The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-03-04
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvOR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
BEGINNING March 13.

Beginning March 13.
Topic.-ARpetites that unmake men,
Dan. V, is, 3-2S.
1t has been calculated that over 80
per cent of men who start out in a
business career in life fail in it some
time and that the vast majority of
men who live to be threescore years
and ten are at that age dependent up
on some one else. This is a sad record.
Failure in business, failure in self sup
port, are not pleasant experiences, and
yet there are failures that are even
worse than these. Many men who do
unmade men, and, taken together with
all others who are unmade morally
and spiritually. they compose a great
host of men. And what is sadder in
life than an tlnmade man, the failure
of one who possessed talent and OPP
portunity and yet by yielding to some
base appetite unmakes himself-a
Brutus, unmade by inordinate ambi-
ton; Mark Antony, unmade by SEN
suality; a BelshaZzar, unmade by an
inordinate desire for show and vain
glory; Napoleon, unmade by glut-
tonyi
The appetites that unmake men are
not a few. They are intemperance,
lust, gluttony, ambition, the greed for
gold and many others. Nor is 1t the
appetite itself that is at fault, but the
inordinate and immoderate develop
ment and exercise of it. Every appe-
tite of life has its legitimate place and
purpose, but if it be abused in many
cases it leads to ruin and destruction.
When God looked upon the world which
He had made His verdict upon it was
that it was very good, and the world is
still good today if we use it properly.
1t is not the use of the world that I'M
makes men, but the abuse of it. 1t is
one of the sad facts of life that that
which is good may be abused and be-
come an evil. Proper ambition is most
worthy, and without it success in life
is highly improbable. But the path
way of life is strewn with the wrecked
lives of an inordinate ambition The
desire for wealth is not of itself fault,
Dut WI SICCu OCCOAC0 q 6Oo bhS W.
ter self of the man is soon unmade. The
physical appetites play an important
part in our lives when properly con-
trolled, but when they are abused, when
they are debased into gluttony, intern
perance and lust how soon they I'M
make the man.
When 1t comes to the appetites, there
FORE the problem to solve is how to use
them and not abuse them, how to con-
troll them instead of having them con-
troll us, how to have their influence in
making us what we should be rather
than in unmaking us, and this is no
light problem. To solve it successfully
we need the wisdom and grace of God
as well as the exercise of our best care,
judgment and power of will. Constant
carefulness should be our attitude.
Some things, such as intemperance,
should be guarded against altogether.
Total abstinence is the only safeguard
against strong drink. In other cases,
where proper indulgence of the appetite
is necessary, we must by divine and
personal power keep ourselves masters
of the situation. Every appetite must
be held firmly in hand Therefore let
us watch and pray that we enter not
into temptation"
BIBLE READINGS.
Gen. xix, 24-26; II Sam. XIV, 1-6, with
II Sam. xviii, 9-15; Ps. i, 1-6; Prov. ill,
II; Xxx, /; xiii, 10; co. q, 1892; Matt.
vi, "a; Gal. v, 1926