The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-03-22

good friends and good neighbors, the grace
Of God entirely changing their disposition.
aOh, ~ says some one, Il have rough,
tagged. impetuous nature, and religion canh
] Martin Luther and Robert Newton and Rich
ard Baxter were impetuous, alEconsumins
natures yet the grace of God turned them
into the mightiest usefulnessl A manufac-
turer cares but very little for a stream that
/ alcwly runs through the meadow, but a strong
torrent that leaps from rock TO rock,
and rushes with mad energy through the
valley and out toward the sea Along that
river you will find fluttering shuttles and
grinding mill and flashing water wheel And
a nature, the swiftest, the most rugged and
tile most tremendous, that is the nature God
turns into greatest usefulness. Oh, how many
who have been pugnacious and hard TO
P. lease, and irascible, and more bothered
a. bout the mote in their neighbours eye than
about the beam like ship timber in their owl
ere, who have been entirely changed by the
g.ace Of God. and have found out that "God-
illness is profitable for the life that now is as
well as for the life which is to Gomez
Again remark that religion is good for
mans worldly business. know the general
theory is, the more business the less religie=s
tile more religion the less business. Not so,
Thought Dr. Hans, in his biography OF a
Christian Merchant when he says: "He
grew IN grace the last six years or his life
more than at any time in his life; during
those six years he had more business crowd
mig him than at any other time" In other
words, the more worldly business man has
tile more opportunity to serve God. Does
religion exhlarate or retard worldly bust
ness. is the the practical question for you TO
discuss. Does it hang like a mortgage over
the farml Is it a bad debt on the ledgerf Is
10 a lien against the estatef Does II crowd
tie door through which customers come for
bIoadcioths and silksi Now, religion will
hinder your business if it be bad business,
or if it be a good business wfongfully con-
Quoted If you tell lies behind the counter,
if you use false weights and measures, if you
put sand in sugar, and beet juice in vinegar,
and lard in butter. and sell for one thing that
which is another thing, then religion will in
terfere with that business; but a lawful
business, lawfully conducted, viii find the
religion OF the Lord Jesus Christ its mightiest
auxiliary.
Religion will give an equipoise of spirit, it
viii keep you from ebullitions OF temper-and
you know a great many fine businesses have
been blown 10 atoms by bad temper-it viii
keep you from worriment about frequent loss,
Il VIII keep you industrious and prompt, 1t
viii keep you back from squandering and
dissipation, it will give you a kindness
OF spirit which viii be easily distinguished
from that mere store courtesy which I
shakes haPds violently with you, ask
ing about the health of your family when
there is no anxiety to know whether your
know how many dozen cambria pocket |
handkerchiefs you will take and pay cash 4
down. 1t viii prepare You for the practical /
duties Of everyday life. l DO not mean to /
say that religion viii make us financially /
rich, but / do say that it viii give US, 1t {
viii assure US. of comfortable sustenance /
ct the start, comfortable subsistence all the I
way through, and 1t viii help US to direct the I
the bank, to manage the traffic, 20 conduct I
all our business matters, and 70 lake the /
of vast Importance glorifed by Christian .
principle.
In New York city there was a merchant
hard in his dealings with his fellows, who had
written over his banking house, or his count I
ing house room: mo compromise Then
when some merchant got in a crisis and went /
down-no fault Of his, but a conjunction OF
evil circumstances-an all the other mer-
chants were willing to compromise-they
would take seventy-five cents on tie dollar,
or fifty cents, or twenty cents-coming to
this man last Of ali, he said: mo compro-
mise; I'll take one hundred cents on the dol
lar. AMI l can afford TO waltz Well. the
wheel turned, and after a while that man
was IN a crisis or business, and he sent out
his agents TO compromise. and the agents
said to the merchants: ''Wiil you take fifty
cents on the dollar7n ''No.n "Wnl YOU
take anything,n ''Wen take one hundred
cents on the dollar. No compromise" And
counting house died in restitution Oh,
we want more of the kindness Of
the Gospel and the spirit of love in
our 5nsiness enterprisesl How many young
men have found in the religion of Jesus
Christ practical help3 How many there
are in this house to-day who could testify out
OF their own experience that Godliness is
profitable for the life that now is There
were times in their business career when
they went here for help, and there for help,
and yonder for help and got no help until
they knelt before the Lord crying for His
deliysTance, and the Lord rescued them.
