Never exceed thy income. Youth may make Ev'n with the yeare; but Age, if it will hit. Shoots a bow short, and lessens still his stake. As the day lessens, and his life with it.
Thy children, kindred, friends upon thee call;
Before thy journey fairly part with all.
Yet in thy thriving still misdoubt some evil. Lest gaining gain on thee, and make thee dimme To all things els. Wealth is the conjurer's devil, Whom when he thinks he hath, the devil hath him. Gold thou mayst safely touch; but if it stick Unto thy hands, it woundeth to the quick.
What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold
About thy neck do drown thee? Kaise thy head^
26o BUSINESS
Take starres for money, — starres not to be told By any art, yet to be purchased.^
3. Custom. — Here two sides have to be considered.
(1) On the one hand it is true that there are businesses which are not conducted with the least pretence of Christianity or even much pretence of common honesty.
^ One hears too often of assistants in places of business being tempted by their employers to do things against their conscience. No longer ago than last week I read in a reputable paper an article on this subject, giving instances known to the writer ; and recently a business man who had written a book sent me a copy, in which he gave instances which had come under his own cogniz- ance. For instance, a young ship captain, in a storm, sustained damage to his vessel, and he was called upon to make out for the under-writers an inventory of the loss sustained; but his em- ployers hinted to him that, the ship being old and out of repair, at any rate he might include in the estimate all the repairs that she was in need of. Another instance was that of a salesman at the head of a department in a large dry -goods store. Some of the buyers came from rural places, and many of these would not even commence to do business until they were treated with champagne. There were other cases given of even meaner dishonesty.*
(2) On the other hand it is probable that deliberate meanness and dishonesty in business is not so common as it is supposed to be. A paper was read on the subject by a business man at a recent Church Congress. He said : " There is in business much immorality of a gross kind, but it is not widespread. There is a great deal more of what may be called white-lying immorality. The characteristic of the English is to desire honesty and fair dealing, but under the strain of great competition the desire is not yet strong enough to keep men in the even way. Morality in the second degree, which means taking any possible advantage of your neighbour without deception or untruth, is very general. To live and let live, to rejoice in aiding others, to divide, as it were, the benefits of supply and demand, instead of seeking solely one's own interest — this is the morality in commerce of which there is to-day the greatest need."
^ It is very common to hear it said that all business is a kind of cheating ; that in nature the law is " eat or be eaten," and in 1 George Herbert, The Temple. ^ J. Stalker.
ROMANS XII. II (AV) 261
business " cheat or be cheated " ; that one must do as others do or close one's shop ; that it is impossible to apply the principles of Christian truth and justice in business, and so on. But the re- petition of these sayings is in this case, as in others, always of the nature of finding an excuse for one's self by saying that " every- body does it." It is always said from a desire to transfer the blame which we feel that our action deserves, and put it on the broad shoulders of " everybody," or of Providence itself. But I believe there is much exaggeration in the charge of general or imiversal dishonesty. The whole international trade of this country rests on the basis of mutual confidence and credit, and if this were unsound, that trade could not go on. It is our reputa- tion for integrity and fairness, as well as for the excellence of our goods, that gives the English an advantage. The honesty and word of an Englishman count for much, and can generally be relied on. So I am inclined to believe that morality in business in England is not below the English morality in other respects, and can rise only by the general rise of the standard of character in all respects.^
III.
What are the Helps?
1. Be a Christian unmistakably. — Whatever may be the diffi- culties of a Christian life in the world, they need not discourage us. Whatever may be the work to which our Master calls us, He offers us a strength commensurate with our needs. No man who wishes to serve Christ will ever fail for lack of heavenly aid. And it will be no valid excuse for an ungodly life that it is difficult to keep alive the flame of piety in the world, if Christ is ready to supply the fuel.