Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-09-12


There was not a man in all the earth who
aad more to do than Daniel the Secretary
st State, and yet we find him three times a
isy bowiug before God in prayer. There
are men in our day who have not a hun
iredth part Of Daniels engagements who say
they are too busy to be religious. They
have an idea somehow that religion will spoil
tneir worldly occupation, that IL will trip
the accountants pen, or dull the carpenters
saw, or confuse tho lawyers brief, or disar-
range the merchants store shelf.
They think religion Is impertinent. They
would like TO have 1t very we'll seated be-
ride them in church on the Sabbath. tn hnd
the place in the psalm book, or to nudge
them awake when they get sleepy under
the didactic discourse; or they would like
10 leave II in the pow on Sabbath evening,
As they go out closing the door, saying:
"Good night, religion; Til be back next
Sundayr' But to have religion 60 right
Along by them oil through life, to have re-
ligion looking over their. shoulder whom
they are making hag. ain, to have religion
take up q bag OF dishonest gold and shake
II, and say: "nai nal where dld you get
thatY' they think that Is an impertinent
religion. They would like to have q re.
ligion to help them when they are sick, and
when the shadow Of death comes over them
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
man OF dollar. Other things being equal,
mason will build bettor wall, cabinet
maker will make better chair, a plumber
will make better pipe, lawyer will mako
better plea, merchant will sell better
bill Of goods.
say other things being equal. or course
when religion gives a mau q new heart II
does not propose to give him new head, or
10 intellectualize him, or to change a mans
condition when his ordinary state is an over.
throw of the philosophical theory that a total
vacuum is impossible; but the moro letters
you have to write, the more burdens you
have to carry, the more miles you have to
travel the more burdens you have TO lift
the more engagements you have to meet, the
more disputes you have to settle, tho more
opportunity you have OF being a Christian.
IL you have a thousand irons In the fire
you nave thousand more opportunities Of
serving God than II you had only one iron
In the fire. Who so busy as Christi And
yet who mtllionth part as holyf The
busiest men tbs best men. All tho 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 Damascus going
down on his law business. Dusyl busy
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 ubject that man
may take religion into his politics Daniel
had all the affairs Of state on hand, yet q
Christian. He could not have kept his ole
vated position unless he had been q thorough
politician; and vet all the thrusts OF officials
and all the danger OF disgrace did not make
aim yield one iota OF his high toned religious
principle. He stood before that ara hs
Hands before all ages, q specimen Of a Chris
ian politician.
So there have been in onr day and In the
lays OF our fathers men as eminent In the
ervice OF God as they have been eminent in
The service OF the State. Such was Benja-
min r. 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-
ioro Frelinghuyseu, Of New Jersey. Men
faithful to the State, at the same time faith
hui TO God.
It Is absurd to expect that men who have
boen immersed In political wickedness for
thirty or forty years shall come to reforma-
ton; 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 como TO the ballot box and cas-,
heir first vote and that they swear allegi.
lnce TO the government Of heaven as well al
70 the Government OF the United States. We
would have Bunker Hill mean less to them
than Calvary, and Lexington mean less tc
them than Bethlehem.
Rut hsACanca thara had man rot,v,t ths
ballot box Is no reason why Christian mer
Ihould retreat from the arena. The last
lime you ought to give up your child or for
axe your child Is when 1t is surrounded bv q
,ompany OF Choctaws; and the last time tc
surrender the ballot box Is when 1t is sur
founded by impurity and dishonesty and all
torts Of wickedness.
Daniel stood on a most unpopular plat
orm. He stood firmly, though the dema
yogues OF the day hissed at him and tried tc
overthrow him. Wemust carry our religion
INTO our politics. But there are o great
many men who are in favor OF taking religion
INTO national politics who do not SEQ the i'm
portance Of taking 1t into city politics; a,
though a man wero intelligent about tn,
welfare Of his neighborhood and had no con
.crn about his own home
Religion would drive out all base person
,lties from politics. You have right t.
discuss mems politics and denounce theiI
political sentiments or receive them as yoy
will; but you have no right to assail thei
private character, as is done every autumn
That Is not carrying religion into politics
| Now you can always tell without asking, iI
any contest, what candidate | will vote for
! Il Is always sor the man who Is most bad
gered, and most abused and most spit upon
and most howled at. You have q right +
contest a mans political sentiments; yol
have no right for base political purposes Il
assail his private moral character.
| My subject also impresses me with tn
fact that lions cannot hurt good man. M
man ever got into worse company thai
Daniel got into when he was thrown int
| young man would have been for the hungr
monsters! II thoy had plunged at him h
could not have climbed into niche beyon
the reach of their paw or the snatch of thei
tooth. They came pleased all around abou
him as a hunters hounds at the well know
whistle come bounding TO his feet.
You neel not 60 to Numidia to get amoni
the lions. You all have had them after yo,
the lion of financial distress, the lion @
sickness the lion OF Persecution. You sa,
that lion Of financial panic putting his mout
down 70 the earth. and he roared until al q
luaked. With his nostril he scattered th'
ashes on the domestic hearth. You hav
had trial after trial, misfortune after mis-
fortune, lion after lion; and yet they hav
| never hurt you IL you put your trust In God
and they never will hurt you. They di
not hurt Daniel, and they cannot hurt yoy
The Persians used to think that spring raj
falling into sea shells would turn into pearli
and have to tell you that the tears of Sol
row turn into precious gems when they dro
into Gods bottle You need be afraid Q
nothing putting your trust in God. Eve
death, that monster lion whose den Is tf
worlds sepulchrc, and who puts his pa
| down amid thousands Of millions OF the deat
cannot alright you.
When in olden times man was to get "a
honors Of knighthood he was compelle
10 go fully armed the night before anon
the tombs Of the dead, carrying q sort {
spear, and then when the day broke |
would come forth, and amid the sound I
cornet and great parade he would get Il
| l..uo,-a - l,,,0bthood And M IL xUilI