The Monitor-register., 1897-07-30


national jubilee. But says some one, 81
will take that contract, but we can't
affect the whole nation" My hearers
and readers, representing as you do all
professions, all trades and all occupa-
tions, if you should resolve never again
to utter dolorous word about the mon-
ey markets, but by manner and by voice
and by wit and caricature and, above
all, by faith in God to try to scatter
this national gloom, do you not believe
the influence would be instantaneous
and widespread? The effect would be
felt around the world. For Gods sake
and for the sake of the poor and for the
sake of the employed quit growing.
Depend upon it, if you men in comfort
able circumstances do not stop COM
planning, God will blast your harvests
and see how you will get along without
a corn crop, and he will sweep you with
floods, and he will devour you with
grasshoppers, and he will burn your
city. If you men in comfortable circum-
stances keep on complaining, God will
give you something to complain about.
Mark thatl
The Best Investment.
The second prescription for the allie
Walton of financial distresses is proper
Christian investment. God demands Of
every individual state and nation GER
tain proportion of their income. We are
parsimonious We keep back from God
that which belongs to him, and when
we keep back anything from God he
takes what we keep back, and he takes
| more. He takes it by storm, by sick
ness, by bankruptcy, by any one of the
10000 ways which he can employ.
The reason many of you are cramped in
business is because you have never
learned the lesson of Christian gener-
osity. You employ an agent. You give
him a reasonable salary, and, 10, you
find out that he is appropriating your
funds, besides the salary. What do you
do? Discharge him. Well, we are Gods
agents. He puts in our hands certain
moneys. Part is to be ours, part is to be
his Suppose we take all, what then?
He will discharge us. He will turn us
over to financial disasters and take the
trust away from u.s. The reason that
great multitudes are not prospered in
business is simply because they have
been Withholding from God that which
belongs to him. The rule is, give and
you will receive, administer literally
and you shall have more to administer.
am in full sympathy with the man who
was to be baptized by immersion, and
some one said, "You had better leave
your pocketbook out; it will get wet. ="
NO." said he; 81 want to go down
under the wave with everything. /
want to consecrate my property and all
to God" And so he was baptized. What
we want in this country is more bap-
tized pocketbooks.
| / had relative whose business
seemed to be failing. Here loss, and
there loss, and everything was bother
ing, perplexing and annoying him. He
sat down one day and said: "God must
have controversy with me about some
thing. l believe haven't given enough
to the cause of Christ. And there and
then he took out his checkbook and
wrote large check for missionary So
Giety. He told me: "That was the turn
| ing point in my business. Ever since
then have been prosperous. From that
very day-aye, from that very hour-I
saw the change" And, sure enough,
he went on. and he gathered fortune.
The only safe investment that man
can make i'll this world is in the cause
of Christ. If man give from super
abundance, God may or he may not re-
spond with a blessing, but if man
give until he feels it, if man give un-
til it fetches the blood, if man give
until his selfshness cringes and twists
and covers under it, he will get not
only spiritual profit, but he will get
paid back in hard cash or in convertible
securities We often see men who are
tight fisted who seem to get along with
their investments very proftably, not
withstanding all their parsimony. But
wait Suddenly in that mans history
everything goes wrong. His health
fails, or his reason is dethroned, or
| domestic curse smites him, or mid
night shadow of some kind drops upon
his soul and upon his business. What
is the matter? God is furnishing him
for his small heartedness. He tried to
cheat God and God worsted him. So
that one of the recipes for the cure of
individual and national finances is
more generosity. Where you bestowed
81 on the cause of Christ give
50. God loves to be trusted, and he is
very apt to trust back again. He says:
'That man knows how to handle
money. He shall have more money to
handle. And very soon the property
that was on the market for a great
while gets purchaser, and the bond
that was not worth more than 80 cents
on dollar goes to par, and -tho-opening
of new street doubles the value of his
house, or III any way of a million God
bIeSgeS him.
Christian Generosity.
Once the man finds out that secret
and he goes on to fortune. There are
men whom 1 have known who for ten
years have been trying to pay God
81 900. They have never been able to
get it paid, for just as they were taking
out from one fold of their pocketbook a
bill mysteriously somehow in some
other fold of their pocketbook there
came larger bill. You tell me that
Christian generosity pays in the world
to come. l tell you it pays now, pays
in hard cash, pays in government Sc
curities. You do not believe it? All,
that is what keeps you back. l knew
you did not believe it. The whole world
and Christendom is to be reconstructed
on this subject, and as you are part
| of Christendom let the work begin in
your own soul. But" says some one,
81 don't believe that theory, because
have been generous and I have been
losing money for ten years. " Then God
prepaid you. that is all.
What became of the money that you
made in other days? You say to your
son, Nov 1 will give you $500 every
year as long as you live. F" After awhile
you say, "Well, my son, you prove
yourself so worthy of my confidence /
will just give you $4,000 in single
lump" And you give it to him, and he
starts off. In two or three years he does
| not complain against you: Father is
not taking care of me. ought to have
$500 year." You prepaid your son,
and he does not complain. There are
| thousands of US now who can this year
get just enough to supply our wants.
But did not God supply for us in the
past and has he not again and again and
again paid US in advance? In other
words, trusted you all along trusted