Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-03
THE YOUNG MAN THE CITY.

An Entertaining Lecture by Rev. L. c
Barnes.
"The YoungyMan in the City" was the
subject of very interesting and instruc.
tive lecture by Rev. L. G. Barnes before
the Y NJ. G. A. last evening to large au.
dience, most of whom were young men.
The person selected to whom all Others
were to look up to as their model in life
was the Lord Jesus, whose life and char.
acter were wildly portrayed from boy.
hood to manhood. The lecturer said:
suppose he was like other children reared
in an unconventional rural district. Not
pampered or made pale and pre-
cocious by the high pressure, hot-house
method of training; he was good
natured, hearty, healthy boy, living
largely the animal life proper to his age.
| believe that Jesus, the perfect child
played, as afterwards Jesus the perfect
man worked, with all his might. He
brew nature and custom had fixed the
age of twelve as the close of childhood
and the beginning of a manlier and more
independent life. Here then was the
young Jesus for the first time in contact
with the great world and at the very me
tropolis of all that was interesting, at
tractive and calculated to stir the soul.
But how did he spend this first,
which is often decisive
week amid the dizzying won
ders and opportunities of great city.
l doubt not he visited the various points
of interest In and about the city, and did
Nf Nil - hot L ~
temptation of inexperience, the tempta-
ton to see and know the worst of the
world. Such a thought about him is
impossible. With his opening manhood
and new stimulating surroundings, there
cane that mysterious awakening of the
powers within him, which some day
comes to every young man of mettle.
What was it in him which made him
spontaneously spurn the temptations,
and eagerly seize the highest oppor-
tunity offered him? 1t may be a matter
of congratulation with theologians, that
the first recorded words of Jesus disclose
his peculiar superhuman relationship to
God: "Wist ye not that I must be about
my Fathers business" But it is a mstter
Of far deeper gratitude, with us practical
men and women, that these same words
give us the key to his whole human life
of sublime service and sinlessness. This
little word "must" is the very key which
unlocks the human character Of Jesus,
opening to us all its treasures, so that we
can make them our own. To be like
Jesus, one must be controlled by sense
of duty, which rises over his thoughts
and acts to the degree of an infexlble
''must." Nothing short of necessity
ever brings out any power of man to its
fullest exercise. This is as true of his
moral as it is of his mental and physical
powers.
We who are young, and as we'll you
who are older, may be exceedingly fond
of certain excessive or immoral amuse-
ments. 1t is no consequence that it is
very hard for us to avoid them What
ever is inconsistent with likeness to
Christ, we simply must avoid.
Enthusiasm and spontaneity are glori-
GUS qualities to have in Christian life and
work. Fervency is blessed accident of
the Christian life, but the substance of it
is made of something sterner Cold, hard,
infexible duty, is the ground work of
every life which God accepts.