The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-09-14
BUSINESS TRIALS.
Dr.. Talmage Shows How They Re-
fine the Spirit,
Religion in Trnde-The Merchants
once n school of Industry, Pa.
tiencs, Integrity and Up
right Living.
copyright. 1899. by Louis Klopsch.l

affairs OF lie, and instead OF pelnS
hindrance, as many think, 10 re-
enforcement. The text is Romans 12:
IL: Not slothful in business; fervent
In spirit; serving the Lord"
Industry, devoutness and Christian
service-an commended in that short
text. What, is 1t possible that they
shall be conjoined? Oh, yes. There Is
no war between religion and business.
between ledgers and Bibles, between
churches and counting houses. On the
contrary, religion accelerates business,
sharpens mems wits, sweetens acerbity
Of disposition, tillips the blood OF fphleg-
matics and throws more velocity into
tho wheels of hard work. 1t gives bet
ter balancing to the Judgment, more
strength TO the will, more muscles to
industry and throws into enthusiasm a
more consecrated fire. You cannot in
oil the circle of the world show me
man whose honest business has been
dcspoied by religion.
The industrial classes are divided into
three groups-producers, manufac-
turers, traders. Producers, such ss
farmers and miners. Manufacturers,
such as those who turn corn into food
and wool and fax into apparel. Traders.
such as make profit out of the transfer
and exchange of all that which is pro-
duced and manufactured. A business
man may belong to any one or all OF
these classes, and not ono Is independ-
ent OF any other.
When the prince imperial OF France
fell on the Zulu battlefield because tho
strap fastening the stirrup to the saddle
broke as he clung to it, his comrades
all esoapirS, but he falling under the
lanccs Of the savages, a great many
people blamed the empress for allow
Ing her son to go forth into that bat.
uefeld, and others blamed the Eng
ush government for accepting the sac
rifice. and others blamed the Zulus for
their barharism. The one most to blame
was the harness maker who fashioned
that strap OF the surrup out OF shoddy
and imperfect material, as It was found
to have boen sftsrwurd. II the strap
had held. the prince imperial would
probably have been alive to-day. But
the strap broke. No prince independ.
ent Of . harness maker! High, low,
wise, ignorant, you in one occupation,
l. in another, all bound together.
So that there must be enc continuous
limo OF sympathy with each others
work. But whatever your vocation.
II you have Q multiplicity Of engage
ments, ,ifinto your life there como losses
and annoyances and psrturbations a.
we'll as percentages and dividends, IL
you arc pursued from Monday morning
until Saturday night, and from January
to January by inexorable obligation
and duty, then you are business man,
or you are business woman. and
my subject is appropriate TO your
case.
We are under the impression that the
moil and tug Of business life are pris-
on into which man is thrust, or
that it is an unequal strife, where un-
armed q man goes forth to contend.
shall show you this morning that busi-
ness life was intended Of God for grand
and glorious education and discipline,
and if shall be helped to say what l
want to soy I shall rub some Of the
wrinkles of care out OF your brow and
unstrap some of the burdens from your
back. am not talking Of an nbstrac-
ton. Though never having been In
business life, / know all about busi-
ness men. In my first parish at Belle
Vile, N. j.. ten miles from New York.
large portion Of my audience was
made up of New York merchants. Then
I went TO Syracuse, place OF immense
commercial activity, and then went
70 Philadelphia and lived long among
the merchants Of that city, than whom
there are no better men on earth, and
for IS years I stood at my Brooklyn
pulpit, Sabbath by Sabbath. preaching
10 audiences the majority Of whom were
business men and business women. 1t
is not IN abstraction of which speak,
but reality with which am well ac-
quainted.
In the first place, remark that
business life was intended as . school
Of energy. God gives US q certain
amount of raw material out of which We
are to hsw our character. Our facul-
ties are to be reset, rounded and sharp
ened up. Our young folks having grad
uated from school or college need q
higher education, that which the rasp-
ing collision of everyday kfe alone can
effect. Energy is wrought out only
in the fire. After ? man has been in
business activity 10, 90, 30 years, his
energy is not to be measured by weights
or plummets or ladders. There Is no
height II cannot scale, and there is no
depth It cannot fathom, and there II no
obstacle it cannot thrash.
Now. my brother, why did God put
Sou In that school Of entrgy2 Was 1t
merely that you might be yardstick
to measure cloth, or o steelyard to
weigh -four? Was il merely that you
might be better qualified to chatter and
higgle? No. God placed you In that
school Of energy that you might bede-
veloped for Christian work. II the un-
x.Io-.. L. A.. Chrt.xtau