The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-04-17


influences that respond in the far dis
lance, 40 years from now, 80 years
from now, 900 years from now, l, 900, :
600 years from now-one touch sound
ing through the ages.
Provision For the Future.
We also learn from this story the pro-
priety of laying up for the future. Dur
ing the seven years of plenty Joseph
prepared for the famine, and when it
came he had a crowded storehouse. The
life of most men in worldly respect is
divided into years of plenty and famine.
1t is seldom that any man passes
through life without at least seven years
of plenty. During those seven years
your business bears a rich harvest. You
scarcely know where all the money
comes from, it comes so fast Every
bargain you make seems to turn into
gold. You contract few bad debts. You
are astonished with large dividends
You invest more and more capital. You
wonder how men can be content with
a small business, gathering in only a
few hundred dollars while you reap
your thousands Those are the seven
years of plenty. Now Joseph has time
to prepare for the threatened famine, for
to almost every man there do come sew
en- years of famine. You will be sick,
you will be unfortunate, you will be
defrauded, there will be hard times,
you will be disappointed, and if you
have no storehouse upon which to fall
back you may be famine struck. We
have no admiration for this denying
oneself all personal comfort and lux
ury for the mere pleasure of boarding
up, this grasping, grasping for the mere
pleasure of seeing how large pile you
can get, this always being poor because
as soon as dollar comes in it is sent
out to see if it can find another dollar,
so that it can carry it home on its back.
We hve a contempt for all those things,
but there is an intelligent and noble
minded forecast which we love to see
in men who have families and kindred
depending upon them for the blessings
of education and home. God sends us to
the insects for a lesson, which, while
they do not stint themselves in the
present, do not forget their duty to fore
cast the future go to the ant, thou
sluggard. Consider her ways, and be
wise, which, having no guide, overseer
or ruler, provideth her meat in the sum-
mer and gathereth her food in the har-
vest. "
Now, there are two ways of laying up
money. One of these is to put it in stock
and deposit it in bank and invest it on
bond and mortgage. The other way to
lay up money is giving it away. He is
the safest who makes both of these in
vestments. There are in this house men
who if they lose every dollar they have
in the world would be millionaires for
eternity. They made the spiritual in
vestment. But the man who devotes
none of his gains to the cause of Christ
and looks only for his own comfort and
luxury is not safe, / care not how the
is invested. He acts as the rose
if it should say: Il will hold my breath
and none shall have a snatch of fra
GRANGE from me until next week. Then
: ~ I'll tiit SdTu61 dl1OdU Wllll lily
aroma. Of course the rose, refusing to
breathe, died But above all, lay up
treasures in heaven. They never depre-
ciate in value They never are at dis
count They are always available. You
may feel safe now with your 81 900 or
81, 900 or $4,000 or $50, 900 income,
but what will such an income be worth
after you are dead? Others will get it.
Perhaps some of them will quarrel
about it before you are buried. They
will be so impatient to get hold of the
will they will think you should be
buried one day sooner than you are
buried. They will be right glad when
you are dead. They are only waiting for
you to die. What then will all you1
earthly accumu lations be worth? If YOU !
gathered it all il your bosom and walk
ID up with it to heavens gate, it would |
lot purchase your admission. Or if al
owed to enter, it could not buy you a
,rown or a robe, and the poorest saint
n heaven would look down at you and
Jay, "Where did that pauper come
rom?" May we all have treasures in
heaven. Amenl