Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-06-27

lowly the portals. IL is near Gods heart
IS an Alhambra or Kremlin. Prove ii.
you say. Proverbs iii, SS. He blesseth
the habitation Of the Just. =
! remark further that God arranpes
all our friendships. You were driven to
the wall. You found man just at that
crisis who sympathized with You and
helped you You say, "How lucky I
wasi' There was no luck aboutpft. God
sent that friend just as certainly as he
sent the angel to strengthen Christ.
Your domestic friends, your business
friends, your Christian friends. God
sent them to bless you. and If any of
them have proved traitorous, it is only
to bring out the value Of those who re-
main Il 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-
bic comes to your heart, there will be
sympathizers. When death comes, there
will be gentle fingers to close the eyes
and fold the hands and gentle lips to
tell OF resurrection Oh, we are COM
passed by bodyguard Of friendsl Every
man, If he has behaved himself well. is
surrounded by three circles of friends
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 friendsl
remark again, that God puts down
the limit to our temporal prosperity.
The world of finance seems to have no
tod In 1t. You cannot tell where man
Wall land The affiuent fall; the poor
rise. The ingenious fail; the ignorant
succeed. An enterprise opening grandly,
shuts IN bankruptcy, while out of the
peat dug mp 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 it
is chance which hoists him; and they
are both wrong. 1t is so hard to realize
that God rules the money market, and
has hook in the nose of the stock gam
bier, and that all the commercial reyo-
iutlons of the world shall result in the
very best for Gods dear children.
Accept the Inevitable.
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 it is best for You
to gain. You go up when it is best for
you to go up and go down when it is
best for you to go down. Prove it, you
say. will. Romans viii, 2S, "All things
work together for good to them that
love God" You go into 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
toryi" Oh, mol all these different bands
are only different parts of the machin-
cry So | go into your life and see
strange things Here is one providence
pulling you one way, and another in
another way. But these are different
parts CT one machinery by which he
will advance your everlasting and pres
ent well being.
Now you know that second mort
gage, and third and fourth mortgage
are often worth nothing 1t is the first
mortgage that is a good investment. l
have to tell you that every Christian
man has first mortgage ON every
trial, and on every disaster, and it must
make a payment of eternal advantage
to his soul. How many worriments it
would take out of your heart if you be-
lieved that fully. You buy goods and
hope the price will go up, but you are
in fret and frown for fear the price
will go down. You do not buy the goods
using your best discretion in the mat
ter, and then say: ''Oh, Lord, have
done the best / couldl 1 commit this
whole transaction into thy handsl"
That is what religion is good for or it
is good for nothing
There are two things, says an old
proverb, 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 not 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 responding upon
your stock of unstable goods. Do you
think that God is going to allow you, a
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, God
will, out of an infinity of results,
choose for you the very best results.
Do not have any idea that you can
overstep the limit that God has laid
down fer your prosperity. You will
never get one inch beyond it. God has
decided how much prosperity you can
stand honorably and employ usefully
and 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. I will give you 500 for every
penny you get beyond that. God has
looked over your life. He knows what
is best fer you. and he is going 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, it is sharp knife and you
will cut yourself. He says, 81 must
have it. /" "But you cannot have it, Z"
you reply. He gets angry and red in the
face, and says he will have it; but you
say he shall not have it. Are you not
kind in keeping it from him? So God
treats his children. l say, II wish,
heavenly Father, TO get that" God
says, mo, my child" say, 81 must
have it. " God says, ''You cannot have
It," / get angry and say, Il 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 you
tell me there is no rule and regulation
in these things? Tell that to the men
who believe in no God and no Bible.
Tell it not to me!
A man of large business concludes to
go out of his store, leaving much of his