Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-23
THE GAZETTE: FORT WORTH. TEXAS MONDAY JUNE %

VI state anu dttOTuty -Beuoi al III tuc Sui
pire of Babylon, aud yet. three times ;
day he found time TO pray with his face
toward Jerusalem. The man who has NJ
time TO attend to religion
WILL HAVE NO TINE TO ENTER HEAVEN.
But there are others who, while theil
worldly occupations has no particular
fascination over them, are entirely alb
sorbed in the gains that come to that &C.
cupation. This is the worship of NAM
mon. The ring OF dollars and cents il
the only litany they ever utter. Though
in the last day the earth itself will moi
be worth farthing, heap of ashe:
scattered in the whirlwind, they are
now giving their time and eternity for the
acquisition of so much of it as you might
at last hold in the hollow of one hand
The American Indian who gave enough
nd to make state out of, for string
of beads, made princely bargain COM
pared with the speculation of that
man who gains the whole world and
loses his own soul. How much comfort
do the men take. who died unforgiven
ten years ago, leaving large fortunes to
their heirs? Do they ever come up tc
count the gold they boarded or walked
though the mansions they built? Though
they could have bought an empire,
they have not now as much money
as you have this moment in 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
400 chariots, while under the out
branching sycamores and cedars walked
the apes and peacocks, 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 psalteries mingling 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 sorrows of the soul.
1t cannot put a bride IN the hand of
death. 1t cannot unlock the gate of
heaven. The tower of Sloan fell and
killed eighteen of its admirers, but this
idol to whose worship the exchanges and
banks and custom houses of the world
have been dedicated, will fall and
CRUSH TO DEATH IT'S THOUSANDS.
But l cannot enumerate the idolatries to
which men give themselves. They are
kept by them from religious life. eye
cannot serve God and Mammon,' and
the first thing that Christ does when He
comes into the temple of the soul is to
drive out the exchangers.
But it was not only the gods of Moab
that made Orpah leave her sister ana
mother-in-law. She doubtless had q
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 hypoo-
Tisy which they would sometimes be OBJ
liged to confront, has kept many away
from the land of Bethlehem. They
spend their life in counting the cost aud ),
because q Christian life demands 80
much courage and faith, they dare not
begin to build. Perhaps they are cour-
ageous in every other respect. They
are not timid in presence of any danger
except that of trusting in the infinite
mercy of Christ. The sheep are more
al dlu Va lhU budl vi IuS "OIFtS.
They shrink away from the presence oil
Christ as though He were tyrant rather
than friend who sticketh closer than a
brother. They feel more safe in the
ranks of the enemy where they must suf-
fer Infinite defeat than in the army of
Christ which shall be more than con-
qusrors, through Him that hath loved
them. Men SILVER and tremble before
religion as though they were commanded
to throw their life away, as though it
were surrender of honor and manliness,
and reason and self-respect and all that
is worth keeping.
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 SOUL
that He left uuhelped in the darkness?
Was there ever a martyr that He did not
strengthen in the flames? Was there
ever a dying man to whose relief He did
not come at the cry of Lord Jesus re-
ceive 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 sick
ness! Is the air all plague? Are there
nothing but rods and scorpions and fur
naoes? God knew how many suspicious
and unbeliefs men would entertain IN re-
gard to him and therefore, after making
a multitude of plain and precious prom
ises, He places His hand on his own
heart and swears by his own existence:
{ As l live, saith the Lord God, 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
neglects, and Christ is armed against
thee, but His weapons are tears, are dy-
ing agonies, are calls to mercy, and the
battle cry which He this day sends over
thy souls as He rushes towards thee is
''save thee from going down to the pit
for have found a ransom. l would
not envy thy victory, o bearer, If thou
dost conquer, for what wilt thou do with
the weapons thou has snatehed from the
armed Redeemer, what with the tears,
what with His dying agonies, what with
His calls to mercy? Would God that
Orpah would get tired of Moabl Would
God that Orpah would go to Bethlehem.
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