Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-11-10
Decision of Character.


he continued his adherence to the re
llglon of the Lord he would be hurled
to the lions. but, having set his com
D pass WELL he sailed right on. For the
p lack Of that element Of decision OF
= character, so eminent in Daniel, many
l men are ruined for this world, and
ruined for the world to come. A great
many at 40 years Of age are not set
tied In any respect, because they have
not been able to make up their minds
Perhaps they will go west; perhaps
they Will go east; perhaps they will
not; perhaps they will go north; per-
haps they may go south; perhaps they
will not; perhaps they may make that
Investment In real estate or in rail-
roads; perhaps they will not. They
are like a steamer that should go out
Of New York harbor starting for
Glasgow, and the next day should
change for Havre de Grace. and the
next for Charleston and the mex; for
Boston and the next for Liverpool
These men on the sea of life everast.
ingly tacklng ship and making no
headway. Or they are like a man who
starts to build house in the Corin-
THAN style and changes 1t to Doric.
and then completes 1t In the Ionic,
the curse Of all styles Of architecture.
Young man. start right and keep on.
Have decision Of character Character
Is like the goldnnch Of Tonquin; II Is
magnificent while standing firm. but
loses all its beauty in flight. How
much decision of character in order
that these young men may be Chris
tlans. Their old associates make sar-
castle fings at them. They go on
excursions and they do not invite them.
They prophesy that he will give out.
They wonder If he is not getting
wings. AS he passes, they grimace
aud wink and chuckle and say, There
goes n saint" Oh. young man. have
decision Of character. You can afford
In this matter of religion to be laughed
at. What do you care for the SCOTS
of these men, who are affronted be-
cause you will not 90 to ruin with
them? When the grave cracks open
under their feet. and grim messengers
push them into 1t. and eternity comes
down hard upon their spirit, and con-
science stings. and hopeless ruin lifts
them up to hurl them down. will they
laugh then?
Take Religion Into Business.
/ learn also from my subject that |
men may take religion into their world
ly business. This Is a most appropri- |
ate thought at this season of the year,
when so many men are starting out in
new enterprises Daniel had enough |
work to do to occupy six men. All the
affairs Of state were in his hands
questions of finance, questions Of war,
Of peace; all international questions
were for his settlement or adjustment.
He must have had correspondence
vast beyond all computation. There
was not man In all the earth who
had more to do than Daniel the secre-
tary Of state, and yet we find him three
times day bowling before God in pray
4nNAC dlC inth III Jul udI WI
have not a hundredth part of Daniels
engagements who say they are too
busy to be religious. They have an
idea somehow that religion will spoil
their worldly occupation; that 1t will
trip the accountants pen, or dull the
carpenters saw, or confuse the law
yer's brief, or disarrange the mer-
chants store shelf They think reli-
gon Is impertinent. They would like
to have 1t very well seated beside them I
place In the psalmbook or to nudge {
them awake when they get sleepy un-
der the didactic discourse. or they
would like to leave 1t in the pew on
Sabbath evening as they go out, clos
Ing the door, saying: Good night. reli- s
gion. I'll be back next Sunday!' But
to have religion go right along by them !
all through life, to have religion look
ng over their shoulder when they are [
making a bargain, to have religion take {
up a bag of dishonest gold and shake
t and say. where did you get that"
they think that Is an lmpertnent reli-
zion. They would like to have q reli-
zion to help them when they are sick
Ind when the shadow Of death comes
,ver them. they would like to have re- Z
igion as sort of night key with which
o open the door of heaven. but religion
lnder other circumstances they take to :
,e impertinence.
Serving God Costs Nothing. .
Now my friends. religion never rob.
,ed a man Of n dollar Other things +,
'eing equal. a mason will build n bet. :,
er wall. a cabinet maker will! make
better chair. a plumber Will make a .
etter pipe. a lawyer will make bet !,
er plea. a merchant will sell better
i'll Of goods. say, other things be- o.
ng equal. or course when religion ! .,
ives a man a new heart, it does not
ropose to give him a new head or to r.
him or to change q .
lan's condition when his ordinary
tate is an overthrow Of the philosoph- &,
al theory that total vacuum Is =,
npossible. but the more letters you 7,
ave to write. the more burdens you
ave to carry. the more miles you have
} travel the more burdens you have to
IT. the more engagements you have to NJ
leet. the more disputes you have to n
,ttle. the more opportunity you have J'
being a Christian. II you have III
lousand irons In the fire. you have ei
lousand more opportunities of serving ID
cd than II you only had one iron In u
ie fire. Who so busy as Christi And OF
It who a milllonth part as holy? The nj
1siest men the best men. All the per- .. ..
ms converted in Scripture busy at the -
me Of their being converted. Mat ~
ew attending to his custom house 49,
titles, the prodgal son feeding swine, -
ydia selling purple, Simon Peter haul &c &c