Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-05-02

ligious meeting. He instanced the father OF
a real estate dealer in Chicago, who, when
his son left him in charge of the office, would
show TO the customers this lot and that lot on
the maps, and describe their advantages, and
would then urge them to possess themselves
of corner lots in the new Jerusalem, which,
he said, were better than any in Chicago.
But when we business men write Chris
tian, said Mr.. Wanamaker, we write 1t in
very small letters, as If it were not the great
est thing in life. Business, he said, had to
him wonderful fascination he would
rather do business than eat. lie believed in
the Injunction, " BE We fervent in spirit, dill
igent in business, serving the Lord
As an instance of misdirected zeal, he men
toned the old lady who boasted that she Of
ten woke her husband up in the middle of
the night to talk religion to h IN; and as an
instance of the opposite, he narrated the case
of young man who won over hardened
infdel simply by the power Of consistent
Christian life. 1t is the living that tells
more than the preaching our characters are
read more than any newspaper or book. He
quoted, for the benefit of young business
men, the promise " He is rewarder of those
that diligently seek him." and said that the
world doesn't show to-day complete success
where God has been left out. The time will
come when we shall tire of our great bus-
ness houses, and shall want something else.
The pleasure of business, and the money
that comes from it are not all that we want.
Down in the heart of every business man
there is place that is empty. He gave it as
the result of nearly twentyye rs of trust, that
the promise he had quoted was true all the
way through and that God is a rewarder of
those that diligently seek him. What we
need is to put first things frst Seek ye
first the kingdom of God and his righteous
ness" All the success he had had in life
he owed to trusting God
He spoke of one time when, in SwitZer
land, on a crowded train, he was able to wait
quietly, knowing that a friend had been
there before him and put his name down for
a compartment. What great bunder we
shall make ii we leave religion to take care
of itself and do not see to it that our names
are written in heaven. How shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation
| TESTIMONY OF GENERAL j. l.. SWIFT.
It was said last Thursday, at this meeting,
that 1uency of speech aud oratory were not
wanted in the evidence of the new man
and it is matter of great encouragement TO
me, that without labored argument and with
out intensity of defamation | am able to-
night to tell the old, old story of one more
changed heart | came to this building
three weeks ago, and entirely without expec-
tation on my part, and by what must be
considered, under all the circumstances, as
special intervention Before | came here |
had determined in my mind to be Chris. |
tian in modest, retiring way. wanted to
have religion all to myself The Sabbath |
labors of my own pastor, who may be hear
ing me tonight, aud that of other Christians |
had settled in my mind beyond cavi or a |
doubt, that evangelical truths were founded |
both upon the rock Of reason and upon the
authority Of the revelation. The teachings |
of everyday life had convinced me that the |
New Testament was sound when it said that |
theft and covetousness, and wickedness and |
deceit, and blasphemy and pride--that all |
these evils came from within and defleth a |
man; and wanted, if this was so, to have |
them taken out of me, so that, if it were
possible, might be made clean. And it |
was in this condition of mind, as | told you, |
that | came into this building by accident |
the first Sunday in this present month and |
that condition was well enough so far as it |
went, but | wanted to be a sort of disciple |
in domino. | wanted to be believer in re-
pose. | wanted to have this religion all |
alone to myself. | had "A great dislike to re-
ligious terms. | didn't like to hear the ex-
pressions He has come out !" " he has ex- |
perienced religion = he is converted" But |
| took my seat half way down, | think, in |
that aisle. (Pointing to one of the centre |
aisles.) From my experience, it is the most
uncomfortable situation in this whole house
for hai-and-half Christian but | stand |
here tonight an unworthy occupant of this |
place, because was an uneasy occupant of |
that seat. | have already told some others |
hat tp Ixrg t.,l t1,,t
here, and to understand my case precisely. |
His eye seemed to range over to that very |
spot, and his whole artillery seemed to bear
upon til It one spot; and his sermon drove |
the cowardce out of my heart, and then and |
there | resolved that at the first opportunity |
would carry the flag and wear the uniform |
OF the Master | propose 10 serve. But |
away back of all this, is the superior fact |
that for nine and forty years have been the
object of constant and of loving prayers
When those prayers first began to affect my
mind it is impossible for me to tell. John
Stuart Mill says to debating Christians |
Hold on to the argument OF design, if you
wish to prove the existence OF God" And |
| say here, this evening, to believing Chris |
tians, hold on to Gods promises concerning
prayer, if you want to prove his oversight
aud his care forSthe human soul. Ah it is
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