The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-02-18

Again, I remark. we must bring the
religion OF Christ ilto Z employ
EIe-ts. "Oh." yoI Soy. that is very
well If q ran handle large sums CT
money CT if ha have an extensive traf-
fc. bet in the humble work in life that
] am called to the sphere Is too small
for the acti-n Of such grand. heavenly
principles" Who told you so? Do you
not know that Gcd watches the faded
leaf Oh the brooks surface as certainly
| as he does the path Of q blazing sun!
| And the moss that creeps Up the SIDE
Of the rock makes as much impression
| upon G DIS mind al the waving tops
OF Oregon pine and Lebanon cedar.
| and the alder. cracking Under the
! cows hoof. sounds as loud in G DIS car
as the snap OF a worlds conflagration.
Wien y"n have anything to do in life.
h-wever humble it may seem to be.
God is always there to help you to co
It. II your work is hat Of a fisher
MAN. taen God will help you. as he
bplpe,l inon when he dragged Cen
nesaret. If your work is drawing wa
ter then he will help you. as when he
ldll.td at luc VIII CuED W tue SIIil.Tl-
tan wcman. If you are engaged in the
custom house. he will lead you. as he
led Matthew sitting at the receipt Of
customs. A religion that is not good in
n place Is not worth anything In an
other place The man who has only q
days wages i'm his pocket as certainly
needs the guidance Of religion as he
who rattIes the keys Of Il bank and
could abscond with a hundred thou
sane dollars.
Putting Religion Into Practice.
There are those Prominent in the
churches who seem TO be on public oc-
casions very devout who do not put
the principles of Christ's religion into
practice. They are the most inexora-
bic of creditors. They are the M st
grasping of dealers. They are known
as sharpers OF the street. They fleece
every sheep they can catch. A country
merchant comes in to buy spring or fall
goods. and he gets into the store of one
of these profeSSed Christian men who
have really 10 grace in their hearts.
and he is completely swindied. He is
so overcome that he cannot get out Of
town during the week. He stays in
town over Sunday. goes into some
church to get Christian consolation,
when what is his Amusement to find
that the very man who hands him the
poor box in the church is the one who
relieved him of his money! But never
mind: the deacon has his black coat OIL
800, IIa t~oI-c SDinn,r ,n6 ,rnnC ha,,n
talking about the blessed Sermon" If
the wheat in the churches should be
put into Il hopper. the first turn of the
crank would make the chaff fly. tell
you. Some of these men are great
stic!:lcrs for gospel preaching. They
say: You stand there in bands and sur
plice and gown and preach-preach
like an angel-and we will stand out
here and attend to business. Don't
mix things. Don't get business and re-
ligion in the same bucket. You attend
to your matters. and We will attend to
ours" They do not know that God
sees every cheat they have practiced in
the last six years: that he can look
through the iron wall of their tireproof
safe: tina he has counted every dis
honest dollar they have in their pocket.
| and that Q Gay of judgment will come.
These inconsistent Christian men will
sit on the Sabbath night in the house
of God singing 1T the close OF the
service Rock CT ages cleft for me-" and
then when tie Dpncdiction is prOnounc-
ed shut the pew door and say as they
| 10 out: "GOodby. religion. I'll be back
next Sunday"
| think that the church Of God and
the Sabbath are only an armory where
we are to get weapons. When war
| comes. If n man wants to fight for his
country. lie does not 20 to Troy or
Springfield 10 do battling. but he goes
there for swords and muskets. | look
! upon the church of Christ n b Sab
bath day as only the place and time
where and when we are TO get armed
for Christian conflict, but the battle
field is on Monday. Tuesday, Wednes-
day. Thursday. Friday and Saturday.
"St. Martins" and "Lenox" and "Old
Hundredtb" do not amount to anything
unless they sing all the week. A ser
mon is useless unless we can take 1t
with us behind the pillow and the coun-
ter. The Sabbath day is worthless IL
1t last only t~wenty-four hours.
The Work Nearest at Hand.
There are many Christians e" no say:
w are willing to serve God. but we
do not want to do it in these spheres
about which we are talking. and it
seems so :usipid and monotonous. If
we had some great occasion. if we had
lived in tie time of Luther. II we had
been Paui's travelling companion. if
we could serve God on q great scale.
We would do it, but we can't In this
everyday life" l admit that a great
deal of the omance and knight Grant
~ of life have disappeared before the
advance of this practical age. The an.
cient temples of Rouen have been
changed into ~storehouses and smithies
The residences OF poets and princes
have been turned into brokers' shops
II u>l, al,Se;a r,,ns;on 80 kctl,nI hoe