 |
|
The Ministry of Business Men |
|
Delivered to the Baptist Union of Victoria on Monday, November 15, 1897 By George Martin, Esq, J.P.
|
|
|
Christian Friends, |
|||
|
|||
|
My first duty is to thank the members of the Assembly for the honour they have conferred upon me, and the confidence they have expressed, by placing me in the position I now occupy. I have hesitated to accept it, with its responsibilities, for several reasons, the chief of which has been the consciousness of my inability to deliver an address, such as this occasion demands, in any way worthy the important position to which the Baptist Union of Victoria has attained, or such an address as you may reasonably expect this evening. Permit me to say, at once, that I have been a Christian worker for the past twenty-five years, in the Church and Sunday School. In that Church my heart and intelligence were convinced of the rightness of Believers' Baptism, under the influence and pastorate of the saintly George Slade. There, having put on my Lord in Baptism, I have continued in that corner of the great vineyard, amid the bustle of business and the whirl of public life. I have continued to work for Him; but that work has seldom been in the deliverance of public addresses, especially of the character I am called upon to venture to trespass on your patience with to-night. Your kindness, however, assures me that I shall have your indulgence in listening to me; and if, later on, it should be decided to depart from our custom of printing the Chairman's Address, I shall he more than content. But, before proceeding to the subject matter of my address, I feel that there are two matters that should be specially alluded to. The first has special reference to our loved friend, the Rev. Samuel Chapman. No words of mine can tell of his immense value to the Christian Church and to our denomination. Ministers and laymen alike yield him first place; and when sickness overtook him and the Hand was laid heavily upon him, and doubts and fears wore entertained as to the result, it is not, too much to shy that throughout the whole of our jurisdiction from the centre to the circumference prayers went up that God would spare and restore him : and now that health has somewhat been re-established, we gratefully say : Thank God, and pray on that His servant may still be spared to the people who love him and to the denomination of which he is such a distinguished and useful member. The second special matter is the presence with us of the Representatives of the Churches of our Order from the other Colonies. Your being here will add lustre to our proceedings; and in the name of the Baptists of Victoria, I laid you a hearty and cordial welcome. We trust your stay communion with us will be of the most happy character, and that all the time you may be conscious that you are with real friends. Federation of the Colonies is in the air. Your presence with us betokens a federal spirit in the Church ; and, whether Federation may be imminent or distant, we at least gladly hold out our hands, and clasp in Christian bonds our representative brethren from across the water.
|
|||
|
|||
| In turning over in my mind what to choose as a subject for this address, I was impressed with some sermons recently delivered by the Pastor whom I have the pleasure to be associated with. He has been inculcating the proposition and enforcing the principle that, in our life and work, It is not so much the quantity as the quality of our service which tells, and as quality in all work is of prime importance, whether such work be known as Christian or that to be found in our ordinary avocations, it occurred to me that I would try to say a few words on a theme which, as a man of business, I have at least some small qualification to speak upon. Therefore, I have taken for my subject what I may call | |||
|
|||
|
In the way of preface, let me say that, while the subject of the address is my own, the title I have announced was further suggested by, what was to me, a new interpretation of a well-known passage of Scripture, in a conversation with a very dear friend. In his epistle to the Church at Ephesus, the Apostle speaks of the gifts of the ascended Lord, and he says that these gifts are bestowed for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry unto the edifying of the body of Christ. I had always supposed that the phrase, the work of the ministry, referred to the office of our pastors. I am told, however, that the meaning is, that the gifts spoken of (pastors and teachers being among them) are for the equipment of Believers generally, for the ministry or service to which they are called, in the edifying of the Body of Christ. Therefore, it was readily suggested to me that, inasmuch as there is a ministry committed to all believers, the character of this ministry must necessarily vary, not only according to the gifts, but also according to the circumstances of different classes of Believers. Then it occurred to me that a very considerable section of Believers consists of business men, and that in some respects this class must have a special ministry of its own: a special part in the service to he rendered to Christ, and the Church. I humbly think, therefore, there is a clear and sufficient warrant for the title of my address : |
|||
|
|||
|
