The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-09-29
OUR PEOPLE AND THEIR GODS
Dr. BrOughtOn'S Striking Sermon, Dealing
With the Greed for Gold and
the Liquor Traffic.

oation OF tho earth in the worship OF
Mammon. Why do | say this?
say it because Of the enormous and
unraralleled greed to get it.
l road the other day Of q heathen
who, ic order to appease the wrath
It his god, cnt and gashed himself
nd spill his hearts blood upon the
sr,u.d When found there was by
his side u note which said, IL have
done this to appease the wrath Of my
God"
We look in pity upon him because
Of his ignorance. He knew nothing
of the Dature of true worship or the
means by which he might reach the
ear and heart Of his God. But how
is this at home? Here we know bet
ter; here, from our earliest recollec-
tion, we have been taught of God,
we know of His ways, we are ac-
quainted with the means Of access to
Him, AMI yet many of US, instead Of
bowirg the knee of humble submis-
sion to Him and giving Him the right
OF way in our hearts, are doing worse
than the poor heathen-we are bow
ing to the god Of wealth Some of
us, perhaps, while not so rapidly
committing suicide in order to ap-
peaSe him, are as a matter Of fact,
step by step, taking our own lives in
order that we may bring to ourselves
wealth. Many a man is working late
ut night, losing his needed sleep, in
orderTthat he may lay up for himself
treasures upon earth; many house
keeper ia straining her every nerve,
overtaxing her physical strength. in
order that she may help lay up treas
ures upon earth. Sooner or later
these will find that they have brought
on themselves misery and death Ah,
the god OF Mammon. How men will
toll to get it,
Gold, gold, gold, gold,-
Bright ard yellow, hard and cold;
Hardened, craven, hammered and
rolled,
Heavy to get and light to hold.
Scatt red, bartered, bought and sold
Stolen, borrowed, sqnandered, doled,
Spurued by the young, but hugged
by the old,
To the very verge Of the churchyard
mold.
The price of many crime untold
Gold, gold, god, gold"
INSTANCES OF MAMMoN wBRsHIp.
Now. it is my intention to show you
some instances Of Mammon worship,
SO that we may be able to understand
the extent and power Of this, the God
of our people.
First. Let US look at the whiskey
traffic. We have here in the United
States over 300, 600 persons engaged
in it's panufacture and sale-more
than twice as many people as ore en-
gagged in preaching the word of God.
We have about $4,000, 100000 in
vested in the traffic; we spend over
50 600 .O0O,O annually for it. A
large per cent Of the crime Of our day
is caused by it; almost all of our
paupers are made by it. Think Of the
widows, the orphans, the starving in
terrible work. Why all this? Is it
not because there is money in it?
Dealers are growing rich upon the
hard earnings Of the laborer. Children
are screaming for bread, and mothers
are suffering and dying from broken
hearts. All, the misery, the misery,
all because there is money in it!
Only the other day, brother came
to me in agony Of soul. His son,
bright young man. with a lovely wife
and little family of children about
him, had come off Saturday night to
the city, and here had fallen in with
one Of our so-called "social clubs"
and, with bis months earnings in his
pocket, he was led to remain under
the influence Of whiskey all night,
drinking and gambling and reveling
in sin. Not only all night, but all
day Sunday. and all night Sunday
night, until Monday morning. when
he was found with not cent in his
pocket and his brain stupefed by the
abominable stuff. Tell me, il we are
not set of Mammon worshipers,
how can we account for such places
among intelligent peopls2 Why are
such institutions allowed? Why
don't good men rise up and put down
such things? 1t is because Of the
money represented by the men en-
gagged in such places of destruction.
This is the reason. 1t is always the
reason when any dirty devilment is
to be done.
CHURCH MEMBERS AND wHIsKEY.
And, again, IL we are not a set of
Mammon worshipers, why is it that
when an opportunity is presented to
us as apeople, so-called Christians,
to wipe, by the power of our vote,
this awful disgrace from the face of |
the land, we walk boldly up and cast |
our vote and influence on the side of |
retainingit? We say. it is because
we do not believe in the destruction |
OF personal liberty. But let US be |
honest. 1t is because we are afraid
that its abolishment will. to certain