Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-09-19
DEBTS, FAITH, FAILURES.
The sin and Folly of Making Promises
That we Cannot FuIRII.

Among the applicants for the benefit
OF the bankrupt law is a clergyman who
reports liabilities of more than $40 600,
assets none. There is no charge of fraud
in the case. He had credit because of his
character and profession. and this is the
result. A Philadelphia Quaker fails for
half a million, and has nothing to show
for it but promises to pay. -
A religious newspaper recently rested
from its 1abors, and,. with expiring
breath, made this dying confession by the
pen of its editor and publisher: ''T have
tried to conduct the enterprise on the
faith-principle of Rev, George Muller
and DR.. Cullis, but perhaps owing to
weak faith, or to mixing the credit prin-
ciple with it, my experience has not been
like theirs"
Another newspaper copies the confess
sion, and very justly adds: ''The dead
paper owes $215, 900, and is bankrupt. If
we understand the Efaith-principle' as
propounded and acted upon by George
Muller, it forbids the. formation of debt
absolutely. The paper violated its own
principle. Our experience in the news
paper business is very prosaic, for we
have found nothing answer but hard
cash. '.'
We suppress names because we have no
personal or particular references to these
failures more than to a score, perhaps to
thousands, of others who are In the same
boat. The expiration of the Bankrupt
law term has made the present moment
favorable for the readjustment of busi-
ness plans and measures, and what we are
saying has only such general application
as the Christian public is pleased to make.
If the suit suits, let him who is suited
wear it.
We take these cases only as examples.
One man confesses that he got credit, and
went heavily into debt, on the promise of
God that he would help him to pay his
bills. But God never made any promise
to him of that sort. If his failure to get
the money proves anything, it proves that
the Lord was not pleased with the man or
his work, and let it perish, when He
might have saved it without raising his
hand. To rush headlong into extravagant
debts, with the pretence that God will
| raise up friends to discharge them, argues
one of two things, dishonesty or fanati-
cism. How far the want of common
sense will go toward excusing one man
for conduct that would be dishonest in
another man, we will not undertake to
say, But we regard it as dishonesty for
man having Christian character, and
| therefore credit, to employ poor men and
women to work for him; promising them
wages on which they rely for their daily
bread, and then TO tell them: 'FI am do
ing business on the George Muller prin-
| cipIe, and have failed-the Lord has not
| provided the means, and I can't pay you
| your wages" What we affirm is, that
| this is fanatical or dishonest, and the
fanatcism does not mitigate the sin, unless
the accused is acquitted on the ground of
i insanity = s. %. p 1''' = s-.''' ''i' ia,
Let us be distinctly understood, we do
not charge this as a crime, nor do we say
that it is on his part dishonest mode of
doing business. 1t would be dishonest in
as. We would regard ourselves as ras-
Gals if we should thus make merchandise
of religion, and get credit on faith in the
promises of God. But another may beIieu,
himself justified in promising to pay wher
he has nothing coming with which tx
meet his notes at maturity. We leave thai
matter entirely to his own conscience anC
to God, whose promise he processes to rely
upon.a What would be sin for US, with
our views of right and wrong, may not b.
sin for one who has an understanding
with God that we know nothing about.
And now we go a step further. The
!, | Il - K
: not Of the sort that makes it possible fo
F his work-people and orphans to suffer. H
lives from hand to mouth. He pay
as he goes. His principle is, that if tn
!. work he is doing is one that ought to b
done, and that God wishes him to dc
o friends will be raised to provide the funds
a If the stream should fail he would, wit
: the property he has on hand, make tn
e best provision possible for all depender
it on him, and return them to their norma
e state. Mr.. Muller's work is a cash bus
It ness; pay in advance; the only safe an
IL honest way of testing the principle
p1 faith. If Mr.. Muller, or any other mai
d were to make contracts with no other re
" lance than his faith that the means woul
m come as fast as he wanted them, he woul
"a be trading rashly and speculating on h
IF supposed knowledge of the will of God
l. the matter. But if he had the cash
i hand for day or amonth he might safe
id 90 ahead, with the distinct understandiI
f. that all work would stop when the trea
IS ury was empty.
IS, Commercial integrity is the Writ
ne which, more than any other one, is nc
.el the specific want of the American peop
nd and of the Church. Wesput it very plai
he Iv. If it be true that in business circl
he the profession of being a Christian h
si- ceased to be an endorsement of characi
"a in financial affairs, the disgrace is due
he the fact that so. many ehurch-memb'
ce have proved faithless to their prOmis
-er and in money matters are no better tn
e. others. And when man makes ms p
Ie- fession conspicuous, and seeks connoeI
he bv reason of his religious reputation,
no NAV be watched with greater vigtlan'
or lest under that cloak he conceals ha
,is with which to rob the country. But
ON world has learned that all who are in
fa Church are not therefore sincere or ht
all est. And the sooner we come to the
ST. derstanding that commercial integrity
nv the cardinal virtue in business life,
,nr sooner will we recover the good name
ent people have so largely lost by the p
* neglect of duty.
rp- Release of legal obligation to pay
in honest debt does not diminish, by fea
,ed er,s weight, the moral obligation Of
"a debtor. The morality of the law we v
nn- now consider. But it'shOuld be borne
psd mind, and every upright man will rem'
led Der, that moral responsibility follows
oc- to the Judgment seat of God. 1t has