The first thing that presents itself to me is that, if business men are to render real service to the churches, we must be careful to adjust and keep in order the title by which we call ourselves, or by which we are known to our brethren. The phrase business men is very convenient, for many reasons, but it may none the less suggest the possibility of a very grave error. We may use the expression as it stands, business men, but the order of the two words must not be the expression of the order of our ideas, or of our conduct : that is to say, the business must not take precedence of the men. We are business men, but it must he our first aim, our intense desire, to be men, and then business men. The business must not come before the men, but the men before the business; in other words, we must have no ambition about business that is not subservient to our desire to be men. If, as I believe, we are called of God to follow business, we must take care that this special calling shall in no wise interfere with our prior calling to be men. Our business calling is in the course of the Divine Providence, but our calling to be men is in the Divine Word. Our calling to follow business has arisen from circumstances, but our calling to manhood, and to all that the word ought to comprise, is our calling of God in Christ Jesus. Our calling to business, though important, is for time; our calling to manhood is both for time and for eternity. I can imagine that some of my brethren might be disposed to correct the statement here made, and say, our calling is to be Christians, but we may learn that the distinction is not real, that there is no real distinction between the man and the Christian, and that the Christian is only another name for the manhood which God intends us to reach, and therefore there is no difference between the two injunctions, Quit you like Men,, and the other, which consists of three words only, Follow thou Me.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Secondly : I have put some emphasis on my last point, partly because I think that everything else that I have to say grows out of it, and partly because (if I am not mistaken) many practical errors have arisen out of the failure to grasp, and retain the idea
I am trying to express. I would not speak in a censorious spirit, but I think some such facts as these are to he met with.
In the Christian man we expect to find such traits as gentleness, forbearance, kindliness of spirit and manner of action.
The absence of, or at least the occasional deficiency of, such traits, has sometimes been excused in the business man, because his avocation is supposed to account for a degree of hardness, dogmatism, or lack of consideration of others.
From the Christian man, our churches have a right to expect a fair share of active, real service in the
Diaconate, the Sunday School, the Prayer Meeting, the Preachers' Society, or elsewhere.
We have often been compelled to give the business man a special indulgence, setting him free from demands
of this kind, because, for some reason, mysterious or otherwise, it has been supposed, and allowed, that business responsibilities freed him from obligation.
In the present day, in our country, it is a necessity that the Christian man should devote a good share of time and thought to the service of Christ and of the Churches. It has sometimes been taken for granted that a business man is free to use all his time and thoughts in his own concerns and to the building up of his own position. Speaking of men of business generally, we may boldly say they give handsomely and freely of their well and hard-earned money ; but, in some instances, their giving does not extend, as it should, to time, thought, talent and energy, in the interest of Christ's work. It is my earnest desire to say nothing that may be regarded as extreme, but it has sometimes seemed to me that, next to the endowment of spiritual power, the great need of our Churches in Victoria is the active ministry of business men: the consecration to God of their time, energy, brain, tact, and heart.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thirdly : This leads the way to my next point. It seems to me that part of the ministry of business men is to secure the recognition of business principles in the proceedings of our Churches and the work of our denomination. We have often heard the adage : Business is business; the saying is often used as a plea for the transaction of business on business lines, and in a business-like fashion. I venture to think that the adage, as thus explained, should be applied not only to the business of trade and commerce, but also to the King's business in the work of our Churches, our denominational societies, and institutions. For instance, we have all heard of such things as discussions in Churches (of this and other orders); heated discussions in Church meetings; we may have even heard of something like approaching disorder and party strife, in what is called the conduct of Church business. Let me hasten to say that such things are not frequent among us, and that of late years they have been happily getting even more rare, but the harm which a small amount of friction may effect is very great, and some of us may have had some experiences of the injuries occasioned thereby. Will you permit me to express my conviction that only two things are necessary to their prevention ? First and foremost is the Spirit of Jesus Christ the spirit of love. On this we are all agreed, but, next to this, is the spirit of power and of a sound mind, and in order to secure