Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-03-05

uicu. IL InOucy COuiu Duv ucuhII, tHc
late Cornelius Vanderbilt would never
have struggled on as a helpless invalid
ana been carried out to the tomb when
yet young man. If money was all
powerful, that Broadway merchant
would have recovered his sight when,
few years ago, he offered $1,0O0,OO0
to any surgeon whose knife would cut
his curtain Of the night in twain.
Love Cannot he bought.
Neither will money buy love. Money
may buy sycophancy. 1t may make
servants and so called friends bow and
cringe before us, but the songstress of
love IS not n hireling who sings her
seraphic strains to the jingling accom-
panimerS Of golden coins True love
Is won by the heart, not by the purse.
True love is found smiling as winsome-
~ in cottage ms in palace. Neither.
O rich man, can you with money buy
your way into heaven. IF you have no
time to seek God in his house on earth,
you will not be able to find Christ in
mansions in the skies. If you do not
honor your Saviour before men, nei-
Their will Christ honor you before the
angels. who are now assembled about
the great white throne Of the celestial
city. How much did be Icave?' asked
deceased rich man. "Hc left every
thing" was the answer Ills shroud
had no pocket, so far as I could see
So, rich man. you will take before the
judgment seat Of Christ not what you
now hold in your hand. but what you
have in your heart. Therefore, it Is
very important that you do not with
fatal self complacency as to you
wealth and social prestige and your
ownership of mortgages and bonds and
land titles blind your eyes to the I'M
portance Of going to the gospel ban
quet.
But another knock is heard at the
front door Of the good mans house. A
second letter of regret is handed in.
This letter goes something like this:
my dear friend, I know you have
made great preparations for me TO-
night, but ] cannot come. I am n
small farmer and have just bought #
yoke OF oxen to do my spring blowing,
and I must go and do it." Or the letter
will read as follows: MY dear friend.
cannot come tonight have just
bought five yoke of oxen. and intend
TO hire myself out TO the different
farmers to help them do their spring
blowing. We must make money while
we can. And even il | could get
through my work in time TO come
would be so tired that | could not en-
Joy your good things. pray thee have
me excused" In other words. that
stock purchaser was going around as
the modern owners of some baling ma
chimes go from farm to farm to pacl,
the hay, or as the owners of some of
the modern thrashng machines in the
rural districts cut down their neigh
bors' grain upon n percentage basis
Whom in modern life does this stock
owner represent? He symbolizcs the
practicing doctor or lawyer or small
merchant or manufacturer or mechan.
&c or salaried employee engaged in n
: daily struggle for livelihood. He
represents, as Matthew Henry well
wrote. the man with 1.-The inordinatC
care and concern about this world
which keep him from Christ and hi:
grace" He represents the father and
husband who on Saturday night says
well. | have worked hard all The
week. / am too tired to go to chur II
tomorrow and do Gods work. 1t is
all we'll enough to think about religion
but the simple fact is. in this strenuous
earthly life l must look after my bust
: ness and keep looking after it all the
time" He represents the business
man who at first does not intend to dc
wrong. but, little by little. he allows
his business to crowd out his duties tc
Christ. First. he gives up prayer meet
ing on account OF business; then his
daily reading Of the Bible; then his
Sunday services. Little by little he
allows himself to drift away from Goo
= until at last the invitation to the Cos
pei banquet falls upon unheedng ears
: The inor1inate desire foraccumulatinl
: wealth has destroyed many and man!
an immortal soul. A few score years
[ ago steamer crowded with passen
gers was pushing its way over the wa
tiers OF the Mississippi river. Upon thu
Z MIA miners returning from the gold
: fields of the west. Suddenly tina
. steamer struck a sunkcn wreck ant
? Immediately began to sink. The Won
> en- and the children were taken off il
' lifeboats The men We're compelled t.
l leap into the water and cling TO til,
floating spars until they, could be res
t cued. Just before the steamer founder
Q ed man rushed mp to the deck an(
l leaped into the water and chung to
e floating spar. But instead of floating
= like the rest of the men he sank like
| lump of lead. Afterward his body wa
!, recovered. and the reason of the sink
n ing was explained. While the othc
e passengers Of the sinking vessel wer
@ preparing RATS and putting on lif
$ prescrvers this man had been belov
g decks rifling the miners trunks. On
@ ser his garments strapped around hi
!. waist. We're found bags of gold.
: was his desire for wealth that destroy
e ed him. SO we find that there ar
r thousands upon thousands of men an,
l. women who refuse to come to tn
t Lords banquet because. like the drown
s ing passenger of the Mississippi rive
y or like the owner OF five yoke of oxer
i they wonld prefer to stay away I