The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1905-12-14

claim as his own. Get the direct OppO
site of this superstition is true. God
has promised that those who seek first
the kingdom of heaven shall not lack
any good thing.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
today and forever. How did God dea
with his disciples of old? Does Abra
ham come before us dressed in rags
Was Joseph a bankrupt? Did Job have
to beg his bread after he had remained
true to God and forgiven his three mis-
cradle friends? Did Joseph always re
main a hireling, Il slave and an out
cast? Was Daniel always a despicable
youth Was David perpetual refugee
in King Achish's court? Did MOrdecai
always have to bend the knee to the
wicked Haman? Wsre only the bad
men of the Bible garmented in silks
and the good men clothed in rags
Nay. King Solomon once wrote, 'Seest
thou man diligent in his business, he
shall stand before kings, he shall not
stand before obscure men" That state
ment applies just as much to Gods dis
ciples as to any one else. If a man is a
true follower of God, as was Joseph,
and, like him, faithful and diligent, he
will not be kept from success by his
religion. There are cases in which
God, caring for the best interests of
his child, sends adversely upon him, as
he permitted it to fall upon Job, that
his faith may be increased; but taken
as a rule. we may rely upon it that the
godly business man enjoys the blessing
of God Oh his enterprises.
How He Was Paid.
Religion, curing men of dissipation
and improvidence, promotes their pros
perity. Many years ago l heard this
fact illustrated in powerful way. The
head of the famous Waldensian church
of Italy was speaking in the Philadel-
phia church Of which l was then as
sistant pastor The Waldensian church
of Italy is really the Protestant church
of Victor's kingdom. 1t mostly repre-
SCENTS the peasant classes. One day
humble italian heard that if he would
attend a WaldenSian church he would
be paid for doing so. He went, ex-
pecting to get money, but he found
something better than silver and gold.
He found Jesus Christ He accepted
him as his Saviour. Though he had
never been good Catholic, he NOM
inally had given his allegiance to the
church of Rome. No sooner did the
priest of his town hear what the man
was doing than he went to the mans
wife. He told the woman her husband
must leave the Waldensian church or
he would be spiritually destroyed. The
wife said, Father, 1 have something
I would like to tell thee" The priest
answered, Say on" Father, you say
my husband will go to hell if he con
tinues to go to the Waldensian church.
/ want to tell you what our home was
before he went there and found Christ.
My husband was a drunkard. He used
to work long enough to make little
money. Then it would all go for drink.
We had no home, except howell Then
he would come to that howell when he
was drunk and beat me and knock
me down Often, both by night and
by day, l have heard my children cry
ing with hunger, and l had no bread.
But since my husband found Christ in
the Waldensian church we do not live
in a howell, but in a house. We have
a carpet upon the floor. We have
enough food to eat Instead of my chill
dren running around half naked they
now have clothes and can go to school
Every morning he kisses me goodby
before he goes to work. When the twi-
light sets in he always comes home to
greet me with a smile and to pet the
children. When Saturday night comes
he brings me home his wages and
throws the money into my lap as he
says, There, wife, are enough funds for
rent and clothing and meat for the
coming week." Then the wife, with
tears streaming down her cheeks, said,
Nov, father, if finding Christ in the
Waldensian church means all that to
our home do you not believe l had bet
ter let my dear husband go and find
Christ there a little longer?"
Emancipation From Sin.
'Ah, yes" | said to myself when l
heard that story, true gospel consecra-
ton means more than spiritual saliva
ton beyond the grave. True gospel
conservation means emancipation from
sin. and emancipation from sin means
dresses for our babies and food for our
dining rooms and books for our library
shelves and carpets for our floors and
beds in which to sleep. When Joseph
gave himself in loyal service to God he
got all these. And, my friends, if you
consecrate your life to Jesus Christ you
will get all these also. Do not talk to
me about Christianity being a financial
failure. The most expensive altar at
which a man ever worshiped is the altar
of sin. May God help us, in Christs
name, to be his true and faithful serv-
ants, sincerely DESTROYS of doing his
will in all circumstances, and then we
shall be blessed, whether we are in adj
versity or financially prosperous, as
was Joseph.
A step further in the analysis Of "a
prosperous life" we find Joseph not
only rich enough to meet his financial
obligations, but we also find him enor-
mously rich in the affections of his
friends. He never seems to come near