Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-06-23

your pocket. Solomon looked upon his
palace and the grounds surrounding it,
pools trimmed with gold and circling
roads along which at times rushed his
fourteen hundred chariots, while under
the outbranching sycamores and cedars
walked the apes and peacocAs which
by the navy of Hiram had been
brought from Tarshish, and from the
window curtains with embroidered gold
and purple through which came out
the thrill of harps and psafteris@ min
Cling with the song of the waters.
When Solomon saw that all these
luxuries of sight and sound had been
purchased by his wealth he broke forth
in the exclamation, money answereth
all things But we cannot receive it
as literal 1t cannot still the voice OF
conscience 1t cannot drown the sor-
rows of the soul. 1t cannot put a bride
in the hand of death. 1t cannot unlock
the gate of heaven. The tower of 81
loan fell and killed eighteen of its adj
.mirers, but this idol, to whose worship
the exchanges and banks and custom
houses of the world have been dedi
Gated, will fall and crush to death its
thousands. But l cannot enunerate
the idolatries to which men give them
selves. They are kept by them from
religious life. eye cannot serve God
and Mammon, F" and the first thing that
Christ does when he comes into the
temple of the soul is to drive out the
exchangers.
DO NOT TURN BACK BECAUSE OF DREAD.
But it was not only the gods of Moab
that made Orpah leave her sister and
mother-in-law. She doubtless had a
dread of the hardship to which they
would be exposed on the journey to
Bethlehem, and Orpah was not alone
in the fear. Doubtless some of you
have been appalled, and driven back by
the self-denials of the Christian life
The taunt of the world, the charge OF
hypocrisy which they would sometimes
be obliged to confront, has kept many
away from the land of Bethlehem.
They spend their life in counting the
cost; and because Christian life de-
mands SO much courage and faith they
dare not begin to build. Perhaps they
are courageous in every other respect.
They are not timid in presence of any
danger except that of trusting in tie
infinite mercy of Christ.
The sheep are more afraid of the shep-
herd than of the wolves They shrink
away from the presence of Christ as
though he were a tyrant rather than
friend who sticketh closer than broth
er. They feel more safe in the ranks
of the enemy, where they must suffer
infinite defeat, than in the army OF
Christ, which shall be more than con.
querors through him that hath loved
them. Men shiver and tremble before
religion as though they were command
ed to throw their life away, as though
it were O. surrender of honor and man.
liness and reason and self respect, and
all that is worth keeping.
WHY SHOULD GODS MERCYBE DoUBTEDi
What has God ever done that his
mercy should be doubted? Was there
ever a sorrow of his frailest child that
he did not pity? Was there ever a SOU
that he left unhelped in the darkness
Was there ever a martyr that he did
not strengthen in the flames9 Was
there ever a dying man to whose relief
he did not come at the cry of ''Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit" Aye, my
soul, what has God done that so basely
thou hast doubted him? Did he make
the whole earth a desert? Are all the
skies dark and storm swept? Is life all
sickness? Is the air all plague? Are
there nothing but rods and scorpions
and furnaces? God knew how many
suspicious and unbeliefs men would
entertain in regard to him, and there
fore, after making a multitude of plain
and precious promises, he places his
hand on his own heart and swears by
his own existence: GAS live, saith the
Lord God, 1 have no pleasure in the
death of him that dieth."
Why, then, fight against God? This
day the battle RACES. Thou art armed
with thy sins, thy ingratitude, thy neg
lects and Christ is armed against thee,
but his weapons are tears, are dying
agonies, are calls to mercy, and the bat
tie cry which he this day sends over
thy soul as he rushes toward thee is,
save IIlO0 hO1h SOAhS NO"h W IA4O PAoj
for | have found a ransom" / would
not envy thy victory, o nearer, if thou
dost conquer, for what wilt thou dc
with the weapons thou hast snatched
from the armed Redeemer, what with
the tears, what with his dying agonies,
what with his calls to mercyl Would
God that Orpah would get tired OF
Moab Would God that Orpah would
go to Bethlehem