UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 OF" 
 
 Mrs. SARAH P. WALSWORTH. 
 
 Received October, 1894. 
 Accessions No . S3 S~% . Class No. 
 
THE 
 
 SPRING-TIME OF LIFE; 
 
 OB, 
 
 ADVICE TO YOUTH. 
 
 BY REV. DAVID MAGIE, D.D. 
 
 ELIZABETHTOWN, N. J. 
 
 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou 
 art the guide of my youth ? JER. 3 : 4. 
 
 *&T3>-A^ 
 
 o* 
 
 fUHIVBRSITT 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 
 
 150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by 0. R. KINGS- 
 BURY, in the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New York. 
 
 Right of publishing transferred to the American Tract Society. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A BOOK can scarcely be said to be uncalled 
 for, and certainly it is not of necessity render- 
 ed useless, because other books on the same 
 general subject have preceded it. Every 
 man has his proper gift of Godj^and with 
 modes of thought very much his own, and 
 connections and relations in life peculiar to 
 himself, he may hope to reach some to whom 
 no similar work has found access. Besides, 
 it seems to the author that, though new prin- 
 ciples and rules for the guidance of the young 
 may not be required, yet much can be done 
 to aid them in applying principles and rules 
 already understood to the exigencies of actual 
 life. The welfare of the rising race in his 
 own immediate neighborhood, and through 
 the country at large, has long been to him an 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 object of deep and prayerful solicitude. A 
 ministry, protracted beyond the average 
 period', has given him many opportunities 
 of reflecting on their perils and responsibil- 
 ities, and awakened in him a desire to do 
 something which they may regard as a token 
 of his interest in their welfare. This has 
 prompted him to write, and it encourages 
 him to bespeak for what he has written an 
 earnest and careful attention. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGH 
 THE SEASON OP YOUTH 7 
 
 YOUNG MEN IN DANGER 29 
 
 POTHER OP HABIT 50 
 
 COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE 67 
 
 ERROR ITS CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCES . . .83 
 
 CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT .... 104 
 
 TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN 126 
 
 BIBLE HONESTY 141 
 
 INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS . . . .157 
 
 THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES .... 1^3 
 
 COURTESY 193 
 
 SELF-CONTROL 211 
 
 MENTAL IMPROVEMENT 231 
 
 MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE . . . .252 
 
 * MANLINESS IN YOUTH 276 ** 
 
 THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK . . . 292 
 
 CHRIST AN EXAMPLE TO YOUNG MEN . . . .311 
 
 RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING . . . .'327 
 
THE 
 
 SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 
 
 "SOLOMON my son is young and tender/ 7 
 was the remark of one of the best of men and 
 kindest of fathers. There is nothing striking 
 in language like this, viewed simply by itself; 
 and yet it can scarcely be uttered without 
 awakening a train of emotions in every gen- 
 erous bosom. No other period of life affects 
 so deeply human character and destiny, and 
 none other calls forth so many solicitudes and 
 prayers. 
 
 Three classes of persons range themselves 
 around us the aged, the middle-aged, and 
 the young. To each belong hopes and fears, 
 joys and sorrows, peculiar to itself. As men 
 of gray hairs have trials and comforts which 
 
8 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 may very properly be denominated their own, 
 so it is also with those in the meridian of life, 
 and with bright and buoyant youth. At every 
 different period, existence assumes a new phase, 
 and requires to be addressed in new and ap- 
 propriate terms. None of these groups of hu- 
 man beings must be overlooked ; but if it be 
 right to discriminate, we can easily see where 
 our chief interest should be concentrated. To 
 be useful to the young is to be useful for the 
 longest time, and on the largest scale. 
 
