The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-05-16
TIKI PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON 81
REV. DR.. A. H. COODENoUGH.
Subject: Material Prosperity.

Subject Material Prosperity.
Bristol, Conn.-The Rev. DR.. Arthur
Fl. Goodenough, long a Brooklyn pas
tor. now of the Prospect NJ. E. Church
here, preached Sunday a strong ser
mon on us Our Nation Drunk With
National Prosperity" The text was
from Exodus TX, 2 and 3: 81 am the
Lord thy God, which have brought thee
out OF the land Of Egypt, out or the
house of bondage. Thou shalt have no
other gods before Me-" DR.. Goode-
nough said:
Tie text is taken from the Deca-
logue. The Ten Commandments were
I%srael's national constitution. Inc
Decalogue was given us the rule OF
conduct of the people of Israel. Tile
story of Israel's deliverance and saliva
ton and the birth of the nation as re-
corded in the Pentateuch reads like
fiction. 1t is a wonderful story. 1t IS
not fiction, however-it is history. God
is always and forever against human
slavery. God is a just God; God loved
the poor and suffering and hopeless
people down in Egypt. 1t was his
purpose to deliver them. He did de-
liver them. And as many of them as
infinite mercy could save finally
reached the promised land. / suppose
God has q right to have favorltes. as
we'll as anybody else. To make a. law
that nobody should have faVorltes
would be the legislation of lunatics.
That would be contrary to the law of
life. The law of life is the law OF
God, and you cannot go back of that.
God had q special regard for Israel.
Why not? He certainly had a right to.
because he was kind and merciful
and good to everybody else. But the
favored people frequently forgot God.
They turned away from following at
ter Him and sought out ways Of their
own. And sometimes they preferred
garlic and onions in Egypt rather than
the discipline of theo journey, which
would ultimately bring them to the
land Of milk and honey. very OFTEN
God had to say to them the words
which we have read as our text: Il
am the Lord thy God, which have
brought thee put of the LAND Of Egypt.
Thou shalt have no other gods before
Me-"
It has often been said that America
is Gods second Israel. God has surely
been good to this nation. He has
shown us many mercies, He has
abundantly poured into our laps the
wealth of the prairie and mine. And
the most valuable crop Of all with
which God has enriched us Is in the
galaxy Of great and good men, by
whose life and labor we are all blessed.
Our republic, in a little over q hundred
years, has worked its way to the fore.
And now, by sheer skill and industry,
by mental power and the kindly heart,
she has made herself the foremost ma
ton in the family of nations. Other
nations tell US that we are a great peo-
ple, and we are inclined to believe
them. The late Archdeacon Farrar,
that much beloved and widely known
Englishman, has said, America was
Gods destined heritage; not for tyr
amy, not for aristocracy, not for priv
ilege--but for progress, and for liberty,
and for the development of a great
and noble type Of righteous, fearless
and independent manhood"
That is the worlds estimate Of us.
God forbid that we should ever fail
in one lot or title of what is expected
of us! Our mission is to make the
world better. The ways and means
are here; the ability to use them Is also
here. God grant that what is in our
heads and in our hands and in our
banks and in our barns, may all be
laid upon the altar-consecrated to the
advance and uplift of all the people
who look 20 us for guidance and bless
ing. In order to accomplish that we
must, ourselves, keep right in thought
and pure in heart, and walk in the
upward path that leads to more light
and to the summit Of human perfec-
ton.
For some years past there has come
10 us an unbroken stream Of prosperity.
This is due to two things: First-the
blessings of heaven, in rain and dew
and sunshine upon a rich and fertile
soil. Second-the industry and skill of
man in making the best and most Of
what is within reach.
Our Secretary Of Agriculture has
given to the world a report that makes
the heart Of every American dance
for joy. The whole world has stood
before it in surprise and delight. Not
only has it beaten all previous reports
in our own land, but it has surpassed
anything that any nation has ever been
able to render. The value of the years
farm products, that actually came into
the pockets of the farmers, was So
AS, OU0, 600. That sum would more
than pay the national debt of France
or Russia. According to the editor Of
Current Literature, it would purchase
all the gold produced in the world in
the last twenty years. Three farm
products have yielded enormous sums.
Corn, 81, PIG, O,OOO; milk and butter,
$685., OOO, 900. and hay, $605, DOC, 900.
Secretary Wilson tells us that the ag-
gregate value of all our farms has in
creased in five years Sc, 100000.
What does this mean? 1t means
many things. 1t means, first Of all,
that there is plenty Of money. When
the farmer does we'll, everybody else
does we'll. All our wealth comes out
of the soil. And in the rich harvest
there is more of God than Of man.
When the harYests are plentiful, the
mills, the shops, the factories, are all
busy. There is work for everybody.
And when this is the case, the poor
man grows rich and the rich maj
grows richer. To all of which we have
no objections.
Lots of money, however, is not an