The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-03-09
And Take the Lord as Your
Counsellor.
Life Tremendous Reality, Little Un-
derstood Without Continual Di-
vine Guidance.
IT. DE WITT TALMAGE.l

wanted TO get his fathers throne, and
so he goes out, stirS up insurrectiOn, and
makes a great battle. Meanwhile the
father sits in the door of fortress walt
ing for the news to come, not chiefly an
xiOus as 70 whether his troops win or
AbsalOm's troops win, but chiefly anxi-
GUS about the safety of his son. While
the old man is sitting there and looking
out, he sees the dust arising and some
one running with great despatch; but
ne cannot wait until he gets up to the
fortress, The old man cries out al the
ton of his voice: "Have you heard from
nv boy? Is he dead? Is he alive?. Is
the young man AbsalOm safer" But
this messenger had not very satisfactory
intelligence, so he was told to stand
aside. The father waited for further
tidings. and, looking out, he sees another
messenger coming, and says: "Ah now
/ shall hear from him." entirely forget
full of how much was involved in the
battle As soon as the messenger comes
within speaking distance, the old man
cries out again: "WheTe is my boy? Is
ne wounded? Is he dead? Is the young
man AbsalOm safe?" o, no, he was not
safe. He had been iding on a mule-a
mule is the meanest thing on earth to
ride on; it has tough mouth, and it is
stubbOrn-neckeda and it is uncOntrOlla-
BILE, and will not answer to the bit-and
riding on the mule, he came under a
tree, and his splendid locks caught in a
branch, and the mule, true to its char
acteristics, would not stop, but went on
and left AbsalOm suspended. So he
died, and to the question of the text
there came an awful negative. The
yOung man AbsalOm was not safe.
| propose this morning to speak about
the safety of young men. There are cir
cumstances in life when man seems to
get along quite well without any re-
ligiOn to help, guide, or restrain him;
but there are four or five great passes in
life when young man needs the grace
of God, and | shall give kindly warn
ing to our young friends against under
taking 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" Me-
chanism opens before him a score of
trades, and professional life opens be-
fore him seven or eight callings. He
must choose between these, and must
choose Alright, for if he makes a mistake
here. he is gone. He may, making a
wrong choice, saunter on through the
his every step failure. have friend
who started life in merchandise. Then
he went into the medical profession.
After awhile he crossed over into specific
surgery. Then he entered the ministry.
Then he became a soldier in the army.
After that he entered the ministry again,
and is now a surgeon. o! if he had only
had God at the start to tell him what to
do. There are tens of thousands of men
p
never are able to correct the mistake.
'Ihpv are in the law when they ought to
be dOctOring the sick, or they are filling
the pulpit when they ought to be plough
inc corn. We want some fine Occupa-
tiOns. or some neat and elegant trade,
and we start out with that determine
tiOn. when, instead of having for the
chief question how beautiful our apparel
NAV be in that occupation, or how white
our hands, the only question ought to
be: For what did God fit me" ThtT
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 auy Divine help in your
choice of an occupation or profession,
four hundred and ninety-nine chances
to one, you will ge4 the wrong business.
Your father will want you to do one
thing, your mother will want you to do
another thing, your sisters will want
you to do another thing, while you your
self 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. Ah!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 en-
durance. He constructed your mind, and
He knows for what profession you have
the most acumen. Go, therefore, to Him
and say: Lord, what wilt thou have
me to do?" God will tell you, and He
will tell you rightly. Blunder here and
YOU have blundered forever. know
score of men who have been ruined for
both worlds simply because they got
into the wrong kind of business.
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 affianc-
ing is usually looked upon as something
to be merry over, instead of something
to be prayed about: but what step Is
there fraught with such veal or woe?
Is il not strange that an affair charged
with such temporal and eternal import
should depend on whim or glance?
/ do not think put the case too strong
ly when | say that when young man
marries, he marTies for heaven or HE'LL
If he bring into his household the right
kind of influences, the home will be
elevated and upward in its impulsiOns.
If he bring the wrong kind of Influences
into his house, he will go dOwn-he
must go down. Build not your home on
the color Of fair cheek, or the sparkle
of bright eye, for life is not gay ro-
nance, but a tremendous reality; and
there will come time in your house
when you will want not so much pet
or toy as heroine. There will be a
time when the outside world will be
dark enough, and you will come into
your home wanting, most of all, a cheer
full word, and to see cOuntenance un-
beelouded, yet sympathetic. There Is a
man-his head is gray nOw-whO looks
back to the time of some great business
disaster, when his soul sank within him,
and his mind almost dropped from its
throne; yet after the duns, and tolls,
and annOyances, and insults of the day,
he went to his home and shut the door
against the world of annoyance, and
there, amid the sweet home voices of
those who had never betrayed him,
found foretaste of that heaven where
panics never come. Why, he hardly
dared to tell his wife of the business