Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-09-06

to surrender your love for gold or els,
you Will have to surrender your low
for Jesus Christ. There ia no doubr
about 1T. The love Of silver is a sin
And unles a man is ready to sur
render all sin he cannot become one
with Christ.
Not Impractical.
oh" says some man to me, chat Il
absurd. You are taking an impractica.
bic view OF life. DO you mean to tell
me that all merchants who are selling
their goods over a counter, that all real
estate spectators who are trying to
make a profit out Of their land, that all
clerks and mechanics and la wyers and
doctors and professors and scientists
and authors and laborers who are
earning their weekly wages are nntag.
onistic to Jesus Christi" No, my
friend, 1 never said that. Thousands
md tens of thousands and hundreds Of
thousands Of men who are working | n
the busy marts of trade are doing this,
not for love of silver. but for what that
silver will do for them and their loved
ones. They are working for their chill
dren's education. They are working
to put homes ove their loved ones
heads. They are working, as did Peter
Cooper, to build some institution of
mercy. But you know Just as well as
l know that there are thousands and
hundreds Of thousands of men whe,
having all their temporal necessities
supplied. are not working for any com
potency or ven for the Injuries of
life. but in order that they may have
power and fame and position; in order
that they may yet make men bow and
worship them; in order that they may
say, as did observation-disclosures Of old:
Behold, Is not this great Babylon that
l have built? Behold, behold.' Now,
whenever any man comes to the POSI-
ton where be Is loving gold for COLDS
sake and power for powers sake and
fame for flames sake. then that man Is
crowding the love of Jesus Christ out
of his heart. Paul was a t%entmaker.
But Paul never made tents in order
that he might build q palace and own a
thousand acres of land. Paul made
tents in order that he might earn
enough money to pay his way to
preach the gospel. And when any man
loses sight Of the true purpose for
which we are given the opportunities
of working for money, then that nan
becomes q spiritual outcast. I'VE can
not serve God and Mammon." Ye can
not love silver and love Christ at the
same time.
was never more impressed with the
fact that a false love Can crowd out
Il love for Jesus Christ than when, a
short time ago, l saw the COPY of q
picture entitled "Despised and Reject
ed of Men," The artist did not de-
pict Christ in the oriental Judgment
hall of PLATE. He did not have Jesus
surrounded by Hebrew ~scoffers in He
brew dress. while he staggered under
cross through the Jerusalem gates
on his way to Calvary. The artist did
not lift that cross, as we have always
it, between two thieves. But this
cross of Christ seemed TO be hung upon
one Of the pillars of the %subtreasury
building Of Wall street, New York.
Then as these American scorfers
passed by, wagging their heads and
sneering. each n seemed to be alb
sorbed in just one Illicit love. There
was the drunkard clinging to his bot
tie. There was the libertine with wan.
ton eyes watching his prey. There was
the bishop in his gorgeous robes think
Ing more Of ecclesiastical honors than
~worshiping at the cross. There was
he maiden dressed in he latest fash
on. seeming to say, Come, O world,
'ome and worship me and my beauty"
There was the politician reaching after
anne. And there was the miser or the
banker whose god was gold. As
watched the long line of men and
women who were rejecting Christ, each
N account of his IN Illicit love, this
seemed to speak and to stand
tut before me as the most d%espicable
# all.
Why They Reject Him.
l seemed to see him lift his golden
and drop them back into the
palm of his hand as he said:
All, ye beauties, how l love to hear
he music Of your ring. I worship you
or what you have done for me. You
ave sent my ships across the sea to
ring to me the wealth Of other lands.
,ou have made men cringe aud whine
t my feet. You have built me houses,
a thousand of them. You have
iven me lands and covered them with
ailrOads. You have made the mines
pen for me their treasures. You have
my vaults with securities.
'ou have put the whole world at my
net. All, ye beauties, how I love your
nd as we see the miser Of the inor.
mate picture entitled "Despised and
Of Men" rejecting Christ for
Is selfish love of gold, so we see thou
lnds and hundreds of thousands of
len and women everywhere around us I
Christ for the same Illicit love.
hey are no working for gold in order
} win a competency. They are not d
for gold in order that they
light use 1t for the benefit of others. s
hey are working for gold in order to
in selfish power and selfish fame. IL q
lat your condition, o man. o wom- Q
Is your love Of silver crowding h
1t your love for Christ?
But though the love for Christ and g
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