The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-08-07

60 through your property and say
THAT belongs to God, and this be
longs to God;" and no moro dared :
appropriate It to your own use thai
something that belonged to your neigh
Dor, instead Of being bled to death b.
charities you would have been rein
vigorated and recuperated and bull
up for time and eternity. God viii
keep many of you cramped In money
matters until the day of your de at
unless you swing into larger gensr
osity.
People quote rs . joke what Is Di
vine promise: Cast thy bread upon ths
waters and 1t will return to thee aftel
many days." What did God mean by
thatp There Is an allusion there. Ir
Egypt, when they SOW the corn, 1t is al
. time when the Nile is OVERLOOKING 1t.
banks, and they SOW the seed corn on
the waters. and as the Nile begins to
recede this seed corn strikes in the
earth and comes up harvest, and tina,
is the allusion. 1t seems as IL they are
throwing the corn away on the waters,
but after awhile they gather it up in q
harvest. Now, says God in His word:
"Cast thy bread upon the waters, and
1t shall come back to thee after many
days" 1t may seem to you that you
are throwing it away on charities, but
1t will yield harvest of green and
! gold-a harvest on earth and harvest
in Heaven. II men could appreciate
that and act on that we would have no
more trouble about individual or ma
tional finances.
Prescription the third, for the cure
of all our individual and national fn an
cial distresses: A great spiritual awak-
ening. 1t is no mere theory. The mer-
chants of this country were positively
demented with the monetary excite
ment in 1S47. There never before nor
since has been such a state of financial
depression as there was at that time.
A revival came, and 500, 900 people were
born into the kingdom OF God. What
came after the Sevival? The grandest
financial prosperity we have ever had
in this country. The finest fortunes,
the largest fortunes in the United
States, have been made since 1851
WELL" you say, what has spiritual
improvement and revival to do with
monetary improvement and revival?"
Much to do. The religion Of Jesus
Christ has direct tendency to make
men honest and sober and truth-tell-
ing, and are not honesty and sobriety
and truth-telling auxiliaries Of ma
terial prosperity. If we could have
an awakening in this country as in the
days Of Jonathan Edwards, of North
ampton, as in the days of DIR. Finley of
Basking ridge, as in the days of DR..
Griffin, of Boston, the whole land
would rouse to a higher moral tone,
and with that moral tone the honest
business enterprise of the country
would come up. You say great awak.
ening has an influence upon the fu.
ture world. l tell you it has d.
rect influence upon the financial well
fare of this world. The religion of
Christ is no foe to successful
business, it is its best friend,
And il there should come great
awakening in this country, and all the
banks and insurance companies and
stores and shops should close up for
two weeks and do nothing but attend
to the public worship of Almighty God
after such spiritual vacation the
land would wake up to such financial
prosperity as we have never dreamed
of. Goodness is profitable for the life
that now is, as we'll rs that for which
is to come.
But, my frien DIS, do not put so much
emph asis on worldly success as to LET
your eternal fairs go at loose ends
l have nothing to say against money.
The more money you get the better, il
it comes honestly and goes useful Y.
For the lack Of it, sickness dies with
out medicine, and hunger finds it's cot.
fin in an empty bread tray, and naked
ness shivers for clothes and fire. All
this canting TRADE against money as
though 1t had no practical use,
when hear a man indulge in
it, makes me think the best Heav-
en- for him would be an everlasting
poor house! No, there is a practical
use in money; but while we admit
that, we must also admit that it can
not satisfy the soul, thatit can not pay
for our ferriage across the Jordan OF
death, that 1T can not unlock the gate
of Heaven for our immortal soul. Yet
there are men who act rs though packs
OF bonds and mortgages could be traded
off for q mansion in Heaven, and as
though gold were a legal tender in
that land where it Is 20 common that
they make pavements out of it. Sal
walton by Christ is the only salvation.
Treasures in Heaven are the only
incorruptible treasures. Have you ever
ciphered out that sum in loss and gain,
What shall it profit man if he gain
the whole world and lose his soul?"
You may wear fine apparel now, but
the winds of death will hutter it like
rags. Homespun and a threadbare
coat have sometimes been the shadow
ofrobes white in the blood of the Lamb.
So, there are men who 90 on in life
a fine voyage they are making out Of 1t.
All is we'll, till some euroolydon of
business disaster, comes upon them, and
they go down. The bottom Of this
commercial sea is strewn with the shat
tered hulks. But, because your prop.
ertyogoes, shall your soul go9 o, no!