Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-05-27

makes Il ton. and l20 solid feet make Il
cord of wood No more, no less. and
religion which does not take hold Of
this life, as well as the life to come. is
no religion at all.
Weigh Principles.
But. my friends, that is not the style
of balances | am to speak of today;
that is not the kind of weights and
measures am to speak of that kind
of balances which weigh principles,
weigh churches. weigh men. weigh ma
tions and weigh worlds. What you
say as it possible that cur world il to
be weighed1" YES Why, You would
think if God put on one side uf the bal
nnces suspended from the throne the
Alps and the Pyrnccs and the Hilnu-
layas and Mount Washington and all
the cities of the earth they would crush
it, No, no The time will come when
God will sit down on the white throne
to see the world weighed, and on one
side will be the worlds opportunities
and on the other side the world 8 sins.
Down will go the sins and away will
go the rpcrthEitics and God will sny
to the messengers with the torch:
"Burn that world Weighed and found
wanting!'
So God will weigh churches. He takes
great church. That church. great nc
cording to the worldly estimate, must
be weighed He puts it on one side the
balances and the minister and the choir
and the building that cost its hundreds
of thcg;snnd4 of dollars He puts them
on one side The balances. On the other
side of the scale he pnts what that
church ought To he. what its consecra-
tion ousEi to be, what its sympathy for
the loor ought to be. what its devotion
to all good ought to he That is on one
side That side comes down. and the
church. rot being able 10 stand the test.
rises in tie bnlances 1t does not make
any difference aGont your magnificent
y chnrch is built for one
thing-to save sunls If it saves a few
souls when it might save a multitude
of souls. God will spew it out of bis
month Weighed and found wanting
Mnindy to he Cured.
So we perceive that God estimates
nations. How many times he has put
the Spanish monarchy into the scales
and found it insufficient and condemned
it'll The French empire WAS placed on
one side of the scales. and God weighed
the French empire. and Napoleon said:
"Hnve l not enlarged the boulevards'
Did | not kindle the glories of tina
Champs Elysees? Have l not adorned
the TuiIeries? Have | not built the
gilded opera house?" Then God weigh
ed the nation. and he put on one side
the scales the emperor and the boule-
wards and the Tuileries and the Champs
Elysees and the gilded opera house. and
on the other side he puts that man s
denominations, that mans libertinism,
that mans selishness, that man god
less ambition. This last came down,
and all the briliancy of the scene van
.ished. What is that voice coming up
from Sedan? Weighed and found want
ing
But l must become more individual
and more personal in MY address. Some
people say they do not think clergymen
ought to be personal in their religious
address. but ought to deal with subjects
in the abstract | do rot think that
way. What would you think of hunter
who should 90 to the Adirondacks to
shoot deer in the abstract: All, mol He
loads the gun; he puts the butt OF it
against his breast, he runs his eye along
the barrel. lie tnkes sure aim, and then
crash 90 the antlers on the rocks And
so, if we want to be hunters for the
Lord, we must take sure aim and fire.
Not in the abstract are we to treat
things in religions discussions. If a
physician comes into sickroom, does
he treat disease in the abstract? No.
He feels the pulse, takes the diagnosis,
then he writes the prescription. And If
we want to heal sonls for this life and
the life TO come we do not want to
treat them in the abstract. The fact is,
YOU and have malady which, if un-
cured by grace, will kill ms forever.
Now, want no abstraction. Where ls
the balm? Where is the physician?
Striking IL Balance.
People say there is Il day of Judg-
ment coming. My friends. every day is
a day of Judgment, and you and | to-
day are haing canvaSsed, inspected,
weighed. Ecre are the balances Of the
sanctuary. They are lifted, and we
must all be weighed Who will come
and lie weighed tirsta Here is a moral
list WHO volunteers He is one of the
most upright men in the country. He
comes "Wcll. my brother, get in--get
into the balances now and he weighed.
But az he gets into the balances l say,
"What is that bundle you have along
with you?' "o!. he says that is
my reputation for goodness and kindness
and charity and generosity and kindll-
ness generally sob. my brother, we
cannot weigh that We are going to
weigh you--you. Now stand in the
scales-you. the moraiist. Paid your
debts?" Eyes. yon say. paid all
my debts. Have you acted i'll an up
right way in the community! Yes,
yes. Have you been kind to the poorf
Are you faithful in thousand relations
in life?" "Yes. $50 far, so good. But
now, before you get ont of this scale |
want to ask you two or three questions.
Have your thoughts always been
right?" "No, you say; mo. Put
down one mark. "Have you loved the
Lord with all your heart and soul and
mind and strength mo. you say
Make another mark "Come now, be
frank and confess that in 10000 things
you have come short, have you notY'
eyes. Make 10, 600 marks. Come now,
get me book large enough to make
the record of the moralist's deficits. My
brother, stand in the scales do not fly
away from them l put on your side
the scales all the good deeds you ever
did, all the kind words you ever ut
tered. But on the other side the scales
1 put this weight which God says ]
must put thereon the other side the
scales and opposite to yours put TINS
weight. "Bv the deeds of the law shall