Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-26
THE WEEKLY GAZETTE FORT WORTH TEXAS JUNE

of state and attoruey-general in the en-
pire of 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 TINE TO ENTER HEAVEN.
But there are others who, while their
worldly occupations hes no particular
fascination over them, are entirely alb
sorbed in the gains that come to that oc-
eupation. This is the worship of Man,
mon. 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 a 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
| nd to make a state out of for string.
of beads made princely bargain COM
pared with the speculation of thaE
man who gains the whole world an9;
loses his own soul. How much comforts
do the men take who died unforgiven2
ten years ago, leaving large fortuneT to
their heirs? Do they ever come uE to
count the gold they boarded or walked
though the mansions they built2 ThotSh
they could have bought au empirS,
they have not now as much moneR
as you have this moment in your
pocket. Solomon looked upon his palace
and the grounds surrounding it,
pools rimmed with gold, and circling
roads along which, at times, rushed his
400 chariots, while under the out
branching sycamores and eedars walked
the apes and peacoeks, which by the
navy of Hiram had been brought fr95ns
Tarshish. and from the window curt&ns
with embroidered gold and purple
through which came out ths thriA of
harps and psalteries mingling withShe
song of the waters. When Saou3en saw
that all these Injuries of slghE an1&ound
had been purchased by hiswsAlta6 he
broke forth in the exelamatioA M0nHFs
answereth all things But9&e cannot
receive it US literal. 1t eanfiot still the
voice of conscience. 1t cannot
drown the sorrows of the soulSi
death. 1t cannot unlock the gate of
heaven. The tower of SiIoamtfell and
killed eighteen of its admirers spnt this
idol to whose worship the exelan 90. and
banks and custom houses of the %6ssd7
CRUSH To DEATH ITS THOUSANDS.
But cannot enumerate the idolatries to
which men give themselves. They are
kept by them from a 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 d
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 hypoc-
risy 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 Christian life demands so
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
afraid of the shepherd than of the wolves.
They shrink away from the presence OF
Christ as though He were tyrant rather
than a friend who sticketh closer than
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-
querors, 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 n surrender of honor aud manliness,
and reason and self-respsot and all that
is worth keeping. f..
What has God ever done that His
mercy should be doubted? Was there
ever sorrow of His frailest child that
He did not pity?
WAS THERE EVER SOUL
that He left unhelped 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 re-
ceive my spirit Aye, my soul, what
doubted Him? Did He make the whole
earth desert? Are all the skies
dark and storm swept? Is life all sick
nothing but rods and scorpions and fur
naeesI God knew how many suspicious
ana unbeliefS men would entertain III 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:
&c 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, IRE dy-
ing agonies, are calls to mercy and the
battle cry which He this day sends over
thy souls as He PUSHES towards thee is
''save thee from going down to the pit
for have found q ransom, l would
not envy thy victory, y hearer, If thou
dost conquer, for what wilt thou do with
the weapons thou has snatcbed from the
armed Redeemer, what with the tears,
what with His dying agonies, what with
His calls to mercy? Would God that