The Yale expositor., 1900-11-09


not like you." says the snowflake to
the srowbird. "Why don't you like
me?" said the snowbird. "Oh," said
the snowflake, you are going up and
l am coming down." Young mer-
chants, young lawyers. young doctors,
young mechanics, young artists, young
farmers, at certain times there are
those to sympathize with you but now
that you are becoming master CT your
particular occupation or profession,
how is 1t now, young lawyers, young
doctors, young artists, young farmers,
how is it now? The greatest crime
that you can commit is the crime OF
success.
Decision OF Character.
Again, my subject impresses me
with the value Of decision Of character
in any department. Daniel knew that
if he continued his adherence to the
religion of the Lord he would be
hurled 10 tae lions; but, having set his
compass well. he sailed right ON. For
the lack Of that element OF decision
Of character so eminent Ia Daniel
many men are ruined for this world
and ruined for the world to come. A
great many at 40 years Of age are not
settled III any respect, because they
have not been able TO make up their
minds. Perhaps they will so west,
perhaps they will go east; perhaps
they will not; perhaps they will go
north; perhaps they may go south;
perhaps they will go east; perhaps
may make that investment in real es-
tate or in railroads; perhaps they will
not. They arc not like steamer
that should go cut Of New York har-
bor, starting for Glasgow. and the
next day should change for Havre
de Grace, and the next for Charleston,
and the next for Boston, and the next
for Liverpool These mel on the sea
of life everlastingly tacIing ship and
making no headway! Or they are like
q mcn who starts to build house in
the Corinthian style and changes it to
Doric, and then completes it in the
lcnic, the curse Of all styles Of archl-
lecture. Young man, start right, and
keep On. Have decision Of character.
Character is like the goldinch Of Ton
quin. 1t is magnificent while stand
ing firm, but loses all its beauty in
flight. How much decision Of chraac-
ter in order that these young men may
be Christians! Their old associates
make sarcastic fings at them. They
go on excursions, and they do not
invite them. They prophesy that he
will give out. They wonder If he is
not getting wings. AS he passes they
grimace and wink and chuckle and
say, There goes a saint" O young
man, have decision Of character! You
can afford in this matter Of religion
to be laughed at. What do you care
for the SCOTS of these men, who are
affronted because you will not go to
ruin with them? When the grave
cracks open under their feet, and
grim messengers push them into it,
and eternity comes down hard upon
their spirit, and conscience stings, and
hopeless ruin lifts them up to hurl
them down, will they laugh then?
Christianity for Busy Men.
Again | learn from this subject that
man may take religion into his poll
ties. Daniel had all the affairs OF
state on hand. yet a servant Of God.
He could not have kept his elevated
positioa unless he had been a thorough
politician, and yet all the thrust3 Of
officials and all the danger OF disgrace
did not make him yield one iota in his
high toned religious principle. He
stood before that age, he stands be-
fore all ages, specimen Of a gcdly
politician. SO there have been in our
day and in the days of our fathers
men as eminent in the service OF God
as they have been eminent in the SER
vice OF the state. Such was Benjamin
+. Butter, attorney general Of New
York IN the time Of your fathers. Such
was John Mclean OF the supreme court
of the United States. Such was George
Briggs of Massachusetts. Such was
Theodore Frelinghuysen of New Jer-
sey--men faithful to the state, at the
same time faithful to God. 1t Is ab-
surd to expect that men who have been
immersed in political wckedness for
thirty or forty years shall come to
reformation, and our hope is in the
young men who are coming up, that
they have patriotic principle and
Christian principle side by side when
they come to the ballot box and cast
their first vote and that they swear
allegiance to the government of hea-
zen as well IS to the government ct
the United States. We would have
Bunker Hill mean less to them than
Cavalry, and Lexington mean less to
them than Bethlehem, but because
there are bad men around the ballot
! box is no reason why Christian men
should retreat from the arena. The
last time you ought to give UP your
child or forsake your child is when 1t
is surrounded By a company OF Choc-
taws, and the last sme to surrender
the ballot box is when it is surrounded
by impurity and dishonesty and all