Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-05
ADVISES ALL TO
SEEK SALVATION
REV. S. A. NoRTHR0P TELLS OF
THINGS THAT PERISH
Compares Worldly Riches With Those
Of Religious Llfe-Sermon on
"A Living Truth for
Dying World"

Rev. S. A. Northrop, pastor of the
First Baptist church, preached last
evening on "a Living Truth for a
Dying World" He said in part:
Years ago dear friend of mine.
intently intoxicated with the world and
allured to the things that perish, had
one thing constantly in mind whilst
he was piling up a great fortune, and
that was to build an ideal home for his
family.
"There is nothing wrong in this, but
especially commendable. Next to the
church, the hearthstone is the dearest
and sweetest. Let a man drop a word
about his home and I will tell you
his character for as a man thinketh in
his heart so is he
"While the good wife of the man of
wealth and his beautiful daughters
were in France and Italy, he took 1t
upon himself to build this elegant. ex-
pensive residence. Works of art, the
very best. were bought to adorn the
walls and decorate the home. He
worshipped at the shrine of that model
house rather than at the affairs of his
God. He never darkened a church
door, not that he was irrelgious, but
because he was so intensely and in
tently fixed on this one thing of erect
ing a costly and superb mansion.
Pride of His Heart
might and day. month in and month
out he was on the ground during the
years of its building At last it was
completed and it stood there in all its
glory. the pride of his heart. October
his wife and daughters were to land
in New York from their foreign trip.
He went to meet them, but alas, he
never saw them again. The stanch old
ship that carried them burned to the
waters edge, and he has never seen
his loved ones to this day. To that man
once this world was beautiful, beauti-
full He called it so. but in the twink
ling of an eye his joy was turned TO
sorrow. his TIE Deum into a Miserere.
Indeed all things material of this
world perish, and there is nothing
permanent but God and his everlasting
promises; nothing endures but that
which He makes immortal. The man
who put all his attention on the things
of this world is foolish. The preaching
of the cross to such men is foolish.
They exclaim: Perish? Perish?' The
cross! The cross!' You tell us, Mr..
preacher, that One died on Calvary
that we might be saved, and that we
are perishiug.
why, it is all folly. Go tell that
TO the South sea islanders but not to
us. There is no harm going to transpire
in a good Gods world. No man will
be allowed to perish
100000 Die Annually
1.-THE good preacher replies: You
must ada that men do perish physi-
cally. A hundred thousand drunkards
and morphine eaters perish annually on
this American soil
1.-THE laws of God and the laws of
nature suffer a just retribution, but
how about the little child, innocent and
pure, that goes home? We can only
fold our hands and eXclaim:
There's many an empty cradle,
There's many a vacant bed,
There's many lonely bosom,
Whose joy and light have fed.
For thick in every graveyard
The little hillocks lie,
And every hllock represents
An angel in the sky"
"But think of the foolish who perish
yearly out of the United States as the
result OF their own folly. They persisted,
and by their own hand. God is not to
blame for this human sacrifice. God
puts no instrument in the hands Of
man to steal away his brains or his
heart. God is not willing any man
should perish. If any man does perish
he is at fault himself. Man makes his
own hell here and hereafter Man
makes his destiny, his salvation by his
own election. Thank God for divine
sovereignty. for human moral agency!
AS l live, saith the Lord God, 1 have
no pleasure in the death of the wicked
but that the wicked turn from his way
and live.
A Lying Philosophy
"God made a drunkards grave, a
suicides pit. I make no apology for
lifting up a heavy hammer against the
gilt ball of a lying philosophy, which
would teach humanity there is no dan
ger. make no apology from this pulpit
or from the wings of the press for tell
ing worldwide that there is a stern
side to this world; that the soul who
refuses to accept the Lord Jesus Christ
as a personal savior must accept the
consequences of his own decision.
millions of men have persisted
through the foolishness of war. Think
of Solferino, Magenta, Balaklava, Wa
terloo, Gettyburg, say nothing of the
ancient wars when nations went down
in blood. Who killed them? Mans
ambition, selhshness! AS Sherman
once said, War is hell and his head
was never leveler than when he de-
| clared it.
rs there anyone who doubts the
goodness of God? Read it on the
cross! Is anyone perishing from the
grip of a bad associate? Look and you
will have power to live. If any are
perishing under the hold of bad habit,
! look and have power to live. Is any
one a slave to passion and lust? Look
and have power to live. I climb today
up to that cross and put my arms
about it and bid you cling to it and
doubt not. You will hear distinctly
those divine words: L am the resurrec-
ton and the life; he that believeth in
me. though he were dead, yet shall he
| live"
ErTIIpE nv GEORGE RIIRNEI