Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-08-20
TIE FIST YOUNG NAN
THE TOPIC OF YESTERDAYS SER
MON PREACHED BY THE REV.
C. b. GRAHAM LAST NIGHT.
HE APPLIED IT TO A MAN
who Leads Ficticious or a Wicked
Life without Reference to Any
Special Crime-Absalom n Good
Example.

| Special Characterization a Good
! Example.
| Last evening the Rev. C. B. Graham
preached an interesting sermon at the
North Street church. He discussed the
''Close of the Life of Fast Young
! Man" AS scriptural text he selected
| Second Samuel 1877. And they took
Absalom and cast him into a great pit
in the woods and laid very great
heap of stones upon him. and all Israel
fed every one to his tent"
The Rev. Graham then spoke on the
subject as follows:
| The subject announced for this even
| ing is susceptible of several construc-
lions. Language has local, scien-
tific and a general meaning. The ad-
| jective fast may be applied to speed
or character or manner of acting. APP
! ply 1t to a man who has lived a
| fictitious or a wicked life without refer
ence to any special sin no more than
another He might attain to great
ness not like Alexander the Great A
young man because of the great vic
tories of his army was able to con-
quer the world, though not able to
conquer himself. In his last hours
he requested that his hands be left I'M
tied and free. He was the element
OF freedom in his character, yet it was
/ not strong enough to make him a free
man.
The young man the subject Of this
| discourse has been called from his
/ character and life the fast young
| man DR.. c. H. Pain, in his book en-
titled Guide and Guard to Character
Building uses Absalom as a true type
of the fast young man.
First-Absalom's early life
! Absaiom was the third son of 10 in
the chronology of David. His mother
was Maclah, of whom there is little
, known. She was possibly good wom-
an. Associations of class in the
household of David, which we would
condemn to-day, was not regarded so
in that day.
This boy from his royal parentage
we may conclude had every advantage
| of good and early training, and doubt
less had the best advantages in this
respect then known to the kingdom.
| 1t is barely possible that his father,
David, was so engrossed with his pub
lie duties and responsibilities that he
may have done as many fathers of to-
| day do, leave the training of the chill
dren to the mother or others. Many
parents in public as well as private
life do not feel the Importance of train
| ing their own children. But they
leave it to the public and Sunday school
teachers. They thus lose one of the
| opportunities that God has given them
| for doing good.
When Absalom was a youth there
was violation of the family and divine
| law in their home. He assumed the
| position of judge and executor of the
| law without having been commits
| stoned or authorized by the proper
| authority. His assumption led to anger
| in his heart which terminated in muir
| der. At the age of 16 the life, which
| had previously been one of training
for usefulness and greatness, turned
| from the right to one of wrong and
| Wretchedness.
Second-The elements in the char
| acter of the young man, early in life,
| became vain.
| Absalom was handsome and admired
for his personal appearance, for his
| manly bearing and his prospective life.
| His admirers famed into fame the
vanity which was to be an element in
| his destruction. 1t is said that his
| hair, which in curls, weighed 200
sheckels, or over three pounds, as
! pooled" annually. This of itse.f be-
came a great attraction. AS is fire.
| quently the case this feature of his
beauty, which should encourage him to
greatness and nobleness. of character,
| led to his destruction.
| He was too ambitious. We admire
| ambition in a man or woman who
| aspire to goodness or greatness. We
| rejoice at the power and influence or
| youth. We rejoice to see ambition
when tempered with holy zeal. Absa-
| lom had worldly ambition. A desire
to be great at any price. A desire to
possess place and position without re-
| gard to the rights of father, God or
! government.
| Third: Absalom was covetous.
Absalom early became covetous of a
home for himself which was proper
| and right, but as soon as his father
had granted this one request and had
given him earthly position, he sought
| to use these that had been given to
| him to secure those that had been
withheld. Vanity, worldly ambition
and coyetousness unchecked leads TO
murder. He was willing not only to
take his fathers throne, possessions,
destroy his good name, but disregard
his early training, and take his faith
er's life. He sought to dethrone him
and sought to take his life. His faith
er fed before his son as the deer fees
before his destroyer.
Covetousness is one of the most sub
tie and dangerous that arises in either
old or young. 1t is a rock on which
Christians wreck their Christian lives.
1t is one of the most common and dan
gerous sins within or without the
church. Investigation of this SUBJECT
in a church not a great distance from
Wheeling. where the Almighty has
prospered the people, within a few
months we found that it was the rare
exception that man or woman, with
in or without the church, increased his
pavr1puTc IN 70 ~, Or ~ oh - nv