The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-04-19
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80 Old Not To-
As we walk through history with Di-
Ogenes' lantern in our hand, it is always
pleasant to come upon an honest and a
noble man. Such an one was Nehemiah,
the rebuilder and reiormer of Jerusalem.
lie stands in the scripture gallery of
characters as John Hampden's statue
stands in the line of illustrious worthies
which fanks the entrance to the British
parliament.
Nehemiah was man who understood
the power of that prodigious word mo"
When he LETT the Persian capital at
Shushan, he went down to Jerusalem,
determined 10 do something to relieve
his suffering people there. The dear old
city was in ruins. The Jews who had
returned thither from Babylon were
oppressed AMI plundered. The same
kind of abuses had crept in, which have
disgraced some of our city governments.
Nehemiah lays ho,d of practical reforms
with an unsparing hand. FIRST, he
arouses the people with a trumpet peal
to rise up and build . the ruined walls
Then he abolishes the oppressive taxa
ton, and the dissertations of the Sabbath
and the temple. HIS predecessors in
Office had been receiving big salaries, and
had allowed their underiings to fleece
the people Nehemiah might have cited
their example as precedent, and fol-
lowed in their wake, (after the manner
in which greedy ofTicehoIders or plum
delers thrust their arms into public
treasures in our day., but his simple,
manly statement il, 80 did not l, be-
cause of the fear of God" Nobly said
We wish every young man would write
those sharp, ringing words in his note
book, and determine to make the same
answer whenever he is tempted to do
selfish or a wicked act.
The most tremendous word in the
English language is the short yet mighty
word NO. 1t has been the pivot on
which innumerable destinies have
turned, for this world and the next.
Spoken at the right moment, it has saved
multitudes from disgrace, from ruin y
The downward pull of sin IS tre-
mendous. To be able firmly to say
90 Yet will l not " requires the grace
from above in the heart. There is a
subtle pull, also, in the drift of sinful
fashion and usage which carries away
every one who is not well established on
q bible conscience Three-fOurths of all
the persons who are drowned on the sea-
shore are swept out by the undertow.
This is the secret Influence which takes
hold of 50 many of the church-mem bers
and carries them off into extravagsnt
living, into sinful amusements and all
manner of worldly conformities. Every
true Christian is bound to be non
conformist If he Is not well anchored
for Christ, he is swept away by the
undertow. The bottom of the great
deep is strewed with such backsliders.
would press this truth home upon
every young man who reads this article
Your salvation depends on your ability
to say e Mo- When your principle IS
put to the test, ask Gods help and stand
firm.
In every school the difference is clearly
marked between the boy who has moral
pluck and the boy who is mere pulp.
The one knows how to say No" The
other is SO afraid of being thought YER
dant" that he soon killseverything pure,
and fresh, and manly in his character,
and dries up into premature ha dness
of heart. Five lads we've once gathered
in a room at boarding~school, and four
of them engaged in a game of cards,
which was expressly forbidden by the
rules. One of the players was called
out. The three said to the duiet lad,
who was busy at something else "Come
take a hand with us. 1t is too bad to
have the game broken up" d" do not
know one card from another" That
makes no difference" exclaimed the
players. eve will show you how.
Come along" Now, that was a
turning point in that lads life.
He nobly said 'tMy father does not
wish me to play cards, and 1 will not
disobey him." That sentence settled
the matter and settled his position
among his associates. He was the
boy who could "No;" and thence
forward his victories were made easy and
sure. l well remember the pressure
brought to bear in college upon every
young man to join in a wine-drink or tc
take hand in some contraband amuse
ment. Some timber got well seasoned
Some of the other sort got well rotted
through with sensuality and vice. The
Nehemiahs at college have been Nehe
miahs ever since. The boy was father o
| the man.
The only motive that couldfhold back
the brave nonconformist at Jerusalem
was a godly conscience: =" So did not l
because of the fear of God" This ever
present principle held him firm wher
temptation struck him, as the undercur
rents strike against the keel. What thu
fear of God did for Nehemiah, faith il
the Lord Jesus will do for you. Chris
must be to you pattern, aud He mus
be to you power. It is not enough t
believe on Jesus. You must " add t
your faith courage" (for that is the rea
meaning of the word translated virtue
our English bibles). Then, with Chris
as your model and Christ as your inwal
might, you will always be able to fac
down temptation with the iron answer
$50 will not I"-[T. L. Cuyler.
An honest ignoramus, who had e
capped great peril by an act of heroisn
was much complimented for his braver,