The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-11-04
REL,cIoN IN nUsiNGss.


Mt esFHcs Ghufchs
The Rev. Harvey Wendell of Albany, N.
r.. preached at Grace Church last night.
Mr.. Wendell was introduced by the Rev.
DR.. Huiburd as a business man, saying that
alis sermon would be business mans SER
mon to business men.
Mr. Wendell chose for his text: Paul and
silas.' Acts xvi. ..
In the couse Of his sermon the preacher
said In substance: The Jewish people are
euainently a commercial people. From no
GLASS OF merchants in this country has an
appeal for aid In case of special distress
found a more generous response than from
Jewish merchants.
This is said mainly that you be prepared
to look with favor upon the sign OF Jewish
Arm which wish to hang UP before the
eye of your minds at this time, tho old
Arm of Paul and Silas, OF whose business
we have some account In this fourteenth
chapter Of acts.
The business Of the new nrm was to
preach the Gospel. They encountered DIM
Guilty. and like all other business men met
with competition. This form Of competition
took an annoying form. Every business man
imagines that he suffers from a compe-
tition peculiarly annoying, and wonders
whether there can be any thing like 1t in
other lines Of trade.
The opponents of Paul and Silas employ
ed damsel having the spirit OF divination
to follow them about, and endorse them
to cry out after them: These men are the
servants OF the most high God. which
show unto us the way of salvation" These
preachers could stand outright opposition.
They were prepared for this. But to have
this witch, this fortune teller. advertising
them was not to be borne. Paul resolved to
kill this kind of competition.
There fs kind of endorsement which no
preacher can stand. II you want to Kill on
the best and most useful preacher in any
community, Just get the worst people in
the place to praise him. Let gamblers and
rumsellers and keepers OF disreputable
places praise him and he will soon seek
some other field of labor.
St. Paul killed this competition by cast
ing the evil spirit out of this damsel. 1t is
not always wise to kill on competition. It
is better to encourage a competitor that is
at ali fair. Let him live. If he Is killed a
much worse man may take his place. for
competition rs inevitable.
Tis firm met reverses with cheerfulness
This is half the battle in business life. Difn-
culties are half overcome II met with
cheerful courage. Don't bulletin your trou-
bles to the world by a sorrowful connten-
anct. SluE a1 McH e1 pay
Laughl Hopei Trusti And in the mean
time gather strength by which to meet the
shock when 1t comes.
Paul and Silas were in prison, their
backs bleeding and their feet In stocks
They were praying and singing praises
unto God. They awoke the midnight echoes
with their jubiiant songs. Panic seized the
foundation of that old Phillipian jail SO
that Its doors were shaken open, and the
bonds OF all the prisoners were loosed.
These men knew no such word as failure.
Read the history Of Paul and Silas. There
is not a syllable of 1t that can be construed
into a confession Of failure. Their re-
verses were factors In the formation Of
heroic characters.
Men In commercial life who have had
unbroken prosperity are scarcely ftted to
deal Justly and charitably with those who
are overtaken with misfortune. But the
man who has had his plans miscarry, who
has been dangerously near the precipice OF
business disaster. will have his Judgment
OF others tempered with mercy. Such
man becomes safe and judieious COUNSEL
lor to those needing helpful words.
Another lesson, These men, in their ad-
verslty learned to respect their own man
hood. The man to whom respect Is due
above all others Ia the man into whose
eyes we look when we stand before the
mirror. This is the man one cannot get
away from. We must not be Indifferent to
the respect for others, but this mans good
opinion is vital to our happiness. We must
have 1t.
Another point Is the supreme Importance
of taking God into the business. That
Paul and Silas did, and while 1t did not
give them exemption from trials and re-
verses 1t made all these tributary to their
ultimate success. Here was the secret Of
success.
Look at that one calm man on board that
vessel driven by stormy winds on the
Mediterranean sea. Hope has died out in
all hearts hut His, But this man was not
hopeless. Paul no doubt thought OF that
night in the old Phillipian jail with his
feet in the stocks, and of the wonderful de-
iiverance God wrought for him. No won
der that he could say; 81 believe God, that
1T shall be even as he told me-"
Let us make the God of Paul and Silas
our God. Trust as they trusted, believe as
they believed-serve God In business as
they served and we shall share with them
the courage which God gives to all trust
Ing hearts.