^ In the early part of 1868, a Christian business man wrote to me for advice in his peculiarly difficult business affairs. His letter showed that he had a desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, and to carry on his business to the glory of God ; but his circum- stances were of the most trying character. I therefore wrote to him to come to Bristol, that I might be able to advise him. Accordingly he undevuook the long journey, and I had an inter- view with him, through which I saw his most trying position in business. Having fully conversed with him I gave him the following counsels : —
(1) That he should day by day, expressly for that purpose, retire with his Christian wife that they might unitedly spread their business difficulties before God in prayer, and do this, if possible, twice a day.
(2) That he should look out for answers to his prayers, and expect that God would help him.
(3) That he should avoid all business trickeries, such as expos- ing for sale two or three articles marked below cost price, for the sake of attracting customers, because of its unbecoming a disciple of the Lord Jesus to use such artifices : and that if he did so, he eould not reckon on the blessing of God.
I TIMOTHY IV. 8 133
(4) I advised him, further, to set apart out of his profits week by week a certain proportion for the worlc of God, whether his income was much or little, and use this income faithfully for the Lord.
(5) Lastly, I asked him to let me know month after month how the Lord dealt with him.
The reader will feel interested to learn that from that time the Lord was pleased to prosper the business of this dear Christian brother, so that his returns from the 1st March 1868, up to 1st March 1869, were £9138, 13s. 5d., while during the same period the previous year they had been only £6609. 18s. 3d.^
2. But to induce a man to become religious out of regard to the ulterior advantages of religion would be to base religion on a motive which destroys it. No man is even at the threshold of the religious life so long as he has an eye to anything to be gained or got by religion — indeed we may even say, till there is nothing else he would not be ready to sacrifice rather than renounce or prove faithless to it. Integrity, purity, justice, goodness are things we should choose, even if no pleasure or profit come of them, even at the cost and sacrifice of all the pleasant things of life. A conscientious man is not one who does his duty because, or so long as, it promotes his interests. There are innumerable things in the world he may dearly prize; but when these and duty clash, when it comes to be a question whether he shall give up these or be a liar or a knave, can he retain the faintest title to the name of a good man if he be not prepared to sacrifice all the world holds dear rather than be betrayed into baseness and dis- honour ? And if godliness or religion means love to God, rever- ence and devotion to the infinite Truth and Eighteousness, love and loyalty to Him who was its highest manifestation on earth — must not this, above all others, be a principle which needs no prop of external profit to secure its dominion over the soul?
^ There is no resource for it, but to get into that interminable ravelment of Eeward and Approval, virtue being its own rev/ard ; and assert louder and louder, — contrary to the stern experiences of all men, from the Divine Man, expiring with agony of bloody sweat on the accursed tree, down to us two, 0 reader (if we have ever done one Duty), — that virtue is synonymous with Pleasure. ^ Life of Oeorge Miiller, the Modern Apostle of Faith, 190.
134 THE VALUE OF GODLINESS
Alas ! was Paul, an Apostle of the Gentiles, virtuous ; and was virtue its own reward, when Jiis approving conscience told him that he was " the chief of sinners," and if bounded to this life alone, " of all men the most miserable " ? ^
^ My dear friends, dwell in humility ; and take heed that no views of outward gain get too deep hold of you, that so your eyes being single to the Lord, you may be preserved in the way of safety. Where people let loose their minds after the love of outward things, and are more engaged in pursuing the profits and seeking the friendships of this world than to be inwardly acquainted with the way of true peace, they walk in a vain shadow, while the true comfort of life is wanting. Their examples are often hurtful to others; and their treasures thus collected do many times prove dangerous snares to their children. But where people are sincerely devoted to follow Christ, and dwell under the in- fluence of His Holy Spirit, their stability and firmness, through a Divine blessing, is at times like dew on the tender plants round about them, and the weightiness of their spirits secretly works on the minds of others. And though we may meet with opposition from another spirit, yet, as there is a dwelling in meekness, feel- ing our spirits, subject, and moving only in the gentle, peaceable wisdom, the inward reward of quietness will be greater than all our difficulties.^