The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-02
BUSINESS LIFE.
Sermon by Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage, D. D.
What God Intended to BE q School Of Chris
tian Energy, Of Patience, for the Az
tafnment of knowledge, and
of Christian Integrity.

tainment OF knowledge anu
of Christian Integrity.
BRooKLrN, N. Y, Oct. 31.-Dr. Talm.age,
In his services at the Tabernacle this MORN
ing, took for his text Romans 1911: ""Not
slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serv-
ing the Lord" He said:
Industry, devotedness, Christian service,
are all recommended in this one short text.
What, is it possible to conjoin thema O,
yes; there is no war between religion and
business, between Bibles and ledgers, be-
tween churches and counting houses. On
the contrary, religion accelerates business,
sharpens mems wits, sweetens acerbity OF
disposition, fillips the blood Of phlegmat-
les, and throws more velocity into the
wheels of hard work To the Judgment it
gives more skillful balancing-to the will
more strength-to industry more muscle
to enthusiasm more concentrated fire.
You can not show me man whose business
prospects have in any wise been despoiled
by his religion.
The industrial classes are divided into
three groups-producers manufacturers,
traders. Producers, such as farmers and
miners; manufacturers, such as take the
and fax and change them into apparel;
traders, who make profit out of 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, if you plan, calculate, bar
gain; if into your life there come annoy
ances, vexations and disappointments, as
well as gains, dividends and percentages;
if you are harrassed with multiplicity of
engagements-in word, if you are driven
from Monday morning to Saturday night,
and from January to January, with relent-
less obligations and duty, then you are a
business man or business woman, and my
subject is appropriate to your case.
We are apt to speak of the MOL and tag
of business life as though it were an inqui-
sition or a prison into which man is
thrown, or an unequal strife where, half
armed, he goes to contend. Hear me this
morning, while try to show you that God
intended business life to be a glorious edu-
cation and discipline, and if shall be sue
cessful in what say shall rub the wrin-
kles out of your brow and unstrap some Of
the burdens from your back.
have first to remark to you that God in
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 higher education, that which the
collision and rasping of everyday life alone
Qffacf EnarCry of 10 ,,er,f ~,,f
only in the fire, and when q 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 It can
scale any height. It can plummet any
depth. Il can thrash any obstacle. Now,
do you suppose that God has spent all this
education on you for the purpose of MAX
ing you more successful wording, of
enabling you to more rapidly accumulate
dollars, making you sharp in tradea Did
God make you merely to be yardstick to
measure cloths, or steelyard to weigh
floura And did He intend you to spend
your life in dong nothing but chatter and
higglel
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,
to-day to reform all empires, and all king
doms, and all people, in three weeks. O,
how much idleness and strong muscle and
stout hearts-h0w many deep streams that
turn no millwheels and haul on the bands
OF no factoryl 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 Lockes and the Mans.
fields OF the earth were proud to enlist, you
and l need not be ashamed to toll o, fol-
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 rub, and men will
break their engagements; collecting
agents will come back empty-handed
tricksters in business will play upon what
they call the s.hard times,n 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, il
coming, damaged in the Transportation;
people who intend no harm going about
shopping, unrolling goods they do no,
mean to buy, and trying to break the
dozen; men obliged to take up other PEG
pies notes; more counterfeit bills in the
drawer; more bad debts; another ridicu
lons panic.
Under all this friction men break down
or they are secured up into additional
brightness. How many you and l have
known who, in the past few years, have
gone down under the pressure, and have
become petulant, and choleric, 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 a school TO,
patience. They toughened under the ex
posture. They were like rocks, more sery
iceable for the blasting. There was 1
time when they had to choke down theil
wrath; there was time when they had Il
bite their lip; there was time when the,
thought of singing retort they would likt
to utter. But now they have conquered
their impotence; they have kind words fol
sarcastic filings; they have a polite be
havior for discourteous customers; the,
have forbearance for unfortunate debtors
they have moral reflections for the sudder
reverses Of fortune.
How are you going to get that grace q
patiencea Not through hearing minister.
preach about it. Q, mol If you get it at al