CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1930, Page 8

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SERVICE AT EDI ST CHURCH. At the invitation.of the; minister, and officetbearerers of First Church the members of the Dunedin Chamber of. Commerce were present at a speial I service bald on .Sunday.. Mr A. C. Cameron president,of the chamber, and a 'large congregation: The. pr.eacher, the Rev. Allen Stevel.v, took as his subject “The Debt qf, Christianity to Commerce and the Debt of Commerce to, Christianity.” On behalf of the office-bearers ; and. congregation, of First. Church the minister welcomed the,president and members of the chamber. He stated that lie had learned that suqh a service had been lately held in Bristol, and that; it was evident that the Dunedin Chamber was a progressive and earnest association when it eajne in such excellent strength to its first gathering of this, nature. First Church, itself had been founded by, those who. had served in the various departments of the commercial' world, under the arch of a rich spiritual tradition did the commerce of Dunedin in our own generation pass to and fro. It. was a high ideal that was set before t this city. Speaking of the debt, of Christianity to; commerce the preacher remarked that it was wonderful how commerce 1 had, given the world a. common language just at the > very, time, when a common language was needed for the, proclamation of the Gospel. Greek was shown in the wilds of Persia, in the first century before Christ. “The Parthians Modes, and Elamites’ 7 mentioned in the book of Acts could speak together in 'Greek when they worshipped at Jerusalem just as they could use Greek for commercial purposes in', distant lands where: they had: gone tc reside. Commerce had given the.: world a common language. When Paul appealed if he could' go from Palestine to Cicilia, to Rome, as far as to Spain, arid everywhere he could preacb the glad tidings of, the‘Gospel fh Greek, and his hearers would understand at once. How much time would have been lost if he had required to learn a 1 foreign language in every city, he visited! : Truly, commerce had done better than it -realised,. Further commerce had opened up roads and means of access to the; world.; It had helped in the intermingling of, the nations in a way to suggest that .sanity of peace and the independence: of the peoples. It showed that" antagonism was not the will of God for the nations. The good things of Nature were hot found in one part, of the World; They were broad-’ east. International ' commerce was intended. Men go to China for tea, to America, for cotton, to; Africa Tor diamonds, to New Zealand for the things our land can produce. Oomrrterce had shown that a, nation was not complete in itself; the nations needed each other. Commerce liad- brought the w.orld together and revealed the interlacing of humanity in a unique way. and had prompted men to . cry, out with the poet: Robert Burng: . :

“For, a’ that, and a’ that, It’s coming yet for a’. that, That man to man the warld o’er. Shall brothers be for a’ that

They had many a lesson of efficiency and enthusiasm from the lives of commercial men. Jesus lifted His eyes on the world and likened the Kingdom of God to the merchantmen seeking the goodly pearl. It was such an appeal that made Professor Denney take ofi his, slippers' in his study and put on his boots that he might feel in real earnest about, his worli as a minister of the Gospel. "Go, labour on, spend and be spent,” was the bracing call from the avenues of commerce.' The faith of the man of commerce sometimes led one to say, "I have not found so great faith, no, mot in Israel.” What a venture of faith every commercial enterprise had been. Wliat sacrifice it had meant for the .founder of many a large business. How a man of commerce would hope and spend before he ever received a penny in return. ‘‘Oast thy bread upon, the waters” would seem to be the motto of many of these. If Christian lives were often as attractive as commerce could make its wares, liow Christ would be lifted, up and draw all men to Him ! Moreover, there, was ipt a cliurch in one city or in any place that was not the stronger for tpe ute.ii; of business who had given tjiqir brain power and commercial skill and personality of its life and workservice which was indispensable. The debt of commerce to Christianity was very real. Christ had supplied the sinews of commerce. He had fashioned men and women of. Christian character, who adorned every branch of business. In the last analysis the best asset of commerce was character, and only Christianity could supply that. It was absolutely a spiritual product, and was fashioned, by: spiritual forces. The qualities essential for commercial success were not natural graces; they were the fruit of the Spirit of God. Christ came to save commerce as He came to save everything. Commerce without Christ was like a man who had lost his soul. As Adam Smith said. ‘‘Commerce which ought naturally be among nations as among individuals, a bond of union and friendship, has become the most fertile scource of discord and animosity.” The natural tendency of manv things might be in the right direction, hut- the natural tendency did not take us far enough. Life must be spiritualised, redeemed before these tendencies had the adequate momentum to realise the ideal. National prosperity ran its roots down to things spiritual. As we read - oi Joseph (Genesis 3‘J, ver. 2 and 3, Professor Moffa.tt’s translation): "The was with': Joseph, and he

: roc I},. ' ' prospered. The Eternal prospered everything he took iit hand.” As an old,translation had it;, “The Lord was with.him,.and he was a lucky fellow.” Our 'itick would turn” When he came back to God as a nation, honoured the Sabbath more, and put trust in Him in place searched Jerusalem with candles, we sliohld gee how much ’of our present lepressioii was' not due to a forgetting' of God. If it brought us nearer Him, if it came as a call-to consecrate ourselves afresh to Him, to bring our individual and national life into alignment with His will, to revise our valr ues and put first things' first, then the present'distress would bring us to “a land flowing with milk and honey.”