The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-07-22

God sent that friend just as certain as he
sent the angel to strengthen Christ.
Your domestic friends, your business
friends your Christian friends, God sent
them to- bless you, and if any. of them
have proved traitorous, it is only to !
bring out the value Of those who remain.
If some die, it is only that they may
stand at the outpost of heaven to greet
you at your coming.
You ALWAYS will have friends-warm- !
hearted friends, magnanimous friends;
and when sickness comes to your dwell
ing there will be watchers; when trouble
comes to your heart, there will be gentle
fingers to close the eyes and fold the
hands, and gentle lips to tell of resur-
rection. o, we are compassed by body
guard of friends! Every man, if he has
behaved himself well, is surrounded by
three circles Of friends-those of the
outer circle wishing him we'll; those In
the next circle willing to help him; while
close up to his heart are few who would
die for him. God pity the wretch who
has not any friends He has not De-
haved we'll.
I remark again: That God puts down
the limit to our temporal prosperity
The world of finances seems to have no
God in it. You cannot tell where man
will land. The affiuent fall; the poor
rise. The ingenious fail; the ignorant
succeed. An enterprise opening Srandly
shuts in bankruptcy, while out of the
peat dug up from some New England
marsh the millionaire builds his fortune.
The poor man thinks it is chance tnat
keeps him down; the rich man thinks 1t
is chance which hoists him; ana tney
are both wrong. 1t is SO hard to realize
that God rules the money market, ana
has hook in the nose of the stock gam
bier, and that all the commercial revolu-
tious of the world shall result in the
very best for Gods dear chill Ny
brethren do not kick against the divine
aIIotments God knows Just how much
money it is best for you to lo-e. You
never gain unless it is best for you to
gain. You go up when it is best for you
to go up. and go down when it is best
for YOU to go down. Prove it. you say.
I will-Eomans viii, %: ''All things
work together for good to them that love
God" You go into a factory and you
see twenty or thirty wheels. and they
are going in different directions This
hand is rolling off this way, and another
hand another way; one down and another
! I'D. You say: "What confusion in a
| factoryr' o, no! all these different
hands are only different parts of the ma
chinery. So I go into your life and see
| strange things. Here is one providence
pulling you one way, and another In
| another way. But these are different
parts of one machinery by which He will
advance your everlasting and present
well-being. Now you know that sec
ond mortgage, and a third and fourth
mortgage, is often worth nothing. It is
the first mortgage that is a good invest
ment. 1 have to tell you that every
Christian man has first mortgage on
every trial, and on every disaster, and II
must make a payment of eternal adVan-
tage to his soul. How many worriments
it would take out of your heart, II you
believed that fully. You buy goods and
h1ra tho rrica will 90 nm bllf Won are III
a fret and frown for fear the price viii
60 down. You do not buy the goods
using your best discretion in the matter
and then say: 80 Lord, have done the
best could; commit this whole trans
action into thy hands" That is wha
religion is good for, or it is good TO
nothing.
There are two things, says an OLE
proverb, you ought not to fret about
First, things that you can help; ant
second, things which you cannot help
If you can help them. why do you no
apply the remedy? II you cannot he'll
} them, you might as well surrender mrs
as last Ny dear brethren. do not 81
: any longer moping about your ledger
Do not sit looking SO despondlnS upol
YOUR stock of unsa ieable goods. Do go
think that God is going to allow you,
: Christian man, to do business alone
God is the controlling partner in ever
| firm :. ana although yOuI oColoAD AAAe'
} abscond, although your securities ma
fail, although yonr store may burn, Go
( will, out of an infinity of results, choos
for YOU the very best results. DO nc
t have any idea that you can overstep I'll
t limit that God has laid down for YOU
prosperity. You will never get one Inc
l beyond it. God has decided how muc
: prosperity you can stand honorahly al
g employ usefully, and control rigliteou
u ": and at the end OF 1856 you will ha'
: lust so many dollars and cents, just s
d much wardrobe, just so much iurIltur
! lust so many bonds and mortgages, III
;. nothing more. 1 will give you one hu
l. dred dollars for every penny peyoi
n that. God has locked over your Ii
o He knows what is best for you, and
|, is going to bless you in time, and bic
IL YOU cor eternity; and He will do it in
e best way.
Your little child says: Papa, l wi
3 you would let me have that knife
mo" you say, ait is sharp knife, a
is YOU will cut yourse f." He says:
n must lave it." "But you cannot ha
is it," you reply. He gets angry ard 7
k in the face, and says he Will have it; t
n. YOU say he shall not have it. Are
re not kind i'll keeping it from him:
Te God treats his children. 1say: wi!
Ill heavenly Father. to get that. q
re- saws: mo. my child" say: II nj
of naye it," God says: "You cannot h;
I'd it." get angry and say; II will h;
it, God says: You shall not have
Id and I do not get it. Is he not kind .
IS, loving and the best of Fathers? Do J
.ir tell me ther.- is no rule and regulation
IS these things? Tell that to the men v
I'D believe in no God and no Bible. Tel
he not to me.
A man of large business concludes
e. go out Of his store. leavi much OF
he Investments in the business. and he S
nd to his sons Now, am going to lie
GU this business in your hands. PerhaF
ne may come back in a little while, and
Ter haps not While I am gone you
he please to look after affairs. A
It'll awhile the father comes back and :!
us everything at loose ends, and the wi
ID. business seems to be going wrong.