Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-06
YOUNG MEN.
CLEANLINESS IN BOTA THOUGHT
AND ACTION
A Necessary Attribute of Godliness
Yesterdays Sermons In
the Churches.

At the Fourteenth-street Presbyterian
Church, Rev. George R. Bird yesterday
spoke on the subject: Wherewithal shall
young man cleanse his way? By taking
heed thereto according to thy word
Psalm cxix., 8.
First-The common way of young men
is said here to be unclean. If any one
knows the way of a young man, that one
is God. Now, God never misiudges or mis-
represents q man. Faithful to life are all
His photographs. When He says the
young mans ways are commonly unclean,
He does but say that which life and history
reveal. Much of our country's future great
ness depends upon the character of our
young men, since much of its history must
run through their hands and hearts. Are
those hands and hearts to be clean or I'M
clean? They will be unclean if they par
take in the common ungodliness through
neglect OF the first commandant. One rea-
son why the Bible is distasteful to so many
young men, is because it corrects their
wrong course by commanding them to wor-
ship God. They do not want correction,
and therefore neglect its advice. AS soon
as boys begin to bud into men they
feel too big for church or the Bible
class-places where the above good
advice is given-and they go off and out
like the prodigal son to have good time in
riotous living. The young man says, II
want to see life; don't want to be narrow
want to show my independence and SOW
my wild oats" The young man who
breaks the first commandment will soon
break the rest. Then the life is unclean
through profanity, dishonor of parents,
covetousness and the catalogue of unclean
things spoken against in the second table
of the Decalogue Now, an unclean way
that is not flushed is soon filthy. Only one
thing can flush the soul clean, and as
young men commonly despise that one
thing, their minds are soon filthy in
thought and their lives in acts. Listen to
the common conversation of a knot of
young men on the streets. 1t is usually
silly, and often sensual, and SO is sadly in
need of cleansing.
Second-The clean way for young men is
not popular. 1t requires young man to go
against the current of custom. He must
shake himself awake in order to think
about higher and better things. If he
continues to wallow with the world in
unclean ways he cannot be otherwise
than filthy in Gods sight. He must not be
afraid to face the laugh of the scorners, for
the devil will tickle such to laugh his good
intentions down. He must separate him.
self from unclean places and perilons, as
did the early Christian converts from the
corrupt society of the old Roman Empire.
Desert loneliness is help to godliness
when the company of the world is cor
Hssr OF 10 cfro 10 he
fence by holding on to both God and the
devil. He must take the guide to holiness,
which is the word of God, and give good
heed TO its directions.
The path of the just Is very dim without
the light OF this guide. The snares of the
fowlers are all unseen unless pointed out
by this guide. He cannot see his way to
heaven by the light of cigar. His COM
panion must be the Word of God, to which
he must give constant heed, as to light in
dark place. The Bible is a wonderful
book to give both tone and bone to young
mans character. 1t has made a weak
man into John Knox, and strong of soul
enough to shake such country as Scot
land in the days of Mary Stuart. The
Bible will keep young man from becom-
ing food for Satans candles. Satan's can
dies shine in the saloons, theaters, dives
and dens of vice, so plentiful in all cities
Into these silly and conceited young men
rush like bugs into the heat of the electric
light, and are destroyed from lack of
knowledge. This lack comes of neglect of
the Bible, the church, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom alone. God says,
they can be cleansed and kept clean.
PAUL's SUBLIME CHARACTER.
At the Central NJ. E. Church Rev. Thos.
Filben preached yesterday morning on
Paul's words None of these things move
me-" He said: Paul is, perhaps, the next
greatest figure of the Scripture after Jesus.
He approaches nearest to Jesus in the
grandeur of his character. The text pre-
sents great view of him. Paul is on his
last round and is faced towards Jerusalem,
after that intending to proceed to Rome.
Church of Ephesus, recalling the difficulties
that have beset his way, and facing the
probability of Imprisonment at jerusalem.
he uses the words. Measured by his career
they are no stretch of rhetoric, but show
the prevailing temper of the man-superior
to his surroundings, though surroundings
of adversely.
ms great victory to be above the vi
cissitudes OF life as was Paul. Life is
full of difficulties and resistances not out
ward as Pauls always, but all have
troubles. They come in the course of life,
in the way we are set to run. Trials calcu-
lated to unsettle us; losses, sickness, deaths,
betrayals. 1t is great to be above these,
unaffected by these. They come in every
life II IS beyond our power to contest
their coming. Our lives and our ways are
beyond our control. God marks out the
line. In the pursuit OF our way we en-
counter these. Not that they all come
from God, but all are permitted of God.
They are determination of character in the
way we meet them. Adversely and afflic-
ton are good tests of the stuff that is in a
man. God often needs to disclose us 10
ourselves. The gold is true symbol of q
right bearing on which the fire may play
for one thousand years and not tarnish it
or diminish its weight. Paul is good
model, crying, in and after that life so
checkered, 50 full of adverse experiences,
begun in persecution, continued in impris-
onment and scourging and ending in mar
tyrdom. None of these things move me-
"Panl gives US the secret OF his steadfast-
ness, his superiority over these external
circumstances of his life: Neither count
| my life dear unto myself, so that / may
finish my course with joy 1t is what is
at the end of the journey that controls
him, and not what is along the way, a
proper regard for eternity and the things
of il. There is day that every man
wants should be quiet day. 1t is the
greatest day OF life, because of what il de-
termines. There is only one way to be
quiet in it. It is to have the record clear,
backward and forward. from it. Paul
wanted that day quiet 1t was quiet day
for him-even though 1t was day of mar
tyrdom. There beyond it is rest from
bondage and sorrows and TRIALS, and
beyond il is Astounding reward for all suf-
fering and toll, and reunion with the
greater company gone before. Death is
gain. 1t was this thought that nerved
Paul to be steadfast. Proper thoughtful
ness on these things would make all stead.
fast whatever the passing experience OIL
burden"
y CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Rev. W. c. Merrill gave another Oh hi:
interesting illustrated lectures last evening
on The Pilgrims Progress" This serie:
of lectures have proved very attractive, a:
the pastor handles his subject in mastery
manner, and his treatment of it is mad,
doubly interesting by the aid of the electro
optioon.
A GOOD HAUL.
Burglars Raid n Store and Steal Loat
of Valuable Goods.