ong for a child of God to
induce the customers, by means of such men or women who have a
persuasive tongue, to purchase articles whether they suit or not, and
whether they are needed or not. This is no less than defrauding persons
in a subtle way, or leading them into the sin of purchasing beyond their
means, or at least spending their money needlessly. However such sinful
tricks may be allowed to prosper in the case of a man of the world, in
the case of a child of God they will not prosper, except God allow them
to do so in the way of chastisement, whilst leanness and wretchedness
are brought into the soul. I knew a case of this kind where it was the
whole bent of the mind of a professed believer to obtain such "good
salesmen," and where even a Jew was kept outside the shop, walking up
and down, to induce persons to come in and buy; and yet that same
professed believer failed twice in his business.

9. Another evil with reference to business, and why children of God do
not get on in their calling, is, that they enter upon business often
without any capital at all, or with too little. If a believer has no
capital at all, or only a very small capital, in comparison with what
his business requires, then ought he not to say this to himself: "If it
were my heavenly Father's will that I should enter upon business on my
own account, then would he not somehow or other have intrusted me with
the needful means? And since he has not, is it not a plain indication
that for the present I should remain a journeyman (or shopman, or clerk,
as the case may be)?" In a variety of ways the means might come. For
instance, a legacy might be left to him, or money might be given to him
by a brother in the Lord for that very purpose, or a brother or sister
might propose to the individual to lend him money, yet so that if he
were unable to pay it again they would not consider him their debtor.
But if in some such way the Lord did not remove the hindrance, and the
brother would still go into business, he would, through the bill system
and other things connected with the want of capital, not only bring
great distress into his mind, and subject himself to the possibility of
at last being unable to pay his creditors, whereby dishonor would be
brought upon the name of the Lord, but he likewise could not be
surprised (as he went into business contrary to the will of God, since
he pointed out to him that he was not to do so for want of means) if he
sho