The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-06
1T MUST LIE IN THEIR MORAL
STRENGTH.
Christ AS the Perfect Model For All
Young Men to Follow-No Mani-
ness In Merely Drifting With the
Crowd, But In Saying mo" and
Meaning What He Says.

the days of youth we long for the peri
cd of manhood and maturity. When
manhood is reached we look forward TO
the days when we shall sit down to rest
and spend our declining years in COM
fort and peace. When we have attained
a good old age we look back with a
sigh to the days that are gone, and we
think, "Ah, those were the happy
times" We say; THE former times
were better than these" And as we
fondly linger over our childhood we
regard that as the happiest period of
life. But larger view, a wider range
of vision, a more comprehensive out
look, will show US that in every stage
there are some blessings and good
qualities more than sufficient to COM
pensate for any drawbacks. Solomon
said: The glory of young men is their
strength, and the beauty of old men is
the gray head"
Now, in what does the true glory of
young men consist? Solomon answers:
1T consists in their strength" But by
this he surely cannot mean physical
force or ability. There are many crea-
lures that could outstrip the strongest
young man in his strength. The ele-
plant, the lion, the horse can easily
Guido man in this respect. Hence there
is no peculiar glory attaching to the
mere possession of physical power,
though it should ever be duly appre
ciated and awaken gratitude in the
possessor. We must look a little deeper
for the meaning of the text, and I think
we shall find the glory of young men
to consist in their moral strength; that
is, in the strength and force of their
character.
The glory of young men is their
strength of will L like to meet a young
man who can say mo" sometimes. l
almost despise the mere time-server
who wheedles around to suit every
body's whim, the man who makes 9TH
ers the sole rule unto himself. 1 do not
say we should pay no attention to what
others think and say respecting Us.
Nobody but fool would talk like that.
But do say that a young man should
thoughtfuily make up his mind on the
great questions of life and in the pres
ence of his God VOW that he will uphold
the weak and suffering; that he will
discountenance oppression, no matter
in what form it presents itself, and
that he will by no means truckle to the
rich man simply because he is rich.
The glory of a young man is the
strength in the face of temptation to
say mo- and mean what he says.
Where is the manliness of drifting with
the crowd and doing only what the
multitude will approve? A straw in it's
weakness can float with the stream,
but it needs the sturdy oak to stand
unmoved while the waters rush rap
idly by. Strength of will is a treasure
more valuable than the wealth of the
world, and if it were oftener exerted
we should see fewer emaciated forms
that were once so lovely, sunken eyes
that were once so sparkling, and bro
ken hearts that were once so gay.
The glory of young men is their
strength of purpose. Oh, there is some
thing inexpressibly grand in having the
mind filled with a pure and noble pur-
pose-such purpose as may lawfully
absorb all the feelings Of the heart and
kindle every desire of the soul. 1t is
the duty of every man to cultivate and
develop the special faculties with
which nature has endowed him. Each
should endeavor to fill the sphere to
which God has appointed him. One man
is burdened with the thought that it is
his life-work to preach the gospel. He
breaches because it is his conviction
that God so wills it. He is held fast
by the golden chain of duty But that
man is no more surely called to work
than you are. He is called to labor in
a special sphere, it is true, but God
as surely calls the farmer to SOW the
seed that the people may be fed. He
calls the tradesman to supply US with
the multiplied necessities of our busy
life.
And God calls every young man to
set himself to the working out of some
glorious purpose. What we need is the
willing ear to listen to the divine voice
The Almighty speaks to us in various
ways. He speaks to us through the
needs of our fellow-creatures. He
speaks to us in the crying evils that
surround US every day. He speaks to
us in the cries of desperation that rise
from the haunts of folly and vice and
oppression.
The age wants heroes who shall dare
To clutch the monster Error by the
throat,
To bear the good man to a loftier seat,
To blot the era of oppression out,
And lead a universal freedom in.
The glory of young man is his
strength of faith in Christ. Faith in
Christ is a life, not sentiment; it is
truth, not the statement of a dogma;
it is absolute trust, not in a name,
merely, but in a living being. 1t is
union, not with a vague personality,
but with a divine person who is close,
all-encfrcling, ever near. Faith in
Christ gives vigor to every principle,
strength to every good feeling, stead
purpose.
and conStancy to every devoted effort
Men no longer regard faith in Christ as
vain dream. They see how it per-
meates the very life and hopes of
nations. They see what an impress it
has made upon the face of mankind.
And now, from the shores of every sea.
and from the banks of every river,
men are coming to the feet of the God
man, Jesus, and are dutifully paying
~, %,-,l~ 80 I,se
of your strength of faith in Christ the
most arduous duties may be attempted
and fulfilled, the direst dangers may
be braved and SurTnounted, and the
discipline of life most effectually ac-
complished. My hearers. it is your
glory to cultivate a strong faith in
Christ. That is the vital spring of all
your soul-life and all your holy aspira-
lions.
The glory of young men is their
strength of love to Christ To be pos
sessed eff a holy, passionate devotion to
the worlds redeeGner is to be filed with
the nobleSt impulse that can rise in, h11-
man heart
The person of Jesus is so inseparablv
linked with all that is sublime and ele-
waiting and true, that there is no won
der the pure love of good men and
women has gathered round it in every
age CT CnrlSleldorn. mat nature, COM
bining all that is sweet and gentle
and winning in womanhood with ali
that is robust and noble and healthy in
manhood, is worthy of the most ardent
love that can be offered at its shrine.
The perfect self-effacement, the utter
seaf- abandonment of Christ in the serv-
ice of humanity commands the deepest
affection and loyalty which youthful
hearts can give. His lively interest In
everything that concerned the weIfare
of men, in the days of his flesh. DREW ali
around hirn-the proud Pharisee and
the humble publican, the dupe of profit