Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-09-07

that mOTalists deficits. MY brother,
stand in the scales. do not fly away
from them. put on your side the
scales all the goods deeds you ever did,
all the kinds words you ever uttered;
but on the other side the scales put
this weight which God says I must
put there on the other side the scales
asd opposite to yours | put this
weight: BY the deeds of tho law shall
no flesh living be justified" Weighed
and found wanting.
Still. the balances Of the sanctuary
are suspended and we are ready 10
weigh any who come. Who shall be
the nexti Well, here is Journalist
He.comes and he gets into the balan.
ces. and as he gets in zee that all his
religion is in gcnuflcxions and in out
the scales say: "What is that you
have in this pocket" Obi" he says.
that is Westminster Assembly Cate
chism." ! say: Very good. What
have you in the other pocketi" "Ohw
he says, THAT is the Heidelberg Cate.
chisni." Very good. What Is that
you have under your arm, standing in
this balance Of the sanctuary" "Ohf'
he says. that il a church record"
Very good. What arc these books
on your side the balancesi" 'Oh!" he
says. those arc 'Calvin's Institutes. ;"
My brother. we are not weighing
books; we are weighing you. II can.
not he that you are depending for your
salvation upon your orthodoxy. Do
you not know that the crceds and the
forms Of religion are merely the scat.
folding for the buildingl You certain
~ are not going 10 mistake the scat
folding for the temple. Do you not
know that men have gone 10 perdition
with u cateclism in their pocket"
But, says the man, II cross myself
often. "Ah! that will not save you"
But" says the man. Il am sympa-
thetic for the poor" That will not
save YOU" Says the man. Il sat at
the communion table" That will
not save you. But" says the man.
Il have had my name on the church
record" That will not save YOU"
But have been u professor Of relig.
ion forty years. That will not
save you. Stand there OH your side
the balances, and will give you the
advantage will let sou have all the
crce,ls, all the church records all the
Christian conventions that were ever
held, all the communion tables that
were ever built, on your side the bal
a,ices. On the other side the balances
l must put what God says must put
there. / put this million pound
weight on the other side the balances:
Having the form Of godlincss, but
denying the power thereof. From
such s..! turn away" weisl%>and found
THE woRIDI.ING SEIGHBoR.
Still the balances arc suspended.
Are there any Others who would like
to be weighed or who will be wcighedi
Yes; here comes wording. lie gets
into the scales. can very easily see
what his whole life is made up of.
Stocks, dividends. percentages. buyer
ten days" buyer thirty days" Get
in, my friend, get into these balances
and be weighcd-wcighcd for this life,
and weighed for the life 10 come. He
gets in. find that the two great ques.
tons in his life are. How chcaply can
buy these good,!" and How dearly
can sell thcm." | find hc admires
heaven because il is land Of gold,
and money must be easy"
/ | find from talking with him that
| religion and the Sabbath are an inter
ruption. n vulgar interruption. aud he
hope. on the way 10 church TO drum
mp n new customer. All the week he
has been weighing fruits, weighing
meats, weighing ice. weighing Goals,
weighing confections. weighing world
~ and pcrishable commodities, not
realizing the fact that he himself has
been weighed. On your side the bal.
anceS. o wording! will give you
full advantage. Iput on your side all
the houses. all the store
hd ergoes. all the insur.
and .dA all the factories. all
the ssrscr, all the gold. all the money
vaults, all tho safe deposits all ON
your side. But it does not add one
ounce, for at the very moment we are
cOngratulating you on your fine house
and upon your princcly income. God
and the angels are writing in regard to
your soul; Weighed and found want.
ing!"
But | must 60 faster and speak OF
the final scrutiny. The fact is, my
friends, we are moving on amid rs.
tornding realities. These pulses
which now are drumming tho march
Of life, may. after while, call halt.
We walk ON n hair hung bridge over
chasms. All around us are dangers
lurking ready to spring on us from
ambush. We lie down nj night, not
knowing whether we shall arise in the
morning. We start out for our occu.
pations. not knowing whether we shall
come back. Crowns being FURNISHED
for thy brow or bolts forged for thy
prison. Angels of light ready to shout
at thy delivcrance. or ficuds Of dark.
ness stretching out skeleton hands to
pull thee down into ruin consummate.
Suddenly the judgment will be here.
The angel with one foot on the sea
and the other foot on the land, will
swear by him that livcth forever and
ever that time shall be- no longer:
Behold. he comcth with clouds. and
every eye shall see him." lIark to
the jarring Of the mountains. Why.
that il the setting down Of the scales,
the balances. And then there is a
flash rs from a cloud, but il il the gilt.
ter Of the shining balances. aud they
are hoistcd. and all nations are 10 be
weighed. The unforgivcn get in on
this side the balances. They may
have weighed themselves and pro
nounccd ilaticring decision. The
world may have weighed them and
pronounced them moral. Now they
arc being weighed in Gods balances
the balances that can make no mis-.
take. All the property gone. all the
titles Of distinction gone, all the
worldly successes gone; there is a
soul. absolutely nothing but soul,
an immortal soul. a never dying soul.
soul stripped Of all worldly advan.
tages. n soul-on one side the scales.
On the other side the balances are
wasted Sabbaths. ,lisrcgardcd sermons.
ten thousand opportunities Of mercy
and pardon that were cast aside.
They aic an the other side the scales.