American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-05-11


one else more certainly than to yourselves
follies stupendousand eternally to be regret
ted, while conscience and the Word Of
God will brand your lives failures. But
to be merely pi us is not all. Paul lost
no vitality by becoming Christian. He
laid aside none of his native energy and
force of character, no element of his roy
al monhood, when he took up the cham
pionship of the Cross And had he fol-
lowed an other calling than that of the
ministry this would still have been true.
While, then, it is to be remembered that
there can be no true success in life unless
that success pertain to the whole of life
here and hereafter; and while both worlds
are thus to be kept in view, you are to
bear in mind that God has placed you in
this-that this is world of realities, a
busy, busting, stirring world, with grand
opportunities for usefulness in it, and high
responsibilities and holy trusts that wealth
and honor and worthy yachievementsin in the
various walks of life are not to be shun-
ned but sought and sought with sm,i the
ability and appliance Cod has given Won +;
yet sought always and everywhere with
supreme regard to his swill and not to man's s
and with reference to eternity as well as to
time so that though you fail of them your
life shall not fail.
Now, how is true success to be achiev-
ed ? What are the means and methods of
its attainment!
My first remark is, that success will
never come to you, young men, 1eithout
yonr o,on personal agency. Under God
you are the carvers of your own fortunes
the arbiters of your own destiny
From the highest end at which it is pos
sible for you to aim, down through all the
minor and subordinate ends that may be
worthily set before you for attainment,
this is true Success in life depends up
on yourselves. How many, with refer
ence to religion not only, but everything
else, are ruined utterly and forever by
neglecting this cardinal and fundamental
truth, and relying on some other agency
than their own for success As regards
spiritual things, what multtudes have
failed and lost their all in losing them
selves, through waiting Gods time or look
ing for some outside circumstance or nys-
terious external influence that should some
how compel them to enter the kingdom
AS regards what is great and good and
worthy to be possessed in this world, what
prizes have been lost through failure of
direct personal effort. Birth, wealth and
social position are often relied on, but
these can no more command true success
than Satan could in his war in heaven
Some young men are constantly dreaming
Of favorable turn in the wheel of for
tune; some look for success through the
influence of influential friends; some de-
spair of it, and let go all effort because
hey hove not these adventitious surround
jngs; but they succeed who reSolve and do
Resolution is well nigh omnipotent No
ble and worthy resolution, nobly and wor-
thily carried out, or sought to be carried
out, will seldom fail of bringing young
man to the object at which he has aimed !,
will necer fail of making life successful
There is very much Of strength in a
resolute and determined purpose. Re
solve that you will be worthy of esteem.
young men; that wherever God places
you, no matter on what spot Of this wide
earth, however near or remote from your
wish or hope, and in the midst of what
ever favoring or opposing circumstances,
there you will serve Him and your gener-
alton; there you will stand and labor, con
tented to stand and labor until, in His
providence, you are given another field;
there you will surmount all obstacles, and
rise in the world, and that resolution will
make you the master Of circumstances
and surely crown with success. The
mould of mans fortunes, says Lord Ba-
con, is in his own hands. 1t is true OF
time. 1t is true of eternity. Whether
our lives shall be failure or not, depends
upon ourselves.
A clear, well-defned knowledge ofmor-
ol distinctions, and infexible, unbending
regard for them, are among the important
means of success in life Thoroughly set
tie your convictions of right and wrong,
and abide by them, though the heavens
fall Views of duty should not be vague
and fuctuating, deprived from the max
inns of plant morality, bnt fixed and i'm
movable as given in the word of God and
the utterances of an enlightened con-
science.
Custom and usage WELD vast infu-