| Show THE righteousness OF WEALTH THE accumulation of vast fortunes and the abuse of power which comes frona from the possession of great wealth occasion some confusion of mind among superficial thinkers as to the morality of moneymaking money making acquisitiveness or the desire to gain proper tyis as natural as any other faculty or aspiration fl of man when it is dormant energy to is lacking and po poverty ver to is often the result when it lit if ex cese sive it develops into greed and cupidity which often lead to crime properly balanced it to is right and beneficial and an incentive to human effort which is conducive not only to individual good but to the welfare and progress of society where would be the personal or national prosperity that marks the growth of the world if this inherent quality were eliminated from human nature acquisitiveness is natural because it is inherited from the great progenitor of the race god the father of us als continually increasing his dominions and as each new world and system rolls into visible and organized existence his acquisitions accumulate what are called temporalities ties are as essential essen teal as the spiritual things that men should strive after the elements of each are eternal and both ore are requisite for the perfect happiness of immortal beings it Is the inordinate desire for and worship of wealth that lead to wrong and misery it is not money but the lust after it which is the root of all evil there is nothing in property itself which is debasing or antagonistic to the highest spirituality in the universe therefore the abundance of it is is not an evil the acquirement of it is not wrong vong and tho the use of it can be good proportionate to its volume money property in any form can be used for evil of course like every other means for good and the greed for it will prompt trove who foster it to the very worst of sins to accomplish its gratification here is where the wrong bagi begish ns an and d the use of that which to is acquired for evil ends end to is equal in its evil effects to the lust after it both of these must be guarded against by all who desire present or eternal happiness the danger of riches lies in these two things and SISO also in this the x eager pursuit or great possession of y wealth en grosses the mind and hinders binders if it does not prevent the devotion of 1 the soul to higher and more important 1 matters As a man thin keth so BO is he be t if he is abnormally intent on earth 7 ly riches and worldly pursuits he cat can only occasionally ponder upon and be J exercised in spiritualities and he will therefore necessarily be small in spiritual development it if he is great in temporal acquisitiveness and the man argement of perishable things v i riches and re religion algion are not essentially discordant as some people suppose suppo se it if is bard for fora a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven because worship of wealth so often debars the worship of the divine but it is not necessarily so the highest devotion the humblest obedience to god the sublime st charity for mankind are compatible with the possession of the most magnificent riches when justice mercy faith benevolence honor truth and humility are in the soul the wealth of the universe is not too much for their possessor for his power to do good will be commensurate with his property and the righteousness of riches will be made manifest wherever his bis power extends |
