Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-05-20

What" you say. lis II possible that our
world IL 60 be weighedf" Yes. Why, you
would think II God put on one side of the
balances suspended from the throne the
Alps and the Pyrcnecs and the Himalayas
and Mount Washington and all the cities
Of the earth they would crush IL. No. mol
| The time will come when God will sit
down ON the white throne 20 see the world
/ weighed, and on one side will be the
worlds opportunities and on the other
side the worlds sins Down will 60 the
sins. and away will go the opportunities.
and God will say 20 the messengers with
the torch: Burn that world! Weighed
and found wantingr'
So God will weigh churches. He takes
a great church. That church. great ac-
! cortling TO the worldly estimate. must be
weighed He puts II on one side the bal
anccs and the minister and the choir and
the building that cost Its hundreds 81
thousands of dollars. He puts them on
one side the balances. On the other side
Of the scale he puts what that church
ought 90 be. what its conservation ought
10 he, what IT'S sympathy for the poor
ought Ia be, what It's devotion 70 all good
ought Ia be. That Is on one side That
side comes down, and the church, not be-
ing able to stand the test, rises In the bal
anccs. II does not make any difference
about your magnificent machinery. A
church Is built for one thing-to save
souls II IL saves few souls when IL
might save multitude of souls, God will
tpew IL out Of his mouth. Weighed and
found wantingl
So we perceive that God estimates ma
lions. How many times he has put the
/ SnaniEh hr fnf thu eralae nd
found IL insufficient and condemned i'll
The French empire was placed on one side
of the scales. and God weighed the French
empire. and Napoleon said: Have ! not
enlarged the boulcvardsf Did not kin
die the glories of the Champs Elysees?
/ Have not adorned the Tuilcrics? Have
l not built the gildcd opera housef' Then
God weighed the nation, and he put on
one side the scales the emperor. and the
boulevards and the Tuilerics, and tho
Champ Elysecs. and the gilded opera
house, and on the other side he puts that
mans denominations. that mans libertin-
ism. that mans sclfishness. that mans
goddess ambition. This last came down,
and all the brilliancy Of the scene van
ished. What is that voice coming up from
Sedan' Weighed and found wanting
Personal Application.
But must become more individual and
more personal In my Address. Some poo
pie say they do not think clcrgymen ought
To be personal I'm their religious address,
but ought to deal with subjects In the alb
stract. do not think that way. What
would you think of hunter who should
go To the Adirondacks 10 shoot deer in the
abstracts All, no! He loads the gun; he
puts the butt Of IL against his breast. he
runs his eye along the barrel, nc takes
SURE aim. and then crash go the antlers ON
the rocks And 81, II we want to be
hunters for the Lord, we must take sure
aim and fire. Not In the abstract are we
20 treat things in religious discussions. II
a physician comes into sickroom, does
he treat disease In the absiracts No; he
feels the pulse. makes the diagnosis, then
ne writes the prescription. And, II we
want Ia heal souls for this life and the life
20 come, we do not want to treat them In
the abstract. The fact Is. you and have
a malady which, II uncurcd by grace. will
kill us forever. Now. want no abstrac-
ton. Where is the balms Where is the
physicianf
People say there is day Of Judgment
coming. My friends. every day Is n day
of Judgment, and You and today are he
are the balances Of the sanctuary They
are lifted. and we must all be weighed.
Who will come and he weighed flrstY Here
is "A moralist who volunteers He Is one
Of the most upright men In the country
He comes. We'll, my brother. get in-gct
into the balances now, and I've weighed I"
But as he gets into the balances I say,
What is that bundle you have along with
your "Oh, he says. that Is my rcpu
tation for goodness and kindness and
charity and generosity and kindliness
generally" "Oh. my brother, we cannot
weigh that; we are going to weigh you-
you. Now stand in the scalcs-you. the
moralist. Paid your debtss' Eyes, i" you
say, paid all my debts Have you
acted in AN upright way in the communi-
tyr" Yes. yes Have YOU keen kind
TO the poor? Are you faithful in n thou
sand relations In lifcg" Yes. . So far,
so good. But now. before You get out Of
this scale, want TO ask you two or three
questions Have your thoughts always
been rights" 'No. you say; mo " Put
down one mark. Have you loved the
Lord with all your heart and soul and
mind and strengths" No. You say. Make
another mark Come, now. he frank,
and confess that In ten thousand things
! YOU uhtt fOiitt SnDFt-uHNt YOU nOtE
Yes. =" Make ten thousand marks. Come,
now, get me book large enough TO make
the record of the moralist s deficits Ny
brother, stand in the scales; do not fly
away from them put on your side the
scales all the good deeds you ever did. all
the kind words you ever uttered, but on
the other side the scales put this weight
which God says I must put thereon the
other side the scales and opposite Ia yours
put this weight, BY the deeds Of the
law shall no flesh living be- justified. f."
Weighed and found wanting
Balances of the Sanctuary.
still the balances Of the sanctuary are
suspended, and we are ready 10 weigh any
who come. Who shall be the nextf Well.
here is Journalist He comes, and he gets
into the balances, and as he gets In SEE
that all his religion is in Renuficctions and
In outward obseryances As he gets into
the scales say, What Is that you have
In this pocket" "Oh. he says, that is
Westminster Assembly Catechism say:
Very good. What have you in the other
pocket" "Oh, ne says. that Is the
Heidelberg Catechism. - VERY good.
What Is that you have under your arm
standing in this balance Of the sanctu-
aryf" "Oh," be says, that is church
record !" Very good What are these
books on your side the balances "Oh, 3"
he says, those are Calvin's Institutes Z"
MY brother. we are not weighing books;
we are weighing you. II cannot be that
you ARE depending for your salvation
upon your orthodoxy. DO you not know
that the cree,ls and the forms 81 religion
are merely the scaffolding for the buildingS
You certainly are not going 10 mistake
the scnffolding for the temple DO you
not know that men have gone to pertlition
with acatechism In their pocket" But, ="
says the man, II cross myself often.
"Ah, that will not save you But"
says the man, II am sympathetic for the
poor. That will not save you" Says
the man, sat NJ the communion table "
THAT will not save you " But" says
the man. ~ have had my name on the
church record ." THAT will not save you ."
But have been IA professor ~ religion
40 yenrs That will not save you.
Stand there ON your side the balances, and
will give you the advantage will let