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Servants of Mammon
217
not the fruit of true religion. He must train his mind to good works.
He must brace against his propensity to acquire. He must weave
good works into all his life. He must cultivate a love for doing good,
and get above the little, penurious spirit which he has fostered.
In trading with the merchants at-----, Brother and Sister I do
not take a course which is pleasing to God. They will dicker to get
things as cheap as they possibly can, and linger over a difference
of a few pennies, and talk in regard to it as though money was their
all
—their god. If they could only be brought back, unobserved, to
hear the remarks that are made after they leave, they would get a
clearer idea of the influence of penuriousness. Our faith is brought
into disrepute, and God is blasphemed by some on account of this
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close, penny dealing. Angels turn away in disgust. Everything in
heaven is noble and elevated. All seek the interest and happiness of
others. No one devotes himself to looking out and caring for self. It
is the chief joy of all holy beings to witness the joy and happiness of
those around them.
When these angels come to minister to those who shall be heirs of
salvation, and witness the exhibition of selfishness, of covetousness,
of overreaching, and benefiting self at others’ disadvantage, they
turn away in grief. When they see those who claim to be heirs to an
immortal inheritance so penurious in dealing with those who do not
profess any higher ambition than to be laying up treasures on earth,
they turn away in shame; for holy truth is reproached.
In no way could the Lord be better glorified and the truth more
highly honored than for unbelievers to see that the truth has wrought
a great and good work upon the lives of naturally covetous and
penurious men. If it could be seen that the faith of such had an
influence to mold their characters, to change them from close, selfish,
overreaching, money-loving men to men who love to do good, who
seek opportunities to use their means to bless those who need to
be blessed, who visit the widow and fatherless in their affliction,
and who keep themselves unspotted from the world, it would be
an evidence that their religion was genuine. Such would let their
light so shine that others seeing their good works would be led to
glorify their Father which is in heaven. This fruit would be unto
holiness, and they would be living representatives of Christ upon the
earth. Sinners would be convicted that there is in the truth a power