The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-11-10

be Christiansl Their old asso-
ciates make sarcastic filings at them.
They 90 on excursions, and they do
not invite them. They prophecy that
he will give out, They wonder IL he
Is not getting wings As he passes
they grimace and wink and ehuckle
and say: There goes a SAINT" o
Young man, have decision OF charac-
teri 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 because you will
pot 70 TO ruin with them? When the
grave cracks open under their feet,
and grim messenger push them into
IL and eternity comes down hard
upo their spirit, and conscience
stings, and hopeless ruin lifts them
up to hurl them down, will they
laugh then?
/ learn also from my subject that
men may take religion into their world
ly business. This is a most appropriate
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; ques-
tons of finance. questions of war, OF
peace; all International questions were
for his settlement or adjustment. He
must have had a correspondence vast
beyond all computation. There was
not a man in all the sarth who had
more to do than Daniel, the secretary
OF state, and yet we find him three
times a day bowipg before God in
prayer. There are men in our day who
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 II will
trip the accountants pen or dull the
carpenters saw or confuse the lawyers
brief or disarrange the merchants
store shelf. They think religion is i'm
pertinent. They would like TO have II
very well seated beside them in church
on The Sabbath, to find the place in the
psalmbook or TO nudge them awake
when they get sleepy under the didae-
tic discourse, Or they would Hike to
leave Il in the pew On Sabbath evening
as they go out, closing the door, say
ing: Good night, religion: III be back
next sundayr' But to have religion
70 right along by them all through life,
10 have religion looking over their
shoulder when they are making q bar
/ gain, 10 have religion take up a bag
i, Of dishonest gold and shake II and say:
Where did you get ibat2" They think
that is an imper,inent religion, They
= would like TO have a religion to help
them when they are sick, and when
the shadow OF death comes over them
: they would like 10 have religion as 0
> sort Of nightkey with which 10 open
= the door OF Heaven, but religion under
other circumstances they take to be
. impertinence.
Now, my friends, religion never
robbed a man of a dollar. Other thingI
/ being equal, a mason will build a bet
ter wall, a cabinet maker will make /
S better chair, a plumber will make
d better pipe, a lawyer will make a bet
ter plea, a merchant will sell a bette
bill Of goods. ] say, other things be
e ing equal. OF course when religion
gives a man a new heart, II does no
e propose to give him a new head or 4
4 i~ntellectuslize him OF to change
mans condition when his ordinar,
d state Is an overthrow Of the philoso
phical theory that a total vacuum !
impossible, but the more letters yo'
Is have TO write, the more burdens yol
ID have TO carry, the more miles you hav
u to travel, the more burdens you have t
II lift, the more engagements you have t
es meet, the more disputes you have T.
lie settle. the more opportunity you have o
being a Christian. II You have a thou
al sand irons in the fire. you have q thou
Il sand more opportunities of %servinI
God than II you only had one iron /
II the fire. Who so busy as Christi An
ie yet who 9 millionth part as holyP III
~ busiest men the best men. All the pei
sons converted IN Scripture busy a
the time Of their being converted. Ma
OF thew attending 10 his custom hous
duties: the prodigal son feeding swine
ig Lydia selling purplei Simon PETE
K hauling in the net from the sea-; Sal
I'd squirting his horse toward Damaseu
re going down on his law business: Bus.
q, busyi Daniel with all the affairs {
e state weighing down upon his soul, an
lie yet three times a day ~worshiping u
as God OF Heaven.
L. Again / learn from this suhie!
e. that q man may take religion into h
10 politics. Daniel had oil the affairs
ne state on hand. yet o servant Of Go
&C. He could not have kept his elevate
20 position unless he had been a tho
ough politician, and yet all Il
a. tbrusts Of officials and all the dang
~ Of disgrace did not make him yie
u one iota Of his high toned rehgiol
~ principle. He stood before that ag
ln he stands before all ages, a specim'
o. Of a cody politician. So there ha'
: been in our day and in the days
our fathers men as eminent in u
service Of God rs they have been Ell
:, inent in the service Of the state. SUI
was benjamin +, Butler, attnrBl
general OF New York In the time
your fathers. sueh was John N
Lean, Of the supreme court OF u
United States. Such was GeorI
Briggs, Of Massachusetts,. Such W
!, Theodore Frelinghuysen, Of New Je
sey-msn faithful to the state, at d
&, same time faithful to God, II Is a
,s surd 10 expect that men who ha
on been Immersed IN political wickedne
for 30 or 40 years shall come TO reft
ke nation, and our hope is In the you
'" men who are coming up, that tn
have patriotic principle and Christi
principle side by side when they col
IN 10 the ballot box and cast their H.
Vs. vote and that they swear allegiance
nB the government Of Heaven as well
M TO the government OF the Unit
use States. We would have Bunker u
Nv mean less 70 them than Cavalry, a
w Lexington mean less than Bethlehe
~ but because there are bad m
around the ballot box Is no reas
IN why Christian men shonld retire
sSt from the arena. The last time ,
ne ought TO give up your child or forsa
your child is when II IL surround
me by q company Of Choctaws, and I
ar. last time 10 surrender, the ballot )
mel is when II is surrounded by impur
sr and dishonesty and all sorts Of VII
u edneEs.
" Daniel stood on a most unpopu
platform. lie stood firmly, thou
the demagogues Of the day Kissed
him and tried 10 overthrow him.