The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-11-03

younot only wreck your spiritual nature but
you despoil your business prospects. You
put one dishonest dollar in an
estate, but it will not stand. You may take
dishonest dollar and put it down in the
very depths Of the earth, and you may roll
on the top of it rocks and mountains, and on
the top of those rocks and mountains YOU
may put all the banks and moneyed institu-
tons, piling them up heaven high, but that
one dishonest dollar down in the depths of
the earth viii begin to rock, and heave, and
upturn itself until it comes to the resurrec-
ton Of damnation. You cannot hide "a dis
honest dollar.
In the review of this subject there are two
or three things | want to say, and the first
Is, let us have larger sympathy for bust
ness men. 1 think it is a shame that in our
pulpits we do not oftener preach ON this sub
Jet and show that we appreciate the sorrows,
and struggles, and temptations, and trissls of
every day life Men who toll with the hands
are very apt TO be suspicious of those who
move in the world of traffic and think
that they get their money idly, and
that they give no equivalent. Men
who raise the corn, and wheat, and
rye, and oats are very apt toIlthink
that grain merchants get easy profits The
first is very apt to be jealous of the brain.
Plato and Aristotle were so opposed to all
kinds of merchandise that they said com
merce was the curse of the earth, and they
recommended that cities should never be
built any nearer the SeacoaSt than ten miles
But we have become wiser than that and
you know that there are no harder workers
than those who plan and calculate in stores
and banks and counting houses. What
though their apparel lie neat, what though
their manners be refined, do not put them
down as idlers. They carry loads heavier
than hod of bricks, they go into exposures
keener than the cutting of the east wind,
they scale mountains higher than the Alps and
Himalayas, and maintaining their Christian
integrity, Christ viii at the last accost them,
saying: swell done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, / will make thee ruler over many
things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord"
l ais2 enioin you to quit all fretfulness
about business matters. Is there not some-
thing in your own household that you would
not give up for the worldly success other
men hayes Besides that, if these trials lifted
you up, you ought to bless God for the whip
of discipline. The larger the note you have
to pay, the greater the uncertainty of bust
ness life, the better for your soul if Jesus
Christ leads you triumphantly through.
How do know! l know it by this principle
that the hotter the furnace the better the
refining. There have been thousands of
men who have gone through the same path
you are now going through with an aching
heart There are multitudes before the
throne of God who were dashed with cares
and anxleties innumerable, and were cheated
out of everything but their coffin. They
were sued, they were elected, they were i'm
prisoned for debt they were maltreated. they
We're throttled by constables with whole packs
OF writs, they were sold out by sheriffs,
they had to confess judgments, they had to
compromise with creditors, and their last
hour ON earth was disturbed by the fact that
their door bell was rung loudly and angriIy
by the hand OF some impetuous creditor, who
was surprised that that sick man should be
50 irnpertlnent and outrageous as to die be-
fore he had paid him the last three shillings
ana slxpence OH how men are tossed and
driven! had friend who went from one
anxiety to another; good and great heart
he had, but everything he put his hand to
seemed to fail. Misfortunes clustered around.
and after awhile 1 heard he was dead. and
the first word l said was: @Goodl he has got
rid of the sheriffs.n There is a great multi-
tude OF business men who ON earth had it
hard, but by the grace of God they stand tri-
amphant III heaven; and when the question is
asked OF them, "Who are theyi" the angels of
5od, standing ON seas of glass, viii cry out:
: Ihese are they who came out of great tribu-
alton, and had their robes washed and made
white In the blood of the Lamb
once more: 1 want you to seek business
grace. Commercial ethics, business honor.
avs of trade, may do very well for a while:
1ut there will come a time when the ground
will slip from under your feet and the world
viii frown, and the devils will set after your
oui, and you viii want more then than this |
world can give you. You viii want the
'sernal rock to stand on. For the lack of |
nat grace You have known men to forge and |
q ihaitreat their friends, and to curse their |
'nenies, and You have seen their names bull |
etined among scoundrels, and spit upon, and |
o ,. py scorn, and ground to powder. |
lhey not only lost their property, but their /
GUS were mauled, and purified and blasted |
or eternity. You could count up scores Of 4
ueh persons, while there are Others who.
oSsed on the same sea, sustained by the grace |
II God, have all the time kept their eve 81, /
he lighthouse. Men coming out of that
mans store say: IF there ever was
CHRISTIAN trader, that Is one Stern
integrity kept the books and waited ON the
ustomers Light from the future world
dashed through the show windows. Wrath
lever stamped that floor, nor did sly dishon-
sly cover up irnperfections in goods. Love
Q eod and love TO men were the principles
nat ruled IN the store Of that Christian |
RAIDER Some day the shutters are not let
own from the store window and the hars
re not taken from the door. Men pass along
nd stop, and stare, and go up to read a card
II the door which announces: aClosed on
ccount OF the death of one of the firm.r
nat death-it Is talk in commercial circles
hat good man has gone. Boards of trade
q as resolutions of sympathy, and churches Of
'nrist pray: Help, Lord, for the eodIy
nan ceaseth1 he has made his last bargain.
le has suffered his last loss. He has ached
nth his last fatigue. The results Of his
nristan industry win bless his children after
: dead, and requests to the kingdom of
% VIII gather many sons into glory. Ever
sting rewards in place Of business discipline
ne weary are at rest.