St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-12-12

! Pleasures. IL was enough FOR hin
that he had a sumptuous home, tina
he was clothed and warmed, and coul,
take his ease and fill his belly will
good things, and have a jolly goo,
time. He lived to enjoy life" a.
| so many people put it. Think of mar
| being ruled by the sole motive of self
| desire and appetite. And yet how
many, many are under such thralldom
| The prodigal son wanted the gilded at
| fractions and pleasures of the ia
country, and he gave up home ant
friends and everything that his de
sires might be gratifed. The ricl
fool wanted his ease, he wanted rar'
wines and rich food, and merry com
| pany to help him enjoy his SUMPTION!
home, and he forgot Lazarus at hi!
gate and the outside world and thu
God Who ruled over all. And people
to-day are being dominated by the
| same self-desire which lured thu
| prodigal son away from home ant
blinded the rich man to the higher ant
| better part of life. The consciousness
of God and eternity is becoming less
and less in the world, and this life is
filling all the thought and plans ano
desires.
pUT not only are mere fieshly ap-
- petites and desires. holding sway
over people, but the attainments and
ambitions of this life are shutting
God out of the heart and life. When
it is declared of Israel that they
ceased not from their own doings,
l do not imagine we are to understand
that all were ruled by the lower ami
NAL nature of the appetites and lusts'
Doubtless there were many against
whom the indictment of God held true,
because they were ambitious for
worldly wealth, or power, or learn
ing or culture. Here were some who
ceased not from their struggle after
riches, sacrificing everything else
that they might pile up the yellow
gold. Others ceased not to covet pow
er, world power. To be leader. to
dominate in. the affairs of the COM
munity or the state. was the ambition
of the life, and by fair means OF foul
it was to be gratified. Others ceased
not to drink at the fountain of the
worlds so-called wisdom and culture.
Their brains were SO busy with the
thoughts of man, with mans wisdom
and learning, that the wisdom of God
appeared as fOolishness unto them.
And it is true to-day that the plans,
ambitions, purposes Of this life APP
pear all important. Man and his do
ings seem so necessary, that which this
life has to offer appears SO tangible
and attainable, and God and eternity
seem so vague and uncertain, that
man lorgets God, and the words of His
Son: What shall it profit man it
he gain the whole world and lose his
own soul?" And SO man ceases not
from his own 'doings. His ways seem
to him easiest, most pleasant, most
profitable There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man. and he
walks heedlessly and blindly in that
way, and will not see the sign posts
which God has placed all along the
route, which warn the soul that ''the
end thereof are the ways of death. I"
Blind leaders of the blind Ever
learning as Paul says, land never
able TO come to the knowledge Of the
truth" Cardinal Wolsey said of Hen
ry VIII. when on his deathbed:
Rather than he will miss or want any
part of his will or appetite, he will
put the loss of one-half his realm in
danger" And man is stalking his pre-
cious soul against the pleasures and
ambitions and purposes OF the pres
ent life. This life first, let the soul
take it's own chances! is what man ex-
claims.
MANS will is raised against Gods
4V1 will. StuDbornness shuts out the
beneficent influence of God from the
life, and the soul is barren and dead.
barren wastes on the east OF the Rocky
mountains is because these rocky
heights prevent the clouds from the
Pacific, with their life-giying moisture,
passing to the dry and parched deserts
beyond, and the reason the soul in
man is dead and barren is because
stubbornness like high mountain
rears itself between the souls need
and God God is shut out. Israel was
stubborn. She would go her own way
and do her own deeds. The prodigal
son was determined to go into the far
country He would not be turned.
The rich man in his palace would see
nothing but his bursting granaries;; he
would not let himself feel any need
but that of the body and the present
life. But the prodigal son did not
leave for the far country before, his
father had pleaded with him to stay
at home, until he had tried to show
MIN that he was going to ruin. The
rich man was warned by God of the
awful destruction and torment into
which he was plunging his soul; Laza-
rus, who lay at his gate, and whom he
passed many times each day as he
came and went in his ease and lux
ury, was a perpetual sermon and
warning to him, but he would not
hear, or see, or heed. Henry VIII. did
not rush headlong into his reckless
indulgences without words of warning
and pleading being spoken to him.
Lord Wolsey says: Il have often
kneeled before him in his privy cham
Der on my knees, the space of an hou-
or two, to persuade him from his will
and appetite, but could never bring
to pass to dissuade him therefroIn.
And how God pleads, and warns man!
He does not leave man until He has