The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-02

SERMON FOR Thu Shut Inns.

aPLUs AyD MTyUsp-By Res. y. H. 9. 1erspss


syst Toss. for the exceIlency Of the knozl-
edge OF Chrfss Jesus. my Lord: For whom
I Rave Suffered the loss OF ali tEfnss. ana
do count thezn but refuse, that may win
christ."-sPhE1. tAS-s-
Our sife IN but a sum IN s3iftfon and
subtraction The state Of ths exam pc az
any stage % the development VIII de-
rand upon fhe excess OF value attached
to the things added or taken away. the
namber Of items 10 the process may have
little 10 do with the result. One credit N
m account may ovevpay a hundred debts
God. however, kegs running oal@oSe'
making q new start after each new entry,
ard a. any moment % our existence knows
fasf how we stand. So may we KNOW tHs
daily condition Of our life prooieHl' pro-
viding we appreciate the correct $3.50 ,
that enter into Il, snd make no mts.Aks
sn the e-alcglstfon Sometimes we fail 20
place the right mathematical sign before
the new item. and add where We enoa4o
gss,frzr. or ezErac- what we snoaia
afd. Ia our haste. or FnlsjufgUent. We
place plus before some element OF "a
perfence which Is really detEaction, ana
do not wake up 10 our MISTAKE TOT years.
We examine cur own account as We nave
written Il down ourselves, ana not a. Soo
has paianced II IN the books OF eternity,
and we say There is some mistake here.
I ought 20 be worth 50 much. yet ! am
conscious that there - not that result 70
date y hich I have been looking for IN my
life Here are tbs items Of addition Here
are the items OF subtraction" Then we fol-
low each separate operation. each cast
ing up. each deduction, and the process
proves correct including the last ITEM
What can be the matter Here is the re-
suit OF our example. and yet ws know
that It - wrong Again we ponder the
whole sum from beginning 20 end, and
suddenly II dawns upon Us that we nave
confused the plus and the minus signs
and have added TO our stock OF experience
something that really should have been
taken from ~. The mistake may have oe-
Cured twenty years ago. aud We nave
h.en carrying the faIss balance ever since
The discovery may make Us feel poorer,
and yet IL thai feeling amount 10 con-
vsefion. 20 a correction OF policy, or prin-
efpie, ws may be the actual Ealners by
.he transaction Sometimes the opposite
IL she case. ard Ne are conscious OF
richness OF possession our account does
not show We feel an element OF power.
hope. victory. peace, contentment our ex-
ample does no, account for. We go over
e. as before. ard 10, years ago we have
eubtracted from our life what really has
been strength and a wealth 10 IL. and
In tina. discovery we md how much
better God has been to US than we have
been 20 ourselves.
A simple Statement.
There isn't boy or a girl In this audi
ancs who has done the simplest example
In arithmetic, who will not understand
ths point IN my illustration. There isn't
q student who has worried through the
fntricacles Of en- algebraic equation, who
viii not say YES I have been caught
49, y
hockkeeper in a mercantile house, or a
teller In bank. who has racked his brains
and frrttated his nerves 20 make cash book
and TIL CORES pond. who does not under
stand how simpietnay be a confusion be-
tween debit and credit which will tor
fare him until he has made the correction.
And further I viii assert that 1t is this
special class Of error that makes most
OF tho trouble in our accounts, financial.
social. political. and spiritual. We err in
Judgment. In classification. in sizing up
the item of experience. IN determining Its
relation to other items which precede IL,
FAR oftener than we err IN the routine cal
sulaiion OF the account. Many merchant
has estimated 20 nicely what would be
the ne, profit OF an investment. or a specu-
iation. taking for granted certain con-
dlfions OF market and demand: and had
those conditions followed. his result would
have been correct But they did not follow.
and he was chagrined at his failure This
was the way the example stood: $1,000
worth OF -four. or lumber, or stocks. plus
"a buoyant market; result. $4,000. While
the actual experience read: $4,000 worth
o. merchandise minus a fat or falling
market: result, 5000. SO we may fall 70
place properly any OF the items OF our
moral or spiritual life, with the danger
OF as great disappointment. My object
then. IN preaching this first OF a series OF
sermons on several consecutive verses In
sals third chapter OF Philippians. Is 20 en-
deayor 20 help goa and myself 20 accumu-
late our lives upon correct principles, so
thai the result shall he the best. no, only
81 our own sight bat In the sight Of God.
- nos thar JUS, What Paul meant in my
;extg lie had been priding himself upon
the addition q certain things 20 his man.
hooa that aftsrward turned out 20 be de-
fractions. he considered himself
richer FAR than many another
man because of his ceremonial
connections, because Of his Israel
illsh sioux and tribal descent, because OF
his membership IN the sect OF the sep
hgate ones. because of hts zeal. never
onco thinking that Il might be misguided
Eeaf because % hts perfect external and
ceremonial morality. Raining up this
s1ar column a virtues a0d moral assets,
lle made himself oHt rich In life and sta
ton. Suddenly the llghs shone ahoa; him
as ne vas IN the very act OF adding the
latest Item In the account. namely. zeal
e. perseeusinE the iGfsnt church 81 Christ.
ard consequently Christ Himself. Tor you
cannot strike a. the church without also
asSagltlny the Lord % the church. and
all these causes or pride became causes of
shame. the assets became liabilities TIE
additions were only suhtractious What
- considered plus God had written down
strsaNa A. ~
gaingH appeared Ga him 20 20 gain must he
counted less if he wosid Nln Chrlst- Are
wa rot often So similar pTedicamentT
I1e2 gr4nt tHat SO may set practical good
o8t ot tee consideration of our subject
.his raevning.
Pride subtraction.
Following {u the track 81 Psurs state
suvas. am lea % consider some OF the
Hpnarent plnsaeS Ok Nfc. which turn out
IN tho Hiatt - experience to 10 rlnuSeS
and sosne apparent mlnuses watch prove
ssiawSes
announce. arst. tbAs whatever admin
listers - personal pride WI - found % -
a subtraction from ths suEn total % Nfs
We're eur lives rncSsios. made ID me
rhawlrailv ~ separate pieces % risaSs
,Aa eve. We might accumulate them Wien
th}a chiees IA view. aa9 make
.A~r, ss,esesSsn TIE more Ne er
,,s.NA the nattery - men the
later Successes they would b. Tss.
ia cannot % thus constructed. 10 IS mere
sae~ess thaa this. Il s. ret a aspaet on eN-
hfhtsfan. IL is saiEhty fore ia activity.
y haz is underlying principles, So esTthly
limitations Is houuaiess spirit realm 80
wa-a whfeh ia whole progress makes
r~tN sfS rosnnsex composition sntsr 81
laasinxx Tor development. all things thai
rasA forward. ali experiences that re,aT'i