The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-07-11

E"pouI W H91p ~ WnlElWlnQ OINCFOuDle,
the fruitage< Of selfishness. In (Which
the Interests OF the rich and poor win
clash In. the great conflict between
capital and labor, between those who
have secured wealth and those who
| VIII strive to take the wealth from
them-"a time Of trouble such as new
or was since there was a nation" .....
Are any SO blinded DIS not to see the
awful growth of anarchy, which is
gradually settling down upon the high
est civilization to which the world has
ever attained2 And are there any so
blinded as to be unable to see that the
conflict will be along the lines Of self
| 1shness-desire on the one part to hold
and on the other part to acquire? But
God is not appealing to the world, and
indeed an appeal would be useless, 60
| Intense 1s the spirit Of avarice. =
GOD, therefore, Is allowing the world
ASA whole to learn it's great lesson that
selhshness is an integral part Of sin, as
love and benevolence are integral parts
OF righteousness. We cannot doubt
that by. the time the lesson of. selfish
ness and it's results shalt have + been
fully learned by the world it will be
ready to cry out for Divine assistance.
! And by that time, too Gods assist
ance Tor the poor world will be- ready.
The Messtanic Kingdom will be inau-
gurated and reign Of love will be es-
tablished which will contrast sharply
with. the present conditions in all it's
blessed results Of peace, JOY, love and
good Will amongst men. And we may
reasonably assume that there Is no bet
ter way than this for teaching the
world It's needed lesson on this subject.
The Lesson to the Church.
Gods lessons are for the Church
not for the; church nominal, which is
merely q more civilized section of the
world-but for. the Church real, for
Gods sanity people in and out Of the
various sects and parties, and in every
nation, kindred and tongue. These, anx-
1ous to know and do the will Of Cod
receive special instruction such as the
world Is not prepared to receive. To
these sanity footstep followers Of Je-
sus, the Lord says, Let not your inches,
your treasures be Of an earthly kind.
Rather, 30 to the opposite extreme and
spend and be spent in the interests of
others, in the service of God, in the
service, OF His message Of love; and
thus, along the lines Of the Divine
promises, seek for share with the
great Ieedeamer in the sufferings and
seif-dentals> OF the present life, and In
usE9paortalitX Of
the life that is to come.
therefore, take no thought for your
life lsoull what ye shall eat, neither
for the body what We shall put on. The
soul Is more than meat, and the body
more than raiment"-"Your Father
knoweth what things ye have need off,:
Therefore, "seek first [chiefyl the
Kingdom" and the righteousness which
1T demands and all needful things shall
be supplied according to your Fathers
wisdom. Fear not, little flock, for it
Is your Fathers good pleasure to give
you the Kingdom. Sell that We have
and give aims, provide yourselves bags
which wax not old, n treasure in the
heavens which fadeth mot away, where
no thief approacheth, neither moth cor
rupteth; for where your treasure is,
there will your heart be so."-Luke
xii, 1924.
"Chares Them That Be Rich"
We are not for a moment to suppose
that the Apostle referred to the world
iy rich when he wrote to Timothy,
"Chnrge them that are rich in this
world that they be not high-minded,
nor trust In uncertain riches, but in
the living God who ,giveth us richly all
things to enjoy" Il Timothy vi ~
Most evidently the Apostle refers to
some OF the consecrated people Of God
as having wealth; they are to consid-
or 1t stewardship and not their own
mot to be disposed Of according to
their own worldly tcaprices, and surely
not to- be disposed Of according to the
dictum Of their friends and neighbors
and relatives. :,
If they are thekLord's, all they have
must have beent consecrated to Him,
else they were not accepted as His dis
ciplcs as He said. The charge which
the Apostle directed to be given to the
brethren possessing wealth Is stated,
that they do good, that they be rich
In good works, ready to distribute Hor
the necessities Of others), willing to
communicated Qiberally; willing to share
with others Of the brethren as mem
bers of q community, somewhat along
the lines of Christian communism.
The effect Of so doing, the Apostle
states, would fbe laying up In store
for themselves good foundation
against the. time to come. The word
foundation. here is used in the same
sense as when we say that q wealthy
man gave foundation Of million
dollars fora college. His present con-
stitnt4s the foundation or basis for the
carrying out Of the college plans and
arrangements. .....
Thus o. Christian who generously uses
In the Lords Service his financial
stewardship Is laying foundation for
the fUture-a foundation for his spir-
1fIt0l fyycoIth Tho ,pnpo ~ &i,,,o o,,I