The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-09-03
IN THE DEN OF LIONS.
why Daniel Was Condemned 10
be Devoured by Wild Beasts
His Only Crime Was Success and His Ae-
eusors Were Aetuated By JeAiousy- Z
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage. .. D.,
breaches q Sermon to the
Texans.

''Then the King commanded, and they
brought Daniel and cast him into the
den OF lions. Daniel vi, 10.
Young man, start right and keep on.
,Haye decision OF character. Character
bs like the goldHnch Of Tonquin, 1t Is
magnificent while standing firm, but
loscs all Its beauty In flight How much
decision Of character in order thatthese
young men may be Christiansl Their old
associates make sarcastic filings at them.
They 60 on excursions and they do not
invite them. They prophesy that he
will give out They wonder II he is not
getting wings As he passes they grim
ace, and wink, and chuckle, and say,
"There goes saint"
Oyoung man! have decision Of char
scter. You can afford in this matter Of
religion TO be laughed at What do you
care for the SCOTS Of these men, who
are affronted because you will not 20 to
ruin with them?' When the grave cracks
open nnder their feet and grim messsn-
gers push them into 1t, and eternity
comes down hard upon their spirit, and
conscience stings, and hopeless ruin
lifts them up 10 hurl them down, will
they laugh then? Fn.
Ilearn also from my subject that men
may take religion into their worldly busi-
ness. Daniel had enough work TO do TO
occupy six men. All tho affairs OF state
were in his hands-question OF finance,
questions Of war, Of peace, all interna-
tionsl questions were for his settlement
or adjustment. He must have had .
correspondence vast beyond all compu-
tation. There was not man in all the
earth who had more TO do than Daniel,
the Secretary OF State, and yet we find
him three times q day bowing before
God in prayer. There are men in our
day who have not hundredth part OF
Daniels engagements, who say they are
too busy TO be religious. They have an
idea somehow that religion will spoil
their worldly occupation, that 1t will
trip the accountants pen, or dull the
carpenters saw, or confuse the lawyers
brief, or disarrange the merchants
storeshelt
They think religion is impertinent
They would like to have 1t very well
seated beside them in church on the
Sabbath, TO find the place in the psalm
book, or TO nudge them awake when
they get sleepy under the didactic dis
course, or they would like to leave 1t In
the pew on Sabbath evening, as they 60
out closing the door, saying, 'Good
night, religion: I'll be back next Sun
dayr- But TO have religion 60 right
along by them all through life, TO have
religion looking over their shoulder
when they are making a bargain, 70 have
religion take mp bag Of dishonest gold
and shake IL, aud say: 'Hal hal where
did you get that?" They think that is
an impcrtinent religion. They would
like to have q religion to help them
when they are sick, and when
the shadow OF death comes over
them they would like 10 have re-
ligion as sort Of nightkey with
which to open the door Of heaven; but
religion under other circumstances they
take TO be an impertinenoe. Now, my
friends, religion never robbed a man oi
. dollar. Other things being equal, a
mason will build batter wall, acabinet.
maker will make better chair, Q
plumber will make better pipe,
lawyer will make bettor ples, mer'
chant will sell better bill OF goods.
soy other things being equal. OF course
when religion gives man a new heart
II does not propose TO give him q new
head, or TO intelIectualize him, or "a
change mans condition when his or.
dinary state is an overthrow OF the
philosophical theory, that q total
vacuum Is impossible; but tho more let
ters you have TO write, the more burdens
you have 10 carry, the moro mile;
you have TO travel, the more burdens
you have TO lift. the more engagement,
you have 70 meet the moro disputes you
have 70 settle, the more opportunity you
lave OF being . Christian.
II you have q thousand irons In the
fre, you have . thousand more oppor
tunities OF serving God than II you had
oaly one iron In the nre. Who so busJ
- Christi And yet who . milliontt
part as holy7 The busiest men the
best men. ALI the persons converted In
Scripture busy at the time Of their boini
converted. Matthew attending 70 hi
custom-honse duties; tho Prodigal Son
fs>tihx swihe; I,ydiH ceiling purple
6faen Pstsf hauling IN The net ffof
the scz, Saul squirting his horse toward
Damascus, going down on his law busi
ness Busyi busyi Daniel with all thu
affairs OF state Weighing down upon hii
soul, and yet three times a'day vorship
ing the God Of Heaven.
Again: learn from this subject thai
man may take religion into his pol
itics. Daniel had sil tho Affairs Of stat1
on hand, yet q Christian. He could moi
have kept HIS elevated position unles'
he had becn thorough politician; and
yet all the thrusts Of ofilciais and all tho
danger Of disgrace al not make hin
yicld one iota Of his high-toned religioui
principle. He stood before that age, ht
stands before all ages, q specimen OF
Christian politician.
So tbero have been in our day and Ia
the days OF our fathers men as ointment
IN the service Of God az they have been
sminent IN the service Of the state
Such was benjamin. r. Butler, Attorney
General OF Now York In the time Of your
fathers. Such was John Mclean, Of
Ohio Such was George sDfiggs., q
Massachusetts. Such was Theodor'
Frelinghuysen, oil New Jersey. Mer
faithful 10 God.
1t Is absurd to expect that men whs
have been immersed in political wicked