The Penn's Grove record., 1904-06-03
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED,
""LIFE'5 ASSETS"
The Rev. DIR. Arthur II. G~oodenough
Talks Instructiveiy on the Infinite
Possibilities That Are in Man-What
We Need to Know.

We Need to Know.
BRISTOL, CoNN.-The Rev. DR.. Arthur
Fl. Goodenough preached Sunday morning
on "Lifes Assets" The text was from l
Corinthians iii:2l, p, %: For all things
are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or
Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or
things present, or things to come; all are
yours, and We are Christ's and Christ is
Gods" DR.. Goodenough said:
Man aspires. His eye is on the sky.
Man was made to walk erect. His impulse
is to climb. This fact indicates his des-
tiny. The earth beneath us and the world
about us contribute to our flight, but they
offer US no home. The world, so near to
us and so essential to our present life, has
its limitations and letters. Man is impa-
lent of limitations; he aspires to the in
finite and the infinite is always above us.
The nobler mans nature the more rest
less and determined is he to ascend. No
philosophy of life is true that fails to rec
ognlze this instinct of the soul. Man de-
slres more room, more room is above, and
above is something that attracts and
draws. That fact is mans salvation.
1t is generally believed that man had his
origin in God. God is the root from
which all men have sprung. 1t is equally
true that God is the complement of man
and his goal. How noble is man. What
infinite possibilities are in him. Man is not
a wait, almlessly wandering through a
trackless wilderness, nor an orphan minus
a parents gui ling hand and tender voice.
Mans origin and destiny are one. 1t is
God. If your fve-year-old boy is in need
ne lnstinctiyely cries, MY father" If he is
IN trouble he as naturally cries, my
mother" Instantly the complement of his
needy nature is at hand. Father and
mnfhnr ara fO him oil fhof he .ool- W.
are only larger children, with larger and
more imperative needs. Is there any help
for us? We have outgrown the ability
OF our earthly parents to help US. What
shall we do? As the thirsty OK turns to
the babbling brook, we turn our eyes to
the heavens and say, my Father-God,
help me-" And quicker than thought the
help comes Here we have the philosophy
of happiness and the secret of success. As
Augustine, Bernard, John Howe, Isaac
Watts and Charles Wesley. The upward
look wins. The man who aspires to God,
and holiness, and Immortality is the one
to whom this text is spoken. Cali things
are yours; for ye are Christ's and Christ
is Gods"
The thing that wise men are thinking
about is life. Bread and acres and dollars
are only incidental. God made the acres.
Gods sunshine and showers grew the grain
from which the bread is made. God fur
nished the material to make the dollar.
Therefore, acres and bread and dollars are
good because God had something to do
with producing them. These are valuable
contributions to life, some of our life
values. Lie itself is worth more. than all
of them put together. The man who cul-
tivates your farm is worth more than the
farm. The man who builds your home is
worth more than the house. We are not
paupers. No man, woman or child in this
world need be poor. There are other values
beside dollars. We are heirs to untold
riches. Our heavenly Father, the unseen
capitalist, has invested largely in US, and
He is no spendthrift. He has put the
value where it may multiply. Life is a
feeble thing at the beginning; so is the
acorn, but in the acorn is the massive
oak; so is the bulb, but the bulb contains
the tint and perfume of the lily. So life
as we see it in the babe, it contains a
kepler, a Newton, a Gladstone, a Nc
Kinley.
Character is a result, a product. Charac-
ter tells the story of our conduct and in
dustry. Character is the f~ruitage Of our
thinking, our willing, our loving, our doing.
And character is the man. Character de-
termines ones value to himself and to So
NA~Sys IA 10 hhdG liuhGS DlOSIdDny tuC
popular literature of our day. People in
terest people. Biography is death to pes
simlsm. Thousands of men and women
have succeeded in life. They have feasted
on the universe and enjoyed the infinite,
and the books tell us how they did it.
My young friends, the one thing in this
world for you to do, is to follow their
example. You may. Character is no ready
made thing; it is made to order. 1t means
plan and purpose and persistence. You
do not have to make the machinery nor
the material; these are furnished. The Sc
lection of the web, the feeding Of the loom,
the weaving of the cloth is ours. The re-
suit is character, and character is destiny.
This is the work of life. Human chances
are not equal. Circumstance favor SOM
more than others. No doubt of it. But
then every man has a chance, ave, more,
every man has a probability of success.
There are possibilities of failure, and many
seem to fail, but there is no excuse for
failure. Oh, horrible, heartbreaking word
is failure. May none of you ever know
what it means. There IS a way of escape
from it. Make a right, not to say, best,
use of what is in you, wisely appropriate
what Is about you, give reason the rein.
Enthrone conscience. Be religious. And
every step will be an ascent, every act the
advance of the soul, and the enrichment
OF being. All things are yours to do with.
1t was never easier to be good than
now. Perhaps it is never easy to be good.
What makes it easier to be good to-day
than it was yesterday? The multiplicity of
helps at hand. To read some newspapers
and to hear some speakers, one would
suppose that nobody was good. The fact is,
the world is full of good people. What is
goodness? Not the muttering of a creed
nor tho rnpnot 1nn of a Dpnxrar NOT Nha
reading Of the Bible nor going to church.
Good people do these things, but these
things are not essentially goodness. Bad
people may do them, too. Goodness is
consideration for the other fellow, sweet
ness of temper, gentleness of conduct, noble
ness of purpose, love to God and man. 1t
is to live kindly and truly and well. 1t is
like the Christ doing good every day and
everywhere. his is the goodness that
counts in our day. And we rejoice to be-
heve that it is constantly on the increase.
Goodness is true religion, and true religion
is goodness. The two are inseparable. 1t
is a culturing, refining, elevating process.
1t Is ever making for the best that life is
capable of. What God wants Tor His chill
dren is The best. The desire of God is
human hannincss. To this end He is pa
tient and indulgent. He is prodigal in
gifts. he is ever lavishing His love upon
US. GOu Is neither mean nor little. lie IS
the great Father, giving Himself for the
salvation, the enrichment, the perfect hap
piness of His children. God is not the au-
thor of pain. He takes no delight in
tears. The blessed Saviour ceases not in
His age-long effort to make the sons of
earth happy. The law of the universe, the
design of everything is happiness. Happi-
ness is everywhere. Wander in the woods,
walk in the meadow, meander by the
stream, rest in the valley and climb to the
hilltop, and in everything and everywhere
you will find happiness. 1t springs up like
a well of life, filling the air with its
music, flooding the earth with its joys.
How much more does our Heavenly Father
desire you, His children, to be happy. The
only condition of happiness is to be good.
BLESSED are the poor in heart, for they
shall see God" Holiness of life maketh
rich and tendeth not to poverty.
To the untutored, this looks like an inn
possible thing, and many ask: How can
l do this?" Easy enough. All that is
needed is the disposition, and the effort.
First of all, look at your bank account.
Did you know you had a bank account?
Well, you have. See, please, what stands
to your credit, the gift of another. These
assets are ours because we live in the
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