The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-01-30

Cowper's 'VTask," flaming in Charles Wes-
ley's hymns, and rushing with archangelc
splendor through Milton's paradise Lost"
The religion OF Jesus Christ has hung IN
studio aud in gallery of art and in Vatican,
the best pictures-Ttian's Assumption"
Raphael's TRANSPORTATION" Ruben's DE
scent from the Cross" Claude's Burning
Bush,n and Angeles Last Judgment"
Religion has made the best music Of the
world - Haydn's Creation" HandePs
messiah" Mczart's Requiem" Is it pos
sible that religion which builds such lnde-
structible monuments, and which lifts Its
ensign on the highest promontories OF
worldly power, can have any effect upon
mans intellect but elevation and enlarge
ment2 Now, I commend gooliness as the
best mental disciphne-bettez than bellies
lettres 10 purify the taste, better than
mathematics to harness the mind to all
intricacy and elaboration, better than logic
to marshal the intellectual forces for onset
and victory. It will go with Hugh Miller
and show him the footprints Of the Creator
in the red sandstone. IT will 60 with the
botanist aud show hin Celestial glories en-
camped under the curtain of the water lily.
It will 20 with the astronomer on the great
h..snt where God shepherds the great flock
Of worlds that wander on the hills o.
Heaven answering His voice as he calls
them all by their names.
Again remark, that sodliness Is profit
able for one's disposition. Lord Ashley, be-
fore he went into great battle, was heard
to offer this prayer: 20, Lord, l shall be
very busy to-day; II forget Thee, forget
me not" With such Christian disposition
as that, man is independent Of all circum-
stances Our piety will have tlnge OF our
natural temperament. II q man be cross and
sour and fretful naturally, after he becomes
Christian he will always have to be armed
against the rebellion Of those evil lnclina-
tions; but religion has tanned the widest
nature; it has turned fretfulness into gratl-
tude, despondency into good cheer, and those
who were hard and ungovernable and un-
compromising have been made pliaole and
conciliatory. Good resolution, reformatory
effort, will not effect the change. It takes
mightier arm and mightier hand to bend
evil habits than the hand that bent the bow
Of Ulysses, and it takes stronger lance
than ever held the buffalo on the prairie.
a man can not go forth with any human
weapons and contend successfully against
these Titans, armed with uptorn mountains.
But YOU have known men into whose spirit
the influence the gospel Of Christ came, un-
til their disposition was entirely changed.
SO it was with two merchants in New York.
They were very antagonistic. They had
done all they could to iujure each other
i They were in the same line Of business. One
of the merchants was converted to God.
Having been converted he asked the Lord
to teach him how to bear himself toward
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pressed with the fact that 1t was his duty
when customer asked for certain kinds OF
goods which he had not, but which he knew
his opponent had, to recommend him to go
to that store Isuppose that is about the
L..xlS.< <l,i,aes q. could DO; but being
thoroughly converted to God, he resolved
to do that very thing, and being asked for a
certain kind Of goods which he had not, be
! said: s'You 20 to such and such store,
and you will get it.'' After while, mer-
chant number two found these customers
coming so sent, and he found also that mer-
chant number one had been brought to God,
and he sought the sans religion. Now they
! are good friends and good neighbors, the
grace Of God entirely changing their dispo-
sicion.
.O," says some one, " have a rr-e5 tsg-
ged, impetpous nature, and rehF 40
anything for mep' Do you k lar-
tin Luther and Robert Newton. ,nard
Baxter were impetuous, au-cons- IS ma
! lures, yet the grace Of God turned them into
! the mightiest usefulness2 A manufacturer
cares but very little for stream that slow
" runs through the meadow, but 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 futtering shuttles and grind
ing mill and aashing water-wheel. And
nature The swiftest, the most rugged and
the most tremendous, that IS the nature
God turns into the greatest usefulness. y,
how many there are who have been pug
nacious, and hard to please, and irascible,
and more bothered about the mote in their
neighbor's eye than about the beam-hke
ship timber in their owneye, who have been
entirely changed by the grace OF God. and
have found out that Goodness IS prohta-
BILE for the life that now is as well as for the
life which is to come"
Again remark that religion Is good for a
mans worldly business. know the general
theory is the more business the less religion,
the more religion the less business. Not so
thought DR.. Hans in his biography OF
Christian Merchant" when he says: she
grew in grace the last six years Of his life
more than at any time in his life; during
those six years he had more business crowd
ing him than at any other time" In other
words, the more worldly business man
has, the more opportunity to serve God.
Does religion exhilarate or retard worldly
business4 is the practical question for you
to discuss Does it hang like mortgage
over the farma Is it bad debt on the
-iedgera Is it g lien against the estate! Does
II cIow0 CnsuoOr through which customers
come for broadclcths and silks2 Now, re.
hgion will hinder your business if it be a
bad business, or if it be good business
wrongly conducted. If you tell lies behind
the counter, If you use false weights and
measures, II you put sand in sugar, and
beet-iuice 10 vinegar, and lard in butter, and
sell for one thing that which is another
thing, then religion will interfere with that
business; but lawful business, lawfully
conducted, will find the religion Of the Lord
Jesus Christ It's mightiest auxiliary.
Religion will give an equipoise Of spirit.
it will keep you from ebullitions Of temper
and you know a great many rlne busi-
nesses have been blown to atoms by bad
temper-it will keep you from worriment
about frequent loss, it will keep you indus
trious and prompt, it will keep you back
from squandering and from dissipation, it
will give you a kindness Of spirit which will
be easily distinguished from that mere store
courtesy which shakes hands violently with
you, asking about the health OF your fami-
" when there is no anxiety to know wheth-
er your child is well or sick! but the ankle
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