The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-15


can He will care for US. It is only as far
as we distrust the providence OF God. or
can find a place in oar lives. why are yc
anxious:" asked Jesus. III God clothes
the grass of the field and cares for the
birds Of the air, shail He not much more
care for You, o ye Of little faith,
But this is only one-balf of Paups secret.
He had learned how to be abased, but ne
had also learned how to abound. he had
learned to face adverse circumstances, ana
he had also learned to face prosperity. we
mus. all have known people who came I'M
scathed through adversely, and were after
ward ruined by prosperity. Under the in'
huence of good fortune they become con-
ceited. arrogant and selfish. More people
have been spoiled by wealth than by pow
erty. have come to feel that no greater
evil can befall young. man or woman
than to be rich through the effort OF father
or grandfather, and no be freed from the
blessed necessity Of winning ones own way.
Those who struggle from poverty to anu
ence by learning first how to be abased at
terward learn how to abound. But those
who begin in abundance are frequently
spoiied BY possessing without effort what
VIC are apt to call the blessings of life.
Wealth may be blessing, but poverty ls
oftener so. Jesus said: Blessed are the
poor" Now a poor man il not blessed be-
cause he is poor. If that were so how easy
for any one OF Us to secure bIessedness.
But poverty urges to effort and effort opens
the door to large attainment:
How, then, may one cultivate and pre-
serve such admirable qualities OF charac'
ter, the true riches Of the soul, while fac'
ing prosperity?
III Let him in the first place take ies-
SON in humility. We are apt to say OF q
wealthy man, He is independent It 10
a false saying. No man who lives in ,civ'
ilized community is independent. The only
really independent being is the savage man
who lives by himself in the wilderness;
dressing in the skins of wild beasts and
eating roots. The moment he exchanges
his bear skin for blanket he places him
self under obligation to the man who raises
the sheen, the man who cuts the wool, the
man who spins the yarn, the man who
weaves the blanket. The moment ne ex,
changes his diet of roots for one OF bread
he places himself under obligation to the
farmer who raises the wheat, the reaper
who cuts it. the miller who grinds it, and
| to thousands Of others whose busy brains
and hands have constructed the lnstru'
ments which make these processes possible.
This truth is extremely lar reaching. Not
onIy for material wealth are We under OBJ
legations to our fellows, but also for our IN;
seilectual wealth. Others have labored and
we have entered into their labors. 1t 10
creditable for a man to study and possess
the wisdom of the ages But let him tenn
per his pride in the abundance OF his intel.
icc.ual possession with the thought that
| every great truth he learns has been d,s'
| covered by another. Our abundance OF m
| tellectual riches has been dug out OF the
solid rock BY the men OF the past VINO ID
| y IL
And this is lust as true OF those spiritual
riches which we value. Liberty OF thought,
how much has it cost in the suffering and
mighty courage of men who have long since
cone 10 their reward? The environment OF
our lives which conduces to purity OF heart,
how much did it cost in the struggle OF our
| Ancestors out Of a beastly state into de-
cency of living: Let US not be wise in our
own coneeit, but in the midst OF our abund'
ance let US think humbly, soberly, accord
| ing rs God has given unto us, through the
ministry of our fellow men, the measure
of all things which we possess.
(ol Then as we face abundance, even "a
when we face want, let us endeavor to ap'
preciate the relation Of values. Is the man
who possesses wealth better than the man
who possesses nothing? Perhaps, But not
because he possesses wealth. Is the unlver'
sity graduate, the man who possesses intel
lectuaI riches, better than the man who has
never been to school? May be. But not
because he is a university graduate. The
man who possesses much and is stingy Is
worse than the man who possesses little
and is stingy. because there may be an ex'
| crse fer the stingincss OF the man VINO mas
only crust and faces starvation. but there
is no excuse for the man who goes on add.
| in4 barn TO barn or thousands Of dollars to
other thousands, while his neighbors hun
ger. There may be excuse for the ignor'
ant man for nat trying to advance the IN
| tellcctual standards of the community IN
which he lives. He has nothing to give, no
capital to work with. But there is no ex;
cuse to be made by the man who has had
all the advantages that the colleges afford.
for doing nothing for the world. He has
power and should use it..
The only riches worth while are in the
character. Use your abundant possessions
to helu build the kingdom ct God. rs the
workman uses his tools to construct q
wall or to build bridge. So shall your
| dollars be Transformed into character, and
your intellectual achievements minister to
ethical attainments.
(3) Finally learn to face prosperity by
continually acknowledging that what you
seem to possess you do not really possess
at all. You are only trustee OF portion
/ the estate WHICH pclOuko "
possess so many golden dollars: How beau
tiful they are, how substantial, how en-.
during. See me clutch them. They are
mine. ! will hold them. Nothing shall
rob me OF them. Nothing? Wait. Shortly
this hand Of mine which clutches SO firmly
shall be paisied in death and later erumble
to dust. The grasp upon the gold shall be
loosened. Mine? 1t was never mine. Out
of Gods earth it came. In Gods earth no
human power can prevent its ultimately
returning. Naked came into the world,
ard naked shall depart thither;" To
night. may be. that Journey shall COM
mence. How absurd, then, to talk OF my
possessing wealth.
But there is one possession which we
shall keep. and which shall endure rs lons
as we endure. Character shall endure, be-
cause nv character is myself. II one has
learned love. that shall abide. Purity OF
heart, honesty Of purpose, kindness OF life
shall endure, for these belong to the lm'
mortal soul of man. Said Jesus, The
man who in the spirit OF love ministers to
the sick. clothes the naked. feeds the hun.
CRY. visits the prisoners, he and he alone
shall hear the voice Of Him who sitteth
mon the throne. saying. Come ye blessed,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation Of the word.
KindEeIs.