El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-14
FIRST METHODIST CHURCH.
"LabOring With God.

LdbOring With God"
Rev. Mr.. Lumpkin preached yester-
day morning from the text; "We are
laborers together with God" Cor.
8. A part Of the dscour Sc is given
below:
The first, and so far as l know, the
only curse that God almi lightly ever pro-
nounced upon ma was That in the
sweat of his brow he should eat
bread. But by peculiar
dispensation of divine providence that
which was originally pronounced as a
curse has become mans greatest bles-
sing. Man is so constituted that it is
impossible for him to be happy with
out work. The most miserable being
in the world is the one who has absolu-
tely nothing to do.
leads to sin. "An idle brain is the
DEVILS workshop" is perhaps as true
proverb as has come down to us. All
that has been accomplished in this
world has been accomplished by work.
1t has bridPed the rivers: tunneleu the
mountains; cleared away the forests
and made the deserts to bloom and
blossom like the rose. Mans wants in
the beginning were few and simple.
Today they are many and complicat-
ed. But from the hour that he was
banished from the garden with few
skins as his only clothing unto the pre-
sent moment, his advancement and
progress has been just in proportion to
his willingness to work.
There is not a material blessing
that man has, that is not conditioned
body something. We sit by our coal
fires in the winter, while the storm
king bowls and shrieks about our
door, little thinking that this very day,
this very hour far down in the earth,
far below the place where the rays of
the ssun Sever come there are men
toiling in the dust and dirt in order
that we may have these blessings
II we take a journey, When 9 or 10
O'CLOCK comes we go to bed in Pull
man car, and are speeded on our way at
the rate of forty or fifty miles an hour.
and if the bell or whistle chance to
awaken us at the hour of midnight, we
turn over on our couch, never thinking
of the man at the helm of the engine
whose limbs are weary from labor, and
whose eyes are heavy from the lack of
sleep.
AS during the past year have often
slept in hotels near the railroad. as the
trains would go laundering by the first
man think of is the engineer. Yes. all
of our blessings cost somebody some
thing.
Not only this but all value is con
ditioned upon labor. What is H. that
makes gold more valuable than iron or
silver? Not thSt it is of q brighter
color or more malleable, but because
it takes more work to get it.
What Is it that makes watch springs
more valuable than rail road iron?
Both are made of the same material
But one has had Infinitely more work
bestowed upon it than the other; and it
is labor that rests at the basis of all
value.
spiritual, is conditioned upon work !;
the difference in the physical condition
of the bank clerk and the village
blacksmith can usually be accounted
for from the fact that one yields the
writing pen and tie other the edge
hammer. A young man with a
strong body and bright, though
nncultured mind, may receive
$40 month for blowing cora. Give
him an ordinary education, and as q
teacher he may receive $50 or S75.
Give him college training and he
may receive 5000 or $500. SUPPLEMENT
this by special training as physi-
clan or q lawyer and you no Ion ger
thind of hireing him by the month:
hut you secure his services, he sets
his price and you are glad to pay it.
1t is the same young man. But he
has cultured mind, his brains have
been at work.
The same conditions are true in the
spiritual world. Food and exercise are
necessary to growth and development
everywhere, and the man who would
not become a spiritual dwarf must feed
his soul upon the word of GOO and ex-
ercise his spiritual powers-he must
do something for the master.
But my text says that 1--WE are labor
ers." This Is true especially of the
labOrer, and whether he has one
talent or 10 there is some place where
he can use it. In the normal condition
does the most work is the
strongest church. 1--WE are laborers
together. We live in an age of organi-
cation, but the church is the greatest
organization in tbeiworld and every
part OF this organization should work
in harmony with every other part.
"We are laborers together WITH
GOD"
This is the greatest source of the
Christi encouragement: that he is
laboring with God. God has great
plans which are no less than the tax
ing of the world for himself. He has
conferred upon US great honor,
this work. On the day of the ascen-
sion CHI ist left to his disc p es his as,
and greatest command. CO. he said,
into all the world and preach the
gospel" That command applies to US
rs well as to the disciples. But He
also left promise-Otherwi the
work would be discouraging.
Sand Lo, 1 am with you even unto
the end of the world" And work will
surely be accom- plished.