The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-12-04

want 10 present. have saved It N,
| til the last because want it to be the
more emphatic The great safeguard
for every young man is the Christian
religion. Nothing can take the place
Of it. You may have gracefulneSS
enough to put to the blush Lord Ches-
tcrfield, you may have foreign Ian
guages dropping from yoar tongue,
YOU may discuss laws and literature,
YOU may have a pen OF uncqualed pol
ish and power, you may have somuch
business tact that YOU can get the larg-
est salary in banking house, you
may be as sharp as Herod and as
strong as Samson and with as long
locks as those which hung Absaiom,
and yet have no safety against tenap,
tation. Some Of you look forward to
lie with great dependency. / know
it. see it III your faces from time
to time. You say, "All the occupa,
tons and professions are full, and
there's no chance for me. O Young
man, cheer up | will tel! you how
YOU can make your fortune. Seek
first the kingdom of God and his
Righteousness, all other things will be
added know you DO not want to
be mean in this matter. You will not
drink the brimming cup Of life and
then pour out the dregs on Gods al,
tar To- generous Saviour you VIII
not act like that; you have not the
heart to act like that. That is not
manly. That is not honorable. That
is not brave. Your great want IS
new heart, and in the name of the
Lore Jesus Christ, | tell YOU SO today,
and the blessed Spirit presses through
the solemnities of this hour to put the
cup CT life to your thirsty lips. On.
thrust it not back. Mercy presents It
bleeding mercy, long suffering mer-
cv. Despise all other friendships,
prove recreant to all other bargains,
| but despiSe Gods love for your dying
soul do no: do that. There comes a
crisis in man life, and the trouble
is he does not know it is the crisis. |
got letter in which 4 man says to
me:
Il start out now to preach the gos-
pei of Righteousness and temperance
to the people. Do YOU remember me!
am the man who appeared at the
close of the service when YOU were
worshiping in the chapel after You
came from Philadelphia. Do You re-
member at the close Of the service a
man coming up to You all trem5le
with conviction, and crying out for
mercy, and telling YOU he had a very
bad business, and he thought he would
| change it, That was the turning
point in my history. l gave up my
bad business. l gave my heart
to God, and the desire 10 serve
! him has grown upon me all these
years, until now woe is unto me II l
preach not the gospel.
That Sunday night was the turning
point of that young mans history.
This very Sabbath hour will be the
turning point in the history of hun
| dred Young men in his house. God
help US. I once stood on an anniver-
sary platform with clergyman, who
told this marvellous story. He saids
Thirty years ago two young men
started out to attend Park theater,
New York, to see play which made
religion ridiculous and hypocritical.
They had been brought up in Chris
tian families. They started for the
theatre to see that vile play, and their
early convictions came back upon
them. They felt it was not right to
60, but still they went. They came
to the door of the theatre. One OF the
young men stopped and started for
home, but returned and came up to
the door. but had not the courage to
90 in. He again started for home and
went home. The other young man
went in. He went from one degree Of
temptation to another. Caught in
the whirl of frivolity and sin, he sank
lower and lower. He lost his business
position; he lost his morals; he lost
his soul; he died dreadful death, not
one star of mercy shining on it. |
stand before you today" said that min
lister, ''to thank God that for 30
wears have been permitted to preach
the gospel. I am the other young
man.
Oh. YOU see that was the turning
point-the one went back, the other
went on, The great roaring world OF
business life will soon break in upon
you, young men. ;Will the wild wave
dash out the impressions OF this day as
an ocean billow dashes letters out on
the beach2 You need something bet
ter than this world can give you. /
beat or your heart, and it sounds hol-
low. You want something great and
grand and glorious to fill it, and here
is the religion that can do it. God
save you,