The Newtown bee., 1897-03-12

time of destitution comes, they have not weeks store laid by. Christian thrift is a thing unknown in India. The glory of Christian America is it's well-to do, provi- dent millions. When Christian workers establish mission chapel in the city among the homes of the poor, they often establish ''Thrift Savings Banks and "Penny Prevalent Funds,'' too. One of the marks of what the American Mis- sionarY Association has done for the colored race in the South is that, all through the Black Belt of Alabama, you will find homes of the negroes where there are pictures on the walls, carpets on the floor, books on the shelves, and an air Of refinement. This is not be- cause the owners of these homes are so much better off than their neighbors, but because, with the gospel of Jesus Christ taking a real hold upon their hearts, they have learned how to be thrifty and make the best use of the lit- tie that they have. It is not the ideal state of society which contains no poor and no paupers. As long as rewards are held out to the industrious, as long as pluck, not luck, gets men up the rungs of the ladder of success or fame, so long will Jesus words remain true, ''The poor ye have always with you" The communism of the early Christian church had been woefully misinterpre- ted and misunderstood. The idea of it was not to eliminate the element of pov- cry in the ranks of the first believers. It was not to level down the rich to cer- tain grade and then bring the poor up to that grade, thus doing away with all distinctions with respect to property. That was not the thought. At that time thousands and tens of thousands of Jew ish pilgrims had come to Jerusalem to attend the great Passover feast. Many of these were converted to the Christian faith; they remained at Jerusalem to learn further of the Christian doctrine through the teact ing of the Apostles. They were temporarily away from home :; they had no means of earning their live- lihood. They were in need, and the sell- ing of their property on the part of the Christians and putting the proceeds in the common stock was a voluntary way of relieving this need. No, my friends, 1t is not wrong to hold property justly acquired. The Bible puts no stigma on the reward of industry. Thrift is a Christian virtue.
 Our text does not mean, Be careless about your destiny; let the stream of circumstance carry you whither it will l; let your bark float out upon life's ocean, rudderless, and let the winds wait 1t to any port, and let it drift on any tide. Forever are these ringing in our ears the words:
 Life is reall life is earnestl
 And the grave is not it's goal;
 Dust thou art, to dust refurnest,
 Was not spoken of the soul."
 The Bible teaches over and over again that we are to get the right conception of this life. Here we pitch the taber- nacle, the ssmoVing tent," set up by the roadside at night, but when the morning breaks, 1t is gone, aud we are away. Here we are pilgrims with staff in hand. Here we are sojourners, bat tour citizen ship is in heaven.'' Indeed 1t is the enigma of life, how so large 8 part of the race can pass through life, shutting their eyes to the supreme facts, regard less of their destiny, as if there were no doom for sin, no pitfalls for careless feet, no soul that may be lost. So many are humming the sweet lullaby of ease ard pleasure; they are listening to the siren song of this worlds illusions and anares. To all such, Gods voice in clearest tones comes: "It is high time to awake out of sleep; you are misled by nightmare and delusion." Everything here is transitory nothing endures. The