The record-union., 1899-11-15

never yet helped the man who made
it. He who deceives another decelves
first and most himself Every chicken
of dishonesty man matches will come
home to roost. You cannot wrong an
other without wronging yourself. What
soever a man sows that shall he also
reap. Sow fraud and you will reap dis
trust. Sow deceit and you will reap
contempt. There are laws operating in
the moral world as inexorably as in
the world physical The consequences
of your deeds will flow back to you as
surely as night follows the setting of
the sun.
Religion must not be divorced from
daily life. Worship should sanctify
work. Prayer should purify politics.
The enthusiastic singing of Christian
hymns should lead to the enthusiastic
paying of honest debts. Religion is
not simply to teach men how to die
we'll, but how to live well. We need to
be reminded that 'the blessing of the
Lord, it maketh rich and He addeth no
sorrow with it." 1t is also written
thou shalt remember the Lord thy God,
for He it is that giveth thee power to
get wealth." Wealth and honor got
! ten in Gods way enriches a man for
eternity as well as for time.
| To make the best of both worlds you
must study this book of Proverbs. 1t
| is a book on every day religion. 1t
shows the spiritual side of secular
thingS~and the secular side of spiritual
things. 1t concerns itself with the life
that now is. 1t reminds us that God
is with US in the shop on Monday as
we'll as in the sanctuary on Sunday.
Honest work is as much a part of re-
| ligion as hearty worship. If an angel
came from heaven to inquire into a
mans religion he would want to know
how he carried on his business. This
book of Proverbs is packed with the
things every young man ought to know.
1t gives wise counsel on eating and
drinking. buying and selling, getting
and spending. 1t goves laws from
heaven for life on earth. It teaches
men how to carry religious principle
| into domestic life, business life, po-
| litical life.
| My text affirnls that the man diligent
] in his business shall stand before
kings. This means that he will attain
to the highest places of honor. The
!
text. To be diligent means more than
to be Industrious. Webster defines dill
igence to be an earnest application to
some specific object or pursuit, which
has a strong hold on ones interests or
feelings. The diligent man has an OBJ
ject in life. To the attainment and
retainment Of that object he bends all
his energies.
More men fail from want Of purpose
than from want of talent. The pur-
| poseless man drifts The man who
drifts, always drifts downwards. II
you study the lives of the men who
win, you will find that they pucposed
to win. Multitudes go through life
without definite aim or purpose. They
accomplish nothing because they aim
at nothing. They are this to-day, that
tomorrow, something else next day
and nothing at all the week after. &C
out tomorrow and ask a score OF young
men from 16 to 20, What are you go
ing to do in the world?" Seventy-five
per cent of them will answer, "Oh,
don't know; I have not thought much
about it, This want of thought an6
purpose will be their ruin. A ship
without q compass and a life without
a purpose will end ON the rocks Of
wreckage.
The most pitiable creatures on earth
are the men and women who have M
clear-purposed goal before them, and
have never fitted themselves for any
definite business or profession. They
cannot plow a field or plain board oil
lay brick. They cannot make ou
n
shoe. They cannot preach a sermon
plead a case, or set type. They are
the poor helpless do-nothings.
When Joseph's brethren came before
the King the first question they wers
asked was, What is thine occupation? p
They replied, Thy servants are shep
herds" They had a business. They
were not simply good, but good fol
something.
The most perplexing problem ths
young man has to face is the choice o
a business or occupation. I remember
when that question troubled me nigh
and day. 1t is not easy to decide.
is difficult for a young man to know
what he is specially fitted for. A mis-
take made at the beginning follows u
all through life. Many undertake
work for which nature never intended
them. There is a vast amount of mis-
directed effort in the world AS yo,
look out ever life you will see littl
men stra.nlng themselves to fill hi:
positions, and big men CONTRACTING
themselves to get into little places
Small skiffs may be seen venturing GU
into the wide Atlantic, and Great East
ems cruising about in mill ponds
There are men trying to manage
wholesale business who have not brain
enough to run a peanut stand on
street corner. Men who would b
successful as clerks, start out in bust
ness for themselves and collapse int
l Bankruptcy We should know our lin
itations as well as our possibilities. W
> should work in the sphere that Go,
and nature intended us for When W
do other than this we invite failure. Tn
mar who would have made a first elias
reporter, enters the ministry and bun
giles the business all the way through
Men are constantly making failure o
: their life because they undertake wool
l for which nature never intended them
< You cannot win against nature. i
nature meant you for a merchant yo-
will never be a success as an artisl
II nature intended you for a carpente
you will never win fame as a docto:
There are men to-day saving bone
0 who ought to be saving boards. Their
are men writing editorials who shout
be mixing mortar. There are men il
e the pulpit who should be at the pillow