Year: 1872

The Wise Spiritual Merchant START


ling Spiritual MISUNDERSTANDING


Against the Burglars OF tho Soui-Ne-


ccssity OF Watching the Moral Mar


kets-The Government and the Gold


Gamblers OF Wall Street = The Last


Stock Exchange.


Mr.. Talmage discoursed yesterday morning on
the wise spiritual merchant. The Tabernacle was
crowded. The overture to civilian Tell" was Mr..
Morgan's opening performance on the great organ,
and the services began as usual, with the singing
Of the doxology.


Mr.. Talmage's text was from Proverbs xiii. %
"Buy the truth and sell it not" In the first place,
he said, the wise spiritual merchant would not neg
lect to take an account Of stock. Once year
all the goods must be handled, and
once year the business man wants to
know how much capital he has. He reviewed the
books, wrote them up, and drew out on fair
balance sheet all his worldly circumstances. In
other words, he looked over all the affairs OF the
year to see how he stood Ought we not to be just
as scrutinizing In matters OF the soul ? Why, the
Rothschlds or the Stewarts never did business OF
such infinite importance as that going on in the
heart of every man and woman in that audience.
There were the goods-the faculties and energies
and passions OF your soul. There were the liabil-
tiles to temptation, to danger and death. Could it
be that we had not taken


AN ACCOUNT OF STOCK


and had been running this tremendous business
for eternity without drawing out our affairs on q
balance sheetS True such review was not pleas
ant, neither did any mendcant find it pleasant to
take account OF stock. 1t was just as unpleasant
to review our spiritual condition. The fact was we
were insolvent We had been running this busi-
ness OF the soul so poorly that We had to be wound
up. We could not pay one cent on dollar. We
could MOI answer for one OF ten thousand OF our
transgressions. There was never in worldly affairs
such


A MISERABLE FAILURE IN WALL STREET
nor State street as we mad made In spiritual affairs.
We owed God everything. Sometimes, when man
was thoroughly cornered in business and sat dis
couraged, there came rap at the door ana an old
friend entered who got him out OF ms emDarraSS-
ment. Just 80 while we sat down dlsneartened on
Christ raped at the door and asked what we
wanted to bring us out OF these disasters. We
answered, ave want pardon, peace and the eter-
nal salvation OF the Gospe.n Jesus said, 'There it
isr and now we did business on an Infinite capital.
Now all the banks OF eternity were ready with their
loans, and we had on the paper the name OF tho


The wise spiritual merchant, continued the
preacher, would be on his


GUARD AGAINST BURGIARsi
Would to God that we were as wise in regard to
spiritual burgariesl There were thousand temp
tations and influences around about our souls
safety, ready to blow IL mp or blast IL; ready to
shove the bolt and steal the Infinite and immortal
treasure. Look out for burglars. Here was thief
stealing our Christian faith, and II was very easy
to lose IL, but not easy to get it back again.
Here was another temptation trying to steal our
patience, putting something explosive In our tenn
per anu trying 10 blow II up; temptation to pride
and selfindugence and neglect OF the great thinga
OF eternity, made up q gang OF desperadoes that
had broken out OF


TIE JAIL OF HE'LL


anu were proving around our souls, trying 10
take Us captive aud steal Its treasure and 10 tno