Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-06-26


brushes more men than the great ear Of the
Hindoos. To Il they say their morning and
evening prayers. A little Of Christ's religion
may creep into the Sabbath. but Monday,
Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday.
and Saturday are the days devoted to this
American idol Every hour there Is . sac
riaee on the altar. Homo duties. health Of
body. manly strength and immortal Rffec-
tons must all burn in this holocaust Men
act as though they could take their bonds
and mortgages and saws and trowels and
axes anc day books with them into the
Kingdom Of Heaven.
There are many who have no unholy
thirst for gold. yet who are devoting them-
selves to their worldly occupations with
ruinous intensity. Men OF the stock ex-
change. men OF the yard-stick. men Of the
saw. men Of the trowel. men Of the day
book, what will become Of you. IL unfor-
given. in the great day when there are no
houses to build. and no goods TO sell, and
no bargains to make9 It is possible to de-
vote ones self even to a lawful calling until
1t becomes sinful. There is no excuse on
earth or under the earth for the neglect Of
our deathless spirit Lydia was a seller OF
purple, yet she did not allow her extensive
occupation to keep her from becoming
Christian. Daniel was Secretary Of State
and Attorney General in Babylon, and yet
three times day he found time to pray
with his face toward Jerusalem. The man
who has no time to attend to religion will
have no time to enter heaven.
But there are others who. while their
worldly occupation has no particular
fascination over them, are entirely absorbed
in the gains that come to that occupation.
This is the worship of Mammon. The ring
! of dollars and cents is the only htany they
ever utter. Though in the last day the earth
itself will not be worth farthing. heap Of
ashes 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
land to make State out of for a string Of
beads made ,princely bargain compared
| 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 to count the gold they boarded or
walk through the mansions they builtp
Though they could have bought an empire,
they have not now as much money as you
have this moment in your pocket Solomon
looked upou 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 peaeocks which
| by the navy Of Hiram had been brought
from Tarshish. and from the window cur
tains 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 lux
uries Of sight and sound had been pur-
chased by his wealth. he broke forth in the
exclamation, Money answereth all things"
But we cannot receive it as literal. It can
not still the voice Of conscience, II cannot
drown the sorrows Of the soul. 1t cannot
put bribe in the hand Of death. It cannot
unlock the gate of Heaven. The tower Of
Sloan fell and killed eighteen Of its ad-
mirers, 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 its thousands. But
cannot enumerate the ido!atries to which
men give themselves. They are kept by
| them from a religious life. "Ye 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 and mother
| in-law. She doubtless had a dread of the
| hardship to which they would be exposed
on the Journey to Bethlehem. and 0rpah
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 sometimes would be obliged to
confront, has kept many away from the
| land ofBethlehem. They spend their life in
counting the cost; and because Christian
life demands so much courage and faith
they daren begin to build. Perhaps they
are courageous in every other respect.
| They are not timid in presence of any dan
ger except that of trusting in the infinite
| mercy of Christ.
| The sheep are more afraid of the shepherd
| bo, - CHI r;,,Ir yP-o,,
| the presence of Christ as though He were a
| tyrant rather than friend who sticketh
closer than brother. 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 conquerors
| through Him that hath loved them. Men
| shiver 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 sor-
row of His frailest child that He did not
pity? Was there ever a son that He left un-
| helped in the darkness? Was there ever
martyr that He did not strengthen in the
| flames? Was there ever 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
GnOu 0dSC QOuDL6u ulIuf Dlu ne make Jn0
| whole earth desert? And all the skies
dark and storm swept2 Is life all sickness2
| Is the air all plague? Are there nothing but
rods and scorpions and furnaces2 God
| knew how many suspicious and unbelefs
men would entertain in regard to Him. and
| therefore, after making multitude ofplain
and precious promises. He places His hand
on His own heart and swears by His own ex-
istence: AS 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 dying agonies, are calls to mercy,
| and the battle cry which He this day sends
| over thy soul as he rushes toward thee is.
Save thee from going down to the pit, for
| have found ransom" I would not envy
| thy victory, o hearer, II thou dost conquer.
| for what wilt thou do with the weapons
| thou hast snatched from the armed Re-
deemer, what with the tears, what with His
dying agonies. what with His calls to mercyp
| Would God that Orpah would get tired Of
Moab Would God that 0rpah would go to
| Bethleheml
He Had q Remedy.
aWhile was in England with Bar
mum, says Tody Hamilton, "the dry
dock laborers' strike was on and there
I