The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-27
NECESSITY OF
 BEING PREPARED The Rev. U. D. Mooney Breaches at Second Presbyterian
FUTURES PROBLEM SOLVED
The Man Who Wins is the Ready Man-Today Determines Sue cess or Failure of To-
 morrow.

The Rev U. D. Mooney occupied his pulpit at the Second Presbyterian church yesterday morning as usual, preaching practical sermon on Preparedness Means Victory" His text was taken from Luke 2114, b. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to mediate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you Il mouth and wisdom which all your adver- saries will not be able to gainsay or re- sist."
 The preacher said in part:
 The man in this world who wins other things equal, is the maj who is ready Only few years ago we looked upon the Japanese nation as one that was just arising from a condition of absolute pag- anism and national stagnatism. But in these few years Japan has been opening its mind and it's soul to the best infiu- ences of Anglo-Saxon civilization. It has been gaining knowledge and wisdom ev- anywhere, and beyond that, has been pa- tiently building on the knowledge gained The result has been a success that was consequent upon readiness.
 The reason one young man who has
  obtains promotion when the call for lew man is necessary is not because the one man is naturally more gifted than the forty, but because he has done ordl- nary duties in an extraordinary way, be- cause his ideals have been beyond hls present toil because his whole previous endeavor has prepared him for the pres ent hour.
 This was the lesson Christ wanted to teach his disciples at this time. They were not to bother their minds at this time thinking about coming days when they should be tried before kings and rulers. They would be prepared for emer- gencies provided they always lived in present living which is earnest and hon est. It calls for the laying of the founda- tions for other days This principle Christ Illustrated in the parable of the men who built. one on rock, the other on sand. The difference in the two houses was a difference in foundation but that differ- ence was everything. It meant for one complete victory over the elements, for the other complete ruin
 We all need to learn that life is a school that every now and then the great teacher comes along to examine .us for promotion, and that if we have not prepared our lessons we, shall fail of advancement. We orten imagine we have learned certain lessons well enough to be tested by them. only to find out when the hour of testing comes that we have not learned them at all To learn the real lessons of life as they come from Gods word to us takes patient founda- tion laying; resolute preparation is the price of spiritual success in obedience, in self-control in sacrifice and in right eous growth
 This law of Christ solves the problem of the future, as far as real victory or real defeat is concerned. To the man who had built on the rock the coming storm was no problem-to the man who had built on the sand the coming trial was all the problem. The ability to stand before temptations pitless pressure in other days will be settled by the way We living today. The power to keep our faith when sorely tried will stand or fall upon the attitude of our life to God today.
 HIS pflnclple HtS us Tor rlcnef ana fuller experience in the things of the soul along the way It enables us to be in some measure what in our best hours we want to be- The doing of our duty, the meeting of our spiritual obligations, the living as near as we can to Christ's ideas under all conditions and in all places enlarges our spiritual capacity and makes us ready little at time for lifes crowning privileges and possi- bilities.