Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-09-08


do not bring the religion of
the gospel into their ordinary occupa-
tions and employments. There are in
the churches of this day men who seem
very devout on the Sabbath who are
far from that during the week. A
country merchant arrives in this city,
and he goes into the store to buy goods
of a man who Processes religion, but
has no grace in his heart. The country
merchant is 6indled. He is too eX-
hausted to go home that week; he tar
ries in town. On Sabbath he goes to
some church for consolation, and what
is his amaZement to find that the man
who carries around the poor box is the
very one who swindled him. But
never mind-the dea on has his black
coat on now, and looks solemn, and
goes home talking about that blessed
sermon! Christians on sunday. World
lings during the week.
That man does not realize that God
knows every dishonest dollar he has in
his pocket, that God is looking right
through the iron wall of his money
safe. and that the day of judgment is
coming, and that las the partridge
stitch on eggs and hatcheth them not;
so he that getteth riches, and not by
r ght, shall leave them in the midst of
his days, and at his end shall be a
fool" But how many there are who
do not bring the religion of Christ
into their everyday occupation! They
think religion is for Sundays.
Suppose you were to go out to fight
for your country in some great con-
test would you go to do the battling at
Troy or springfield? No, you would
go there to geC your sword and musk
cts. Then you would go out in the
face of the enemy and contend for
your country Now, | take the Sab
bath day and the church to be only
the armory where we are to get
equipped for the great battle of life,
and that battlefield is Monday, Tues
day, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
and Saturday. Antioch" and st.
Martins" and Old hundred" are not
worth much if we do not sing all the
week. A sermon is of little account if
we cannot carry it behind the counter
and behind the pillow I he Sabbath
day is of no value if it last only
twenty-four hours.
OH says some one, eff i had a
great sphere | would do that; if |
Luther, if | could have been Paul S
travelling companion, if | had some
great and resoundtng work TO do
then | should put into appli alton all
that you say" | must admit that the
romance and knight errantry have
gone out of life. There is but very
little of it left in the world. The
temples of Rouen have been changed
irf 90, . l. 10 -, at
Ash and has been cut up into walking
sticks; the muses. have retreated before
the emigranJs AK and the trapper's gun
and Nermonter might go over the
Allegheny and the Rocky Mountains
and see neither an Dread nor a sylph.
The groves where the gods used TO
dwell have been cut up for fire wood.
and the man who is looking for great
spheres and great scenes for action
will not find them. And yet there are
Alps TO sea e and there are Tablespoons
to swim, and they are in common life.
1t is absurd for you to say that you
would serve God if you had a great
sphere. If you do not serve him on a
small scale, you would not on large
scale. If you cannot stand the bite of
nudge, how could you endure the
breath of a basilisk?
Our national government does not
think it belittiing to put tax on pins,
and IA tax on buckles, and a tax on
shoe>. The individual taxes do not
amount to much, but in the aggregate
to millions and millions OF collars.
And | would have you, o Christian
man, put high tariff on every annoy
ance and veXation that comes through
your soul. This might not amount 10
much, in single cases, but IN the ag-
gregate it would be a great revenue
of spiritual strength and satisfaction.
A bee can suck honey even out of n
nettle; and if You have the grace of
God in your heart you can get sweet
ness out of that which would otherwise
irritate and annoy. A returned mis-
sionary told me that accompany of adj
venturers rowing up the Gauges, were
stung to death by flies that infest that
region at certain seasons. l have seen
the earth strewed with the carcasses
of men slain by insect annoyances
The only way to get prepared for the
great troubles of life i, to conquer
these small troubles.
suppose a soldier should say, This
is only skirmish. and there are only a
few eHemies-I won't load my gun;
wait until / can get into some great
general engagement" That man is a
coward, and would be a co ward in
any sphere. If man does not serve
his country in a skirmish he will not
in a Waterloo. And if YOU are not
faithful going oDt against the single
handed misfortunes OF this life, you
would not be faithful when great dis
asters with their laundering artillery
came rolling down over the soul.
This brings me to another point.
We ought to bring the religion of
Jesus Christ into all of our trials. If
we have bereavement, if we lose our
fortune, if some great trouble blast
like the tempest, then we go to God
for comfort but Yesterday in the lit
tie annoyances of your store, or office,
or shop, or factory, or banking house
did you go to God for comfort? You
did not.
My friends, you need to take the re-
ligion of the Lord Jesus Christ into
the most ordinary triaIs of your life.
You have your misfortunes, you have
your anxieties, you have your vexa-
tions. OH you say, they don't
shape my character. Since lost my
CHI Id, since | lost my property, have
been very different man from what
/ wasn NV brothar IL is tho littta