The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-12


while | mean to preach faith and repent
ance, more and more to preach them, | do
not mean to spend amy time in chasing
the HittiteS and Jebusites and Cir
gashites of Bible times, when there
are SO many evils right around
us destroying men and women for time and
for eternity. The greatest evangelistic
preacher the world ever saw, a man who
died for his vangelism-peeress Paul
wrote to the Romans, Provide things hon
est in the sight of all meu;" wrote to the
Corinthians, DO that which is honcst;'
wrote to the Philippians "Whatsoever
things are honest;' wrote to the Hebrews,
willing in all things to live honestly
The Bible says that faith without works is
dead, which being Literally translated,
means that if your business life does not
correspond with your profession, your re-
ligion is a humbug.
Here is something that needs to be
sounded into the ears Of all the young men
of America, and terated and reiterated, if
this country is ever TO be delivered from
its Calamities, and commercial prosperity is
to be established and perpetuated, live
within your means.
| have the highest commercial authority
for saying that when the memorable
trouble broke out in Wall street four years
ago there were S225, 900, 900 in suspense
more than you make. And let us adjust all
our business and our homes by the prin-
ciples of the Christian religion.
Our religion ought to mean just as much
on Saturday and Monday as on the day be-
tween, and not be mere periphrasis of
sanctity. Our religion ought to first clean
our hearts, and then it ought to clean our
lives. Religion is not, as some seem TO
think, sort of church delectation, a kind
Of cOnfpcf1OnnrV a SORT nf SniFitDul n -
or holy gum drop, or sancttied peppermint, ,
or theological anaesthetic. 1t is an omnipo-
tent principle, all controlling, all conquering
You may get along with something less than
that, and you may deceive yourself with it;
but you cannot deceive God, and you
cannot deceive the world The keen bust
ness man will put on his spectacles, and he
will look clear through to the back of your
head and see whether your religion is a fic-
tion or fact. And you cannot hide your
samples of sugar, or rice, or tea, or coffee If
they are false; you cannot hide them under
the cloth of a communion table. All your
prayers go for nothing so long as you mis-
represent your banking institution, and in
the amount of the resources you put down
more specie, and more fractional currency,
and more clearing house certificates, and
more legal tender notes, and more loans,
and more discounts than there really are,
and when you give an account of your liza
bilities you do not mention all the unpaid
dividends, and the United States bank notes
outstanding, and the individual deposits,
and the obligations to other banks and
bankers. An authority more scrutinizing
than that of any bank examiner will 60
through and through and through your
business.
stand this morning before many who
have trust funds. 1t is a compliment tC
you that you have been so intrusted; but
charge you, i'll the presence of God and the
world, be careful be as careful of the prop
erty of others as you are careful of your own
Above all, keep your own private account
at the bank separate from your account as
trustee of an estate, or trustee
of an institution. That is the point at
which thousands of people make shipwreck.
They get the property of others mixed up
with their own property, they put it into
| investment, and away it all goes and they
cannot return that which they borrowed.
Then comes the explosion, and the money
market is shaken, and the press denounces,
| and the church thunders explosion. You
have no right to use the property of others,
except for their advantage, nor without
consent, unless they are minors. If with
their consent you invest their proper
ty as well as you can, and it is
all lost, you are not to blame
YOU did the best you could,
but do not come into the delusion which has
ruined so many men, of thinking because a
thing is in their possession, therefore it is
theirs. You have a solemn trust that God
has given you. In this vast assemblage
there may be some who have misappro-
priated trust funds Put them back, or, if
you have so hopelessly involved them that
you cannot put them back, confess the
whole thing TO those whom you have
wronged, and you will sleep better nights,
and YOU will have the better chance ior
your soul. What sad thing it would be,
if after you are dead your administrator
should find out from the account books, or
from the lack Of vouchers, that you not
only were a bankrupt in estate, but that
you lost your soul If all the trust funds
that have been misappropriated should sud
denly fly TO their owners, and all the
property that has been purloined should
suddenly go back TO its owners, it would
crush into ruin every city in America.
A missionary in one of the islands Of the
Pacific preached on dishonesty, and the next
morning be looked out of his window and
he saw his yard full Of goods Of all kinds
He wondered and asked the cause of all
this. "Well," said the natives, 'our gods
that we have been worshipping permit us
to steal but according TO what you said
yesterday, the God Of heaven and earth will
not allow this, so we bring back all these
goods and we ask you TO help US in taking
them to the places where they belong" Ii
next Sabbath all the ministers in America
should preach sermons on the abuse Of trust
funds, and on the evils Of purloining, and
the sermons were all blessed of God, and
regulations were made that all these things
should be taken 10 the city halls, it would
not be long before every city hall in Amer
lea would be crowded from cellar 10 cupola.
Let me say in the most emphatic manner
TO all young men, dishonesty will never
pay. An abbot wanted 10 buy piece Of
ground and the owner would not sell it, but
the owner finally consented 10 let
il to him until be could raise one
crop, and the abbot sowed acorns,
a crop of two hundred years. And
tell you, young man, that the dishonestles
which you plant in your heart and life will
seem 10 be very Insignificant, but they will
grow up until they will overshadow you
with horrible darkness, overshadow all time
and all eternity 10 will not be a crop for
two hundred years, but a crop for everlast-
ing ages
have also word of comfort for all who
suffer from the malfeasance of others, and
every honest man, woman and child does
suffer from what goes on IN financial scamp
dom Society is 50 bound together that all
the misfortunes which good people suffer in
business matters come from the misdeeds OF
others. Bear up under distress, strong in
God. He will sec you through, though your
msfortunes should be centupled. Pliilosc-