Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-06-22

the habltatlOn OF the just
/ remark further that God arranges
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
VAST There was no luck about it. 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. 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 be
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 bodyguard of friendsi 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 i'll 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 friendsi
I 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 a man
will 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 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 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-
buttons 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. Twill. Romans viii, 28, "All things
work together for good 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
toryl' Oh, no! 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 of one machinery by which he
will advance your everlasting and pres
ent well being.
Now you know that a second mort
gage, and a third and fourth mortgage
are often worth nothing. It is the first
mortgage that is good investment I
have to tell you that every Christian
man has a first mortgage on every
trial, and on every disaster, and it must
make 2 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: 'sOh, Lord, I have
done the best I could! commit this
whole transaction into thy handsv'
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 well surrender first
as last. Ny dear brethren, 20 not sit
any longer moping about yoar 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 for 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