Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-09-08

for Jesus Christ. There is no doub
about it, The love Of silver Is a sin
And unless a man Is ready to SUI
rende. all sin he cannot become on
with Christ.
Not Impractical.
"Oh," says some man to me- that 4
absurd You are taking an impractica
BILE view of life. Do you mean to tel
me that all merchants who are selling
their goods over counter, that all rea
estate spectators who are trying t
make profit out Of their land, that al
clerks and mechanics and lawyers an(
doctors and professors and scientist
and authors and laborers who art
earning their weekly wages are antag
onistic to Jesus ChrIstP No, my
friend, I never said that. Thousand
and tens Of thousands and hundreds o.
thousands Of men who are working II
the busy marts of trade are doing this
not for love Of silver, but for what thai
silver will do for them and their loved
ones. They are working for their chill
dren's education. They are working
to put homes over their loved ones
heads. They are working, as did Peter
Cooper, to build some institution OF
mercy. But you know just as well as
I know that there are thousands and
hundreds of thousands Of men who
having all their temporal necessities
supplied, are not working for any com.
potency or even for the luxuries OF
life, but In order that they may have
power and fame and positionj in order
that they may yet make men bow and
worship them; In order that they may
say, as did Nebuchadnezzar Of old:
Behold, Is not this great Babylon that
1 have bullt2 Behold, beholdp' 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 fumes sake, then that man Is
crowding the love of Jesus Christ out
OF his heart Paul was a tentmaker.
But Paul never made tents In order
that he might build 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 man
becomes a spiritual outcast. Eye 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
our love for Jesus Christ than when, a
short time ago, l saw the copy Of a
picture entitled "Despissd and Reject
ed Of Men," The aStist 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
his cross through the Jerusalem gates
on his urav TO Calvary. The artist did
seen II, between two thieves. Dur uuis
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 scoffers
passed by, wagglng their heads and
sneering, each one seemed to be alb
sorbed in Just one Illicit love. There
was the drunkard elinging to his bot
tie. There was the llbeftine with wan
ton eyes watching his prey. There was
the bishop In his gorgeous robes thinR-
ing more of ecclesiastical honors than
of worshlplng at the cross. There was
the maiden dressed in the latest fash
ion, seeming to say, "Come, o world,
come and worship me and my beauty"
There was the politician reaching after
fame. And there was the miser or the
banker whose god was gold. AS l
watched the long line Of men and
women who were rejecting Christ each
on account of his one Illicit love, this
miser seemed to speak and to stand
out before me as the most despicable
of all.
Why They Reject Him.
1 seemed to see him lift his golden
coins and drop them back into the
wlthered palm Of bis hand as he said
"Ah, ye beauties, how I love to hear
the music Of your ring. worship you
for what you have done for me. You
have sent my ships across the sea to
bring to me the wealth Of other lands
You have made men cringe and whine
at my feet. You have built me houses
aye, a thousand of them. You nave
given me lands and covered them with
railroads. You have made the mines
open for me their treasures. You have
crowded my vaults with securities
You have put the whole world at my
feet. All, We beauties, how l love you!
And as we see the miser of the inor
dlnate picture entitled "Despised and
Rejected of Men" rejecting Christ foI
bis selfish love Of gold, 30 we see thou
sands and hundreds Of thousands ol
men and women everywhere around u'
rejecting Christ for the same Illicit love
They are not working for gold in ordel
to win a competency. They are mo-
working for gold In order that the,
might use 1t for the benefit Of others
They are working for gold IN order tt
win selfish power and selfish fame. Il
that your condition, o man, o WON
an? Is your love Of silver crowdint
out your love for Christi
But though the love for Christ anC
the love for gold cannot exist simul
taneously in the same heart, that is no
the only result of this evil Of greed. i
might not be 80 bad II you could come
10 greed and say: Here, greed, here
Is my soul, here is my love OF God.
Now eat and be filed" But greed Is
a glutton. Greed is gormand. Greed
IA n huge monster with q voracious ap-