him as the main object of life,—such a one commits the sin of "placing the heart in riches," and "suffers the world to draw him away from heaven." It is to such a man that the Scripture says, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."[1] Such a man is truly foolish, because he sacrifices a great thing for a small one; because he throws away the happiness of a thousand millions of years to gain a little pleasure for threescore and ten, or perhaps for not half so long;—because for the sake of show, and vain-glory, and a little worldly pleasure just now, he is willing to lose the splendor and magnificence and myriad delights of the glorious world on high, which he might have enjoyed forever and ever. "What doth it profit a man," says the Lord, "though he gain the whole world, and lose his soul?"
Now it is to be feared that there are many, very many, who are in danger of this folly and this sin. In this most worldly age, and in the push and rush of business, even good men are in danger of forgetting themselves,—in danger of being swept on with the current, and of giving themselves up to the tide; and thus of being "drawn away from love to the neighbor, and consequently from heaven." They are apt to become—if not dishonest, at least hard and griping in their dealings; in seeking their own interests, they are apt to forget the interests of others; whereas the Lord's command is, to "love our neighbor as our-