this, we need the ministry of business men, the application of principles and methods which are surely learned in business training. From my observation the conviction has been forced upon me that some, at least, of the Church discussions have arisen from ignorance of, or a painful neglect of, business principles and businesslike procedure : consequent upon this, there has been a feeling aroused which has led to unwise conduct. It is no reproach to our pastors to say they greatly need the help that can be supplied by the ministry of business men in the conduct of the Church's affairs. I honestly believe they desire this help. In the Church with which I am identified, this help is gladly accepted, and the Church's interest is strengthened and advanced thereby. If we business-men fail to render our fair help in the spirit of Jesus Christ, we are neglecting our plain duty, and are in danger of that painful rebuke, Woe unto him through whom the offence cometh. A similar consideration is applicable to the work of our societies and institutions. Living, as I do, at some little distance from Melbourne, my knowledge of their procedure is more limited than I could wish, but the privilege has been mine for many years past of attending the Union meetings, and I have been a close observer of the methods and work of the, organisations connected therewith, as reported from time to time. I think honour and the best thanks are due to the Trustees of our Victorian Baptist Fund for their businesslike conduct of its affairs through troublous and anxious times. Amid financial crash and subsequent depression, they have applied their business acumen, and have done their work excellently, by which the Denomination is placed under a debt of gratitude to them. It is pleasing to know that our Foreign Mission is making steady progress. The Committee, in faith, are sending out men and women as heralds of the Cross, and at the same time are making due recognition of business principles. While the wonderful progress of our Home Missions during recent years is largely owing to the business tact of our grand and devoted superintendent, the Rev. F. J. Wilkin, the ministry of business men in our Council and in our Committees, together with the indefatigable labour and conspicuous ability of our hon. secretary, Mr. C. W. Walrond, ensures the work being well done. But, in so speaking, I feel sure I shall not be misunderstood. I am in perfect harmony with all that can be said about the prime necessity of the presence and guidance of the Spirit of God. All that has now been said is to be regarded as entirely secondary to that, but in order to secure and retain His most blessed influence, there is a constant necessity for the Ministry of Business Men.
|
|||
|
|||
| Fourthly : Beside the ministry of business men in the work of our Churches and our denomination, I would not overlook the service to be rendered by personal character; in this, there is a special part devolving on
business men. Regarding this, I would express my conviction that there is one delusion abroad against which we are bound to maintain our most solemn and most energetic protest.
This delusion is so general that its statement is often allowed to pass as beyond challenge or controversy.
It is this : That the successful conduct of business is incompatible with loyal adherence to Christian principles and Christian morality ; in other words, that
business is one thing, Christianity is another. If this were true, it would, he a part of our ministry to say,
Then we will not succeed. If the choice
really lies between success in business and loyalty to Jesus Christ, there call be no doubt as to what our decision should be.
True, that we are business men; but business must not be our master, or our owner, but Jesus Christ both.
We must be diligent in business in the calling in which we are placed, but should the point ever come where the road divides, and one path leads to success, while the other is the path of discipleship, we know, which road we have to take, even though it may demand sacrifices of worldly advancement.
But my conviction is that we should not only challenge, but deny, the assumption quoted, and
that we should make our denial as clear as possible. We must maintain that the
so
called success that is gained at the cost of discipleship is seldom either solid or enduring; and that, even if it were both, it would be no success at all; but in reality, and in the end, a dismal failure.
We must also maintain that, though the success that is compatible with Christian morality may be slow, it is more likely to be sure; we must maintain that real success is not to be measured solely by money gained, for money loses its real worth unless it is clean
that is, money free from the taint of dishonour and meanness.
I think,
moreover, that there are shining examples to which we con refer, which show that is not only possible, but is eventually secured, by adherence to Christian principles, and that it is not business that is incompatible with discipleship, but simply an unhallowed haste to get rich.
There are facts enough to prove that, notwithstanding the apparent triumph of evil, it is still true that God is King.
He rules the world, and rules the business world also
not in any haphazard way,
but in righteousness. But above all we must show that we are determined that, if we can't get rich by adhering to honour and truth and integrity, why then, we dare be poor.
