The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-22
Sunday Sermon.
I'M THE LITERARY WORLD Sundi

What shall a man give in exchange
for his soul!-Matthew, xvi, 20
1t is sound principle which leads us
to take a jealous care of that which is
worth the most and allow unimportant
matters to take care of themselves. II
man We're presented with a jewel and
Il penny he would hardly set guard over
the penny and leave the jewel within
reach of robbers. And if we discovered
that he did so under the conviction that
the penny was worth more than the JeWel
we might be excused if we regarded him
as a man Of unbalanced mind, suffering
from some curious Authorization.
Since we have souls, and since these
souls are to survive that odd incident III
our career which we call death, then IL
must needs follow as logically as the
night follows the day that the
souls health and wellbeing DE
Other things may be valuable
and quite worth working for, but
when these other things block the way
to the souls progress we cannot reason
ably hesitate as to which should be
sacrificed.
1t is only the child who wants what
we know will injure him, and we eX-
cuse him on the ground that he is uhde-
veloped, has not yet grasped the true
philosophy Of life. We feel sure tiuat
when his mind is broadened by eXpen-
ence he will put aside childish things
and take the view of a full grown man.
Now, religion is nothing more than tle
result Of a large outlook. Its require
ments are based ON the fact that you
are to step out of this world into some
other world, and for that reason you
ought not to do in this world what VIII
interfere with your happiness IN thab
other world. The basis of religion, there
fore, is both philosophic and scientific.
It's commands are not arbitrary, Dun
draw their authority from the eternal
order of things.
1t is the religion of a watch to keep
correct time because that is the purpose
for which it was made; and 1t IS the
| religion of the soul to be honest, hdlthtul
and true, because these are the ends winch
| God had in view when He made 1t, ana
because those ends can be achieved by
obedience to constituted law, and IN no
other possible way.
But our difficulty is that, like the man
who prizes the penny more than the
| level, we are very largely under
| hallucinntion. This world has hypno-
tized us, and our standard OF compare
tive values is defective We think some
| things valuable which are worthless,
| and we fail to estimate other things at
| their proper worth, though in fact, they
1 are priceless We are under a spell, we
are glamoured. and the object of religion
| is to set us right in our judgments, ana
ESQ influence our lives for our own Deheht.
| 1t seems to me that the Father had
| inst. that in His eternal mind when lie
| sent His Son to tell us what road to
flake in order to get to heaven.
For example. how marvelously we
Underestimate the value of money. III IS
| The pankcea Of all our ills, and we not
I'only sacrifice our bodily comfort for II,
| amt shorten our lives and open the door
ito various ills. | have nothing TO say
| against a just appreciation OF money
ff6r | know what it can contribute to
thurman happiness. ] ann not sorry wheh
ba voung man is fired with ambition,
tdreaming grand dreams and tolllng 10
larealize them But when see him wor-
ltship n pocketboolI as though it We're the
t3god of all the worlds, forgetting the
Enclosures Of life in this one pursuit ac-
| uuirine habits which unfit him for any
Ienioyment except what is found in ado
lstrg dollars Ito dollars. | am sure that
| he does not look at life from Christ :
| Standpoint, and that he is paying too
large a price for what yields him an
| inadequate return.
And when, again. / see that his eager
ness has dethroned his moral principle;
that he is exchanging character for
| thirty nieces of silver: that he is betray-
| ing his own manhood; that he can no
| longer respect himself, and has only
hank account in place of a conscience, L
know tha1 chat man has a false standard
Of values and is the victim of false
view of life.
Or. once more, when | see man sur
render himself to the physical stimulus
| of pleasure. under the impression that
the law which demands it's price for
oyerindulgence can be evaded, drowning
| his moral sense in excitement, Ignoring
the soul and depending ON his body for
all that life has to offer, l know that the
ltime must come when regrets, like horn
cts. will sting him. He is out of tune
with the universe. He might as well
| try to play a concerto on VIOLIN With
| loosened strings His estimate of COM
paratiye values is all wrong. He is
worshipping the penny and throwing the
| Jewel away He seeks for happiness
| but seeks where it is not to be found
He cheats himself out of his own tof-
tune.
The only lasting satisfaction is IN De-
| ing an honest and a true man.
| You will never work ON the hlghest
level until your circumference includes
another world as well as this one, ana
YOU will never know the full meaning
of the present life until the other NE
gives it its hottest Interpretation.
| 1t is not your money but your man
hood which fixes your value.
True religion, the religion which CHRIST
taught is broad and generous. 1t tells
YOU that the soul is the jewel and the
body is the penny, and that if you 1--we
in accordance with that fact you are
| Christian worthy of immortality.
GEORGE ii. HEPWORTH.
| I-nT rANrTTt U,DTTDTIONC