THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S There was a teacher once who said a few wise things that I am old fash ioned enough to still believe. He said,' “ Having food and raiment, therewith be content.” We smile at His simple philosophy, and we say He lived long ago in a land other than ours. But you know some people call Him God yet, and I am among them. And He said, “ For about all you actually need is food and raiment.” If we satisfied ourselves with those simple things of life there would he fewer furrows in the brow and not so many crow’s feet about the eyes, and a great uplift would come to the heart and cheerfulness would displace gloom. And He said another thing. He said, “ Men shall not live by bread alone, hut by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Which being interpreted I suppose would mean something like this: It is not what you have got in the hank, it is what you have got in yourself. The words of God in this great hook of nature; the meadowlark’s lilt and the robin’s song, the blossom ing rose and the perfumed lily, the Ore gon clouds, those great sky navies, the verdure on the hijlside, the glory of sunrise, the mystery of twilight, the solemn suggestiveness of the stars. These words of God; we should live by them. And the words of God in the sacred book, the great promissory notes of Jehovah given to us, telling us if we only do right, bread shall he cer tain, water shall be sure, and no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. A quaint philosophy harking hack to an olden time? Yes, and yet today the challenge of David may he thrown out, “ I have been young and am now old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed beg ging bread.” My Lord said another thing I often think about. He said, “ A man’s life consisteth not in the things Which he
831 possesseth.” Suppose you lost all the at tritions that have collected about your life, what would you be then? That is what you really are. The Hebrews have a deep saying, for they say God does not take much stock in adjectives, He likes nouns. He does not say rich man, influential man, talented man, he says “ man.” What would you he worth if you lost your money, and your house went down in ruins, and you stripped and peeled like old Job in the days gone by? What would you he if He put His torch to the universe tonight, and you saw all the material possessions going up in smoke? How much would you be worth if your body were dead? How much treasure have you got laid up on the other side the starry skies? We are becoming too much absorbed in things temporal. It is America’s be- setment, and America’s sin. And then they were under the power of a bad example. The people were turning away from the preacher and moving down among the vineyards to their homes. Ah! we think we are strong, but there is no one among us so strong he is not influenced by his surroundings. Unconsciously there comes upon your life the influence from without; and strong as you may be and careful, the bad example will have its weight and will have, unless God pre serves you by His grace, its ill effect. With whom do you associate, young people? Did you ever hear that pro verb, “ A man is known by the com pany he keeps?” You show me a man’s friends and I will tell you a great deal about that man’s character. I have been watching people now for a great many years, alnd I have observed how the swing and pull of a bad example has ruined so many I have known. A concrete case arises before me, of a man I fellowshipped with in church, was with him in church work, baptized his whole family, and he had a fool of a wife; and God help the man'who
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