 But who is sufficient to assume the office of 
 guide to a company of immortal beings, in the 
 morning of life! I feel oppressed, beloved 
 youth, with the burden of responsibility which 
 I take upon myself in attempting barely to 
 sketch the path in which it will be safe for 
 you to walk. Yet one thing encourages me 
 your dearest and best friends, parents, Chris- 
 tians and patriots, will all afford me their coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 The plan to be developed in the chapters 
 before us, will be found to have a compass 
 somewhat large. Many topics are to come 
 under review, suited to improve your charac- 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 
 
 ter and advance your respectability, which are 
 not made the basis of public instruction as 
 often as their importance demands. My wish 
 is that you should be thoroughly equipped for 
 the great work of life. Eeligion is indeed to 
 give shape to each distinct theme ; but it is to 
 be religion as connected with every- day du- 
 ties and enjoyments, and affording every-day 
 strength and consolation. Making one's " call- 
 ing and election sure," is not the only thing 
 required you must "do justly and love mer- 
 cy," as well as "walk humbly with God." 
 
 Let me begin by calling your attention to 
 some remarks on the SEASON OF YOUTH, consid- 
 ered in its bearing upon the whole after-life. 
 
 1. At no subsequent time are such valuable ac- j 
 quisitions made. Now it is, that the affections 
 are most ardent, the heart most susceptible, 
 the memory most retentive, and all the mental, 
 moral, and physical faculties most susceptible 
 of improvement. Everything leaves its im- 
 press on the young: the countenances they 
 look at, the voices they hear, the places they 
 visit, the company they keep, and the books 
 they read. It is impossible to over-estimate 
 
10 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE 
 
 the importance, for this world and the next, 
 which attaches to a few of the earlier years of 
 one's existence. The first quarter of life is 
 worth more, as a period of acquisition, than 
 all the rest. 
 
 Consider what attainments are made by a 
 child within twenty or thirty months from its 
 birth. Even while a helpless infant, it learns 
 to read inward feelings as expressed in the 
 changes which the countenance assumes, and 
 can readily distinguish between a smile and a 
 frown. Approach it with caresses, and its 
 eyes sparkle and its features brighten. Put 
 on a forbidding aspect, use angry words, and 
 its bosom heaves, its tears fall. This is the 
 time for the feeble one to become acquainted 
 with the difficult art of poising itself, and 
 standing erect. Before it has reached a fourth 
 of its size, its step is often as regular as if it 
 understood all the laws of gravitation, and its 
 motions as graceful as if it had been trained by 
 the most skilful hand. And stranger still, 
 during this very period the weak and appa- 
 rently inattentive creature masters a new lan- 
 guage. That which adults never acquire with- 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 11 
 
 out long and patient study, a child gains 
 without Grammar or Dictionary, and with 
 scarcely a single painful exertion. 
 
 Deem not such thoughts as these to be trivial 
 and unimportant. You will not judge so, be 
 assured, if you ever live to become parents 
 yourselves, and are permitted to enjoy the ex- 
 quisite pleasure of marking how a little son or 
 daughter looks up and tries to read your heart 
 in your face, or of noticing the first efforts 
 which a sweet child makes to go alone, or of 
 hearing the busy prattler utter words till they 
 become easy, and join syllables until they be- 
 come intelligible. 
 
 But I have higher reasons than all these, 
 for thus pausing at the threshold of human 
 existence, and fixing your attention on the 
 future man in his earliest days. Much may 
 be learned of the fathomless purposes of the 
 Divine mind, and the unravelled mysteries of 
 Providence, in such a sight as this. That child 
 just beginning to fix its gaze upon its father's 
 features, to make trial of the strength of its 
 own limbs, and to lisp the name of mother, 
 may have a destiny more glorious than yonder 
 
12 THE SPRING-TIiME OF LIFE. 
 
 sun shining in his strength. What we as yet 
 behold is only the first bursting of the bud, 
 that the flower may emit its fragrance and dis- 
 close its tints. The putting forth of such ef- 
 forts by one so frail and tender, is but break- 
 ing the shell, so that the living thing within 
 may find egress, and open its wings, and 
 plume its feathers, and prepare for its lofty 
 flight. Now, another immortal being is started 
 on its marvellous and hitherto unwritten course. 
 A commencement is made, and it is such a com- 
 mencement as foretells a rapid and glorious 
 progress. 
 
