Evening journal., 1903-10-12
Or. MURRAY breaches
SERMON TO YOUNG MEN
Delivers the First of a Series
of Four in St. Pauls M.
E. Church

The Rev. w. L. S. Murray, D. D., de-
livered the first OF a series of sermons
TO young people in St. Pauls NJ. E.
Church last night. The attendance was
large and marked interest was mani
tested. The others of the series viii
be as follows:
"The Faithful Young Woman" Oct
IS, 730 p. H.; THE Rising Young
Man." oct. 20. 7.s0 p. m. and "The
Young Queen" Nov l. 7.SO D. m.
The text last night was Second
Kings. 6, II: "And Elisha prayed and
said: Lord, pray thee open his eyes
that he may see.' " Or. Murray said:
The purblind young man is one who
is only about half awake. He knows
nothing of the clear, open vision. This
is pre-elninently the young peoples
age They have never been called
upon to do so much in any generation.
and be it said to their credit that there
has never been such prompt response
to the call of the church and the call
of Cod
There are more young men and wo-
men in the churches than ever before.
There are more meditating great sacri-
five and preparing themselves for great
responsibilities. They are seeking the
missionary field. city evangelization
they girdle the globe with their So
cieties. They have many positions Of
trust and as seldom betray their trust
as those who are their seniors.
To the black beetle on the summers
lake God has given two sets Of eyes.
one with which to look into the water
beneath him, the other 10 look into the
air above him. with the first he dis
covers his food with the second he
sees his enemies. The text is prayer
that God may give the young man in
creased vision. He saw i'm his purblind
state his enemies but could not see the
Infinite possibilities of help. The ma
tural eye saw material things. but the
spiritual eye alone can behold spiritual
things.
Elisha's young man saw Bennadad's
army surrounding Dothan. but he
could not see Gods army filling the
air about his prophet. So he cried out:
"Alasl Master what shall we do?" In
answer to the prophets prayer, the
Lord opened his eyes and he saw that
the spirit forces were more than the
natural.
Elisha's first young man. Gehazi. fell
because he loved gain more than Godli-
ness; cash more than character. There
are those who tell us. perfect the en-
vironment and you protect the char
acter. There is something in this. but
not half so much as some believe. II
any young man ever had a God fear
ing employer, Gehazi had. His en-
vironment was that found in the
n.
yet when Elisha refused Naaman's gift
il fired Gehazi with desire to obtain il.
This he did by fraud and deception.
But it brought upon him the discovery
of his wickedness (be sure your sin
win find you out) the leprosy, and
ostracism. He had good environment
but a bad heart.
God put Adam in the finest park
ever created. There was not a drink
ing saloon in it, there were no temp
tations to impurity. Adam had no
heredity. There were no wicked par
ents back OF him to poison his blood.
and yet he fell. The strength Of char
acter is in the man. and not in en-
vironment. in the man and not in
heredity, in the man and not in the
park It is how a man lives and not
where God opened the young mans
eyes to see that they who were for him
were more than they who were against
him.
They Forget God.
Some young people become discour-
aged because Of untoward conditions, a
few throw themselves into the river.
others go with bowed heads and bur-
dened hearts. They forget that God
never made a mouth without some
thing to fill it, or an ear without sound
and harmony, nor hand without work
ana sustenance, nor has he given TO
the bird a wing without air in which to
use il. The fact of existence is a
guarantee Of a place and an opportun-
ity Tor the development Of the powers
and possibilities within.
Dangers Of Today.
Elisha's young man saw dangers on
every hand. So it is with the young
man in this city. The saloon is near
the place Of employment. is close to
the school house, near the home. dam
ger everywhere; but when the young
man gets his eyes open he viii see the
church Is on every hand, the Sunday
SCHOOL the library. good. wholesome
literature, the Bible and God himself.
The law and the gospel. with all the
equipments Of the courts. and an
pointments of the churches. natural
law and the sciences are his. They
that are FOR the young man are more
than they that are against him Fvil
may be mighty but 1t is NOT almiahtv
ii may be wise but it is NOT v,isa
Goa pledges TO all who will trust and
obey him, power omnipotent. and wis
dom omniscience, for help and protec-
tion. II God be for us he is more than
all that can be against us" He opened
the eyes Of 1lisha's young man 10 see