The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-08-11

above water. The ocean liners run
down the Newfoundland fishing
smaeks. This is nothing against the
man who has the big store, for every
man has As large a store and as great
a business as he can manage.
To feel right and do right under
all this pressure requires martyr
grace, requires divine support, re-
quires celestial reinforcement. Yet
there are tens of thousands of such
men getting splendidly through. They
see others going up and themselves
going down, but they keep their pa
thence and their courage and their
Christian consistency. and after
awhile their success will come. There
IL generally retribution in some form
for greediness. The owners Of the
big business will die, and their boys
will get possession Of the business,
and with 4 cigar in their mouths, and
full to the chins with the best liquor,
and behind 4 pair of spanking bays.
they will pass everything on the turn
pike road to temporal and eternal
perdition. Then the business will
break up and the smaller dealers will
have fair opportunity. Or the spirit
Of contentment and right feeling will
take possession Of the large firm, as
recently with a famous business
house, and the firm will say; "We
have enough money for all our needs
and the needs Of our children. Now
let Ms dissolve business and make way
for other men In the same line" In
stead Of being startled at . solitary
instance Of magnanimity, II will be-
come . common thing. / know OF
scores Of great business houses that
have had their opportunity Of vast
accumulation and who ought to quit.
But perhaps for all the days Of this
generation the struggle Of small
houses to keep alive under the over
shAdowing pressure Of great houses
will continue; therefore, taking
things as they are, you will be wise
70 preserve your faith and throw over
all the counters and shelves and casks
the measuring line Of divine right.
"And the Lord said unto me: Amos,
what seest thou7 And ! said: A.
plumb line"
In the same way we need TO rectify
our theelogies, All sorts of religions
are putting forth their pretensions.
Some have a s~pIritualistic religion,
and their chief work ia with ghosts,
and others . religion Of political econ
omy, proposing to put an end to hu.
nan misery BY a new style Of taxa.
ton. and there Is a humanitarian re.
ligion that looks after the bodies Of
men and let's the soul look after itself,
and there 10 q legislative religion that
proposes to rsctify all wrongs by en-
aotmsnt Of better laws, and there 10
an aesthetic religion that by rules Of
exquisite taste would lift the heart
out Of Its deformities, and religions Of
all sorts, religions by the peck, re.
ligions by the square foot and reli.
gions by the tou-all OF them devices
Of the devil that would take the heart
away from the only religion that viii
ever effect anything for the human
race. and that is the straight up and
down religion written In the book
which begins with Genesis and ends
with Revelation, the religion of the
skies, the old religion. the God-given
religion, the everlasting religion,
which says: "Love God above all and
your neighbor as yourself" AL re-
ligions but one begin at the wrong end
and In the wrong place. The Bible re-
lgion demands that we first get right
with God. II begins at the top and
measures down, while the other re-
hgions begin at the bottom and try
10 measure up. They stand at the
foot Of the wall, up TO their knees in
the mud Of human theory and spscula-
tion, and have a plummet and q string
tied fast to II. and they throw the
plummet this way and break a head
here and throw the plummet another
way and break a head there, and then
they throw 1t up, and It comes down
tpon their own pate. Foolsi Why
stand at the foot VI the wall rectify-
ing up when you ought to stand at
the top rectifying down? 1 was in
the country, thirsty after q long walk.
And | came in, and my child was blow
ing soap bubbles, and they rolled out
Of the cup blue and gold and green
and sparkling and beautiful and orb
iculur, and in SO small a space l never
saw more splendor concentrated. But
she blew nee too often, and all the
glory vanished into suds. Then |
turned and took q glass Of water and
was refreshed. And so far as soul
thirst is concerned I put against all
the blowing, glitteriug soap bubbles
Of worldly reform and human specula.
tlon one draft from the fountain
from under the throne Of God clear
a. crystal. Glory be to God for the
religion that drops from above, not
coming up from beneath! "And the
Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest
thou? And said, A plumb line"
l want you to notice this fact, that
when Q mat gives up the straight up
and down religion OF the Bible for
any new tangled religion, 1t Is gener-
ally To suit his sins. You first hear
Of his change Of religion. and then you
hear Of some swiDdle he has praetieed
In Especial mining stock. telling some
one II he will put In $4,000 be can
take out 100000; or he has sacrificed
his integrity or plunged into IRENE
diable worldliness. His SINS are 80
broad he has TO broaden his religion,
and he becomes as broad as tempta.
tion, as broad as the souls darkness,
a. broad a. hell. They want q reli-
gion that will allow them 10 keep
their sins and then at death say TO
them; "Well done, good and faithful
servant" and that tells them; FAN
is well, for there is no hell" Wat q
glorious Heaven they hold before usl
Come. let US 20 IN and see II. There
are Hsrod and all the babes he mas
sacred. There are Charles Guiteau
and RobesPierre, NE feeder Of the
French guillotins, and all the liars,
thieves, house burners, garroters,
piekpockets and libertines Of all the
centuries. They have AL got crowns
and thrones and harps and scepters,
and when they chant they sing
Thanksgiving and honor and glory
and power to the broad religion that
let's US all Into Heaven without re,
psntsnce and without faith In those
humiiating dogmaS Of ecclesiastical
old fogyism,"
Ny text gives me q grand opportun.
ltyofsayipg q useful word to all young
men who are now forming habits for 9
lifetime. OF what use TO a sionemA.
sou or . bricklayer Is . plumb llne2
Why not build the wall by the unaidsd
eye and handf Because they are In
sufioient, because II there BE- a de.
~iection In the wall II cannot further
on be corrected, Because by the law