 Premature development, mental or physical, 
 is not desirable. Plants that are so forced in 
 their growth as to come forward before their 
 proper time, seldom have much strength of 
 stem, width of leaf, or richness of odor. That 
 which grows up in a night not unfrequently 
 perishes in a night. But without undue pres- 
 sure, and under the influence of the mildest 
 and gentlest methods, surprising advances will 
 often be made. 
 
 These are the incipient efforts, and they pre- 
 pare the way for subsequent and longer steps. 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 13 
 
 Few things are more interesting than to con- 
 sider what an amount of valuable knowledge 
 knowledge of God and man, of time and 
 eternity, of earth and heaven may be gained 
 in the first twelve or fifteen years of one's life. 
 During this period the science of numbers and 
 distances, opening the door to mathematics, 
 geography and astronomy, may be fairly en- 
 tered upon and its grand principles mastered. 
 Nature, too, begins now to unlock her mysteri- 
 ous treasure-house, and the mere stripling of a 
 student often finds himself able to comprehend 
 the operation of a thousand of those laws on 
 which life and happiness depend. Especially 
 is this the season to have the mind stored with 
 the great events, which fill for us the pages of 
 ancient and modern history. Acquisitions 
 which cannot be gotten for gold, and for the 
 price of which silver cannot be weighed, may 
 be made, and often are made, while one is still 
 young and tender. 
 
 Permit me to remark here, that this is espe- 
 cially the period of life for adding to the com- 
 pass and retentiveness of the memory. To 
 reason logically and arrive at wise and safe re- 
 
14 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 suits, requires a sound judgment ; and such a 
 judgment is usually the fruit of deep experi- 
 ence, and large opportunities of comparing one 
 thing with another. But to collect the mate- 
 rials with which a riper understanding can 
 work out its conclusions, is the special prov- 
 ince of youth. Every one who expects to 
 make his mark high in the world, should 
 begin early to form a collection of valuable 
 facts, and not a day should pass without add- 
 'ing to their number. 
 
 This, let me add for your encouragement, is 
 a work in which you may make a degree of 
 progress that will surprise yourselves. It is 
 not necessary that a young man, in order to 
 become intelligent and well-informed, should 
 enjoy the instructions of erudite professors, 
 and have access to high-schools and richly en- 
 dowed colleges. Many a man has contrived 
 to grave his name very legibly in the Temple 
 of Fame, with fewer opportunities for improve- 
 ment than often in our day fall to the lot of 
 the humblest laborer. But this is a thought 
 which, though deeply interesting, I cannot 
 pursue at present. It is sufficient here to say, 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 15 
 
 that no youth, who feels the workings of a sin- 
 gle noble aspiration, need be disheartened at 
 any apparent difficulties that lie in his path. 
 The highest idea of education is the training 
 of the mind to surmount obstacles. 
 
 Volume upon volume, bringing the richest 
 secrets of art and science within your reach, 
 lie open before you ; a very few shillings, 
 easily saved from the bar-room or the oyster- 
 saloon, will put you in possession of a fund of 
 information, to which many of your parents 
 and older friends had no early access. Above 
 all, the book of God is on your table, and in 
 it you are sure to meet with the truest history, 
 the best prudential maxims, and the purest 
 devotion. Only use well your advantages, 
 and you may make acquisitions in comparison 
 with which houses and lands are as nothing. 
 
 2. Youth is the season in which impressions^] 
 prove most abiding. It is the time for keeping \ 
 as well as getting, for remembering as well as / 
 learning, for retaining as well as acquiring. 
 To bring truth into contact with the mind of 
 an open, ingenuous youth, is like applying a 
 seal to the newly melted wax, so that you are 
 
16 THE STRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 sure of getting not only a correct, but a per- 
 manent likeness. The lines are drawn deeply 
 on the tender heart, and no waves of subse- 
 quent business or care can entirely obliterate 
 them. Years may pass away, and the head 
 blossom for the grave, and the eye grow dim, 
 and the hand tremble ; but the scenes of early 
 life recur with the freshness of yesterday. 
 
