Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-08-10

gold, and amethyst, and carbuncle,
and jasper, and sardonyx. and chryso-
OF which the walls Of heaven were
builded Word comes OF man who,
digging in that mine for one hour has
brought up treasures worth more than
all the stars that keep vigil over our
sick and dying world Is it bogus
company that is formcd2 Is it unde-
velopcd territory2 Oh no, the story is
true. There are thousands of people
in this audience who would be willing
to rise and testify Chat they have dis
covered that gold, and have it in their
possession. Notwithstanding all this,
what is the circumstance One would
suppose that the announcement would
send people in great excitement up
and down our streets, that at midnight
men would knock at yourdoor. asking
how they may get those treasures. In
stead of that, many of us put our hands
behind our back and walk up and
1down in front OF the mine Of eternal
riches, and say: "Well, if AM TO be
saved. will be saved; and7if | am to
Be damned Twill be damned, and there
is 0:al.eegg
brother, d0 YOU not 2 do that way in
business matters2 Why do you not
tomorrow go to your store and sit
down and fold your. arms and say:
IF these goods are to be sold,
they will be sold; and if they
arc not to be sold, they will
not be sold; there is nothing
for me to do about it, No,
you dispatch your agents. you print
your advertisements, you adorn your
show windows, you push those goods,
you use the fundamentally. Oh that
men were as wise in the matter Of the
soul as they arc wise in the matter of
dollars and centsl This doctrine of
Gods sovereignty, how it is misquoted
and spoken OF us though it were all
iron chain which bound us hand and
foot for time and for eternity. when,
so far from that, in every fiber of your
body, in every faculty Of your mind,
in every passion of your soul, you are a
free man and it is no more 4 matter Of
free choice whether you will to-mor-
row go abroad or stay at home, than
it is this moment q matter of free
choice whether you will accept Christ
or reject him. In all the army Of
banners there is not one conscript.
Men are not to be dragooned into
heaven. Among all the tens OF thou.
sands of the Lords soldiery there is not
one man but will tell you: Il chose
Christ; wanted him; ! desired 10 be
in his service; Lam not Il conscript-l
am volunteer. Oh, that men had the
same common sense i'll the matters Of
religion that they have in the matters
of the world-thc same concentration,
the same push, the same enthusiasm
In the one case n secular enthusiasm;
in tile other, q consccrated enthusiasm.
THEY MAKE HASTE SLOWLY.
Again | remark: We want more
common sense in the building up and
cnlarging of our Christian character
There are men here who have for forty
years been running the Christian
race, and they have not run a quarter
OF n milcl
No business man would be willing
to have his investments unaccumula-
tive. IF you invest a dollar you
expect that dollar to como home bring
ing another dollar on its back. What
:. J. :. ' nlOn
etary institution, then go off for five
years, make no inquiry iii regard to
the investment, then come back, step
M to the cashier of the institution
and say: Have you kept those ten
thousand dollars safely that | lodged
with your" but asking no question
about interest or about dividend.
Why, you say, THAT is not common
sense. Neither is it, but that is the
way we act in matters Of the soul.
We make far more important invest
ment than ten thousand dollars. We
invest our soul. Is it accunulative9
Arc VIC growing in grace? Are we
getting better? Are we getting worsc'
God declares many dividends, but we
do not collect them, VIC do not ask
about them, we do not want them.
Oh that in this matter of accumula-
ton VIC were as wise in the matters OF
the soul rs we are in tho matters Of
the worldl
COMMON SENSE IN SCRIPTURE READING.
How little common sense in the
reading of the Scriptures We get
any other book and we open it and we
say: "Now, what docs this book mean
to teach me? It book on astronomy;
it will teach me astronomy. 1t is a
book on political economy; It will
teach me political economy" Taking
ND the Bible, do we ask ourselves what
itmeans to teacll2 1t means to do just
one thing: get the world converted
and get us all to heaven. That is what
it proposes to do. But instead OF that
we go into the Bible Us botanists to
pick flowers, or we go as pugllists to
get something to fight othcrClristians
with, or we go rs logicians trying to
sharpen our mental faculties for a bet
ter argument, and We do not like this
about the Bible, and we do not like
that. and we do not like the other
thing. What would you tlrink of Il
man lost on the mountains2 Night
his come QOWn; lie callllot nllu iiiS
way home and he sees light i'll a
mountain cabin; lie goes to it, he
knocks at the door; the mountaineer
comes out and finds the traveller and
says: well, here l have q lantern;
you can take it and it will guide you
on the way homc;" aud suppose that
man should say: ~ don't like that
lantern, Idon't like the handle7of it,
there are ten or fifteen things about it
| don't like; if you can't give me a
bntter lantern than that l won't have
any"
Now-God says this Bible is 10 be a
lamp to our feet and il lantern to our
path, to guide US through the midnight
OF this world to the gates OF the celes-
tial city. We take hold of it in sharp