Year: 1869

Sermon by the Rev. DIR. Home.


The congregation Of Trinity Baptist church, Third
avenue ana Fifty-second street, yesterday
treated by the Rev. J. Sanford H0Ine d. d., their
pastor, discourse on money Getting, or Success
In Life-its Religious Aspect and Influence The
reverend gentleman read as his text the parable Of
the Prodigal SON. from the fifteenth chapter Of
St. Luke. In the outset OF the discourse he
remarked that the poor sustained missions
and aided charities to much greater extent than
the ricn The stream Of benevolence seemed
to 1ow from the humblest sources. How many
pi0us people grow more pious as they grow
more rich? Very ew II Ii as singular as it is true
that men grow more pi0us as their wealth wastes
away and less pious as money is added to money
and their Of worldly goods increases. Perhaps
there is one pious man IN thousand whose piety
increases in proportion to his success in business.
This establishes the fact that riches ALLEVIATE the
heart from God. Men who count on wealth and put
their trust In 1t go steadily away from the true path
and forget God. They say, in the language Of the
ceiSe straichlway % DEPART from Him Him who who s
the Giver Of every good thing. The natural feel
ing Of degenerate hearts is as one SAID, GOD give
me what desire and | will abandon thee.n This is
the literal Interpretation Of the feeling OF most mems
hearts. To such men gratitude was unknown. and
the demon OF seIfshness and hostility to the divine
teaching had fun possession OF their hearts. The
rich man 'careth not for God, for God is not in all
his thoughts.'' HIS happiness was lost when he
sought 10 be independenrof God. TO be truly happy
we must not rely upon riches, but, trusting in the
goodness and mercy Of God humbly ask him to give
US daily bread, thus recognizing Him as the dis
penser Of lie and health and the fountain 0f
all our Joys. Job was rich man. but was
reduced to abject poverty; yet was he happy


in his misery; for God was the gver OF his worldly
goods he continued to bless His name when he was
no longer rich. The desrc for Independence Is in
the nature Of sin, and should therefore let
our ambition ~ acquire wealth and power go beyond
our yearning for more grace anu greater opporruni
ties Of doing good Al the last day, when rich and
poor together Will be called up for Judgment, God
viii surely ask those who now enjoy and misuse
wealth what have you done with your oppOrtuni-
ties did you scatter money broadcast for the benefit
OF the poor and needy and the spread Of religlons
II the answer should be unsatisfactory
woe to him to whom the question Is put.
Success In lie opens new avenues to temptation
which were unknown t0 poverty. Let man once
gain the power OF gratifying every appetite and he
will take OF two cOurses-he will lavish his
wealth or hoard II. or course there exceptions
{, the rule. Men OF immense resources have brought
before them opportunities OF mischief. People
dong business IN Wall street don't generally do as
they would wish 10 be done by; their DAYS are spent
IN doing and out man9uvrlng each other at the ex-
pense of conscience and In defiance OF God They
are gone abroad from the father into strange
try, which IL the nablfatiOn OF sim They emphat
icaly on the other side Of perfect recttde. There
are merchants who do not sCTupie now that they
and fleece their neighb0fs OF large sums who would
have scorned TO appropriate ~ their own use dollar
OF other peoples money IN the DAYS Of their pow
erfy. Nothing n more hardening TO the human
heart fhan the reflex influence OF ingratItude. We
trust In wealth. In our skill and acufeness and In
luck. but are rarely ready To ackuowledg that
success In life II gfft from God. The man who
yearns TO become rich and powerful has already lost
all religion ana ~ far from God.


The reverend gentleman In conclusion called upon
the congregation to cast aside the desire for wealth.
themselves TO eue service Of God, VINO is alone the
giver OF all good things.