrong, Icome to taxi
charge. am master and know what |,
best, and I proclaim my authority" W,
are merely subordinates.
1t is like a boy at school with a loni
sum that he can not do. He has beer
working at It for hours, making figures
here and rubbing out figures there, and 4
is all mixed up; and the teacher, look Inf
over the boys shoulder, knows that he cal
not get out Of it, and cleaning the slate
says: Begin again" Just so God doe,
to US. Our affairs get into an inextricabl,
entanglement, and he rubs everything on