The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-09-02
BUSINESS TRIALS.
DR.. Talmage Shows How They Re-
hne the Spirit.
Religion In ~Trsde-rhe Merchants
once . Sehsol 81 Industry, Pa
thence. Integrity aad Up
right Liviag.
TcopyrsAt iss by LOul. KlopscAl

enforcement The text is Romans u;
II: Not sloihful in business; ferTent
in spirit; serving the lord"
Industry, deyoutness and Christian
service-all commended in that short
text. What, is it possible that they
shall be eo~nJoined? Oh, yes. There is
no war between religion and business
between ledgers and BIBLES, between
churches and counting houses On the
contrary, religion sccelerates business,
sharpens mems wits, sweetens seerbity
Of disposition, fllips the blood Of phleg-
MATES and throws more velocity into
the 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 q
more ~consecrsted IRE. You cannot in
all the circle Of the world show me a
man whose honest business has been
despoiled by religion.
The industrial classes are divided into
three groups-produeers, manufae-
turers, traders. Producers, such as
farmers and miners. Manufacturers,
such as those who turn corn into food
and wool and fax into apparel Traders,
such as make profit nj 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 one Is independ-
ent Of any other.
When the prince imperial Of France
fell on the Zulu battlefield because the
strap fastening the stirrup TO the saddle
broke as he chung to it, his comrades
all escaping, but he falling under the
lances of the sarages, a great many
people blamed the empress for allow
ing her son TO 60 forth into that bat
tlefeld, and others blamed the Eng
lish government for accepting the sAc-
rihce. and others blamed the Zulus for
their barbsrism. The one most 10 blame
was the harness maker who fashioned
that strap Of the stirrup out of shoddy
and imperfect material. as il was found
10 have been afterward. II the strap
had held, the prince imperial would
probably have been alive to-day. But
the strap broke. No prince independ-
ent Of a harness makerl High, low,
wise, ignorant. you in one occupation,
l in another. all bound together.
So that there must be one continuous
line Of sympathy with each others
wSrk. But whatever your vocation.
II you have a multiplicity OF engage
ments, ifiuto your life there come losses
and annoyances and pe~rturbstions n
well as percentages and dividends. IL
you are pursued from Monday morning
until Saturday night, and from January
10 January by memorable obligation
and duty. then you are a business man.
or you are u business woman. and
my subject is appropriate TO your
case.
We are under the suppression that the
moil and tug Of business life are a pris-
on into which a man is thrust, or
that II is An unequal strife, where IN
armed a man goes forth to contend. l
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 |
want to say l shall rub some Of the
wrinkles OF care out Of your brow and
unstrap some Of the burdens from your
back. / am net talking of an abstrac-
ton. Though never having been in
business life. / know all about bust
ness men. In my first parish at Belle
vile, y. j., ten miles from New York,
a large portion OF my audience was
made up Of New York merchants. Then
l went to Syracuse, a place of immense
commercial activity, sAd then | went
to Philadelphia and lived long among
the merchants Of that city, than whom
there are no better men on earth, and
for rs years l stood at my Brooklyn
pulpit, Sabbath by Sabbath, preaching
tosudiences the majority of whom were
business men and business m 1t
is not an abstraction of which l speak,
but a reality with which l am well &C.
qusinted.
In the first place, / remark that
business life was intended as a school
Of energy. God gives US a certain
amount Of raw material out Of which we
are TO hew our character. Our facul-
ties are ( o be reset, rounded and sharp.
ened up. Our young folks having grad.
uated from school or college need a
higher education, that which the rssp'
ing collision Of everyday life alone can
effect. Energy is wrought out only
in the fire. After a man has been in
business activity 10, 20, 80 years, his
energy is not TO be measured by weights
or plummets or ladders. There is nc
; height it cannot scale, and there is nc
depth 1t cannot fathom. and there Is nc
obstacle 1t cannot thrash.
Now, my brother, why did God pu'
you in that school Of energy? Was s.
merely that you might be a yardstiel
TO Measure cloth, or q steelyard L
weigh -four? Was II merely that yoI
might be better qualified to chatter anC
higgle? No. God placed you in tina
( school Of energy that you might be de
z yeloped for Christian work. II the un
0 developed talents in the Christian
churches Of to-day were brought GU
, and thoroughly hsrnessed, | believe tn
whole earth would be converted L Go,
in q twelvemonth. There are SO man,
= deep streams that are turning no mil
and that are harnessed 10 no factor.
bands.
L Now, God demands the best lamb GU
e Of every 1ock. lie demands the rich
e est shesf Of every harvest. He demand
the best men Of every generation.
cause In which Newton and Locke an
o Mansfield toiled you aud ] can AFFORD
toll in. Oh, for fewer idlers in n
u cause Of Christ and for more Christia
: workers, men who shall take the san
h energy that from Monday morning I
d Saturday night they put forth for Ii
II achievement Of q livelihood or the gail
ering Of a fortune, and Of Sabbath day
d put it forth TO the advantage Of Christ
kingdom and the bringing Of men
, the Lord.
DR.. Duff visited a man who bad II
berited a great fortune. The man sal
10 him: II had to be very busy for man
years Of my life getting my liyelihoo,
10 After awhile this fortune came to IN
Ie and there has been no necessity that
toll since. There came a time when
said 10 myself Shall ! now retire fro.
, business or shall ] go on and serve u
re- Lord in my worldly occupation?'" i
said: II resolved on the latter, and
have been more industrious In CONNIE
cial circles than ] ever was before, az
since that hour ! have never kept
% farthing for myself. have thought
TO be a great shame II | couldn't "a
as hard for the Lord as | had TOLL
for myself, and all the products Of II
faetorieg and my commercial egtablig