All Saints' Day and Other SermonsKingsley, Charles
Religion
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons
Kingsley, Charles
Church of England -- Sermons; Sermons, English -- 19th century
Now is not the answer to the puzzle this: That God is impartial; that He
is no respecter of persons, but causing His sun to shine on the evil and
on the good, and His rain to fall on the just and on the unjust; and so
rewarding every man according to his work, paying him for all work done,
of whatever kind it may be? Some work for this world, which we do see,
and God gives them what they earn in this life; some work for the world
above, which we cannot see, and God gives them what they earn in this
life, for ever and ever likewise. If a man wishes for treasure on earth,
he can have it if he will, and enjoy it as long as it lasts. If a man
wishes for treasure in heaven, he can have it if he will, and enjoy it as
long as it lasts. God deals fairly with both, and pays both what they
have earned.
Some set their hearts on this world; some want money, some want power,
some want fame and admiration from their fellow-men, some want merely to
amuse themselves. Then they will have what they want if they will take
the right way to get it. If a man wishes to make a large fortune, and
die rich, he will very probably succeed, if he will only follow
diligently the laws and rules by which God has appointed that money
should be made. If a man longs for power and glory, and must needs be
admired and obeyed by his fellow-men, he can have his wish, if he will go
the right way to get what he longs for; especially in a free country like
this, he will get most probably just as much of them as he deserves--that
is, as much as he has talent and knowledge enough to earn. So did the
Pharisees in our Lord's time. They wanted power, fame, and money as
religious leaders, and they knew how to get them as well as any men who
ever lived; and they got them. Our Lord did not deny that. They had
their reward, He said. They succeeded--those old Pharisees--in being
looked up to as the masters of the Jewish mob, and in crucifying our Lord
Himself. They had their reward; and so may you and I. If we want any
earthly thing, and have knowledge of the way to get it, and have ability
and perseverance enough, then we shall very probably get it, and much
good it will do us when we have got it after all. We shall have had our
treasure upon earth and our hearts likewise; and when we come to die we
shall leave both our treasure and our hearts behind us, and the Lord have
mercy on our souls.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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