Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-04-30
LIGHT IN THE CLOUDS
DIR. TALMAGE SAYS WE MUST LOOK
FOR SUNSHINE.

copyright, 1898. by American Press Asso-
ciatlon
WASHINGTON, April 24.-This sermon
of DIR. Talmage will have tendency to
take the gloom out of many lives and
stir up spirit Of healthful anticipa-
ton; text, Job xxxvii, 81, "And now
men sec not the bright light which is
in the clouds.
Wind east Barometer falling. Storm
signals out. Ship reefing maintopsail.
Awnings taken in. Prophecies of foul
weather everywhere. The clouds con-
gregato around the sun, prosposing to
abolish him. But after awhile he assails
the TANKS of the clouds with flying ar
tillery of light and here and there is
sign of clearing weather. Many do not
observe it. Many do not realize it.
"And now men SEQ not the bright light
which is in the clouds. - In other
words, there are hundred men looking
for storm where there is one mnn look
ing for sunshine. My object will be to
get you and myself into the delightful
habit of making the best of everything.
You may havo wondered at the sta
tistios that in India, in the year 1875,
there were over 10, 600 people slain by
wild beasts, and that in the year 1876
there were in India over 20, 600 people
destroyed by wild animals. But there
is monster in our own land which IS
year by yenr destroying more than that.
1t is tho old bear of melancholy, and
with gospel weapons l propose to chase
it back to its midnight cayerns. I mean
to do two sums-a sum in subtraction
and sum in addition-a subtraction
from your days of depression and an ad-
dition to your days of joy. If God will
help me, I will compel you to see the
bright light that there is in the clouds
and compel you to make the best of ev-
erything.
In the first place, you ought to make
the very best of all your financial mis-
fortunes. During the panic few years
ago you all lost money. Some of you
lost it in most unaccountable ways. For
the question, "How many thousands Of
dollars shall put aside this year," you
substituted the question, "How shall |
pay my butcher and baker and clothier
and landlords" You had the sensation
of rowing hard with two oars and yet
all the time going down stream.
A Destroying Power.
You did not say much about it be-
cause it was not polite to speak much
of financial embarrassment, but your
wife knew. Less variety of wardrobe,
more economy at the table, self denial
in art and tapestry. Compression; re-
trenchment. Who did not feel the ne
cessity of it? My friend, did you mako
the best of this? Are you aware of how
narrow an escape you made? Suppose
you had reached the fortune toward
which you were rapidly going? What
then? You would have been as proud as
Lucifer,
How few men have succeeded largely
In a financial sense and yet maintained
their simplicity and religious consecra-
tionl Not one man out of q hundred.
There are glorious exceptions, but the
general rule is that in proportion as
man gots we'll off for this world he gets
poorly off for the next. He loses his
sense of dependence on God. He gets
distaste for prayer meetings. With
plenty of bank stocks and plenty of gov
eminent securities, what does that man
know of the prayer, "Giye me this day
my daily bread?" How few men largely
successful in this world are bringing
souls to Christ, or showing self denial
for others or are eminent for piety? You
can count them all upon your eight I'm
gers and two thumbs
One of the old covetous souls, when
he was sick and sick unto death, used
to have basin brought in-a basin fill
ed with gold-and his only amusement
and the only relief he got for his in
famed hands was running them down
through the gold and turning it up in
the basin. Oh, what infatuation and
what destroying power money has for
many mani Now, you were sailing at
80 knots the hour toward these worthless
of worldliness-wha mercy it was,
that honest defalcation The same di-
vine hand that crushed your storehouse,
your bank, your office, your insurance
company, lifted you out of destruction.
The day you honestly suspended in bust
ness made your fortune for eternity.
"Oh," you say, ri could get along
very well myself, but am SO disap-
pointed that cannot leave competence
for my children. My brother, the same
financial misfortune that is going to
save your soul will save your children.
With the anticipation Of large fortune,
how much industry would your chill
dren have, without which habit OF in
dustry there is no safety? The young
man would say: "Well, there's no need
of my working. My father will soon
step out, and then I'll have just what
want" You cannot hide from him how
much you are worth. You think you are
hiding it. He-knows all about It, He
can tell you almost to dollar. Fernaps
he has been to the county Office and
searched the records Of deeds and mort
cages, and he has added it all up, and
he has made an estimate of how long
you will probably stay in this world
and is not as much worried about your
rheumatism and shortness of breath as
you are The only fortune worth any
thing that you can give your child is
the fortune you put in his head and
heart. Of all the young men who start
ed life with $40, 900 capital how many
turned out well? l do not know half a
dozen.
Tho Best Inheritance.
The best Inheritance a young man
can have is the feeling that be has to
fight his own battle and that life is
ltruggle into which he must throw
= FILL