Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-12

| One OF the most wonderful salutations
] find IN the New testament was ~. whs en-
a distant church. said THE saints In
Caesars household salute youi" Why,
you would almost as soon expect 20 see
saints ~ pandemonium as in caesar
when the reignirg Caesar at That time
was Nero. whose name was Just
his court the botbed Of all the vices which
poiiute and degrade humanity. what
conflict there must have been against
circumstances among those men ana wo-
men In Caesars household, whom the
apostle declared 10 be saints, and who
sent their salutations 10 their brethren
1 in Caesars household by Gods help there
] VIII be saints in any community. ana
there Is not an acre OF ground on az
this globe where Gospel seed VIII not
/ spring up and terminate. and Improve by
I proper cultivation. Ii is said or Agrlppa,
| the grandson OF Herod the Great. That on
/ one occasion he was imprudent enough 70
/ say that he hoped II would not be aong
| before his friend Caligula, would be on
| the throne. Old Tiberius. who was then
the regning Emperor. heard or II, ana
| was very much eDraged; so much 80 ihat
he threw Agrppa into prison ana loacsd
I him with letters. Not long Afterwards
l Tiberius died. and Caligula did ascend the
throne, and the first ming ne ,dld was
70 release his faithful friend from MS
I lOathsome dungeon, 10 strip on ms
| filthy robes and clothe him IN Imperial
purple; then he, weiged ms Sna am. s si,,i
a chain Of gold OF equal weight and TOOK
| care that there were as many Inks IN the
! chain OF gold as there were In the chain
/ OF iron.
BE FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH.
So my friends when the great Captain
of Salvation looks upon those who are
/ striving 10 maintain the truth ana Vih9l,
/ cate the right. he says, BE thou taithIW
unto death. and ] viii give lhee crown
] 80 q. A
/ his loyal friends surely the heaVehly
/ King viii not forget His faithful ser
/ wants. 49,,
| the popular idea that religion cannot
stand the strain of business competugn
| and the rough realities OF cQiIinneISld!i
rivalry. There are men VINO tel you Ihat
/ the Golden Rule cannot pc appheu 70
/ business life. Then. say II IS not worth
! applying to anything, II that is so.
/ What Is religion worth II ~ cahtlul
/ make men truthful and upright, ana
| honest? If IL breaks down there, II Dteaks
/ down everywhere, and is nothing, more
than delusion and a snare; but IL - a
Islander to assert that religion cannot
make and keep men pure ana hohesl.
There is no infidel that can bring more
terrible charge against Jhrlstlahlly tidn
the professor Of religion VINO says lhdt
Christianity has not the power 70 piace
business under such restraints, ana uhusr
the influence Of such principles as 70 Inahe
II right in the sight or Coo. what inc
world needs is commercial men travelling
All through II. who are living illustrations
of the fact that divine grace can make
men pure and honorable ana afnIut W d III
true o. my friends, in the nndSt OF the
breaches of trust that shock tue COIN,
munity, I'm the midst or those crueI anu
gigantic frauds by whlch SoHplnatlols
OF men sometimes derange the commerce
of a continent and wreck the institutions
In when the funds OF the countess
widows and orphans have been deposited
and where they were supposed 10 De Sc
cure. IN such a state Of things we need
the men whose integrity is basen upon
irnmoVable and imperishable founoauohs'
who can show how business can De CON
Quoted so as to give development 10
the nOblest type OF manhOod, ana az tne
same time maintain and elevate puDhc
morality.
WIDE FIELD FOR USEFULNESS.
Commercial men go everywhere, and IN
their vast circuits they take In cities and
towns and villages, ana all places WntIe
commodities are bought and sofa. only
think, if each OF these men posSesseu sne
character i have been delineatins, What
witnesses they would be TO the noDlest
truths; and what Illustrations they would
become of the power or grace 10 ehnobIe
it's pOssessor and enable him TO over
come every obstacle to the highest style
of manhood: and make even opposing
circumstances the means OF reaching d
moral elevation not otherwise 70 be at
tained. Now il the remark of the great
statesman Is true, that the most solemn
thought that ever occupied his mlnd was
the, CONVICTION OF ms tt ,b
man is not only bound TO develop what
is finest and best In himself, Tor ms own
sake, but is also bound TO exert an h .IiiSs
of others. The truth Is, God has gwen US
social natures, has so interhhhtu anu
interlaced us, by family ties, by me
ties of neighborhoOd of state and or
common country that we form communl-
ties In which the interests OF one man
touch the interests or every man anu
we cannot live i'm a world ike inns Win
out exerting an influence upon those Win
whom we come in contact by the eN-
amples We set. the principles we lhcuIcatS,
and the conduct we PudTsHe deeT wbot we
say and what we DO, Tor all the Wnlle
we are making lasting impressions upon
And to show that IT Is not mater OF
indifference to Us what others DO, let me
mention this fact, that the posiuoh Oh
every man / am speaking 10 IN thls C 0n-
pregation and every man in TINS city,
in this commonwealth. on this continent,
and In this world. has been aIIecteu py
the act Of one single man-the man wiz
by the first transgression brought uedth
into our world and all our woe. AS IN he
first Adam all died, SO IN the SECOND
Adam all may be made awe. les tne
done great deal to make us what we
are We begin where they leit on we
inherit whatever they did Tor their gene
ration. The statesmen or other ages
,oade wise laws for us; patriotic soldiers
rIsked their lives for JUS; disccVerers anu
inventors. philanthropists and reiormers
l4Dored for us; and we are the inhef i'.Is
of the great treasures when others nav
heoucathed. What an obligation TINS lays
ms under to transmit the best ana purest
institutions we possess to those who come
after us
Now in order TO make this great re-
sponsibiiity for influence more vivid in
your conception want 10 snow you
two departments or II. ! would iihe YOU
fIuence as II is presented, first, under the
law of diffusion, and then under the
law OF descent. l call one me hoflz si'
ial referring to the influences we exercise
on those around US on every sue, anu
which are eXerted during our own ua33
and time upon our contemporaries anu
the vertical by which | mean the IN
fuences which We transmit 10 nose
coming after us, when we nave nhlsheu
our course. The impressions we .hhahc
on those about US do not stop win them,
but are conveyed 10 others, who In turn |
communicate them TO others stlll more re-
mote from the original source A Sood
example or principle is thus started on |
it's widening and beneiclent way WINE
"A bad example or corrupt principe IL
like "A contagious disease in It's propaga-
tion. injecting others with It's poison
nrofane Witticism or an indecent Jest goes |
from mouth 20 mouth, and from land 10 I
land till the ends or the earth are |
Yet. the other-the descending in |
fiuence-i think. is more solemn sun. II |
is a very serious thing, my frltnds, 10 |
beoueath influences which may AFFECT the |
welfare, temporal and spiritual. OF gene
rations that come after US. If you thlnk |
no influence could ever be eXerted that |
could 20 on affecting generation after |
generation. | can give you proof or II |
which will make IL perfectly plain. so that |
no one can dispute 1t.
SPEAK THROUGH THEIR WRITINGS. |
The most graphic illustration of 1t is |
in the case Of men who have committed |
their thoughts TO writing, and whose |
writings have been printed, and whose |
books 10 on down through all the CEN |
turtles OF time oh. is it not wonderful |