Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-26
JOSEPH COOKE ON THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR.

JOSEPH COOKE on THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR.
In a recent lecture by Joseph Cooke
upon "The Religious Sign of the Times"
the Des Moines State Register, in which
city he lectured, gives the following sy-
nopsis:
"The dollar" ne said, " is mighty, but it
is not almighty" He then called atten-
ton TO the fact that it is within the last
forty years that this country west of the
Mississippi has been developed Speak
ing of the struggles of the pioneers, he
SAID that young men to-day are not as
steady and vigorous as their fathers were
when young. They are not subjected to
the same discipline, and some were born
lazy because their fathers had worked too
hard to lay up treasures on earth. An age
Of luxury, he predicted, is dawning; young
men and young women to-day expect too
many comforts and luxuries. 1t is an age
of wealth; but wealth, he believed, was
not happiness, unless with wealth came
consciousness. The native born young
man, he was afraid, was rather above the
physical labor of his father, and had too
great an ambition to live by his wits,
whether honestly or otherwise, and the
young women graduated from the culinary
department earlier than their good moth
ers did. He was anxious that they should
not forget the virtues of their fathers and
mothers.
The beginning of wisdom, he said, in
this age of luxuriousness and wealth, is
for young man to inure himself to hard
ship and toll. 1--WE respect no man be-
cause he stands on bag of inherited mill
ions but because of his honesty and worth.
The problem of the poor man is every
mans problem, and so is the problem of
riches; for in this country any poor mans
sons may become rich and any rich mans
son may become poor"
A second sign of the times is that the
time of every individual is short. I'VE
go hence, we go soon aud go never to re-
turn" To him the most startling mathe-
NAUTICAL fact was that there are only ten
years between Il mans fftieth and sixtieth
birthdays. He said it was an astonishing
thing that young men would not stop to
realize that the days and hours of living
are but few. "The dollar is mighty on
earth, but it is not almighty, much less is
it almighty with the Almighty"
The third sign was that men ought to
prepare to go hence. No man can show
that death ends all. Even Huxley to-day
viii not admit that death ends all. Pre-
paration consisted in learning to love what
God loves and to hate what God hates.
Man must be delivered from the love of
sin and the guilt of sin. The bible is
plain. 1t teaches that man is delivered
from the love of sin by the new birth, and
from the guilt of sin by the atonement.
These truths are not only mighty, but
almighty. If man goes on long
enough hating what God loves and loving
what God hates he grows into final perma-
nence of evil character-which is perdi-
ton \ man may on the other hand
grow into final permanence of good charac-
ter, as was the case with Lincoln and
Washington. He remined young men
that character crystallizes rapidly, in some
periods of life and situations astouishingly
so. He cited the Hindoo proverb Re
peated sin impairs the judgment and he
whose judgment is impaired SINS re-
peatedly."
In reference to practical questions he
said that great many church people i'm
agined that they were in the habit of
praying. He said that there was no prayer
without total self-surrender, acknowledge
InS oeuONdu as odVlOT anu lLOlt. my
kingdom come, and thy will be done on
earth," was not enough, but the heart full
of prayer prayed: "Thy kingdom come
and thy will be done in me this instant"
Speaking of prohibition, he said he had
always been total abstainer, and was not
wasting away either He attributed to it
his strength and endurance. He believed
that any young man was belated who
would ever consent to take single drink.
He said that great many clubs were ante
rooms to hell, and young men ought to
avoid them.
In closing, he urged all to lay up treas
ures in heaven. "The dollar" he said,
" is mighty, but not almighty. We 60
hence, we go'soon, we go never to return.
In the world to come love, faith and
virtue and holiness unto the Lord were
almighty"