Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-06-23

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ABSTAIN FROM PEBNIcIoUs ASSOCIATIONS.
Ny second word Of counsel to those who
have recently entered upon Christian life
/ Is, Abstain from all pernioious associations,
and take only those that are useful and be-
neilcent. Stay out of all associations that
would damage your Christian character.
Take only those associations that will help
you. A learned man said, "If l stay
with that man Fenelon any longer shall
be a Christian in spite of myself" In
other words, there is a mighty power in
! Christian associations Now, what kind
Of associations shall we, as young Chris
tians, seek afters think we ought to get
into company better than ourselves, never
going into company worse than ourselves.
| II we get into company little better than
ourselves, and there are ten people in that
company, ten chances to Cne we will be
bettered. If we get into company little
worse than ourselves, and there be ten
people in that company, ten chances 10 one
we will be made worse than we were be-
fore.
Now, when young Christian enters the
church, God 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-
lation is not demanded by the Bible. A
man may use the world with the restriction
of not abusing it. But just rs soon as you
find any surroundings pernicious to your
spiritual interest, quit those associations.
This remark is especially more appropriate
to the young Now it is impossible that
the young and untroubled 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 staff in hand along the same paths
they trod thirty, forty and fifty years ago,
so suppose he intended the young chiefly
to associate with the young. The grace of
God does not demand that we be unnat-
ural l do not want you to take this eau
tion have given you as that of growl-
ing misanthrope, hating hilarity. For you
must have a spring bow if you want to
make the arrow fly. But while this is so,
l want you to be especially on guard in
this matter and let the religion of Jesus
Christ control you in all your associations.
know young people who have meant
well enough, but they have 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. 1 do not know
what it is. do not know to what place
you may have a private key. l do not
know to what place you go without the
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l do not pretend to point out any evil in
fluences, but are there not some surround
ing influences that are pernicious to your
growth in grace2 Stand back from that
furnace in which so many young Chris
tians have been destroyed.
In Nhis church there is large company
of young men and young women conse-
Grated to Christ. know of no better peo-
Pile than they are. Young convert, l in
vite you into their friendship Contact
with them will elevate you All hail,
young followers of Jesus Christ, my Joy
and my pride 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 I see
you putting on the armor of conflict in
which God will give you present and ever
lasting victory. Stand off from all evil as
sociations. A 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 a 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 1 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 today? 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 a man when l 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 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 horrible thing to stay in
the wood. Why does he not take an ak
and go to work9 So there are thousands
of Christians now in the church who &C
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
stung and covered from head to foot with
the blotches of Incidence and inactivity
and spiritual DEATH
The first thing, then, you have to do, G
Christian young man, Christian young
woman. is to go to work in the service Of
the Lord if you want to be a happy Chris
tian. When an army goes out, there are
always stragglers falling off here and there
some because they are faint and sick, but
great many because they are afraid tc
fight and too lazy to march. After awhile
the lazy men on the road hear the boom
ing of the guns for hours, and they heal
the shout of victory, and man on horse
back comes up and says, 1--WE have wor
the dayP' Then they hasten up. How
brave they are after the battle is over
Poor at fighting but grand at "huzzap
So there are stragglers going after the
Lords host. There come days of darkness
and battle Where are they? We call the
roll of the host. They make no answer
but after awhile there comes day of tri
umph in the church, and they are al
about. "Huzzal huzza! Didn't we give
it to themr'
BE FAITHFUL IN PRAYER.
have another word of counsel TO Civ,
those who have just entered Christian life
and that is, Be faithful in prayer Yor
might as we'll, business nan, start out in
the morning without food and expect tc
be strong all that day-you might as well
abstain from food all the week and expect
| to hn strc,no nhysicallv aS to be STRONG