Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-09-05
Calnnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase, d. ID.

|
Los Angeles, Cal, Sept. lin this
sermon for Labor day the preacher
shows It to be the duty of those who
have prospered TO make a generous
and considcsate use of their wealth,
instead OF regarding it as n means to
minister to their own selfishness The
text Is Luke xii, II, What shall do.
because | have no room where to be-
stow my frults?'
The chief character Of my text is IN
old miser. He is Just like thousands
Of men and women we see in daily
life or read about in the newspapers.
He was evidently one of the agrlcul-
tural leaders of the east. Perhaps he
started as poor boy. He may have
been one of the immigrants who came
to Jerusalem during Herod's admins
tration. He may have been born in
Italy and have gone to Syria to seek
his fortune In this farofr province
of the east he hires himself out as
farm hand He saves his wages and
works hard But he has keen mind
as we'll as willing hand. lie buys
little farm. There is n period of
prosperity. The crops grow larger
and larger. lie begins to have money
to invest, and he places mortgag es
upon his neighbors' farms and merci-
lessly foreccses them. His landed
estate wldens. lie Is one of those for
tunate or unfortunate beings who.
having an absorbing passion for gold
find everything turn to gold that they
touch. He builds great granaries, and
they are always full. His sheep and
cattle are browsing everywhere. His
richest Though he has many barns
the increasing crop Is so great that he
does not know what to do with It,
He has more than he can use. In
other words he is embarrassed with
the abundance of his riches. What
shall I do with all this cropy' he asks
himself. II must build larger barns.
Then | VIII store away so much that
| will never have to work any more
and just live to enjoy my wealth"
Folly Of Surplus Wealth.
Let me read you the story: And he
said, This will do will pull down
my barns and build greater, and there
will l bestow all my fruits and my
goods" Though he had more than
he could use, he still kept gathering in.
He doubtless thought himself n most
successful man, and his neighbors, II
they were such people as live in our
times. envicd him and looked up to
him with reverence. But Christ tells
us that there vas another opinion of
his life and character, and that too,
by one who held life and death in his
hands. God said he was a fool.
Now, 1t Is L terrible thing for God
to say that Of any one, for his judg-
ment Is true. None of US would like
him to say that Of us. Then We must
be careful to avoid these faults for
Cpd Judges now by the same stand
ard as he did in TIE time Of this rich
farmer. Now, as his fault related to
his surplus wealth It Is an appropri
ate subject for consideration on this
Sunday preceding Labor day.
Thoughts on Labor Day.
would say TO successful man;
You know you are In af1luence. You
know you have more than you can eat
up or wear out You know that you
are boarding up more money than will
ever be good for your children to in.
herit. II you are wise father, you
will compel them to work for their
living. as you worked for yours. 1,
will be better for you, instead of de
veloping your pcnuriousness, to learn
the gospel law Of giving and of help
ing. And today want to tell you
whom you ought to help with your sur
plus wealth.
First, when you begin to prosper In
life you should be willing to aid those
who have been directly or indirectly
the means Of making it possible fol-
you to achieve the success which is
yours. You should extend the hand OF
gra titllde to those who helped develop
you in your babyhood and boyhood and
youth and manhood. You should think
Of your father and mother in the old
homestead, of your old teachers and
of your old employers. They have O
claim on you, for they devoted theil
lives to your interest, and you should
now recognize the obligation to hell
such Of them as need your help.
Then, too. there are your employees
No man ever wins his success alone
/ always like TO compare life to a great
battle, A general has a campaign tc
fight What does he do? Does he
take a gun and sword and go forth
and fight that battle single handed
No. lie first collects an army made ur
Of many soldiers. Then he organizes
those soldiers and drills them. HI
drafts those soldiers from the bes
homes oil over the land He gather.
them from the stores and the factories
Then he sets his army In motion ane
burls 1t against the tanks Of the en-
Amy, and the lines are broken. and the
battle Is won Now, what would 20,
think of general who should come
home from war and say: II did i
all. The credit Is all mine" Woult
you not consider such man a selhsl
l.,,,