Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-04-04

can lie wiz care Tor US. = Is oniy as far
aS we distrlst the providence OF God: OF
dishslieve in His providence. That anxiety
can find place IN oar lives: w ny are We
anxious" asked Jesus. If God csoth's
the grass OF the field and cares Tor the
birds of the air. shall He not much more
care Tor Won. q We OF little ialth:
Blu, this is only one half OF Paul secret.
He had learned how to I've ahased hut ne
had also learned how to abound. He had
learned to face adverse circumstances. am
he had also learned TO face prosperity We
must all have known people who came I'M
scathed through adversely. and were alter
ward ruined by prosperity. Under the IN
huence of good fortune they become cor
eeited. arrogant and selfish. More peope
have been spoiled by wealth than by pov'
erty. | have come TO feel that no greater
evil can befall young man or woman
than to he rich through the effort OF father
or grandfather. and so be freed from the
blessed necessity of winning ones own wy.
Those who struggle from poverty TO atiut
ence By learning first how TO be abased af.
terwatd learn how To abound. But those
who begin in abundance are frequently
spoiled by possessing without effort what
we are apt TO call the blessings OF life.
Wealth may be a blessing. but poverty is
oftener SO. Jesus said: Blessed are the
poor Now poor man Is not blessed be-
.ause he is poor. Ii that were so how easy
for any one OF us to secure blessedness.
But poverty urges 10 effort and effort opens
the door 10 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;
Cd Let him in the first place take les.
son in humility. We are apt to say of a
wealthy man, He is independent" 1t is
false saying. No man who lives in a civ.
ilizcd 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 a blanket he places him
self under obligation to the man who raises
the sheep, the man who cuts the wool, the
man who spins the yarn, the man who
weaves the blanket. The moment he 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
20 thousands of others whose busy brains
and hands have constructed the instru'
ments which make these processes possible.
This truth Is extremely far reaching. Not
only for material wealth are we under OBJ
gations TO or fellows. but also for our in.
.eliectual wealth. Others have labored and
We have entered into the iabors. 1t Is
.reditab'e fo- man to study and possess
the wisdom OF the ages. But LET him tenn.
per his pride in the abundance OF his intel.
ectual possession with the thought that
every great truth he learns has been dis
covered by another. Our abundance OF IN
te,,ectuai riches has been dug out of the
solid rocl- nv tho men of the past who la
bored with bleeding hands. :,
And this is Just as true or those spiritual
riches which we value. Liberty OF thought.
now much has it cost in the suffering and
mighty courage of men who have long since
gone to their reward: The environment OF
our lives which conduces to purity Of heart,
now much did it cost in the struggle of our
ancestors ont Of n heastiy state into de.
:ency of living? Let us not be wise in our
OWN conceit, h.. in the midst OF our abund.
ance let US think humbly, soberly. accord
ing as God has given unto us, through the
ministry of our fellow men. the measure
Of all things which we possess.
(2) Then as we face abundance. even as
when we face want, let us endeavor to ap.
preciatc 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 univer.
sity graduate. the man who possesses intel.
lectual riches. better than the man who has
never been to school? May be. But not
because he is 4 university graduate. The
worse than the man who possesses little
and is stiugy. because there may be an ex.
cuse for the stinglness or the man who has
only crust and faces starvation. but there
is no excuse for the man who goes on add.
ing barn to barn or thousands of dollars to
other thousands, while his r-'ghhors hun.
ger. There NAV be excuse for the ignor.
ant man for not trying to advance the in.
tellectnal standards of the community in
which he lives. JIe has nothing to give, no
capital TO work with. But there is no ex.
cnse 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 sbould use it.
The only riches worth while are in the
character. Use your abundant possessions
to he.p build tho kingdom of God. as the
workman uses his tools to construct
wal or to bui.d bridge. So shall your
dollars be transformed into character. and
yonr intellectual achievements minister to
ethical nttainments.
81 Finally learn tn face prosperity by
continually acknowledging that what you
seem to possess you do not really possess
at all. You are only a trustee of a norton
of the estate which belongs to God.
possess so many golden dollars. How beau.
;iful they. are, how substantial, how en-.
mine. will hold them. Nothing shall
rob me OF 'nem. Nothing? Wait. Shortly
this hand of mine which clutches so firmly
shall be palsied in death and later crumblc
TO dust. Tho grasn upon the god shall be
loosenei. Mine: 1t was never mine. Out
of Gods earth it came. In Gods earth no
human power can prevent its ultimately
returning. Naked came l into the world.
and naked shall ] depart thither;,"' To-
night. r,"v be. that Journey shall com.
mencc. How absurd, then, to talk of my
possessing wealth.
But there is one possession which we
shall keep. and which shall endure as long
as we endure. Character shall endure, be-
cause my 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 i'm
mortal sonl of man. Said Jesus, "The
man who in the shirt 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 stitch
upon the throne. saying. Come We blessed.
inherit the kingdom prepared FOR you from
the foundation of the world"
r From Everlasting to Everlasting.