The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-11-29
AT PLYMOUTH CHURCH
REF. ". ". M'LANE PREACHED 4 FoRCEFUL SERMON LAST NIGHT.

NAcheb, Areateu III ~ huhher " HIGH
 Plainly Showed That if Riches Are
 Properly Used They Shall be a Blessing,
 Otherwise a Curse.
 At Plymouth church last night the pastor, Rev. pr. w. W. McLane, preached very forceful sermon on There was a large attendance. Fol lowing Is an extract of his discourse:
 Woe unto you that are rich, for ye have received your consolation'-Luke vii, 24
 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; wealth and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth forever"-Psalm cxii., 1-3.
 "The apparent contradiction of such passages of holy scripture as the above is removed when we consider that, in the one case, the man of wealth is pro- nounced blessed because he has feared the Lord and his wealth has come through the divine appointment and fa- vor, and, in the other case, woe is pro- nounced upon the man because he sought and found his consolation and joy in wealth alone.
 There are some things which Jesus exemplified in His own life and taught His disciples that men are tempted to overlook. He himself was destitute of avarice and He bade His disciples not to lay up treasures upon earth. This is command which many of His dis ciples are tempted to forget. The req sons which Jesus gives for His con- mand are few and plain: "A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven;' Tt is hard for them that trust in riches-a larger class-to enter into the Kingdom of God.' Again, in respect of some who receive His word, He says, The deceitfulness of riches choke the word and they become unfruitful.' Again, they that are rich have received their consolation, and, like the rich man in the parable whose ground brought forth much and who thought to lay it up for himself, but was obliged, by death, to leave it; so is every one that 1ayeth up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God
 q should like to have heard the Mas ter speak these words, for His empha- sis would have given the true exegesis. think the Master must have laid the emphasis on self Lay not up treasure for yourself upon earth. Like the rich man in the parable, so is every one that layeth up treasure for himself Selfish ness is the radical sin of the human race. Seeking satisfaction for ones self in something other than God is the root of idolatry. Therefore he who lays up treasure for himself by riches Is an idolater. Therein lies the curse of rich es. They tempt a man to live for self rrI1p1y a n ri1l1acs rat nr than God for blessedness. This curse riches, but on all who seek them. They who will be rich--that is, who make it their aip first of all to be rich-fall into temptation and snare. Riches are de- ceitful They give such power and af- ford such means of securing what one wishes that they tempt a man to believe that everything comes to him who is rich. Many a man dwarfs himself in tellectually, limits himself socially, sac- rifices his affections, denies himself the Inspiration and consolation of religion in order to become rich, only to find at last, as the sacred scriptures have said, that riches are 'decaittul, uncertain, un- satisfying, corruptible, perishable and f1eeting.' Let it be clearly understood, then, that the curse of riches lies not in the lack of them nor in the possession of them, but in the love of them in the living for them and in thereby cultivat- ing unbelief, self1shness, practical idol atry and soul-destroying sin.
 Riches, however, may be means of blessing to him whose heart is first filled with the love of God. Some men inherit wealth. Some men are born with talent for acquiring wealth. AL though the immense fortunes of the present time may be often amassed be- cause of undue opportunities given to some men by the public, or sometimes by dishonest methods, yet, under any system of society which so far has ex- isted on earth, some men have been rich in comparison with their fellows.
 Though a man whose first purpose is to be rich may not enter into the kingdom of heaven, many a man who has entered that kingdom has become rich. In that case the blessedness of riches depends on the use of them. To him whose heart is right riches may bring many blessings. They bring a certain self-respect, a certain sense of security, a certain power among men and sense of ability to do good which are not to be despised. To him who is not the slave either Of the acquisition of riches or of the riches themselves, they become a means of power which may be applied for good. The rich man may aid great enterprises which are of immense benefit to men. He may aid religious and philanthropic in stitutions. He may bestow favors mak- ing the needy to be glad and the wid- ow's heart to sing for joy.
 ''To him who uses riches thus, in the service of God and for the benefit of men, they will always prove a blessing and his righteousness will abide forev- CT. Men who, like Baron Hirsch use their wealth for the good of their race, or, like the late MT. Peabody, use wealth for philanthropic and educational pur- poses, or, like Peter Cooper, use money for the advantage of those whose op- portunities of culture are limited, or women, like Miss Dodge who says of her inherited wealth. My wages have been paid in advance and who seeks to serve girls who must earn their own wages, or, like Miss Catherine Drexel, who devoted her great wealth to reIig