The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-05-29

Not So with Lot and we do not even
hear OF his ever making bat one prayer
and that was when he prayed God to
allow MIN To dwell in another wicked
city after he bad left Sudum and that
He would not cause hlm To live in the
mountains.
'SpiIi!uality," he sail. "docs not
blossom in the miasma of the valley. 1t
i i found i'll the purc AIR of the mountain
tops. Spiritual lie is eternal life. and
in order /" nave retained his spiritual
life Lot should have walked with God
rs did Abraham fl spoke lovingly of
his mother and said he remembered his
mother more ttndrrly than he did his
father because he lived more with her,
and that the mother shapes the charac-
| ter of her children because she Is
almost constantly with them from he
lmA of their infancy 10 an ace when
the character is fairly formed. A>so-
ciatc with evil and we uncumSriou>Iy
take some of il into our natures. and
before we are aware, II has fastened lis
hold upon us. Associate with good
and we become more godly 10y uur
companionShip with that element. And.
50 Lot would have been "A better man
Ii al he been more with Abraham and
wake Il nearer To God
'The thiri price that ut paid, ,' / c
said, '.waS his peace. Peace is the
greatest blessing heaven gIv,s to
mortalS. 1t is the most blessed gift the
Lord gives to his servants" Lot could
not have peace because he cOnformed
his life TO that of his wicked environ
ments. The scripture SAYS: ..IIe vcNed
his soul"
In the great Gladstone's private room
there is Il placcard framed and hanging
over the mantel, and on it is the fol-
lowing quotation: ''Thou will keep
him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on Thee, because he trustclh in
Thee This explains GladStone's
strength. God has given peace to this
grandest representative of The Anglo
Saxon race and therein lies the analysis
of his success. lie said, "a Christian
who tries to live by faith and by sight
always ends by being miserable back
slider"
The fourth price which Lot paid was
his loss of influence and usefulness.
The just, godly man has the most in
iluence over his neighbors. Lot fell
from his position of respect and honor
and when he tried to get his kinsmen
to leave Sodom. after he had been told
by the angel of the Lord that the city
would be destroyed, they laughed ut
him and said he knew nothing of what
! he was talking and that he must be
crazy. He had lost his influence and
his usefulness and no one would heed
what he said Onr neighbors despiSe Il
Christian who lives Il worldly life. Such
Il Christian has no place of usefulness
in Gods universe.
The fifth price Lot paid was the loss
of his property. Abraham committed
his way unto God and all worldly pros
perIty waS added unto him. But Lot
lost all of his worldly possessions ON
account of mis- miserable conformity to
the world. lie was Il rich man but
God destroyed Sodom and all of his
property with II. Cnulioning the
young people to avoid all association
with the wicked he said: ..Sodom is
Il bad place for Christian to make his
Investments"
The sixth price Lot paid for his sins
was the loss of his family. Two of his
sons, his son-in-law and his wife were
destroyed and his daughters lived to
bring still greater disgrace on the head
of their father and 10 endure life that
was living death. They periShed out
of the record of the Kingdom of heaven.
81 think" he saId, ''that God was mer-
ciful 10 Lot and that he saved him. He
is no doubt in heaven today. But Lis
losses on account of his sin were appal
ling and were brought on by his as o.
cialIng with the world and allowing
himself 10 be drawn away from God
when, every day, he should have drawn
nearer TO him. Young men and young
women, If you choose an acorn you
will have an oak; If you choose Il ser
pent's egg you will have kissing
snake; if you choose a beautiful farm,
on the bayou, you will get malaria and
death. You may not want it but you
will get it just the same" Lots ruin
was found in his choice Abraham
chose a better way and God added to
him all the blessings of this mortal life.
"All blessings are not of Il worldly
character,' he said. "When | was in
Italy, asked John Eager, an old
schoolmate of mine who had been for
fifteen years Il missionary to that cOun-
try, If he ever thought he had made Il
mista&c in his choice. He replied that
he had led II lonely life away from his
friends and kinsmen, but that God had
UIven him blessed Christian experience,
on account of his great need, which he
never would have enjoyed had he re
manned III his native land where he was
more i'll touch with the world around
HIM. He did not think, even after all
of those years of loneliness, that he had
made ii wrong choice.
MAY God bless you and help you,
as lie did Abraham and Eager, To
commit your way wholly To His keep
ing
His sermon made IN impression ON
all who heard ii and will doubtless
sink deep into the minds of the younger
hearers and result IN much good To
| them and to the plorilicatiun of Chri>t'S