The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-07-02

She was so much shaken in her origi~
nal belief that she concluded to leave
her idolatries, but, coming to the
margin of the land of Bethlehem, her
determination failed her, and speed
lily she returned to her gods. This
is the very reason why multitudes of
persons never become Christians.
They cannot bear to give up their
gods Business is tire American jug
gernaut that crushes more men than
the great car of the Hindoos. To it
they say their lnarning and evening
prayers. A little of Christ's religion
may creep into the Sabbath, but
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs
day, Friday and Saturday are the
days devoted to this American idol.
Every hour there is a sacrifice Oh the
J altar Home duties, health OF body,
manly strength and immortal afec-
tions must all burn in this holocaust.
Men act as though they could take
their bonds and mortgages. and saws,
and trowels, and axes, and day
books, with them into the kingdom of
| heaven.
There are men who have no unho-
ly thirst for gold, yet who are devo-
! ting themselves to their worldly oc-
cupations with rllinous intensity.
Men of the stock exchange, men of
the yardstick, men of the saw, men
OF the trowel, men of the day-book,
what will become of you if rnforgiv
en-, in the great day when there are
no houses to build, and no goods to
sell, and no bargains to make! 1t is
possible to devote oneself even to
lawful calling until it becomes sinful.
There is no excuse on earth OF under
the earth for the neglect Of our
deathless spirit. Lydia was seller
of purple, yet she did not allow her
extensive occupation to keep her
from becoming o Christian. Daniel
was secretary of state and attorney
general in the empire of Babylon,
and yet three times day he found
time to pray with his face towards
Jerusalem The man who has no
time to attend to religion will have
no lime to enter heaven.
But there are others who, while
their worldly occupation has no par
ticular fascination over them, are en-
tnely absorbed in the gains that
come to that occupation. This is
the worship Of Ma,nmon. The ring
of dollars and cents is the only litany
they ever utter. Though in the last
| day the earth itself will not be worth
d farthing, heap Of ashes scattered
in The Mhirlwind, they are now giving
their time and eternity for the &C
QUESTION 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 a
state out of for q string Of beads,
made a 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
brilt7 Though they could have
bought all empire, they have not now
as much money as you have this mo-
ment in your pocket. Solomon look
ed upon his palace and the grounds
surrounding it, pools trimmed with
gold, and circling roads along which,
at times, rushed his fourteen hun
dred chariots, while under the out
branching sycamores and cedars
! 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 ming
| ling with the song of the waters.
| When Solomon saw that all these
luxuries or sight and sound had
been purchased by his wealth, he
broke forth in the exclamation,
''Money snswereth allthings." But
we cannot receive it as literal. 1t
cannot still the voice of conscience:
II cannot drown the sorrows Of the
soul. It cannot put bribe in the
hand of death. It cannot unlock the
gate of Heaven, The tower of ST.
loan fell and killed eighteen Of it's
| admirers, but this idol to whose wor-
| ship the exchanges and banks and
| custom houses of the world have
been dedicated, will fall and crush to
death it's thousands. But I cannot
enumerate the idolatries to which
men give themselves, They are
kept by them from a religious life:
aye 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 e1chan-
ges.
But it was not only the gods OF
Moab that made Orpah leave her Sis
ter and mother-in-law. She doubt
less had dread of the hardship to
which they would be exposed on the
Journey to Bethlehem; and Orpah
was not alone in thefear. Doubtless
some of you have been appalled, and
driven back by the self-denials Of the
christian life The aunt of theworld
the charge of hypocrisy which they
would sometimes be obliged to con-
front, has kept many away from the
land of Bethlehem. They spend
their life in counting the cost and,
because christian life demands SO
much courage and faith, they dare
not begin to build. Perhaps they
are courageous in every other res
! pect. They are not timidm presence
of any danger except that OF trusting
in the 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