The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-03-10
WEEKLY BAZOO.
- DAlIA Mo.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10 1885.
COMMON MORAL ELEMENTS
IN BUSINESS AND RE-
LIGION.

1t is ole OF the prime factors OF al
religious systems. to teach morality
as well as higher worship, in fact i
could not be called religious system
without this particular adjunct. There
is alwa,s a conviction that mans NOR
alsnd spiritual nature are inseparable
Even our civil laws recognize a de
pendence on moral laws and place
men under such an obligation in re-
gard oft that be must obey. If any
other doctrine were 10 be promulgated
in civil zed community, it would be
secuted at. and its exponent be looked
upon with suspicion.
And yet it is frequent sight to
those who observe, even csrelessly, to
note that the wicked are often pros
porous. Perhaps We should be justi-
fed in saying this prosperity is so fire.
quent chat it has been one of the most
perplexing questions that We are COM
PEELED to consider. For it can not be
denied that some men accumulate
wealth By what are commonly thought
to be questionable and even dishonor-
able procedure, and still others appear
to succeed by criminal practices. And
they attain honors of a certain desir.
able kind, and positions that the best
men GEEK after. A loosely held opin-
ion of some standing in non-religious
society, and it has been thoughtlessly
accepted by some professors of religion
is that business, and public life do not
admit of the highest morality; or, to
take another phase oft, that religion
and business have no common moral
elements. The effects of this denial
of what some call the higher moral
law, is perhaps more clearly seen IN
political life than any other. 1t
shows itself by such expressions as,
anything is fair in politics" Men
become parties to fraud in practical
politics who show moral weakness in
no other relation. They practice de-
ception and dishonesty with an utter
disregard of moral principle; promises
are made without the least intention
of performance.
Speaking in detail, the following
from the Christian Advocate, is worth
reading:
Among the best men and women.
those who are living the most worthy
lives, and are securing its highest adj
vantages and privileges, the convic-
ton holds firm that evil doing is not
the means of permanent prosperity.
We give emphasis to the word, perma-
nent. They prosper for time, who
delight in evil; it may be for more
than one generation, yet rarely 50.
The riches that have been gotten I'M
Justly excite passion, display, reckless
ness in expenditure. and take to them
selves wings and fly away. Honors,
procured by fraud, turn into badges of
iniquity that warn men against the
crumbIing reputation. So careful,
and broad investigation of life estab-
fishes the value of virtue. And 1t
should be noticed that young persons
are more apt to be perplexed over. the
apparent prosperity of evil doors, than
men of advanced years. Those who
have lived longest and have had the
widest experience and observation of
life, learn to look beneath the surface,
and are able to trace the life of wrong
doing through many years.
They have seen the untimely and
disastrous end of so many departures
from virtue and an elevated plane of
life, that all doubts have been re-
moved and they are not disturbed by
such appearances. They have at
tanned the assurance that comes of
righteous life. 1t may be that they
have reached that relation to God
through faith in Christ which has the
attestation of the Holy Spirit. They
have learned that God does take note
of haman life, that His eyes are upon
all workers of iniquity, who say "How
doth God know?
1t is not necessary that one should
knew the secret of Gods ways to un.
derstand these phases of human lite.