The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-06-10

Nv OONNOA N'AH ~
ten people in that company ten chances
to one we will be bettered. II we get
into company a little worse than we are,
and there are ten persons, Ten chances
to one we will be worse than we were
before. Now, when a young Christian
enters the church, God does not want
him to be a monk, or her to
be a nun, There is 10 virtue
in monasticism. The anchorite
who lives on acorns is no nearer heaven
than the man who lives on partridge and
duck. Isolation is not demanded by the
Bible. Now, it ia impossible that the
Young and u|ntroubled should seek their
association with those who are aged and
worn out. As God intended the aged to
associate with the aged, talking over the
past, and, walking, staff in hand, along
the same paths they trod thirty and for
ty years age; so | suppose He intended
| the young to associate chiefly with the
young. The g ace of God does not de-
mand that we be unnatural. | do not
want you to take this caution | h We
given you as that of a growing mi an
thrope, hating hilarity, for you must
have a spring bow if you want to make
the arrow fly. But while this is 30,
want you to be especially on guard in
this matter, and let the religion of Jesus
Christ control you amid your assoCia-
tions. l know young people who have
meant well enough, but have toated off
into evil influences; and have associated
day by day with those who hated God
and despised his commandments; and
these characters are all depleted. | can
see they are changed for the worse, but
they are not aware of it. Oh! young man
come out of that bad association; | don't
know what it is. l do not know to what
place you may have a private key. l do
not know to what place you go without
the sanction of those who love you very
much. | do not pretend to point out
any evil influences, but are there not
some surrounding influences that are in
furious to your growth in grace2 Stand
back from that furnace in which numer.
GUS young Christians have been destroy.
ed. In this church is a large company
of young people who are UonseCrated to
Christ. Young convert, l invite you into
their friendship. Contact with them
will elevate yoI. All hail, young follow
ers of Jesus Christ, my soul and my joy!
| My heart thrills with every step ofyour
advancement. l talked with you in that
hour when you first tried to break from
sin, and now l rejoice as l see you put
ting on taat armor of a conflict in which
God will give you present and everlast-
ing victory. Stand eff from all evil as
soCiatioI s. A man is no better than the
company he keeps. Always seek your
betters. My next word of counsel lie,
that you be actively employed. | see a
great many Christians with doubts and
perplexities, and they seem to be proud
of them. Their entire Christian life is
made up of gloom; they seem to cult.
vate spiritual dependency; when l will
undertake to say that in nine cases out
OF ten, spiritual dependency is a judg.
ment of God upon idleness. Who are
the happy people in the church today?
The busy people. Show me a man who
processes the religion of Jesus Christ
and is idle, and l will show you an un.
happy man. The very first prescription
| give a man when l find him full of
| doubts and fears about his eternal inter.
eat is, to go to work for God. Ten thou
sand voices are lifted up, asking for our
help. An axman goes into the woods to
cut fire wood. The insects do not trou.
BILE him very much, and every stroke of
the axe makes them fly about, But let
a mar go and lie down there, and he is
bitten and annoyed, and things it a per.
picking thing to stay there. So there are
hosts Of Christians now in the church
who go cut amid great a%nnoyanCes in
life. They are not perplexed, and they
are always busy; while there are others
who do nothing, and they are stung from
head to foot, and covered with blotChes
of Incidence and inactivity and spiritual
death. The first thing you have to do,
then, oh, Christian man and woman, is
to 90 to work in the service of the Lord,
if you want to be a happy Christian.
When an army goes out, there are strag.
glers always falling of here and there;
some because they are faint and sick,
but some because they are afraid to fight
and too lazy to work. After while the
lazy men on the road hear the booming
Of the guns for hours, and they hear the
shout of victory, and a man on horse
back up and says: "We have won
the day." Then they hasten up. How
brave they are after the battle ia overl
Poor at fighting, but grand at "Huzza."
So there are stragglers going after the
Lords host. There come Gays of dark
ness and battle. Where are they? We
call the roll of the host. They make no
answer, but after a time there comes a
day of triumph to the church, and they
are all about. "Huzza! Cidn't we give
it to them2" l have another word of
counsel to give those who have just en-
tered Christian life, and that is, be con.
slant in prayer. You might as well, bu-
siness man, start out in the morning
without food, and expect to be strong all
that day as to lie strong without prayer.
The only way to get strength into the
soul is by prayer; and the only difference
between the Christian who is worth any
thing and the one who is not is, the last
one does not pray and the other does.
Oh, the power of prayerl Pray, pray.
Another word of counsel / have to give.
Be faithful and studious in Bible reading
and research. We cannot read half of
them. AT every revolution of the print
impress they are coming. They cover our
parlor tables, and are in u sitting rooms
and cars. Glorious books they arel We
thank God every day for the work of
the Christian printing press. But l have
thought. perhaps the followers Of Christ
sometimes allow this religious literature
to take their attention from the Bible,
and that there NAV not be as much BIZ
BILE reading as there ought to be. How
isthat with your own experienced Just
calculate in your minds how much relig.
ious literature you have read during the
year, and then how much of the Bible
you have read, then contrast the two,
and answer within your own soul, whe.
Their you are giving more attention to
books written by men, or that written
by the hand Of God. You go to the
druO.store and get the mineral waters.