South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-07-17
DECLARES WORLD
GONE MONEY MAD
Rev. T. J. Parsons Says Many
Value Land Higher Than
Mansion in Skies.

Worldly ambition leads TO anx-
iety. and anxiety is the saw which
frets the nerves to shreds: the frost
which bleaches the hair; the bullet
which pierces the heart and. lets the
life blood flow" declared Rev. T..
J. Parsons in his sermon yesterday
morning on The Primary of the
Kingdom" continuation of his
series Of sermons on The Sermon
on the Mount"
Anxiety is the tool which chisels
the lines Of care upon the face; the
poison which deranges the digestive
organs: the enemy which hounds the
suicide 10 his grave. Anxiety is the
curse 10 humanity and a sin against
Almighty God. Anxiety is useless.
and worse than useless, for II never
added a cubit 10 your height. nor
"A day 20 your life, nor dollar to
your fortune. nor one thrill Of happi-
ness to your heart.
"Our Lord delivers some whole
some and timely teaching concern
ing the relative values OF earth and
heaven, of material and spiritual
things. He declares the Kingdom Of
God TO be the biggest thing in the
universe and righteousness the most
desirable possession. If this teach
ing was needed in Christ's day, how
much more is needed i'm this mater
ialistic age But how many of US
accept this injunction at it's face
value? No. we resort 10 the eXer-
else of our intellectual gymnastics
and exhaust our inventive genius in
an endeavor TO neutralize the unmis-
taxable meaning of these words.
World Money Mad.
The fact is the world is money
mad: material wealth is at a
premium. MsmmOn is cod. We send
missionaries to enlighten the poor
benighted heather who makes his
devotiOns before an ivory image of
Buddha. while we bow down TO idols
of gold and silver and throw our
selves under the Juggernaut of the
almighty dollar. Gain is goodness
for many people, and the only re-
ligion they know is how TO get rich
quickly. Material values have been
boosted out of all proportion. so that
corner lot in South Bend is es-
teemed of greater worth than a man
sion in the skies. a prosperous far
mer in Iowa was asked if he did
not want TO go 10 heaven. and he re-
piled: No, Iowa is good enough for
me- That may seem funny, but
really il is pitiful.
Jesus is not denouncing honest
business methods. nor laudable am
bitiOn, nor a fair remuneration for
services rendered: but He is warn
ing against eXalting the spirit of
Mamom nabove the spirit of God:
loving earthly treasure more than
heavenly riches; the folly Of caring
more for body than the soul that in
habits it; thinking more of clothes
than of character, and working your
head off saving for time while you
are losing eternity by indifference
and neglect
AntidOte for Worry.
THE Saviour's antidote for worry
and anxiety is threefold. First,
heavenly bank account. Paradise
bank is never robbed and il never
fails. Second, a loving. trusting de-
pendence upon God to supply our
needs We have 70 trust Him for
life. why not that which ministers
10 life? Third, an absorbing in
terest in the kingdom and right
eousness of God. Bringing a lost
world into harmony with God is
great business.
The specter and bugabOo of
anxiety is tomorrow. TOmorrow's
needs and plans tomOrrow's engage
ments and expectations, tOmOrrow's
obligations and pleasures-tomor-
row tomorrow, tOmOrrOw-this is
the lash laid unrelentingly upon the
willing human slave by the task
master of anxiety. 1t is not today
that kills, but tomorrow. and fire.
quently a tomorrow which never