The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-06-18
ABOUT PAYING DEBTS.
A STRONG SERMON ON DEBT PAYING
RELIGION.

A STRONG SERMON ON DEBT PAYING
RELIGION.
What Is Needed Is not Long Faced
Piety but an Honest Obligation Dis
charging Christianity Shouting
Alone is not Sufficient for God or
rlan.
[Rev. ID. ii. Tuttle in North Carolina
Christian Advocate.
"Gwe no man anything ,'-Romans
1873.
Just at this time our country needs
religion that will make a man pay
his debts. Shouting don't settle old
notes and accounts with God nor man
cash up. We want to pounce right
on fellow and put him out Of the
church if he goes to ball or theatre
or gets on drunk, but never say
word to the plous scamp who never
pays his debts. Preachers and people
who do not pay their debts are doing
the church more harm than dancers
and drunkards-there are more of
them in the church. Reader, am |
getting close to you? Then lay down
the paper and go and pay up and you
can read on with ease. And don't
you stop paying because the "statute
of limitations" excuses the open &C
count you made for your bread and
meat-God's law knows no such
statute. You pay it in cash or God
will make you pay it in fire and brim-
stone. God knows no such excuse
from paying as "homes;ead exemp-
tion." You raise that excuse to keep
from paying your debts and you can
stop singing "When l can read my
title clear to mansions in the skies -
you've got none up there. You may
say would pay if l could. How hard
have you tried1 If dying at this mo-
ment could you say, I've done all in
my power? Have you tried to save a
little each week or month for your
debts9 Are you spending no money
for things to eat and wear that you
could do without How much do you
spend per year for cigars and tobacco1
Make the calculation. Put that amount
TO your debts. Do you eat dain,ies
and luxuries? Palmer diet would likely
keep you from making doctors bills
that you never pay, and leave you
money to bring up back accounts. Do
you strut about with an umbrella over
your head while your creditor walks in
the broiling sum- Don't you cut shines
on hired turnouts (maybe they are not
paid for) when you might walk and
use the money to make your creditors
smile? A palmer suit of clothes would
he more becoming to you until you pay
for those worn out last season. When
expenses not necessary for the feeding
and clothing of the body are cut off
and applied to the payments of debts,
then you grow in favor with God, and
not until then does God excuse YOU
Repentance on this point must be
of that Cody sort that needeth not to
be repented of. Reader, were you
sorry that you had not paid your debts
when you made profession of relig-
ion9 If you were not that is just why
you have not got debt-paying relig
ion. True repentance has backward
as we'll as forward effect on the life
OF the believer. He will as far as pos
sble, make good his past wrongs.
Many new converts sing, "Jesus paid
it all, all TO him | owe" No such
thing. Jesus did not pay it all; neither
do you owe all to him. If the week
before you were converted you owed
your neighbor ten dollars and was able
to pay it, you owe that neighbor ten
dollars yet. Jesus did not pay that
for you. If you don't pay that debt it
will meet you at judgment as sure as
you are a sinner. 1t is mean in you
to expect Jesus to pay debts for you
that you can pay yourself. If you have
Christian heart in you, think how
much Jesus paid for you that you never
could have met at Gods bar of inhex-
ible justice. Some people think that
the cleansing stream of Jesus blood
washed Sinai away and deluged the
law-no such thing. Jesus came not to
destroy, but to fulfill, and give grace
that we through him might fulfill.
AT the close of great revival few
years ago a number of young men
came to me to know if they ought to
60 and pay bills that they had made
at barrooms for whisky, etc. told
them to cove no man anything" "let
not your good be evil spoken off,
give the devil his dues All of those
young men save one or two went and
paid up those bad debts and have
made no more Those who could not
see that 1t was their duty to pay up
those debts have returned to their old
paths and their second state is worse
than the first.
Then let the whole Church pray for
revival Of debt-paying religion, in
every revival let prayer be made that
the new converts may have grace to
pay up "old debts" and not contract
new ones without a good probability
of paying them. Let the ministry en-
force this duty both publicly and pri.
vately with discretionl and great good
can be accomplished. If preachers
will look after this latter of debt pay
ing among their congregation their
own debts might be more promptly
paid-chickens come home to roost
Both preachers and people need to be
more careful, prayerful and payfu
along this line. The greatest necessity
| OF the present time is confidence among