The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-07-01

waS!' There was 10 luck aDOuI II. NoN
sent that friend just as certainly as he
sent the angel to strengthen Christ.
Your domestic friends, your business
friends, your Christian friends, Goo
sent them to bless you, and If ANY OF
them have proved traitorous, 1t is only
to bring out the value OF those who re-
main. If some die, it is only that they
may stand at the outposts of heaven TO
greet you at your coming.
You always will have friends, warm
hearted friends, magnanimous friends,
and when sickness comes to your dwell
ing there will be watchers. When trou-
BILE comes to your heart, there Will DC
sympathizers. When death comes, there
will be gentle fingers to close the eyes
and fold the hands and gentle lips to
tell of a resurrection. Oh, we are COM
passed by a bodygrard of friends! Every
man, if he has behaved himself well, is
surrounded by three circles Of friends
those of the outer circle Wishing hlm
we'll; those in the next circle Wiling
to help him; while close up to his heart
are a few who would die for him. God
pity the wretch who has not any friends!
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 affluent fall; the poor
rise. The ingenious fail; tie ignorant
succeed. An enterprise opening grandly,
shuts in bankruptcy, while out Of the
neat dug up from some New England
marsh the millionaire builds his fortune.
The poor man thinks it is chance that
keeps him down; the rich man thinks 1t
is chance which hoistS him; aud they
are both wrong 1t is so hard to reallze
that God rules the money market, and
has a hook in the nose Of the stock gam
Eler, and that all the commercial revo-
lutioGs of the world shall result III tho
very best for Gods dear children.
Accept the Inevitable.
Nv brethren, do not kick against the
divine allctments. Gcd knows just how
much money it is best for you to lose.
You never gain unless it is best for you
TO gain. You go up when it is best for
ycu to go up and go down when 1t IS
best for you to go down. Prove 1t, you
say. Twill. Romans viii, 2S, "All things
work together for gCcd to them that
love God" You go into a factory and
YOU see 20 or 80 wheels 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 fac
tory!" Oh, no! all these different bands
are only different parts of the machln-
cry. So I 90 into your life and see
strange things Here is cne providence
pulling you one way, and another III
another way. But these are different
parts of one machinery by which he
will advance your everlasting and pres
ent we'll being.
Now you know that a second mort
gage, and third and fourth mortgage
are often worth nothing. 1t is the first
mortgage that is good Investment. l
have to tell you that every Christian
man has first mortgage on every
trial, and on every disaster, and 1t must
make payment of eternal advantage
to his soul. How many wCrriments 1t
would take out Of your heart if you be-
heved that fully. You buy goods and
hope the price will 60 up, but you are
in q fret and frown for fear the price
will 90 down. You do not buy the goods
using your best discretion III the mat
ter, and then say: "Oh, Lord, have
demo the best I could. commit this
whole transaction into thy hands"
That is what religion is gCcd for or 1t
is good for nothing.
There are two things, says an old
proyerb, you ought not to fret about
first, things that you can help. and Sec
ond, things which you cannot help. If
you can help them, why do you rot ap-
ply the remedy? If you cannot help
them, you might as we'll surrender first
as last. My dear brethren, do not sit
any longer moping about your ledger.
Do not sit looking SO dcsponding upon
your stock of unstable goods. Do you
think that God is going to allow you, q
Christian man, to do business alone?
God is the controlling partner in every
firm, and although your debtors may
abscond, although your securities may
fail, although your store may burn, Gcd
will, out of al infnity Of results,
choose fer you the very best results.
Do not have any idea that you can
overstep 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 employ usefully
ard control righteously; and at the end
of the year you will have just so many
dollars and cents, just so much ward
robe, just so much furniture, just so
many bonds and mortgages, and nothing
more. Twill give you 500 for every
penny you get beyond that. Gcd has
locked over your life. He knows what
is best for you, and he is going to bless
you in time, and bless ycu for eternity;
and he will do it i'll the best way iour
little child says, Papa, wish you
would let me have that knife. - "No,
you say, lit is q sharp knife and you
will cut yourself. He says, Il must
have it." But you cannot have it, y
you reply. He gets angry ard rcd i'll the
face, and says he will have it; but you
say lie shall not have it. Are ycu not
kind in keeping it frcm him: So God
treats his children. l say, Il wish,
heavenly Father, to get that" God
says, "No, my child" I say, Il must
have it." God says, "You cannot have
it" get angry and say, Il will have
it." God says, You shall not have 1t; -
aud I do not get it. Is Re not kind and
loving and the best of Fathers? Do you
tell me there is no rule aid regulation
in these things? Tell that to the men
who believe in no Gcd and no Bible.
Tell it not to me!
A man Of large business concludes TO
20 out of his store, leaving much Of his