Page:Profit and loss, or, The Christian merchant.pdf/3

 is gain on other: for the gain of the world is no gain, if the soul be lost ; and the loss of the world is no loss, if the soul be gained.

When Jesus Christ addressed this question to his disciples, lie was fully aware of the importance of it, as connected with their eternal interest. It is of no less importance to the reader of these pages. We is therefore requested to lay the matter seriously to heart. Let him form for himself in answer to the question, “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul" Jesus Christ knows the value of the world, for he made it and all things in it: and he knows the value of the soul of man, which he created immortal. The world is formed of perishing material. It is doomed to destruction, and by and by it will be burnt up: but the soul shall live for ever. Millions of ages are not so much as the moment that is past, when compared with the damnation of the soul. How precious then must it be! AU the angels in heaven cannot calculate its value.

Infinitely precious as it is, it has been lost. Yes, Reader, the soul of every man and woman born into the world is lost. Lost not to existence, for that can never be; but lost to all that is profitable in existence. Lost to the enjoyment of the Divine favour; of course lost to happiness, and liable to all that is dreadful in the anger of Almighty God. This is in consequence of sin, which is the cause of all the misery and death in the world Sin separated man from God, then he was lost, and every sin lie commits is a consequence and evidence of his being lost. “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the earth, to see if there were any that did good, but he