Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-09-11

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 a
day bowling before God in prayer. There
are men in our day who have not a hun
dredth part of Daniels engagements who say
they are too busy 10 be religious. They
have an idea somehow that religion viii spoil
their worldly occupation, that 1t win trip
the accountants pen, or dull the carpenters
saw or confuse the lawyers brief or disar-
range the merchants store shelf.
They think religion is impertinent They
would like TO have IL very well seated be-
side 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 discourse; or they would like
to leave it in the pew on Sabbath evening,
as they 60. out closing the door, saying:
"Good night, religion; I'll be back next
Sundayr But to have religion go right
along by them all through life, TO have re-
ligion looking over their shoulder when
they are making a bargain, to have religion
take up bag OF dishonest gold and shake
IL and say: s'Hal hal where did you get
thatY' they think that is an impertinent
religion. They would like TO have re-
ligion 10 help them when they are sick, and
when the shadow OF death comes over them
they would like TO have religion as sort OF
night-key with which to open the door OF
heaven; but religion under other circum-
stances they take TO be an impertinence.
Now, my friends, religion never robbed a
man of a dollar. Other things being equal, a
mason viii build better wall, cabinet
maker will make a better chair. a plumber
will make better pipe a lawyer will make
a better plea, merchant will sell better
bill Of goods.
saw other things being equal. or course
raltcrfofa crixyac n a heart N
does not propose TO give him new head, or
to intelectualize him, or TO change mans
condition when his ordinary state is an over
throw Of the philosophical theory that total
vacuum is impossible; but the more letters
you have to write, the more burdens you
have TO carry, the more miles you have &c
travel the more burdens you have 70 lift
the more engagements you have 70 meet, the
more disputes you have 10 settle, the more
opportunity you have OF being Christian.
II you have thousand irons in the fire
you have thousand more opportunities Of
serving God than il you had only one iron
In the lire. Who so busy as Christi And
yet who mlllionth part as holys The
busiest men the best men. All the persons
converted In Scripture busy at the time OF
their being converted. Matthew attending
to his custom house duties; the Prodigal Son
feeding swine; Lydia selling purple; Simon
Peter hauling in the net from the sea; Saul
squirting his horse toward Damascux going
down ON his law business. Busyl busyl
Daniel with all the affairs of state weighing
down upon his soul, and yet three a day
worshiping the God Of Heaven.
Again, learn from this subject that man
may take religion into his politics Daniel
had all the affairs of state on hand, vet a
Christian. He could not have kept his ele- /,
waited position unless he had been a thorough
politician; and yet all the thrusts OF officials
and all the danger OF disgrace did not make
him yield one iota OF his high toned religious
principle. He stood before that are he
stands before all ages a specimen OF Chris
tian politician.
So there have been in our day and in the
days OF our fathers men as eminent ia the
service of God as they have been eminent In
the service Of the State. Such was Benja-
min +. Butler, Attorney General OF New
York, in the time Of your fathers. Such
was John Mclean, of Ohio. Such was Geo.
Briggs, OF Massachusetts, Such was Theo-
fore Frelmghuvsen, Of New Jersey. Men
faithful to the State, at the same time faith
Iul to God.
1t is absurd TO expect that men who have
been immersed in political wickedness for
thirty or forty years shall come to reforma-
ion; and our hope is in the young men who
ire coming up that they have patriotic
principle and Christian principle side by side
when they come 10 the ballot box and cast
heir first vote. and that they swear allegi-
'nce 70 the government OF heaven as well as
% the Government of the United States. We
would have Bunker Hill mean less TO them
han Calvary, and Lexington mean less to
hem than Bethlehem.
But because there are bad men around the
lallot box is no reason why Christian men
hould retreat from the arena The last
line you ought to give up your child or for
b. s.t.tf = -
ompany OF Choctaws; and the last time to
the ballot box is when 1t is sur
oundet by impurity and dishonesty and all
orts of wickedness.
Daniel stood on a most unpopular plat
orm. he stood firmly. though the donna
-ogues OF the day Missed at him and tried TO
verthrow him. We unjust carry our religion
nto our politics But there are a great
many men who are in favor Of taking religion
nto national politics who do not see the inn
,ortance OF taking it into city politics; as
hough a man were intelligent about the
Welfare OF his neighborhood and had no con-
ern about his own home
Religion would drive out all base person.
lties from politics. You have right to
iscuss mems politics and denounce their
'olltlcal sentiments, or receive them as you
will; but you have no right TO assai their
lrivate character, as is done every autumn.
hat is not carrying religion into politics. |
Tow you can always tell without asking. in
ny contest, what candidate / will vote for.
I is always for the man who is most bad |
cred, and most abused, and most spit upon,
nd most howled at You have a right to |
ontest a mans political sentiments; you
ave no right for base political purposes, to
ssail his private moral character
My subject also impresses me with the
act that lions cannot hurt good man. No
san ever got into worse company than
)aniel got into when he was thrown into
he den. What a rare morsel that fair
Dung man would have been for the hungry
nonstersl IL they had plunged at him he
ould not have climbed into niche beyond
be reach Of their paw or the snatch Of their
Doth. They came pleased all around about
i'm as hunters hounds at the well known
Whistle come bounding to his feet.
You nee not go to Numidia to get among
he lions. You all have had them after you
the hon of financial distress, the lion Of
ickness, the lion OF persecution. You saw
hat lion OF financial panic putting his mouth
own TO the earth. and he roared until all
he banks and all the insurance companies
naked. With his nostril he scattered the
shes on the domestic hearth. You have
ad trial after trial, misfortune after mis-
ortune, lion after lion. and vet they have
aver h1rf vn1. if vots mt voftr frI1cf in God