The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-04-07

man Is Independent OF all clrcum-
stances. Religion has tanned the wild
est natures. 1t has turned fretfulness
into gratitude, dependency into good
cheer, and those who were hard and
ungovernable and incorporating
have been made pliable and concilia-
tory. Good resolution, reformatory
effort, will not effect the change. 1t
takes a mightier arm and might1er
hand to bend evil habits than the hand
that bent the bow Of Ulysses, and 1t
takes a stronger lasso than ever held
the buffalo on the prairie.
man cannot go forth with any hui
man weapons and contend successfully
against these Tit:ns armed with up
torn mountains. But you have known
men into whose spirit the influence OF
the gospel of Christ came until their
disposition was entirely changed.
"Oh," says some one, Il have a rough,
jagged, impetuous nature, and religion
can. do anything for me- Do you
know that Martin Luther and Robert
Newton and Richard Baxter had i'm
petuous and all consuming natures, yet
the grace of God turned them into the
mightiest usefulness? A manufacture
er cares but very little for stream
that slowly runs through the meadow.
but values a torrent that leaps from
rock to rock and rushes with mad en-
ergy through the valley and out toward
the sea. Along that river you will find
futtering shuttles and grinding mill
and flashing water wheel. And ma
ture the swiftest, the most rugged and
the most tremendous-that is the ma
ture God turns into greatest useful
ness Oh, how many that have been
pugnacious and hard to please and
irascible and more bothered about the
mote in their neighbours eye than
about the beamlike ship timber III
their own eye who have been entirely
changed by the grace Of God and have
found out that "godliness is profitable
for the life that now is as well as for
the life to come"
Again remark that religion is good
for worldly business. l know the gen.
eral theory is the more business the
| less religion, the more religion the less
business. Not so, thought DR.. Hans in
| his Biography OF Christian Mer-
| chant" when he says: He grew in
grace the last six years of his life more
| than at any time in his life. During
| those six years he had more business
| crowding him than at any other
| time" In other words. the more
! worldly business a man has the more
| opportunity to serve God. Does re-
| ligion eXhilarate or retard worldly
| business? is the practical question Tor
| you to discuss. Does it hang, like a
mortgage, over the farm? Is it bad
! debt on the ledger? Is it a lien against
the estate? Does it crowd the door
| through which customers come for
| broadcloths and silks?
Now, religion will hinder your bust
ness if it be bad business or if it be
a good business wrongly conducted. Ii
you tell lies behind the counter, If you
use false weights and measures, if you
put sand in sugar and beet juice in
| vinegar and lard in butter and sell for
one thing that which is another thing
then religion will interfere with that
business but lawful business. law
fully conducted, will find the religion
of the Lord Jesus Christ its mighuest
auxiliary.
Religion will give an equipoise OF
spirit. 1t will keep you from ebulli-
tions of temper, and you know great
many fine businesses have been blown
|
Won from worriment about frequent
loss; it will keep you industrious and
prompt; it will keep you back from
squandering and from dissipation; II
will give you kindness of spirit which
will be easily distinguished from tha
mere store courtesy which shake!
hands violently with you, asking abou
the health of your family, when there
is no anxiety to know whether you
child is we'll or sick. but the anxiety il
to know how many dozen cambri
pocket handkerchiefs you will take ant
nav cash down. 1t will prepare you TO
the practical duties OF everyday life.
do not mean TO say that religion viii
make us financially rich, but | do say
that it will give us, it will assure u.
of. a comfortable sustenance at The
start. a comfortable subsistence all The
way through, and it Will help us tc
direct the bank to manage the traffic
to conduct all our business matters
and to make the most insignificant af
fair of our life matter of vast i'm
nortance, glorified by Christian prin
ciple.
In New York city there was a mer
chant, hard IN his dealings with hi!
fellows, who had written over hi.
banking house or his counting hous.
: room, No compromise" Then whe1
some merchant got in crisis ant
went down-no fault OF his but con
function of evil circumstances, and al
, the other merchants We're willing t
compromise-they would take rs cent
on the dollar or 80 cents or 20 cents
} coming to this man last of all, he said
: NO compromise. I'll take 100 cents OIL
the dollar and l can afford to wait.
: Well the wheel turned, and afte
awhile that man was in a crisis o
: business, and he sent out his agent t.
: compromise and the agent SAID to tn
: merchants, will you take SO cents OIL
the dollar?" No" will you tax
anything?" We'll take 100 cents Oh
2 dollar No com nrnrl iSe >, And tn