The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-08

You always will have friends, warm heart
I'D friends, magnan1mous friends, and, when
sickness comes to your dwelling there will
heart, there will be sympathizers. When
death comes there will be gentle fingers to
closethe eyes an9fold the hands and gentle
lips to tell off resurrection. Oh, We are com.
passed by bodyguard Of friends! Every
man, II he has behaved himself well, Is sur.
rounded by three circles of faends-those Of
the outer circle wishing him we'll; those in
the next circle willing to help him; while
close up to his heart are few who would die
for him. God pity the wretch who has not
any friends!
1 remark again, that God puts down
the limit to our temporal prosperity.
The world of finance seems to have no
God In It. You cannot tell where man will
land. The afluent fall; the poor rise. The
ingenious fail; the ignorant succeed. An
enterprise opening grandly, shuts In bank
ruptcy, while out Of the peat dug up from
some New England marsh the millionaire
builds his fortune. The poor man thinks 1t
Is chance that keeps him down; the rich
man thiEks It Is chance which hoists him;
and they are both wrong. 1t Is 80 hard to
realize that God rules the money. market,
and has hook In the nose Of the stock
gambler, and that all the commercial revo-
lutions of the world shall result In the very
best for Gods dear children.
My brethren, do not kick against the divine
/allotments. God knows just how much
money It Is best for you to lose. You never
gain unless 1t is best for you to gain. You
90 up when 1t Is BEST for you to 50 up and
60 down when it is best for you to go down.
Prove it, you say. will. Romans viii. %,
'All things work together for good to them
that love God. You 90 into factory and
you see 20 or 80 wheeS, and they are going
in different directions. This band is rolling
off this way and another band another way;
one down and another up. You say, "What
confusion In a factoryT' Oh, no! all these
different bands are only different parts of the
machinery. So 60 into your life and see
strange things. Here is one providence pull
ing you one way and another In another
machinery by which He will advance your
everlasting and present we'll being.
Now you know that O second mortgage,
and 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 first mort
gage on every trial, and on every disaster
and II must make payment of eternal ad-
vantage to his soul. How many worrtnfents
1t would take out Of your heart II you be-
heved that fully. You buy goods and hope
the price will 20 up, but you are In fret
and frown for tear the price will 90 down.
You do not buy the goods using your pest
discretion In the matter, and then say: "On,
Lord, have done the best I could: com.
NIT this whole transaction into Thy hands,!
good for nothing.
Tbere ara t1vofhinos says an old Droyerb,
you ought not to fret about-flrst, 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 we'll surren.
der first as last. My dear brethren, do not
sit any longer moping about your ledger.
Do not sit looking so despondingly upon
your stock of unstable goods. Do you
think that God is going to allow you,
Christian man. to do business alone2 God
is the controlling partner in every firm, and
although your debtors may abscond, al
though your securities may fail, although
in1nity Of results, choose for you the very
best results.
Do not have any idea thnt you can over
step the limit that God has laid down for
your prosperity. You will never get one
inch beyond It. God has decided how much
prosperity you can stand honorably and en-
ploy usefully and control righteously; and
at the end Of the year you will have just so
many dollars and cents. just 80 much ward
robe, just so much furniture, just 80 many
bonds and mortgages, and nothing more. !
beyond that. God has looked over your LIFE
he knows what Is best for you, and he Is 60
ing to bless you in time. and bless you for
eternity; and He will do 1t in the best way.
Your little child says: "Papa, wish you
would let m. me have that knife" INC"
you say, 'it Is sharp knife and you
will cut yourself" He says, II must have
t." "Bur you cannot have It," you reply.
He gets angry and red In the face, and says
be will have 1t; but you say he shall not have
1t. Are you not kind In keeping II from h1mP
30 God treats His children, say, 81 wish,
Heavenly Father, to get that" God says, "No,
my child" sar."I must have It." God says,
"You cannot have It." I get angry and say.
II will have it." God says, "You shall not
have it, and I do not get It. Is He not kind
and loving and the best Of Fathers? Do you
tell me there is no rule and regulation in
these things2 Tell that to the men who be-
lIeve in no God and no Bible. Tell It not to
me!
A man Of large business concludes to 90
our of his store. leaving much OF his invest
ments in the business. and he says to bis
sons: "Now, I am going to leave this busi-
ness in your hands Perhaps I may come
back in little while, and perhaps not.
While am gone you will please to look after
affairs" After awhile the father comes back
and finds everything at loose ends, and the
whole business seems to be going wrong. BE
says: II am going to take possession Of this
husines5-you know I never fully surren.
dercd it-and henceforth consider yourselves
suborGinates-" Is he not right in doing III
He saves the business. The Lord seems to
let us so on in life. guided by our own skill
and we make miserable work Of it. God
comes down to our shop, or our store, and
says: "Things are going wrong. come td
take charge. l am Master and know wha'
Is best, and proclaim my authority We
are merely subordinates. 1t is like boy al
school with long sum that he cannot do
| He has been working at it for hours, making
figures here and rubbing out figures there
and it is all mixed up, and the teacher, look.
ing over the boys shoulder, knows that he
cannot get out of it. and cleaning the slate
says, begin again" Just so God does I'd
us. Our affairs get into an inextricable Ell.
tanglement, and He rubs everything out and
says. "Begin asain!' Is He not wise and
loving In 80 doing?