The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-17
THE DANGER OF IDLENESS.
DR., John Alabaster's Morning Discourse at
Meridian-Street Church.

even when we were with you, this we com
mandcd you, that if any would not work, neither
should he eat" He said:
Great danger attends the building of any doc
trine or usage an isolated passage of Scrip
ture. Great errors in the Christian church have
thus originated and been propagated. In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread The an
nouncement of mans curse because of his sin,
has practically led to the idea that all labor has
curse connected with it, and that in
dustry, at best is but the reminder
of mans condition by disobedience.
And so heaven. with many ormost, is anticipated
as place of ease Whatever curse might have
been added to labor by mans sin-what [ wish
now to teach is that labor is a wise and benef-
cent law of our being, intended for all people,
and that it was no after-thought of God, but the
law for man before he sinned. / wish to an
nouncc that the well-being of men as individuals
and the progress of civilization demanded law
of industry from the beginning Types and
symbols of such law exist in nature, where on
every hand we see action, motion, which char
actelize alike the tiny life within a water-drop
and the worlds above heads. The law of
labor reaches to the heavenly hosts who rest
not day and night" but who continually
serve God in his temple. Mans very construc
ton indicates him as laborer; whether we con
slider his body, fitted and furnished with wonder
full adaptation to various motions, postures and
operations, or his mental furnishing, stored with
implements by which he can observe. remember,
reflect, reason ndinvent What wonders of liter
allure, of science, Of art, of mechanism are
within the power of human activity Can 1t DO
that such a wells stored being was intended to be
unemployed. Is there lurking in the mind of
any the thought that labor had origin because of
sin! If so, then what conception can we have of
the condition of man on this earths Was he
merely intended to vegetate herel But turn
to the Bible, and we find that before the
fall when man was first placed in Eden,
God took the man and put him into the Garden
of Eden to dress it and keep it" Here is en-
ployment, labor for man. sin left out. But
dressing and keeping necessitated tools and i'm
plements. And now, If we read again, we shall
find that before this, soon as man was created,
his Maker said to him, ''Replenish the earth, and
subdue it. and have dominion over it." This i'm
piled labor, and in this command lay in en-
bFYo all the attainments and achievements of
the race. If we read once more, we shall find
that before man was created at all, God said,
LET us make man, and let him have dominion
over all the earth" 1t was Gods purpose, IN
making man, that he should work on
this earth And what is there that comes
to man without his Cooperation Human mus
Gle, human brain must enter into the elements
which produce human good. knowledge only
comes through study. The fruits of the earth
must be cultivated, for wholly natural, they are
nearly worthless Food clothing, houses, car
riages, ships and telescopes do not grow of them
selves
In the realm Of spiritual good it is the same.
We to labor to enter in strive to enter in
at the straight gate" to watch, run" fight
work out our SalNatlOn.' Ana we ma idOOr q
law of personal development Physical strength
and health, and mental power demand activity,
use All through the Bible law of
labor is assumed. The fourth command
has two sides The side neglected is
this: "Six days shalt thou labor"
A Sabbath, or rest implies week of toll We
read, THE hand of the diligent maketh rich"
1.-The hand of the diGgent shall bear rule;7 and
that to be dilgent in business" EN-
ployment is necessity of our being, not of the
condition in which sin has placed us, but of
the being for which Infinite Wisdom created US
This law of labor is the law of well being.
1t is important that we accept this view Of labor,
then shall the drudgery of toll be relieved, and
our reluctance of employment be overcome.
Then shall labor be sweetened That labor is a
benefcent requirement appears in the fact that
God connects certain rewards and benefits with
it, while certain evils and punishments
are to follow idleness Bodily and
mental vigor, the relish for food, and the sweet
ness Of rest and sleep are best secured by labor.
There is a pleasure that follows the productions
of our hands or brain.
Enforced idleness is a severe form Of prison
punishment. People rarely die from overwork.
More frequently they die of idleness, self-indulg
ence and ease. 1t was not labor that destroyed
the army of Hannibal, but luxury. So the Bible
says: HE that tilleth his land shall have
plenty of bread" and 1.-THE slothful shall be
under tribute" VINO has not observed the
workings of this law of labor, both in the keep
ing and in the breakingl l am acquainted with
one of the most aristocratic villages
in all the land, where, years ago. were
q score of lordly families. whose children
were trained in the arts of idleness and ease.
They were drowned in wealth and luxury. And
with the exception of one or two scottish sons
those twenty families are literally blotted out
so quickly and surely does nature retaate upon
those who keep not her laws. Take the two
civilizations that met on our shores one landing
on the bleak New England coast where with
rocks, sands and frosts the people were forced
to industry; the other landing only few weeks
before on the fertile banks OF the James, Trace
the career, the habits, the characteristics of
these two civilizations then see what industry
can do for people, and what idleness. Next to
religion comes industry for the development of
the sterling virtues
1t is a misfortune of education in our land that
it turns so many from the pursuits of industry
and leaves them idlers in society. 1t is an abuse
of education that already challenges attention.
The old adage is true IAN idle mans brain is
the devils workshop An idle man is unsafe in
church or anywhere else. The want of indus
trial training breeds criminals and fills our jails
and prisons. Give people plenty to do and they
will need less governing. Idle children need
most scolding. 1t is good for every young man
to learn some systematic occupation. The Scrip
lures are gallery of illustrations of the gospel
of industry: Adam dressing Eden, Noah building
the ark, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob tending
focks and herds: Joseph ruling in Egypt; Moses
keeping his sheep in Horeb and toiling with all
the great problems of his nation; the Apostles,
who were fishermen and toilers with brain and
hand, and Him who was the carpenters son. and
whose life one of incessant labor, and who
said 'My father worlleth hitherto, and work j."
Type, precept and illustration show that we were
not meant to be idlers. We are to have relaxa-
ton. pastimes, recreation, but these imply
cupation. This world is not first playground,
but an arena for intelligent activity. ''If any
would not work. neither should he eat"
is as good doctrine for us to-day as
for those to whom Paul wrote 1t ought to be
adopted by all the charity orga nizations in the
land. 1t is Gods law for vagrancY. The waste
of our powers and abilities, or their voluntary
disuse is sinful. Whatsoever thy hand fndeth
to do, do it with thy might" Every person,
man OF woman, is bound by the divine law of
labor to return to society an equivalent for the
benefits received. In this world no one has the
right to be mere looker-on. We need a new
coronation Of labor.