Milford chronicle., 1908-01-31


this we commanded you-that if any
would not work neither should he eat"
But no man ever learned to WORK
Alright unless he learned how to play
Alright The best pleasure seekers have
often been the best workers. There IS
an old Persian legend which says that
one day a friend put into the hand OF
the philosopher Saadi a beautiful piece
of scented clay. Saadi said: Il took it
into my hand and said, Art thou musk
or ambergris. for | am charmed with
thy perfume?' The clay answered, /
was once a despicabe piece of clay. but
l was some time in the company of the
rose. and the sweet quality of my COM
panion was communicated to me; 9th
erwise should be piece of clay. as
appear to be-" Like the clay we are.
When we live a little while among the
wild roses, when we seek for little
while our joy in the gardens of pleas
ure, then 90 back to our work, with
the sweet scent upon us, and we can
do our work better and swifter than
we have ever done it before. say,
again. the man never lived who can
work to the best advantage If he does
not know how to play well.
It makes a great deal Of difference
whether we eat to live or live to eat
It makes a great difference whether
we play to quicken the mind and rest
the body for the daily task Of life
which God has given US to do or
whether we prostitute the workings Of
our minds and hearts in mere pleasure
seeking. We have no patience with
the epitaph which the dying wag wrote
and which is today found chiseled up
on his tombstone in one of our eastern
cemeteries:
Life is a Joke, and all things show It;
thought so once. and now 1 know It,
Life is no Joke. Life is not a play
ground. Life is a great campaign
which God commands us to work out.
And whenever you find men and wom-
en- living fol mere pleasure you ind
men and women whom God classes
among fools. 0 man. what are your
associates trying to accomplish with
their opportunities? Are they winning
you away from the great purposes for
which you were born? Are they say
ing to you, Come, come. eat, drink
and be merry. for tomorrow we der
For If they are they are companions
who are already dead to the higher
principles of life. Furthermore, they
are companions who are leading you
| to your own temporal and eternal de-
struction. "a companion Of fools shall
be destroyed" In Gods sight the per-
petual pleasure seeker is a fool.
Another Kind of Fool.
But, turning from the mere fun lover,
we enter into the busy. crowded marts
Of trade There, among the hardwOrk-
ing merchants and in the offices Of
some Of the most noted lawyers and
physicians and IN the studies OF some
Of our greatest authors, scientists and
statesmen, we may find another kind
Of folly, against which King Solomon
warns US in the words Of my text
The man who lives merely for what
he can accomplish in this world Is 8
fool. The same biting. cutting, with
ering terminOlogy OF four letters
fool" which is applied to the one is
also applied to the other.
Here we have the characterization
from the lips Of the Lord himself
Turn to the parable which Christ
spake to his disciples in Luke xii
1920. There in his wonderful word
painting Christ takes us to the home
Of q great eastern landowner. This
wealthy man takes US out upon the
veranda of his house and begins to
point out the advantages Of his prop
erty. His land not only seems to be
endless, but he has quality Of soil as
well as quantity. Then he seems tC
say to us: Il started a poor boy, but
by close application to work l made
all this property by my own labors.
have no thought or hope beyond tht
money am amassing. Now, the greai
question before me is, What shall
do? My incoming crops are largei
than my granaries can hold" TheI
In Christs own words we have tht
story: And he said: This will do.
will pull down my barns and buil(
greater, and there will bestOw all my
fruits and my goods. And l will say
to my soul: Soul, thou hast muct
goods laid up for many years. Take
thine ease; eat, drink and be merry
But God said unto him, Thou fool
this night thy soul shall be required
Of thee. Then whose shall thos'
things he which thou hast provided? 2
Friend, are such men, Of whom this
rich man of the parable is the symbol
to be counted among your best friends
Brother, when Christ spake this para
BILE of the fool who was giving up al
his life to amass a little silver anC
gold was he alluding to you? Arr
you in Gods sight the covetous fool
surrendering eternity in order to lif
your head a little higher in the world
A Sfranoe Sermon.