The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-02-23
How Shall u Young Man Cleanse His
Way?

on sale at Orr u Sloan'S.
How Shall Young Man Cleanse His
! Waye
All. who failed to attend the Baptist
Church last Sunday night missed rare
treat. Every young man should study
carefully and ponder the very able SER
mon preached especially for their benefit
by Rev. A. A. Marshall. The only way
to be benefited by good counsel is by
taking heed thereto. Notwithstanding
the inclement weather, the spacious audi
tory of the Church was crowded. The
discourse was taken from Psalms, 1l9th
chapter, 9th verse: "Wherewithal shall a
Young man cleanse his way? By taking
heed thereto, according to thy Word"
The following is synopsis of the ser
mon, which we earnestly commend to the
careful consideration of our readers, and
especially to the young men:
Youth enters life inexperienced and with
a natural bias of sin. How then shall
Young man direct his steps Alright? How
shall he walk so as to avoid life's dangers
on the one hand and to win success upon
the other?
Every age and condition of life has its
own peculiar dangers and temptations.
Nothing can exempt us from them. we
meet them at every step from the cradle
to the grave. But there are PERIODS or
| life when temptations are stronger-these
/ are life's danger points. Usually these
| danger points, like the projecting headtands
that mark on either side the passage from
narrow channels into broader seas, are
/ lust opposite the transition periods of life.
| All transitions are dangerous. But prob
ably the most dangerous as well as the
| most momentous period Of life, is young
manhood. Youth is the formative period
of life-its plastic state when impressions
are most lastingly made. This is the
period when character is made, and char
acter is permanent. The law of contin-
uity, of permanency, makes young mar.
hood dangerous and critical period OF
life Prison reports prove that rev men @
enter upon an evil course late in life. Inc
conservatism of age continues us on the
line of our earlier development. In all
human probability what you are now you
| will be ten years from now. at thls
period. the incidents of day may fix the
| impressions of years-and life with its
successes or failures may pivot upon
single moment. It is commonplace to
say severy thing has a beginning" and
| vet we do not know arhot is beginning
when it begins. For life of shame or a
life of godliness may begin in single
thought. The decisive moment may bear
no mark of its decisiceness.
at this period a young man ls 1aced
| with the most serious question OF MS
| temporal interests-the question of his
Life employment. His happiness and
success will depend upon wise choice.
That choice must be made with reference
to his physical and mental constitution.
To endeavor to do those things for which
| one is evidently not qualified must end
disastrously.
One should be sure that his purpose is
laudaJle one. The young mind Is apt
| TO unduly esteem certain lines OF work
| and look down upon others. A man may
| as certainly be successful and do good In
the lowlier callings of life as in the learned
| professions. Sometimes youth falls to
| understand the relative positions of en-
| ployments. There is a time in the life OF
most boys when they would rather be a
| ring master in circus than to be Pres1-
dent of the United States. Under false
| notions of this sort one is In danger OF
| giving that thought to trifles which be-
| long to more serious concerns. When we
make small things great, We are apt to
make great things small.
Indecision is another danger of ayouth.
| A bad decision is better than no decision.
| I can think of no more unfortunate con-
| dition of life than drifting-foating with
| the current, or Micawber-like waiting
! for something to turn up" Indecision Is
the parent Of idleness, and idleness is the
| hot bed of temptation. No idle man ever
| was happy, and but few idle men remain
innocent.
Again, the strength OF young manhood
| is also source of danger. II write unto
you, young men, because you are strong"
! said one of old. Yet strength increases
danger. Consciousness of strength often
leads to rashness. The young man feels
II am strong, can resist temptation, II
my way is wrong can change at any
time" Hence the young never listen
with pleasurable emotion to warnings OF
danger. The young mariner as he STANDS
upon the deck of his virgin ship, whose
sails have never been wet with ocean 5
spray, loves not to hear of rocks and
ouicksands and furious tempests. He
feels equal to any emergency. So when
we start life we feel that we are able to
meet temptation. We confde in our
strength. But, alas, there is danger line
in life's current which no man can cross
| with safety. "When am weak then am
strong," said the apostle. Strength is
an element of weakness, and weakness is
strength.
Young men are also in danger of FORM
ing wrong notions about money. They
may either underestimate or over esti-
mate. Here, as elsewhere, safety lies IN
the golden mean. Money has its uses as
we'll as abuses. Thrift and economy are
perfectly consistent with noble manhood,
you can without injury to yourself or to
others. The spendthrift finds no consola.
ton in the Word of God. Yet beware OF
coyetousness. In this age of rapid accu-
mutations and great fortunes, young men
are apt to be over anxious tor wealth.
Poverty is no disgrace, to be poor is no
crime. Money is all right so long as we
make it our servant, il is q curse when it
becomes our master. 70 ignore it, is to
act foolishly, to worship it is to commit
sin. The love of money, not money, is
the root of all evil. Put forth all effort to
get it honestly, not for itself, but for the
good it may enable you to do. To get
money honestly requires work. The
world may owe every man living, but
he must work to collect it.
The drink habit is another danger in the
way of young men. Here lies perhaps
lifes greatest danger. There are parts of
the sea more dangerous than Others to the
navigator. About these dangerous places
light houses are erected and floating buoys
with ringing bells are placed to warn OF
danger. Above this reef of intemperance
which has stranded its thousands, would
raise light house as high as heaven and
make ten thousand bells ring out, beware