Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-08-14
REV. DR.. 7ALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: a Poor Investment" Preach
ell at Topeka, Kan.l


The Lords people had gone headlong into
sin, and as punishment they had been car
ried captive TO Babylon. They found that
iniquity did not pay Cyrus seized Babylon
and felt so sorry for these poor captives that,
without dollar of compensation, be let
them 90 home. So that literally, my text
was fulfilled. 'Ye have sold yourselves for
naught; and We shall be redeemed without
money!"
There is enough Gospel in this text for
fifty sermons. There are persons here who
have, like the PEOPLE of the text. sold out.
You do not seem to belong either to your
selves or to God. The title deeis have been
passed over to the world, the flesh. and the
devil" but the purchaser never paid up
~ e have sold yourselves for naught."
When man passes himself over to the
world he expects 70 get some adequate COM
pensation. He has heard the great tn ngS
that the world does for a man, and he be-
lieves it. He wants two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. That viii be horses ami
houses. and summer resort and jolly COM
panionship. To get it he parts with his
physical health by overwork. He parts
with his conscience. He parts with much
domestic enjoyment. He parts with oppor
tunitieS for literary culture. He parts with
his soul. And so he makes over his entire
nature to the world
He does it in four installmentS. He pays
down the first installment, and one-fourth of
lis nature is gone He pays down the second
installment, and one-half of his nature is
gone He pays down the third installment,
and three-quarters of his nature are gone,
and after many wears have gone by he pays
down the fourth installment, and To- his en-
tire nature is gone Then he comes up to thu
world and says: Good morning. | have
delivered to you the goods, | have parsed
over to you my body, my mind and my soul,
and have come now TO collect the two hun
dred and fifty thous nd dollars" Two
hundred and fifty thousand dollarsy' says
the world. "What do you mean We'll,
you say, II come 10 collect the money you
owe me, and expect you TO fulfill your part
of the CONTRACT But" says the world, Il
have failed l am bankrupt. l cannot pos
sibly pay that debt | have not for long
time expected TO pay it well" You then
say, give me back the goois." 'Oh, no."
says the world, they are all gone. l cannot
give them back TO you" And there you
stand on the confines OF eternity, your spirit
ual character gone, staggering under the
consideration that you have sold yourself
for naught."
l tell you the world is a liar 1t does not
keep its promises. Ii is a cheat and it
feeces everything it can put its hands on.
1t is q bogus world. 1t is a siX-th0usaud-
year-old swindle Even if it pays the two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars for
which you contracted, it pays them in bonds
that will not be worth anything III little
while. Just as a man may pay down ten
thousand dollars in hard cash and get for 1t
worthless scrip-so the world passes over to
you the two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars in that shape which will not be worth
farthing to you a thousandth part of sec
ond after you are dead. Oh you say, 1T
will help to bury me. anyhow Oh, my
brother you need not worry about That.
The word will bury you soon enough from
sanitary considerations.
Post norton emoluments are of no use to
you. The treasures of this world will not
pass current in the future world, and If all
The wealth Of the Bank of England were put
in the pocket of your shroud and you in the
midst of the Jordan OF death were asked 10
pay three cents for your ferriage you could
not do it, There comes moment IN your
existence beyond which all earthly values
fail. and many man has Weakened up IN
such a time 70 find that he has sold out for
eternity and has nothing to show for 1t.
should as soon think of going to Chatham
street to buy silk pocket handkerchiefs with
no cotton in them, as to go to this world ex-
pecting to find any permanent happiness. lt
has deceived and deiuaed every man VINO
mas every put HIS bIuSl III ~
History tells us Of one who resolved that
he would have all his senses gratihed at one
and the same time, and he expended thou
sands of dollars on each sense. He entered a
room, aud there were the first musicians oil
the land pleasing his ear. and there were mo
pictures fascinating his eye, and there were
costly aromatics regaling his noStrils. and
there were the richest meats and wines ana
fruits and CONNECTIONS pleasing the appetite.
IL. - EsNnFnN
gence on which he recliDed, and the man de-
clared afterward that ne would give ton
times what he had given if he could have one
week of such enjoyment, even though he lost
his soul bv it, Ali that was the rub. he
did lose his soul by i'll Cyrus the conqueror
thought for little while that he was max
ing a fine thing out of this world and yet
before he came to his grave he wrote out
this pitiful epitaph for his monument; Il
am Cyrus. / occupied the Persian empire.
was king over Asia. Begrudge me not
this monument" But the world in after
years plowed up his sepulcher.
The world clapped its hands and stamped
its feet in honor Of Charles Lamb but what
does he say. II walk up and down, think
ing am happy, but feeling am not" Caii
the roll, and be quick about it. Samuel
johnson, the learned Happy? NO. l6ri
afraid shall some day get crazy. Will
lam Hazlitt, the great eSsayis:! Happyf
mo. 1 have been for two hours and half
going up and down Paternoster row with
volcano in my breast" SmOlist the witty
author Happy, NO. am sick of Pralss.
and blame, and / wish TO God that l had
s.ch circumstances around me that | could
throw my pen into oblivion" Buchanan,
the world renowned writer, exiled from mis-
OWE country, appealing to Henry VIII for
protectionl Happy mo Over noun.
tainS covered with snow, and through val
levs flooded with rain, l come a fugitive
Moliere, the popular dramatic author Hap
py, "No. That wretch of an actor just
now recited four of my lines without the
proper accent and gesture. To have the
children Of my brain so hung, drawn and
quartered tortureS me like condemned
s1iritr
| went TO see a woT ding die As went
irso the hall i saw its door was tessellatei
and its wall was a picture gallery. / found
his death chamber adorned with tapestry
until it seemed as il the clouds of the setting
sun had settlel in the room. The man had
given forty years 70 the world-his wit his
time. his genius, mis- talent his soul. Did the
world come in to stand by his deatabed and
clearing of the vials Of bitter medicine, put
down any compensation. Oh. no The world
does not like sics aa1 dying people, and
leaves them IL the lu-cb. 1t ruined this
man ana tnen ielJ MIN. tie hd0 lnaSnl1
cent funeral. All the ministers wore scarss,
and taere were forty-thres carriages in
row; but the departed man appreciated not
the OhSeouies.
j want to persuade my an lisnco that this
world is poor investment; that it does not
pay ninety per cent. OF satisfaction nor
eighty per cent, nor twenty per cent. nor
two per cent, nor one; that it gives no soiace
T-hsn dead babe lies on your lap; that it
gives no peacs wd5n conscience rings its
alarm; that IL gives no explanation IN the
day of dire trouble; AMI at the time of your
decease it takes hold of the pillow case and
shakes out the feathers and then jOlts down
in the place thereof signs and gro1ns and
excavations. and then mikes you put your
head on it,
o.. ys who have trisi this world is il
sitis actory portiony Would You advise
your frien,.s 10 maSs tne investment No
"Ie have sold yourselves for nsught." Your
conscience went. Your hope went. Your
Bible went. Your heaven went. Your Col
went. When sheriff under writ from
the courts sells man out the officer gener-
ally leaves a few chairs aud bed, and few
cups and knives; but in this awful vsndue in
which you have been engaged the auction
esr's mallet has cone down )On body. mind
md soul--soinyl gone. "Ye have sold
yourselves for nsught."
How couli you do soy Did you think that
your soul was mere trinket which for a few
,.a,.,ies vo., oaui buy in a toy Sn0D9 Did