Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-01

HeVe and Hremb1e. We afdTm It the
fundamental law OF Christian ethics,
which we wish to enforce, in all its
height and breadth, that the religion
OF the New Testament is not a system
OF speculative ideas, but a truth seated
in the conscience, the affection. II the
dogma be not one with life; il it have
no efficacy over the real character of
men, we may have a Christian poly
theiSm. We do not wish to push the
thought into paradox; but we do mean
all that our Lord has said that the
moral root Of polytheism Is In the deity
ing of our human passions. We may
hold or we may deny the existence OF
the Trinity as an article OF faith; but
we really worship what our affections
worship. The conception which every
mind has of the character Of God is the
reflex of his own character. The athe-
list rejects Him because he wants no
such being; and the superstftious man,
on the other hand, always paints Him
TO his fancy In some gloomy features
that hide His real attributes.
Our Christianity may be thus in its
inward heart as well as influence trans
formed into a religion of many gods.
Be not deceived with words. but look
at realities. Where is the difference if
we be worshippers OF sensual pleasure,
whether we crave it in the statue OF a
Venus or god of drunkenness or not?
Where is the difference between him
who kneels at the shrine OF Pfutus and
him whose money is his true deity,
while he processes Christ?
ut is a we'll known tradition that the
antique figure of st. Peter in the great
Christian Temple at Rome, whose foot
Is worn with kisses of the reverent
crowd, was once the Jupiter OF an ear
lier temple. How many of our Chris
tian vices are but a poorly disguised
heatheniSTn?
Such is the principle we ask you to
weigh well this morning, my friends,
as 1T takes us out of the whole range
of subtle speculation into the meaning
of a real Christianity. Let us apply it
in this view to our social life, as we see
it around us in this time OF great lux
ury.
Zone of the sins of the age was the
sin of the young ruler who loved his
money better than he loved his God.
He said he had kept the law from his
youth up. aud yet when called on to
prove 1T he failed. Wealth was his God
but not Jehovah. He failed to appre-
ciate the true relationship of possession
to life and not a few are like him
everywhere. 1t needs to be flashed be-
fore our minds again and again and
burnt into our hearts that possession
whether much or little is not the object
OF life, but an incident of it; possession
much or little is the waySide flower, not
the parlor exotic. Let this be under
stood as it ought to be, and covetous-
ness which is idolafry will not be posi-
BILE and we will not be condemned for
keeping back part of the price. Never
in all the ages gone has it been more
necessary than it is now to warn men
and women, too, not to make money
their god, for turn where you will and
go where you will, the mad rush after
possession is binding the eyes of too
many to the glorious gospel of Christ
and shutting the only true God out of
our hearts. The power OF this possess
sion cannot be better illustrated than
In those misers who. denying them
selves all the comforts that money was
designed to secure, and turning a deaf
ear to the claims of charity, delight
only in looking at and gloatng over
their gold. Old Diomed illustrates this
passion when leaving seventeen mem
bers of his family to perish during the
destruction of Pompeii, tried to es-
cape with. his money but per-
ished miserably at his gate. Judas,
VINO sold his masters for money, is an
other Illustration of the power of greed.
And then there is the solemn warning
of Ananias and Sapphisa, who kept
back part of the price. | might null
tiply examples, but surely this is
enough. Surely all these cases. as
well as that of the rich young ruler.
stand as an awful warning to ALL rich
and poor, that they that will be rich
fall into temptation and a snare, and
into many foolish and hurtful lusts
which drown men in destruction and
perdition." Such terrible consequences
do not necessarily come upon men just
because they are rich, but sooner or
later it does fall with dreadful force
upon those who will be rich at all haz-
ards, and who make money possession
the supreme aim of life. 1t does un-
doubtedly win men and women from
God and lead them into temptation
and lust and final perdtion You will
do the greatest service to the state, says
Epictetus. ''if you shall raise, not the
roofs of the houses, but the souls of
the citizens; for it is better that great
souls should dwell in small houses
rather than for mean slaves to bask in
great houses" These words have spe-
cial significance in this day Of large
material prosperity. Men must have
noble spirits and high aims If they are
to deal successfully with the tremeh~
dous material growth on all sides and
not become the mean and miserable
slaves of material greatness. If we
must choose, let us have great souls
and small houses rather than great
houses and small souls: for we can
afford TO be poor. but not to live with
out God and without hope in this
world, any more than in the world to
come. Eye cannot serve God and Nam
mon"
And now let me add that what has
been said of possessions applies with
equal force to the pleasures of life.
Proper pleasures are all right, just as
riches are. so long as they are made
the incidents and not the objects of
existence. There can certainly be
nothing wrong in being happy and en-
joying ourselves, so long as we do SO in