The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-11-17
BUSINESS LIFE.
- - y . 49, =
Sermon by Rev. T. Do Witt Tai
u.,. mage, D. D.
what God Intended To n . school Of Chris.
tiaa Energy, Of Pstlsacss for the Al. f,
tainment sof Knowledge. and
'o1 Christian Integrity.

tiaa Energy. Of Pstisnce. for the AZ. :,
tsinment sof Knowledse. and
'- 'ee Christian Integrity.
BROoKLyN, N. Y, Oct. 3l.-Dr. Talmage,
in his services at the Tabernacle this morn
ing, took for his text Romans l2:ll; mot
slothful In business; fervent IN spirit; sefv.
ing the Lord.p He said, x '''-<
Industry, devotedness, Christian service,
are oil recommended In this one short text.
What, 10 II possible TO conjoin themt o,
yes; there IL no war between religion and
business, between Bibles and ledgers, BE-
tween churches and cpunting- hcnses, On
the contrary, religion accelerstes business,
sharpens mems wits, sweetens acerbity Of
disposition, hllips the blood Of phlegmat-
les, and throws more velocity into the
wheels Of hard work. To the Judgment II
gives moro skillful balsncing-to the viii
more strength-to industry more muscle
10 enthusiasm . more concentrated 1re
You can not show me man whose business
prospects, have in any wise been despoiled
BY his religion.
The industrial classes ore divided into
three groups-p producers, manufacturers,
traders. Producers, such a. farmers and
miners; manufacturers, such a. take the
corn and change it into food, or the wool
and fax and change them into apparel;
traders, who make profit outof the trans
fer and exchange Of that which is produced
or manufactured. Now, business man
may belong to one Of these classes, or he
may belong to all Of them. Whatever be
your avocation, II you plan, calculate, bar
gain; II into your life there come annoy
snces, vexstions and disappointments, as
we'll as gains, dividends and percentages;
II you are harrassed with multiplicity Of
engagements-in word, II you are driven
from Monday morning to Saturday night,
and from January to January, with relent-
less obligations and duty, then you are
business man or business woman, and my
subject is appropriate to your case.
We are apt to speak Of the MOL and tug
Of business life as though 1t were an inqui-
sition or prison into which man Is
thrown, or an unequal strife whore, half
armed, he goes to contend. Hear me this
morning, while try to show you that God
intended business life to be q glorious edu-
cation and discipline, and II shall be sue
COboluA al WIN boJ ouoh AuO WIG WIN
kles out OF your brow and unstrap some Of
the burdens from your back.
have first to remark to you that God in
tended business life to be to you school Of
Christian energy. God started US In the
world, giving US certain amount Of raw
material out Of which we were to hew our
own character. Every faculty needs to be
reset, rounded, sharpened up. After our
young people have graduated from the
schools and colleges and universities, they
need q higher education, that which the
collision and rasping of ery-day life alone
can effect. Energy of soul is wrought cut
only in the fire, and when man for ten,
fifteen, or twenty or thirty years has been
going through business activities, his en-
ergy can no longer be measured by
weights, or plummets, or ladders. II can
scale any height. It can plummet any
depth. 1t can thrash any obstacle. Now,
do you suppose that God has spent all this
education on you for the purpose Of maxi
ing you more successful wording, Of
dollars, making you sharp in tradei Did
God make you merely to be yardstick to
measure cloths, or q steelyard to weigh
flours And did He intend you to spend
your life in dong nothing but chatter and
higgles
My friend, He has put you in this school
to develop your energy for His cause and
kingdom. There is enough unemployed
talent in the churches, and in the world,
today to reform all empires, and all king
doms, and all people, in three weeks. o.,
how much idleness and strong muscle and
stout hearts-how many deep streams that
turn no mill-wheels and haul on the bands
Of no factory God demands that He have
the best lamb out Of every flock, the richest
sheaf in every harvest, the best men of
every generation; and in cause where
the Newtons AND, the Loclkes and the Mans
fields of the earth were proud to enlist, you
and l need not Oe ashamed to toll. o, for
fewer idlers and for more consecrated
Christian workers.
Again; God intended business life to be
to you school Of patience. How many
little things there are in one days engage
ments to perturb, and annoy, and disquiet
you. Bargains will ruD, and men will
break their engagements; collecting
agents will come back empty-handed;
tricksters in business will play upon what
they call the "hard times" when in any
times they never pay; goods placed on the
wrong shelf; cash book and money
drawer In quarrel; goods ordered for an
especial emergency failing to come, or, II
coming, damaged In the transportation;
people who intend no harm going about
shopping, unrolling goods they do moi
mean to buy, and trying to break the
dozen; men obliged to take up other PEG
ple's notes; more counterfeit bills in the
drawer; more bad debts; another ridicu
lous panic.
Under all this friction men break down
or they are secured up into additions
brightness. How many you and have
known who, In the past few years, have
gone down under the pressure, and hav,
become petulant, and cho leric, and Grabbed
and sour, and pugnacious, until customer
forsook their stores, and these merchant!
have become insolvent and their name
were pronounced with detestation. Blu
other men have found In this q school To-
patience. They toughened under the ex
posture. They were like rocks, more serv
icesble for the blasting. There was
time when they had to choke down thei
wrath; there was time when they had I,
bite their lip; there was time when the
thought Of singing retort they would lik
70 utter. But now they have conQuere,
their impotence; they have kind words 70
sarcastic filings; they have q polite be
havior for discourteous customers; the,
have forbearance for unfortunate debtors
they have moral reflections for the suddel
reverses of fortune.
How are you going to get that grace O
patiencei Not through hearing minister
preach about it. o, moi II you get it at al
you will get it in the world, where you sci
hats, and plead causes, and tin roofs, an
make shoes, and turn bsnisters, and ploy
corn. Ipray God that through the turmo