Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-01-18
WARNING 70 TIE YOUNG.

BY Rev. A.. w. Snyder.
Rejoice, Q young man, in thy youth,
and let thy heart cheer thee in the days
or thy youth, and walk in the ways of
thine heart, and in the sight of thine
eyes; but know hot that for all these
things God will bring thee into judg-
ment.-Eccl. 11:9.
So said Solomon-SolOmOn the great.
the wise, the magnificent. He had drunk
to the full Of all the 'pleuSures' that
the world could give him and at the
last in his old age he could find no
pleasure in them. Stated, worn, weary,
he said:
VANITY, vanity, all is vanity
Very likely he was thinking Of tho
Solomon that then WIS and the solo
mon that might have bCCn-rcca..,
his superb gifts, his magnificent c.iaa@-
tunitles. Perhaps he had beaa tssrh-
ing of the time when as 4 boy lie as
cended the throne of David, of the ulae
when God appeared to him in Il ~.es!u
by night, saying: ASK what | shall
give thee" Who ever had such an
offer? And yet, with al! the world to
choose from, the Young So.qlnoA said:
Give thy servant an understanding
heart to judge thy people. that | may
discern between good and bad"
Wei would it have been fer him had
he remained Of that mind. But even
Solomon was not always wi8r. With
luxury came temptation; vita success
came sin; with sin came sorrow. In
the end came WEAKNESS ana Il dreary
gift of years whcu he could only say,
Il have no pleasure in them"
Looking from his roof garden wall
he saw the young men % tlooping BY
and, thinking of the fine when he. too,
was young ana full Of the JOY of life,
he said:
"Rejoice, o young man, in thy youth,
and let thy heart cheer thee in the days
of thy youth, and walk IL the ways of
thine heart, and IN the sight Of thine
eyes; but know thou hat for all these
things God will bring thee into iuAs-
ment."
God had brought Solomon into juhg-
ment. In his old age ht H'as l,asSing
the penalty that always cones soon or
late. The sins of his youth, Of middle
age, of old age. had found him cut ut
the last. AS it WIS VIII. Gi:N L VII
be with all that walk III wi2kGd ways.
What wonder hat he said :: Know
tina for all these things sod will bring
thee into judgment" So said solomon.
He found it to be so in the days Of his
s~in-darkened old age. Nes, for wasted
opportunities and sinful salf-ialUigence
God was bringing him jnto Judgment.
All literature is full Of such conIeS
sions.
On his thirty third birtlad iy-l time
when a man should be al lis best, the
very age when the RedeeMer gave his
life for us all-Lord Byron saia;
Through life's dull road. SO din and dirty.
/ have dragged on to three-anl-rhirty.
And what have these years LETT to me:
Nothing, except three-and-th:rty.
He had sown to the wind.
He was reaping the whirisyinl. What
wonder that still later in his short life
he should say:
My days are in the yellow leaf.
The flower, the fruits Of love arc gone.
. 1T WOILl, lIt Caihti dsIi ib' ~ Ifi
Are mine alone.
All, how many, when ii w&S too late.
have regretted vainly the sins of their
youth. Hartley Coleridge WAS the Gift
ed son of a gifted father. lie was
young, brilliant. highly educated. with
every prospect for a great future. but
he wasted his opportunities. and little
by little became a slave to strong drink.
While yet young he wrote on tie fy-
leaf of his Bible, his dead mothers
gift:
When ! received this volume small
My days were barely II.
When it was hoped | slould he al
Which once, alas. / might have been.
And now my years are %,
And every mother hopes her lamb.
And every happy boy alive.
May never be what now ! am.
Let US think. however. of the iniunc-
ton of the text rs an incentive to no
BILE purpose and high hopes.
"Rejoice. o young man. in thy
youth" You may. Yon should. Know
thetic interest of all good men and good
angels. yes, and Of your Lord and Sa-
vior, Christ, who said: Il am come
that We might have life and have II
more a~bundantly." He would not rob
you of any real true JOY ii life. Bath
err He would add to every pure pleas.
ure the browning joy of all-tlle knowl-
edge of God and the peace of God.
which passeth all understanding.