The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-03-28
THEJOURNAL.
From the NorwaIk Reflector.

You have now publicly and no.
doubt sincerely engaged to be the
followers of Christ; and You will en-
ter upon a new course of life, and
duties hitherto neglected will pre-
sent themselves to your consldera-
ton. which. if punctually and prop
erly discharged, will result in a large
amount of good to yourself and 9th
ers. In your covenant obligations
and baptismal VOWS you promised
'sto renounce the Devil and all His
works, the vain pomp and glory Of
the world, with all cOvctous desires
of the same;;" and if you have re-
ceived the baptism of the Holy
Ghost and a renewed nature, you
will feel a distaste for your old
pleasures and sins, and it will not be
difficult to leave them of-strong
asBirations to be assimulated into
new hopes, new desires and new
fears. with the Divine nature and to
he n worthy example Of christian
duty, will take the place of others.
Many Of the pursuits and habits Of
your past life must Ne abandoned;
YOU cannot indulge in those amuse-
ments and recreations that occupied
your time in the past, without griev-
| ing the spirit and dampening your
| zeal, and bringing darkness and
condemnation upon your mind. The
inspired Record says, "come We ont
from among tbem"-"Be not con-
formed to this world, but be trans
formed by the renewing of your
minds" And though there may be,
and must be, a mingling and com
mingling in society between the
saint and the sinner, let your spirit
be so imbued with the spirit OF
Christ, and your department SO
guarded that you shall not be sway
ed from your steadfastness nor dam
aged by these associations. Al
though you may have given evidence
of your adoption into the family of
Christ, you will find there are still
the remains of the carnal mind that
will at times rise up and trouble
you; and also habits of SHINING to
be conquered and subdued that will
sometimes make duty on your part
an effort; so that you will find the
Christian life to be a warfare. "For
we Wrestle not against flesh and
blood only, but against municipalities
against power against spiritual wick
cdness IN high places" "But no
temptation shall overtake you but
there shall be way of escape"-"no
weapon formed against you shall
prosper" if you follow the Divine
Teacher and trust in Him for wisdom
and strength and for victory.
The customs and habits of the
age are running rapidly into extrav-
agance and folly; time and treasure,
health and comfort, are sacrificed at
the shrine of fashion, and we are
constrained to acknowledge that the
church is falling into the wake,
drinking into the spirit of the world,
and indulging in habits plainly pro
hibited by the word of God; so that
self denial is too rare, and the above
standard of piety is lowered; and
che difference between him that
serveth God and him that serveth
Him not is very indistinctly seeni
While you have been an outside OBJ
server, you have no doubt noticed
many things in professors that you
did not approve, things that did not
very well accord with Christian
sanctity and decorum. 1t is now
your duty to correct those errors
and improprieties, and set a better
example of Christian department
and shoE the world that there is a
power in the Gospel to save sinners.
Here let me say to those who, late in
life, have taken upon themselves a
good profession and have entered
into covenant obligations to serve
Gcd after habits of unbelief and sin
have become settled and strong, and
it may be some one beSettiTg sin
more difficult to conquer than all
others; here set double guard, and
watch with a jealous eye the most
distant approach Of the enemy, that
you may not be captured unawares;
for although "the Ethiopian cannot
change his skin nor the leopard his
spots," God can change the heart
and give you victory over all your
spiritual foes.
To those IN youth or middle age,
whose habits Of thinking and SHINING
are not so permanently settled and
more easily given up, would say to
both male and female, put a just es-
innate on time; let none be lost, none
be unemployed OF foolishly employ
ed. REDEEM the time because the
days are evil" When we look
abroad and see how much time is
devoted to dress, frivolity and fash
ion, and look back and see how much
of our own time has been blank or
given to sin, we should feel the i'm
portance of improving the present
and future to some good account.
"Be diligent in business, fervent in
spirit, serving ihe Lord" Your read
ing too, should be of the right
stamp, that your minds may be en-
lightened and your taste for reading
corrected. Our tables and book cas-
es are crowded with papers and pub
lieations, many of them only fit for
fuel; made for money to vitiate the
taste of the masses. Throw away
your novels, your New York Ledgers
and all those fictitious details of
love and murder (more especially
designed for the ladies), that draw
largely upon the Imagination, and
end in a sickly sentimentalism that
renders the realities of life irksome
and unihteresting. Not only read
but study the Bible as the standard
of faith and duty; read the Articles
of faith or Discipline of the church
to which you belong or intend to
join; that having subscribed to
them knowing what they are, YOU
may be able to defend them. Read
history, biography, and the current
news of the day, that you may be-
come acquainted with the past, with
the men and women that have serv-
ed and honored the race in other
years; and mark the progress of