The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-23

before each of you young men of the
| stout heart and the buoyant step, and the
| bounding spirit. i would marshal you for
| grand achievement. God now provides
for you the field and the armor and the
| fortihcations. Who is on the Lords side?
| A captain in ancient times, to encourage
his men against the immense odds on the
| side of their enemies, said: Come, my
| men, look these fellows in the face They
| are six thousand, you are three hundred.
| Surely the match is even" That speech
| gave them the victory. Be not, my hear
| ers, dsmayed at any time by what seems
an immense odds against you. Is fortune,
| is want of education, are men, are devils
| against you, though the multitudes of
earth and hell confront you, stand up 70
the charge. With a million against you
| the match is just even. Nay, you have a
decided advantage. If God be for us, who
| can be against us? Thus protected, you
| need not spend much time in answering
| your assailants.
Many years ago word came to me that
| two impostors as temperance lecturers,
| had been speaking in Ohio, in various
| places, and giving their experience and
| they told their audience that they had
| long been intimate with me, and had be-
| come drunkards by dining at my table,
| where l always had liquors of all sorts.
/ Indignant to the last degree, l went down
to Patrick Campbell, chief of Brooklyn po-
! lice, saying that l was going to start that
night for Ohio to have those villains ar
rested, and l wanted him to tell me how
| to make the arrest. He smiled and said
! do not waste your time by chasing these
| men. Go home and do your work, and they
can do you no harm" took his coun-
| sci, and all was we'll Long ago l made
| up my mind that If one will put his trust
in God and be faithful to duty, he need
| not fear any evil. Have God on your side,
young man, and all the combined forces
of earth and he'll can do you no damage
And this leads me to say that the might
| lest defense for young man is the pos
| session of religious principle Nothing
! can take the place of It, He may have
| manners that would put to shame the
| gracefulness and courtesy of Lord Ches-
| terrified. Foreign languages may drop from
| his tongue. He may be able to discuss
| literature, and laws, and foreign customs.
| He may WELD a pen of unequalled polish
| and power. His quickness and tact may
| qualify him for the highest salary of the
| counting house. He may be as sharp as
Herod and as strong as Samson, with as
| fine locks as those which hung Absalom,
still he is not safe from contamination
! The more elegant his manner, and the
| more fascinating his dress, the more peril
| Satan does not care for the allegiance of
| a cowardly and iliterate being. He can
not bring him into efficient service. But
which has in 1t the most spoils and treas
ures. 1t was not some crazy craft creep
| ing along the coast with a valueless cargo
1 that the pirate attacked, but the ship,
| full-winged and tagged, plying between
| great ports, carrying it's millions of specie.
| The more your natural and acquired ac-
| complishments, the more need of the re-
| ligion of Jesus. That does not cut in upon
or hack up any smoothness of disposition
| or behavior. 1t gives symmetry 1t ar
| rests that in the soul which ought to be
| arrested, and propels that which ought to
| be propelled. 1t fills up the gulleys. 1t
| elevates and transforms. To beauty it
| gives more beauty, to tact more tact, to
| enthusiasm of nature more enthusiasm.
| When the Holy Spirit impresses the i'm
| age of God on the heart he does not spoil
| the canvas. If in all the multitudes of
young men upon whom religion has acted
| you could find one nature that had been
the least damaged, 1 would yield this prop
! osition.
You may now have enough strength of
| character to repel the various temptations
to gross wickedness which assaii you, but
l do not know in what strait you may be
thrust at some future time. Nothing short
| of the grace of the cross may then be
able to deliver you from the lions. You
are not meeker than Moses nor holier than
David, nor more patient than Job, and
| you ought not TO yOufSeH lnNul-
nerable. You may have some weak point
| of character that you have never discov-
| cred, and in some hour when you are un-
| suspecting the Philistines will be upon
thee, Samson. Trust not in your good
| habits, or your early training. or your
pride of character; nothing short of the
| arm of Almighty God will be sufficient to
uphold you. You look forward to the
world sometimes with chilling despon-
dency. Cheer up; l will tell you how you
! may make a fortune. Seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all other things shall be added unto
| you" / know you do not want to be mean
in this matter. Give God the freshness of
your life. You will not have the heart to
drink down the trimming cup of life and
then pour the dregs on Gods altar. To a
Savior so infinitely generous you have
not the heart to act like that. That is not
brave, that is not honorable, that is not
manly. Your greatest want in all the
world is a new heart. In Gods name
tell you that. And the Blessed Spirit
presses through the solemnities and priv
ileges of this holy hour. Put the cup of
life eternal to your thirsty lips. Thrust 1t
not back Mercy offers it; bleeding mercy,
long-sufferlng mercy. Reject all other
friendships be ungrateful for all other
kindness, prove recreant to all other bar
gains, but to despise Gods love for your
immortal soul-do not do that.
/ would like to see some of you this hour
press out of the ranks of the world and lay
your conquered spirit at the feet of Jesus.
This hour is no wandering vagabond stag
gering over the earth, 1t is a winged mes
senger of the skies whispering mercy to
thy soul. Life is smooth now but after
awhile it may be rough. wild, and precip-
itate. There comes a crisis in the history
Of every man. We seldom understand that
turning point until it is far past. The
road of life is forked, and 1 read on two
sign-boards: This is the way to happd-
ness This is the way to ruin" How
apt we are TO pass the fork of the road
without thinking whether it comes out at
the door of bliss or the gates of darkness.
Many years ago stood on the anniversa-
ry platform with a minister of Christ who
made this remarkable statement: Thirty
years ago two young men started out in
the evening to attend the Park theater.
New York, where a play was to be acted
; in which the cause of religion was to be
placed in a ridiculous and hypocritical
light They came to the steps. The con-