The Penn's Grove record., 1896-06-26
NUMBER 40.

FFaHf - +NFA~ f'f''HHHN 3
and a third and fourth mortgage are often
worth nothing. 1t Is the first mortgage that
is a good investment. / have to tell you
that every Christian man has q first mort
gage on every trial, and on every disaster,
and 1t must make a payment of eternal adj
VANTAGE to his soul. How many worriments
1t would tax ont of your heart II Won be-
ieved that fully. You buy goods and hope
he price will go up, but you nre In n fret
md a frown for tear the price win 90 down.
lou do not buy the goods using your best
discretion in the matter, and then say: ooh,
Lord, l have done the best 1 could. com
nit this whole transaction into Thy hands!'
That is what religion is good tor or it is
good for nothing.
There are two things, says an old proverh,
you ought not to fret ahout-first, things
that you can help, and second, things which
you cannot help. II you can help them.
why do you NOT apply the remedy II You
cannot help them. you might as well surren-
der first as last. My dear brethren, do not
st any longer moping about your ledger.
Do not sit looking so despondingiy upon
your stock of unsuitable goods. Do you
think that God is going to allow you. =
Christian man, to do business alone? God
ls the controlling partner in every firm. and
although our debtors may ahscond, al
though your securities may fail, although
FOUR store may burn, God will, out Of an
n finity OF results, choose for you the very
best results.
Do not nave any idea that You can over,
Ttep the limit that God has laid down for
-FOUR prosperity. You will never get one
nch beyond it, God has decided how much
prosperity you can stand honorably and en-
bloy usefully and control r~iEhteously; and
at the end of the year you will have just so
many dollars and cents. just so much ward
,obe. Just so much furniture, just so many
bonds and mortgages. and nothing more. 1
will give you 800 for every penny you get
beyond that. God has looked over your life.
He knows what is best for you, and he is GO
Ing TO bless you in time, and bless you for
eternity; and He will do it in the best way.
Your little child says: "Papa, l wish you
would let me have that knife" NO."
you say, sit is a sharp knife and you
will cut yourself" He says, II must have
it." but you cannot have it," you reply.
He gets angry and red in the face, and says
he will have it; but you say he shall not have
II. Are you not kind in keeping itfrom him?
God treats His children, say, ~ wish.
Heavenly Father, to get THAT" God says, mo,
child" / say, II must have it," God says,
cannot AVE it." 1 GET angry and say.
II will have it." God says. "You shall not
have it" and | do not get it. Is He not kind
and loving and the best OF Fathers? Do sou
tell me there is 20 rule and regulation in
these things2 Tell that to the men who be-
lleve in no God and no Bible. Tell 1t not to
me!
A man of large business concludes to go
our of his store. leaving much OF his invest
ments in the business, and he saws to his
sons; snow, l I'm going to leave this BUSH
ness in your hands. Perhaps 1 may cone
back in a little while, and perhaps not.
While am gone you will please to look after
After awhile the father comes back
and finds everything Mt loose ends, and the
whole business seems to be going wrong. He
says: II am going to take possession of this
business-you know l never fully surren-
dered it-and heneeforth consider yourselves
Is he not right in doing ii2
He saves the business. The Lord seems to
let us go On in life. guided by our own skill.
and we make miserable work OF it. God
down 10 our shop, or our store, and
says: .'Things are going wrong. come to
take charge. / am Master and | know what
is best, aud l proclaim my authority" We
are merely snbordinates. 1t is like u boy at
school with a long SUN that be cannot do.
has been working at it for hours, making
figures here and rubbing out figures there,
and 1t is all mixed up. and the teacher, look
ing over the boys shoulder, knows that he
get out of it. and cleaning the slate,
says, begin again." Just so God does to
US. Our affairs get into an inextrlcable EN-
Engagement. and He rubs everything out Inc
says, "Begin again!" Is He not wise and
in so doing2
l think tho trouble is that there Is so large
difference between the divine and thu hui
man estimate rs to what is enough. have
heard of people striving for that which is
enough, but l never heard Of any one who
enough. What God calls enough for
man man call too little. What man calls
God says is too much. The differ
ence between a poor man n q rich man is
only the difference in banks. The rich man
puts his money in the Washington bank, or
the Central bank, or the Metropolitan bank,
or some ether n of that character. while
the poor man comes up and makes his in
vestments in the bank of Him who runs all
the quarries, all the mines, all the gold, all
the earth, all heaven. Do you think "a man
fail when he is backed up like that2
You may have seen a map On which IL
described, with red ink, the travels Of the
OF Israel through the desert to the
land. You see how they took his
that direction, crossed that river and
went through the sea. Do you know God
has made a map of your life with paths lead
Ing up to this river and across that sea?
But, blessed be God, the path always comes
out at the promised land. Mark that! Mark
thatl
There is a man who says, ''That doctrine
be true. because things do go so very
wrong" 1 reply it is no inconsistency on
the part of God, but n lack Of understanding
IN on part. 1 hear that men are making
very fine shawls in some factory. l go in
on the first floor and see only the raw ma
and l ask, "Are these the shaWls l
nave heard abouty'' mo" says the manu-
facturer. G. up to the next floor,'' and I
up, and there l begin TO see the design.
the man says: "Do not stop h-re. Go
up to the top floor OF the factory and you
will see the idea fully carried out" / do so,
and having come to the top, see the COM
plete pattern of an exquisite shawl. So in
our life. standing down on a low level of
Christian experience We do not understand
Gods dealings. He tells us to go up higher
and higher until we begin to understand
the divine meaning with respect to us, and
we advance until VT stand at the very gate
OF heaven, and there see Gods iiea all
wrought out-a perfect idea of mercy, OF
love, of kindness. And we say, aust and
true are all my ways" 1t is ali right at tho
top. Remember there is no inconsistency
on the part OF God, but it Is only our mental
md spiritual incapacity.
Some Of you may be disappointed this sum
mer-vacations are apt to be disappoint-
ments-but whatever your perplexities and
worrim ents, know that MANS heart de-
viseth his way, but the Lord directeth his
steps," Ask these aged men In this church
II il is not so. Ii has been so in my own life.
One summer | started for the Adirondacks,
but my plans were so changed hat | landed
In Liverpool. | studied law aud | got into
he ministry. lresolved to go rs q mission
ary to China, and statd in the United States.
[ thought l would like to be in the east, md
I went to the west. All the circumstances
II life, all my work. different from that
which l expected. "a mans heart deviseth
us way, but the Lord directeth his steps"
So, my dear fr lends, this day lake home
his subject. Be content with such things rs
you have. From every grass blade under
your feet learn tine lesson of divine care, and
never let the smallest bird nit across your
path without thinking Of the truth that two
sparrows are sold for a farthibg, and one of
them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father. Blessed be His glorious name
Amen.
Fatal Collapse of a Reservoir.
By the collapse OF the Goodrich reservoir