The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-02

that is not the kind of weights and
measures ] am to speak of that kin
OF balance which weigh principles,
weigh churches, weigh men, weigh ma
tons and weigh worlds. What you
say. lis it possible that our world is 10
be weighed" Yes. Why. you would
think if God put on one side of the bal
ances suspended from the throne the
Alps and the Pyrenes and the Hima-
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 worlds sins.
Down will go the sin and away will
go the opportunities and God will say
to the messengers with the torch:
Burn that world! Weighed and found
wanting"
SO God will weigh churches. He takes
a great church. That church, great &C
cording to the worldly estimate, must
be weighed. He puts ii on one side the
balances and the minister and the choir
and the building that cost its hundreds
of thousands Of dollars. He puts them
on one sid the balances. On the other
sid OF the scale He puts wnat that
church ought to be, what it's consecra-
ton ought to be, what it's sympathy for
the poor ought to be, what its devotion
to all good ought to be. That is or one
side. That sid comes down, and the
church, not being able 10 stand the
test, rises in the balances. 1t does not
make any difference about your mag
nificent machinery. A church is built
for one thing-to W. soulA If it saves
a few souls when it might save a null
titude of souls, God will spew it out
Of His mouth. Weighed n found
wantingl
A MALADY TO BE 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! The French empire was placed on
one side of the scales, and God weighed
he French empire, and Napoleon said:
Have 1 not enlarged the b~oulevards?
Did / not kindle the glOrieS of the
Champs Elysees? Have I not adorned
the Tuileries? Have I 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 mans
denominations, that mans libertinism,
that mans selfishness, that mans god
less 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 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. I do not think that
way. What would you think of a hunter
who should go to the Adirondacks to
Ghnnt door in tho ohStro nt1 All NIL H.
loads h gun; he puts the butt of it
against his breast; he runs his eye
along the barrel, he takes sure aim, and
then crash go 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 religious discussions. II
a physician comes into a 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 souls for this life and
the life to come, we 90 not van to
treat them in the abstract. The fact is,
you and 1 have a malady which, if I'M
cured by grace. will kill us forever
Now, I want no abstraction Where is
the balm? Where is the physician?
STRIKING A BALANCE.
People say there is a day of judg-
ment coming. My friends, every day is
a day Of judgment, n you n I to-
day are being canvassed, inspected,
weighed. Here are the balances Of the
sanctuary. They are lifted, and we
must all be weighed. Who will come
and be weighed first? Here is a moral
ist who volunteers. He is one Of the
most upright men in the country. He
comes. well, my brother, get in-get
into the balance now and be weighed"
But as he gets into h balancesI say.
What is that bundle you have along
with you2" Oh he says, that is my
reputation for goodness and kindness
and charity and generosity and kindli-
ness generality" "Oh, my brother, we
cannot weigh that! We are going to
weigh you-you. Now stand in the
scales-you, the moralist. Paid your
debts?" YES" you say, paid all my
debts" Have you acted in an upright
way in the community" Yes, yes"
Have you been kind to the poor?'
Are o you faithful in a Thousand re-
lations in life?' Yes" 80 far, 50
good. But now, before you get out of
this scale I want to ask you two or
three questions. Have your thoughts
always been right?" mo-" you say;
mo" Put Town one mark. Have you
loved h Lord with all your heart and
soul and mind and strength" mo-"
you say. Make another mark. Come
now, be rank and confess that in 10, 200
things you have come short, have you
not?" Yes" MAKE 10000 marks. Come
now, get me a book large enough to
make the record Of the moralist's de-
ficits. My brother, stand in the scales,
do not fly away from them. I put on
| your side the scales all the good deeds
you ever did, all the III words you
ever uttered. But on the other side the
scales I put this weight which God
says I must put thereon the other
side the scales and opposite to yours
I put this weight, by the deeds Of
| the law shall no flesh living be juti-
| fed" Weighed n found wanting!
CREEDS WON'T SAVE.
Still, the balances of the sanctuary
| are suspended and we are ready to
| weigh any who come. Who shall be the
next? Well, here is a Journalist. He
comes and he gets into the balances,
. and as he gets in I see that all his re-
ligion is in genuf1ectionS and in out
ward ob~servances. AS he gets into the