The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-05-19

made ten fortunes" So believe it will
be when the Christian soul at last comes
into the harbor of heaven. 1t will come
bearing upon it the marks of a great
stress of weather. You may see by the
very looks of that soul as it comes into
glory that it was driven by the storm
and dashed in the hurricane; but by 30
much as the voyage was rough will the
habor be blessed. "If ye suffered with
Him on earth ye shall be glorifed with
Him in heaven" Aim high. Do moi
be satisfied to be like the Christians all
around about you. Be more than they
have ever been for Christ An old
Arabian King was showing beautiful
sword tha, had been given him, when
one Of his courtiers said: This sword is
too short. You cannot do anything with
it," Said the Kings son: ITO brave
man no sword is too short. II it be toe
short, take one step in advance, and il
will be long enough" So say to any
Christ an who may feel that he has poor
weapons with which to fight against Sin
and death and darkness: advance up.
on the enemy. In the strength ol
Christ, 60 forward Put more rength
God is for you, and if God be for you
who can be against your Remember
that God never puts you in battle but
he gives you weapons with which to
fight"
My second word of counsel to those
who have recently entered upon Chris,
tian life is: Abstain from all pernicioue
associations, and take only those that
are useful and benetiCient. Stay out oil
all associations that would damage your
Christian character. Take only those as
soCiations that would help you. A
learned man said: "If stay with that
man Fenelon any longer l shall get to
be Christian in spite of myself" In
other words, Christian association is
mighty powerful. Now, what kind OF
association shall we, as young Chris
tians, seek after2 think we ought to
try to get into company better than our.
selves, never going into company worse
than ourselves. If we get into company
little better than ourselves, and there
are ten people in that company, ten
chances to one we will be bettered. If
We get into company little worse than
ourselves, and there be ten people in
that company, ten chances to one that
we will be made worse than we were be-
fore. Now, when young Christian en-.
ters church God does not ask you to
be monk. God does not ask her to be
a nun. There is no virtue in monastiC.
ism. The anGhorite that lives on aCorns
is no nearer heaven than the man who
lives on partridge and wild duck. Iso-
lation is not demanded by the Bible. A
man may use the world with the restriC-
tien of not abusing it, But just as soon
as you find any surroundings perniCious
to your spiritual interest quit those ass }.
Citations. This remark is more especially
appropriate to the young. Now, it is
impossible that th3 young and un.
troubled should seek their associations
with those who are aged and worn out,
As God intended, the aged should asso-
ciate with the aged, talking over the
past, and walking, staff III hand, along
the same pathways they trod, thirty,
forty and fifty years ago, go suppose He
intended the young chiefly to associate
with the young. The grace of God does
not demand that we be unnatural. l do
not want you to take this caution have
given you as that of growing missn.
thrope, hating hilarity. For you must
have a spring bow ifyou want to make
the arrow fly. But while this is 80 l
want you to be esOecislly on your guard
in this matter, and let the religion of
Jesus Christ control you in all your as.
soCiations. l know young people who
have meant we'll enough, but they have
hoated off into evil influences, and they
have associated day by day with those
who hated God and despised his COM
mandments, and their characters are all
depleted. can see they are changed
for the worse; but they are not aware of
it. 0, young man, come out of that bad
association. do not know what it it. l
do not know to what place you may have
a private key. do not know to what
place you may go without the sanction
Of those who love you very much. do
not pretend to point out any evil inhu.
enCes, but are there not some surround
ing influences that are perniCous to your
growth in grace2 Stand back from that
furnace in which 80 many young Chris
tians have been destroyed. In this
church there are large company of
young men and young women conse.
Grated to Christ. know of no better
people than they are. Young convert,
| invite you into their friendship. Con-
tact with them will elevate you. All
hail, young followers of Jesus Christ, my
Joy and my pride My heart thrills at
every step of your advancement. |
talked with you when you first tried to
break fron, sin, and | now rejoice as
see you putting on the armor for the
conflict in which God will give you pres
ent aud everlasting victory. Stand off
from all evil associations, A man is no
better than the company he keeps. Go
among those who are better than you
are, and you will be made better. Go
among those who are worse than you
are andyo will be made worse,
My next word of counsel is that you
be actively employed. l see a great
many Christians with doubts and per-
plexities, and they seem to be proud of
them. Their entire Christian life is
made up of gloom, and they seem to cul.
tivate this natural dependency when
will undertake to say, that in nine cases
out of ten spiritual despondency is a
Judgment of God upon idleness. Who |
are the happy people in the church to-
dayP The busy people. Show me a
man who processes the religion of Jesus
Christ that is idle, and will show you
an unhappy man, The very first pre-
scription that | give to a man when l
find him full of doubts and fears about
his eternal interest is to 60 to work for
God. Ten thousand voices are lifted
up asking for vour help. Go and hel .,
Here is a wood full of summer insects
An axman goes into the wood and cuts
frewood. The insects do not bother
him much, and every stroke of the ak
makes them fly about. But let a man
90 and lie down there, and he ia bitten
and mauled, and he thinks it is hor.
rible thing to stay in the wood. Why |
does he not take an ak and 60 to work. |
So there are thousands of Christians now |
in the church who go out amid great an