Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-06-16

\ beNa FOR christ
Al old .sraiel king was showing a
beautiful sword That had been gwen him.
Nnea one % MS cour,ier= sad. This
! sword Is too short You caanet do any
/ thing with IL. said the kings son: ITO
brave man no sword is too short. If it
be 100 short, take one step in advance, and
taru il Is ioug enough" So say To any
Christian who may feel that he has poor
weapons with which to fight against sin
ana darkness and death; Advance upon
the enemy. FL the strength Of Christ 20
forward God Is for you. and If God be for
you who can be against yOus Remember
that God never pits you in battle, but he
gives you weapons with which 10 eight"
ABSTAIN FisnN PERNiClDCs ASSOCIATIONS
My second word OF counsel 10 those who
have recently entered upon Christian life
is, Abstain from all pernicious associations,
and take only those that are useful and be-
neiicent. Stay out Of all associations that
would damage your Christian character
! Take only those associations that will help
| you. A learned man said, "If | stay
with that man Fenelon any longer shall
| be "A Christian In spite OF myself" In
other words, there is mighty power in
| Christian associations Now. what kind
OF associations shall we, as young Chris.
| tians, seek afterg | think we ought to get
| into company better than ourselves, never
| going into company worse than ourselves.
Ii We gei into company little better than
ourselves, aud there are ten people ia 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 toone
1. J..
fore
Now, when young Christian enters the
church, Goi does not ask him to retire
from the world The anchorite that lives
on acorns is no nearer heaven than the man
who lives on partridge and wild duck Iso-
la5on is not demanded by the bible A
man may use the world with the restriction
of not abusing H. Bur just as soon as you
find any surroundings pernicious to your
spiritual interest. quit those associations.
This remark is especially mOreap appropriate
to the young Now it is impossible that
the young and untroubed should seek
their associations with those who are aged
and worn out.
As God intended the aged to associate
with the aged talking over the past and
walking stat in hand along the same paths
AAit-f AftA4 AtAift iWAAl Nltl MY years N-Ot
so suppose he intended the young chiefly
to associate with the young The grace Of
God does not demand that we be unnat-
urll | do not want you to take this eau
ton have given you as that Of a growl-
ing misanthropp hating hilarity For you
must have spring bow II you want TO
make the arrow fly But while this is so.
| want you to be especially on guard in
. Ii st.ta ~ %
Christ control you in all your associations
know young people ga have meant
we'll enough, but they h.'Se fiOated off into
evil influences and they have associated
day By day with those who hated God and
despised his commandments. and their
characters are all depleted. | can see they
are changed for the worse. but they are
not aware of it, Oh. young man, come out
of that bad association do not know
what it is. do not know TO what place
you may have a private key. do not
know to what place you go without the
sanction Of those who love You very much.
do not pretend to point out any evil in
huences, but are there not some surround
ing influences that are pernieious to your
growth in grace? Stand back from that
furnace in which so many young Chris
tians have been destroyed.
In this church there is a large company
of young men and young women conse-
Grated to Christ. | know Of no better peo-
Pile than they are. Young convert, | in
vite you into their friendship. Contact
with them will elevate you. All hail,
young followers Of Jesus Christ, my Joy
and my pridel My heart thrills at every
step of your advancement. talked with
you in that hour when you first tried to
break from sin, and now rejoice as | see
you putting on the armor of "A conflict in
which God will give you present and ever
lasting victory Stand of from all evil as
sociations 4 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 and you will be made |
worse
KEEPS ACTIVELY EMPLOYED.
My next word of counsel is that you be |
actively employed see great many |
Christians with doubts and perplexities,
and they seem to be proud Of them Their
entire Christian life is made up of gloom, |
and they seem to cultivate that spiritual |
dependency, when | will undertake to
say that in nine cases out of ten spiritual
dependency is a Judgment of God upon
idleness Who are the happy people in the
church todayi The busy people. Show
me a man who Processes the religion OF
Jesus Christ and is idle, and ! will show
you an unhappy man. The very first pre-
scription that give to man when find
him full of doubts and fears about his
eternal interest is to go to work for God.
Ten thousand voices are lifted up asking
for your help. Go and help.
Here is a wood full Of summer insects.
An axman goes into the wood to cut fire
wood. The insects do not bother him very
much. and every stroke of the ak makes
them fly away. But let man go and lie
down there and he is bitten and mauled
and thinks it is a horrible thing to stay in
the wood. Why does he not take an ak
and go to works So there are thousands
of Christians now in the church who go
out amid great annoyances in life-they
are not perplexed they are all the time
busy; while there are others who do moth
ing. and they are stung and stung and