Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1899-05-27

but In the balance which is susrcnded
TO the throne fGod a pound il a pound
and right IS right. and wrong is wrong
anc soul IS soul. and eternity Is e+er-
nity- God has perfect bushel and n
perfect peck and a perfect gallon.
when merchants weigh their goods in
the wsong way. then the Lord WEIGHS
the goods again. n from the imperfec,
measure the merchant pourS ont what
pretends 90 be a gallon OF oil and there
is less than gallon. God knows it. and
He calls upon His recording angel 20
mark is: so much wanting in that
measure Of oii." The farmer comes in
from the country. lie has apples to sell
lie has an imperfect measure He
pours out the apples from this imper-
feet measure. God recognizes 10. He
says 90 the recording angel: Mark
down SO many apples too few-an inn
perfect measure" we NAV cheat our
selves. and we mcy cheat the world. but
we cannot cheat God. and in tbc-grent
day OF Judgment 81 viii be found ont
that what wc learned in boyhood az
school is correct-that % hundred
make a ton and l29 solid feet make
cord of wood. No more. no less. And
a religion which does not take hold Of
this life as we'll as the life 10 come is no
religion at all.
But. my friends. that is not the style
OF balances I am 20 speak of to-day:
that is not the kind OF weights and
measures. am 90 speak Of that kind
of balances which weigh principles
weigh churches. weigh men. weigh ma
tions and weigh words. WHAT YOU
say. lis il possible that our world is 70
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 Pyrenees and che Hima-
layas and Mount Washington and all the
cities Of the earth they would crush il.
No. no, The time viii come when God
viii sit down on the white throne 20
see the world weighed and on one side
VIII be the worlds opportunities and
on the other side the worlds sins.
Down win 60 the sins. and away will
90 the opportunities. and God viii say
10 the messengers with the torch.
"Burn that world Weighed and found
wanting,"
So God viii weigh churches He takes
81 great church. Tint church. great ac-
coroing 10 this worldly estimate. must
be weighed. Tie puts il on one side the
balances and the minister and the choir
and the building thct cost its hundreds
of thousends of dollars he puts them
on one side the balances. On the other
side Of the scale lie puts what chat
church ought 20 be- what it's conScc-a-
fnr fUrH Hr rrtI Sc.
the poor ought 70 be. what it, defotion
10 all good ought TO be- That is ON
one side. That side comes down. and
the church. not being able TO stand the
test. rises in the balance. IL does not
make any difference about your nag.
nihccnt machinery. A church is built
for one thing-to save souls Tit saves
few souls when il might save "a multi
tudc OF souls. God VIII spew it out of
His mouth. Weighed and found want
ingl
So we perceive that God estimates ma
tions How many times He has put the
Spanish monarchy into the scales and
found u insufficient and condemned it,
The French empire was placed on one
side OF the scales. and God weighed ia.
French empire, and Napoleon said:
Have l not enlarged the boulevardS?
Did l not kindlc the glories of the
Champs Elysees? Have / not adorned
the Tuileries? Have ! not built the
gilded opera house?" Then God
weighed the nation, and He put on one
side the scales the emperor. and the
boulevards. and the Tuileries. and the
Champs Elysees. and the gilded opera
house, and on the other side he puts
that mans denominations. that mans
hbertinism. that mans seIfshness. that
mans goddess ambition. This last
came down, and all the brilliancy of the
scene vanished. What is that voice
coming up from Sedan? Weighed and
found wantingi
But l must become more individual
and more personal in my address. Some
people say they do not think clergvnen
ought 10 be personal in their religious
address, but ought 20 deal with subjects
In the abstract. l do not think that
way. What wCul6 You think OF a hunter
who should go 10 the Adirondacks 10
shoot deer in the abstract? All. no.
He loads his gun; he puts the butt of IL
against his breast, he runs his eve
along the barrel, ne takes sure aim and
then crash go the antlers on the rocks
And so. II We want 10 be hunters for
the Lord, we must take sure aim and
fre. Not In the abstract are we 20 treat
things in religious discussions. II
physician comes into sick room. does
h.