In a bank not far from our great metropo-
ls-a village bank-an officer could not ball
ance his accounts He had worked at them
day after day, night after night. and he was
sick nigh unto death as a result He knew
lie had not taken one farthing from that
bank but somehow, for some reason inscru-
table then, the accounts wouldn't balance.
The time rolled on, and the morning Of
the day when the books should pass
under the inspection of the other officers
arrived, and he felt himself in awful peril,
conscious Of bis own integrity but unable 10
prove that integrity. That morning he went
70 the bank early, and he knelt down before
tod and tod the whole story of his mental
anguish, and he said: 20 Lord. have done
right; / have preserved nv integrity but ,
here am about TO be overthrow unless
lnou should come to my rescue. Lord, de-
liver me" And for one hour he continued !
the prayer before God, and then he rose and
went to an old blotter that he had forgotten
all about he opanei it and there lay sheet
OF ngures which he only needed to add TO ,
another line Of figures-some line Of figures
be had forgotten, and knew not where he
had laid tisem-and the accounts were
balanced and the Lord delivered MIN. You are
an lniidel if you do not believe it The Lord ,
delivered hm- God answered his prayer as
de will answer your prayer, o man OF bust
ness, IN every crisis when you come to Him :
Now, il this be So then | am persuaded, as !
you are, of the fact that the vast majority Of !
Christians do not fully test the value OF Their
religion They are like a farmer IN Cali /
-or1ia, with fifteen thousand acres of good '
wheat land and culturing only a quarter Of Il
N acre. Why do you not go forth and I
make the religion Of Jesus Christ practical 4
lifair every day Of your business life and I
III this year, lightning now. and tomorrow n
morning putting into practical effect this c
loiY religion and demonstrating IN your life n
hat Godliness is profitable here as well rs 4
GREATER Il
How can you get along without this re- b
igionl IS yolr physical health so good you D
10 not want this divine t67ie4-Ss your mind a
Q clear, 50 vast 50 comprehensive I712t you
10 not want this divine inspiratlonl Is ySpr a
soT4dly business so thoroughly established X.
hat you have no use for that religion which =,
as been the help and deliverance of tens Of y,
OF men in crises of worldly -
rou 5les And If what have said this morn =
lg Is true, then you see what fatal blunder ="
IS when man adjotTns TO LIES expirR-
ion the uses of religion man who post
ones religion to sixty years of age gets re- P
gion fifty years too late. He may get into le
ie Kingdom of God by final repentance, but u
hat can compensate him for q
hols lifetime unAlleviated and I'M q
lmfortedl You want religion to-day a,
the training Of that child. You :,
i'll want religion tomorrow in dealing with 81
rat Western customer. You wanted re- e.
gioIi yesterday to curb your temper. Is III
our arm strong enough to beat your way ~
rough the foodsi Can you without being e.
leased in the mail OF Gods eternal help 60 p.
'rth amid the assault of all bells sharp n
hooters. Can you walk alone across these -,
-uInbiing graves and amid these gaping -
! 1nquakes. Can you, waterlcgged and mast
lFerea, outlive the galel Oh, how many there
i ,.s, teen who, postponing tho religion of
- cDrlsti have plunged into mistakes they IN
sser eo3uldcorreet although they lived eighty n
- ~ aiter, and like serpents crushed under
", i.eeis, dragging their mauled bodies sa
i i,T me rocks to lie; SO these men have of
Len qh h the wheel OF awful calamity, u
usned here, destroyed forever. while a vast til