This is surely one item in the ministry of business men. May I here suggest to our pastors the desirability of their being in touch and sympathy constantly with the men of business in their Churches? Too often their integrity is assailed in the battle they have to wage against commercial fraud and deceit. As the followers of Jesus Christ, they cannot adopt the methods of dishonest traders who enter into competition with them. Remember the temptations that beset these, and be ready with a Word of encouragement and cheer that may help them in maintaining their consistency in holding up the standard of truth.
|
|||
|
|||
| Fifthly : I feel that the divisions of my subject have to some extent overlapped each other, and I have not the skill to present them in the orderly fashion that is always desirable, so will sum up the remainder of my address in very brief sentences. I have
as yet said nothing about giving of money, and yet this is surely a very important item in the ministry of
business men, for it is evident that the bulk of the money needed for the maintenance of our Churches and carrying on of our work must come either directly or indirectly, from business men. On this point I want to say two things. The first is that, in order that we may fulfil our ministry, we must beware of too much delay in its exercise. There is always the temptation to defer this item of our ministry until we have achieved success, or what seems to our mind such. We are tempted to defer the claims of Christ and the Churches until we have made our capital larger and our income greater than just sufficient. When we have made a fortune we intend to be munificent givers, and if in the mean-time we are a little niggardly, we hope that our present poor response will he excused, seeing that our future intentions are so good. It needs no elaborate argument to prove the unwisdom of such a course. There is a proverb which tells us
that he gives double who gives quickly. It might be supplemented by saying, That he who does not learn to give while young, is in danger of not being generous when he grows old, and that he who does not give while his means are slender, often fails to do so when his wealth is ample. Our Master makes no unreasonable claim upon us while our means are slender but He does claim something, however small, even then ; and the heaviest penalty that can result from the refusal of His demand while we are young or struggling is, that when we are old we cease to regard it.
|
|||
|
Photo: George Martin, 1902. | ||
|
The other point I would suggest is this: That, if we are really to fulfil the ministry at all, it must be done systematically, regularly, and proportionately. The Church, with which I am connected relies chiefly for its support upon the regular weekly envelope contribution, which I venture to think is an illustration of this principle. I suppose we all know what it is to he tempted to lower the scale of our giving. The times through which we have been passing have forced retrenchment on many of us, and we have been constrained to diminish our giving also. If it be true (as I fervently hope may be the case) that the evil days are passing away, and that trade and commerce are assuming brighter prospects, work is getting more plentiful and an air of confidence is being imparted to business life if this be so, we have, or shall have, a fine opportunity of discharging our ministry by taking care that we return to our former liberality. This is a delicate, and to some of us, a rather painful subject, but I trust I have touched or alluded to it with a sufficiently light hand. All will be right if we only follow the direction He that giveth let him give with simplicity; that is, with singleness of heart as to the Lord and not unto men. I cannot help an allusion here to a remark made by a very dear friend of mine, one who was always ready to respond to the calls of the Master on his purse and time, but who, in the crash that came a few years since found himself dragged down, till he had lost nearly his all. He, on one occasion, being asked how it was that he could look so happy and cheerful under such depressing circumstances, replied; While the 23rd Psalm is in the Book I have nothing to fear. Thus he faithfully continues his ministry, and as a business man is to be found in the front rank of workers in his Church, ever ready to do his part for Christ. Other items in the ministry of business I must be content to leave, but in doing so I want to make perfectly clear that I entirely disclaim any pretension that I have reached the standard which I have felt bound to set up; indeed I am sadly conscious of my utter failure in many respects, but it seemed to me that I could not set that standard any lower than it has been placed by Jesus Christ Himself, and I entirely repudiate the idea that I am more than a very humble learner at His feet. I know full well that I have not attained, but I desire to be able to say with you, I press toward the mark. I have no intention of lecturing those who like myself are engaged in business life. I seek only to remind them as I remind myself of principles which many of them understand more clearly and practice more faithfully than I do. To them, as to me, I know it is a great pleasure to think that our desks and, counters can be made altars, and our workshops and factories can he made temples, whereon and wherein we can offer sacrifices well pleasing to God : and that for us, as well as for our pastors, there is a ministry which we have received from the Lord Jesus for the edification of the Body of Christ. May He give us grace to be faithful, and say. Teach me, my God and King, |
|||
Online copy created in 2002, by David Martin, great-grandson of
George
Martin, late of Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Historic manuscript relevant to the history of Geelong, Victoria, Australia; Baptist Union of Victoria, Baptist Church
