DILIGENCE AND APPLICATION IN BUSINESS Solomon was certainly a friend to men of business, as it appears by his frequent good advice to them.

In Prov.xviii.9, he says, 'He that is slothful in business, is brother to him that is a great waster:' and in another place, 'The sluggard shall be clothed in rags,' (Prov.

xxiii.
1), or to that purpose.

On the contrary, the same wise man, by way of encouragement, tells them, 'The diligent hand maketh rich,' (Prov.

x.
4), and, 'The diligent shall bear rule, but the slothful shall be under tribute.' Nothing can give a greater prospect of thriving to a young tradesman, than his own diligence; it fills himself with hope, and gives him credit with all who know him; without application, nothing in this world goes forward as it should do: let the man have the most perfect knowledge of his trade, and the best situation for his shop, yet without application nothing will go on.