 Youth and old age, in more senses than one, 
 seem to be closely connected. If you visit a 
 man who, like a venerable oak, stands while 
 every tree around it has fallen, you will find 
 that his mind, though almost a perfect blank 
 as to recent transactions and events, is alive 
 to those of childhood and youth. This is a 
 deeply interesting fact, and it deserves to be 
 well and carefully pondered by such as are 
 laying up a store for time to come. Forget 
 what else he may, the patriarch of many days 
 is not likely to forget the tree under which he 
 played, the brook by which he strolled, or the 
 hill which he climbed when a boy. Half of both 
 his waking and sleeping hours are employed 
 in li ving that sunny and halcyon period of his 
 life over again. Two thirds of a century may 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 17 
 
 have gone, never to return, but still his thoughts 
 linger around the paternal fireside, the bed in 
 which he slept, and the room where he joined 
 in his mother's prayers. Let me ask those ad- 
 vanced in life, if this be not so. You remem- 
 ber the very form of groves long since cut 
 down, of books long since read, of classmates 
 long since gone, and of ministers k>ng since in 
 the grave. It is of your memory of the occur- 
 rences of last week and yesterday that you 
 complain, and not of your memory of events 
 a generation ago. These are all vivid and 
 fresh. 
 
 Whatever may be said of the latter stages 
 of life, its commencement will leave traces 
 never to be worn out. The intellect is now 
 taking a shape, and the affections receiving a 
 texture, and the individual acts turning into 
 habits, which, if somewhat modified by after- 
 scenes and impressions, are seldom very essen- 
 tially changed. This is the point from which 
 men start, aud it generally determines their 
 whole future course. Here the path is entered 
 upon, which leads to virtue or vice, honor or 
 infamy, heaven or hell. Let the mother of 
 2 
 
18 THE SPRING- TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 John Newton take her little son to her closet 
 for prayer, let Doddridge be taught Scripture 
 history when a child, by the pictures on the 
 chimney-tiles, and let Buchanan, when a boy, 
 wander into a church where Jesus is preached, 
 and the effect remains. All the agents in these 
 tender transactions parents, friends, ministers 
 may be sleeping in the grave, but their work 
 endures. 
 
 What a precious fact is this, and how full 
 of encouragement! Give me the successful 
 shaping of a child's character in all its earlier 
 stages, until eighteen or twenty years are gone 
 by, and I shall never, under God, despair of 
 him afterwards. Go astray he may, be forget- 
 ful he may, become wayward he may, for a 
 time ; but by and by the arm of Divine mercy 
 will be extended, and the stream which had 
 sunk in the sand will rise again .to the surface, 
 more limpid and life-imparting than ever. The 
 disappointment in such cases, we have every 
 reason to conclude, will be but partial and 
 temporary. 
 
 I grant that radical changes of character do 
 occasionally occur, after the most promising 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 10 
 
 part of life is gone. We sometimes see fe- 
 males, who, during the whole of their earlier 
 years, seemed to be given to vanity and frivol- 
 ity, becoming patterns of everything excellent 
 and of good report, when translated into a new 
 sphere and invested with new responsibilities. 
 So, too, we now and then find a wicked, disso- 
 lute young man, who like Cecil or Gardiner, 
 lives to repent of his folly, and leads a new 
 life. Such reformations, blessed be God, are 
 not altogether strange in the history of the 
 world and the Church ; and when they do 
 occur, we are to regard them as illustrious in- 
 stances of the power of Divine grace. Nor do 
 we hesitate to admit, that here and there a 
 child, who once gave promise of better things, 
 is left to make shipwreck of faith and a good 
 conscience. But I am speaking of what is 
 common, and what we have a right in ordi- 
 nary circumstances to expect ; for the grace 
 of God, though mysterious in its nature and 
 sovereign in its operations, was not intended 
 to supersede the influence of motives, or coun- 
 teract the ordinary laws of the human mind. 
 Depend upon it, beloved youth, the impres- 
 
20 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 sions of early life will remain. Only fill JOUY 
 minds at this tender period, with images of 
 truth, purity and goodness, and they will stay 
 there to enliven the solitude and brighten the 
 anticipations of your latest years. But habit- 
 uate your thoughts to scenes of vice and deeds 
 of infamy, and the taint will stick by you like 
 a leprosy, till death comes. Oh, could you 
 look at this subject as those look at it who 
 have travelled the path, we should oftener 
 hear you cry, " My Father, be thou the guide 
 of my youth !" 
 
