The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-07-12

suppose is His estimate or the masses
Of the world today-blessed as men
never before were blessed. privileged
az men never before were privileged,
and therefore responsible as men new
er before were responsible in the use
Of money? Alas! We fear that the
Lord is not we'll pleased with the
world in it's scra mile for wealth. wit
messed today on every hand. In our
text Gods people of today have the
reminder that the masses have the op.
portunity Of becoming rich toward
God because they have the opportuni-
ty to cultivate the ChriSt-like spirit
through generosity. helpfulness and
brotherly kindness
Not to the world, however, does the
Lord address His reproof and admoni-
ton. but merely to His Church-the
cousecrated few The world is about
to learn Il great lesson along this very
line Of seltishness. Having sOwn to
the wind the seed of selfishness. it is
about to reap Il whirlwind Of trouble.
the fruitage of seltishness, in which
the interests of the rich and poor will
clash in the great conflict between
capital and labor, between those who
have secured wealth and those who
will strive to take the wealth from
them-"a time Of trouble such as new.
er was since there was nation"
Are any so blinded as not to see the
awful growth of anarchy. which is
gradually settling down upon the high
est civilization to which the world has
ever attained? And are there any so
blinded as to be unable to see that the
conflict will be along the lines of self
ishness-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. so
intense is the spirit of avarice. ~.
God. therefore, is allowing the world
as whole to learn its great lesson that
selfishness 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 its results shall have been
fully learned by the world it will be
ready to cry out for Di~ine assistance.
And by that time. too. Eb!'S assist
ance for the rotr M,i'. will be ready.
The Messiah kingdom will be inau.
gurated and Il reign of love will be es-
tablished which will contrast sharply
with the present conditions in all its
blessed results Of peace. joy, love and
reasonably assume that there is no bet
ter way than this for teaching the
world its needed lesson on this subject
The Lesson to the Church.
Gods lessons are for the Church
not for the church nominal. which is
merely more civilized section of the
wOrid--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.
ious TO know and do the will of God,
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 riches,
your treasures be of an earthly kind
Rather. go 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
in, hn -Clrff nd
self-denials of the present. life, and in
the glory. honor and Immortality OF
the life that is to come.
therefore. take no thought for your
life [soull what We 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 Of"
Therefore. seek first lchiefyl the
Kingdom" and the righteousness which
it 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 ye have
and give aims. provide yourselves bags
which wax not old, treasure in the
heavens which fadeth not away. where
no thief approacheth. neither moth cor
rupteth: for where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also."-Luke
xii. 1884.
"Charge Them That Be Rich"
We are not for a moment to suppose
that the Apostle referred to the world
y rich when he wrote to Timothy,
Charge 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" q Timothy vi. 10
Most evidently the Apostle refers to
some of the cOnsecrated people Of God
as having wealth; they are to consid-
er it ii stewardship. and not their own
not to be disposed of according to
their own worldly caprices. and surely
not to be disposed of according to the
dictum of their friends and neighbors
aud relatives.
If they are the Lords. all they have