The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-27

Talmage, in the Brooklyn Tabernacle,
Sunday evening, was on the subject
FTurning Points in Life" Text, II, Sam.
xviii:32, rs the young man Absalom
safe?"
PARENTAL ANXIETY.
The two great characteristics Of Absa-
lom were worldly ambition and splen-
did hair; by the first he was debased, by
the second hung. He was bad boy,
and broke his old fathers heart He
wanted to get his fathers throne, 80 he
goes out, stirs up insurrection, and makes
a great battle. Meanwhile his father sits
in the door of a fortress, waiting for the
news to come, not chiefly anxious wheth-
er his troops win or Absalom's troops
win, but chiefly anxious about the well
fare of his son. While the old man is
sitting there and looking out, he sees the
dust arising and some one running with
great dispatch but he cannot wait until
he gets up to the fortress. The old man
cries out at the top of his voice, "Have
you heard from my boy? Is he deadP Is
he alive2 Is the young Absalom safe ?"
But this messenger had not very salts
factory intelligence, so he was told to
stand aside. The father waited for furth
er tidings, and, looking out, he sees an
other messenger coming, and says, "Ah,
now l shall hear from him W entirely
forgetful of how much was involved in
the battle. As soon as the messenger
come within speaking distance, the old
man cries out again "Where is my boy2
Is he wounded2 Is he dead? Is the
Young man, Absalom, safeP" Oh, no, he
was not safe. He had been riding on
mule-a mule is the meanest thing on
earth to ride on; it has a tough mouth
and is stubborn necked, and it is uncon-
trolable and will not answer 10 the bit
and riding on the mule, he came under
tree, and his splendid locks caught in
q branch, and the mule true to his char
aCteristics, would not stop, but went on
and left Absalom suspended. Sohe died.
and to the question of the text there
came an awful negative, The young
man, Absalom, was not safe.
STARTING IN LIFE.
propose this morning to speak about
the safety of young men. There are cir
cumstanCes in life when man seems to
get along quite we'll without any religion
to help, guide or restrain him; but there
are four or five great passesin life when a
young man needs the grace of God, and
l shall give a kindly warning to our
young friends against undertaking life
without religion.
The first great pass in young mans
life when he needs Divine help is when
he chooses his occupation or profession.
1t is a serious moment when a young
man gets through with his schooling, and
perhaps leaves his fathers house and
says, "Now, what shall be ?" MeChan-
ism opens before him score Of trades,
and professional life opens before him
seven or eight callings He must choose
between these and choose Alright, for if
he make mistake here, he is gone, He
may, making wrong choice, saunter
on through the world, but his life will be
useless, and his every step failure l
have friend who started life in mer-
Chandise, Then he went into the medi-
cal profession. After while be crossed
over into specific surgery. Then he en-
tered the ministry. Then he became a
soldier in the army. After that he en-
tered the ministry again and is now a
surgeon. Oh, if he had only had God at
the start to tell him what to do. There
are tens of thousands of men who get
on the wrong track, and they are never
able to correct the mistake. They are
in the law when they ought to be doc.
toring the sick, or they are filling the
pulpit, when they ought to be plowing
corn. We want some fine occupation or
else some neat and elegant trade, and
we start out with that determination,
when instead Of having for the chief
question how beautiful our apparel may
be in that occupation, or how white our
hands, the only question ought to be,
''For what did God fit me~ There are
five hundred businesses in life, but there
is only one business for which you are
fitted, young man; and if you blunder on
without any Divine help in your choice
of calling or profession, four hundred
and ninety. nine chances to one, you will
get The wrong business, Your father
will want you to do one thing, your
mother will want you to do another
thing, your sister will want you to do
something else, while you will not be
quite decided as to whether you have
endurance enough for this or education
enough for that, or tact for the other
thing. All, that is the time when a
young man needs the grace of God to
help him. God fashioned your body,
and He knows your physical endurance.
He constructed your mind, and he knows
for what profession you have most aCu-
men. Go to him, therefore, and say,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to doP"
God will tell you, and he will tell you
rightly. Blunder here, and you have
blundered forever. 1 know a score of
Young men who have been ruined for
both worlds simply because they got into
the wrong kind Of business.
CHOOSING WIFE.
The second great pass in life, when
young man wants Divine direction, is
when he establishes his own household
When man builds his earthly home he
decides his eternity. / know that afi-
ancing is usually looked upon as some
thing to be merry over, instead of some
thing to be prayed about; but what step
is there fraught with such veal or woe !?
Is it not strange that al affair charged
with such temporal and eternal import
should depend on whim or a glance ?
| do not think put the case too strong
y when / say that when a young man
marries he marries for heaven or hell.
If he bring into his household the right
Kind Of influences the home will be ele-
Vated and upward in its impulsions. If
be bring the wrong kind of influences
INTO his house he will go down-he must
10 down. Build not your home on the
,olor Of fair cheek, or the sparkle of a
bright eye, for a life is not a gay ro- I
nance, but tremendous reality and !
here will come time in your house
when you will want not so much a pet !