 Examine this subject the permanency of 
 early impressions I entreat you, in the light 
 of testimony and observation. Have you ever 
 known a good mechanic, who did not gain the 
 elements of success in his youth ; a kind, con- 
 siderate master who did not serve a virtuous 
 apprenticeship ; an eminent lawyer, physician, 
 or divine, who was not a diligent student? 
 This is true of those qualities which come into 
 play in active, business life; and it is still 
 more true of the quiet and passive virtues. I 
 question whether you have ever heard of a 
 placid, serene, tranquil and contented old man 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 21 
 
 happy in God and in fulfilling the various re- 
 sponsibilities of life, who was noted in his 
 youth for noise, recklessness, impatience, or 
 want of self-control. This is a kind of wild- 
 oats, which, if sown at all, is sure to produce 
 a crop. " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, 
 or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do 
 good, that are accustomed to do evil." 
 
 Could my voice reach every young man and 
 woman in the land, I would warn them not 
 to yield their hearts to injurious impressions. 
 Little, ah little, do they think, while listening 
 to some slur on the profession of piety, or 
 opening their ears to some sly objection to the 
 truth of the Bible, or poring over the pages of 
 some novel filled with tales of lust and blood - 
 what havoc all this is making with the peace of 
 their own minds, or how it is adapted to cut up 
 by the very roots those principles of virtue which 
 enter essentially into the formation of a good 
 character. This is like poison, taken into the 
 physical system, and will be sure, sooner or 
 later, to reveal its bitter results. The mark is 
 made, not on the sand, but on enduring rock. 
 . Associations arc now formed, which go far 
 
22 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 to mould the whole after-life. Man is so 
 made for friendship, for intercourse, and for 
 communion, that his joys have a double relish, 
 and his sorrows lose half their weight, when 
 shared by others. Even a child cannot bear 
 to keep either his pleasures or his pains to 
 himself. There is, from the first, a felt neces- 
 sity for the affections to go out and fasten 
 upon some external object. This is the reason 
 why most men are so much the creatures of 
 circumstances, and why the weaving of early 
 ties so powerfully controls every subsequent 
 step. The first things not unfrequently deter- 
 mine the last. 
 
 Look at men of eminence in the world, and 
 you will generally find that much of the foun- 
 dation of that eminence was laid in the asso- 
 ciations of early life. Joseph, David, and 
 Daniel are examples in sacred story, not only 
 of providential leadings and indications, but of 
 voluntary choice and preferences having an in- 
 fluence, in preparing them for the lofty position 
 which they eventually reached. Luther was 
 only twenty-nine years old, when he gave the 
 Papal Hierarchy his first deadly blow; and 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 23 
 
 Calvin but twenty-five, when he wrote the im- 
 mortal Institutes. Buonaparte was a mere 
 stripling when he accomplished his glorious 
 campaign in Italy ; and the dew of youth was 
 still on the brow of our beloved Washington, 
 when he distinguished himself on the day of 
 Braddock's defeat. Who can say how much 
 of all that these men accomplished, depended, 
 under God, on the course adopted at the com- 
 mencement of life ? 
 
 No wonder that good men feel such an in- 
 terest in the associations which their young 
 friends form. They see that the company 
 which you now keep, the principles you now 
 adopt, and the habits you now form, are likely 
 to settle the question of the future with a cer- 
 tainty which is well-nigh infallible. Full well7"7 
 do they know, that in the minds, and manners, 
 and character of the young, we have an index 
 to the state of society, for many years to come. 
 Give us a favorable spring, that the precious 
 seed may be safely sown, and we shall the 
 more confidently anticipate a fruitful summer, 
 an abundant autumn, and a plentiful winter. 
 The connection is so close between the present 
 
24 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 and the future, that every step taken now will 
 show itself in issues and results, years to come. 
 An unfortunate connection may wed a man to 
 misery of the most poignant kind, till his dy- 
 ing day ; and a happy one may shed a sweet 
 and reviving light all along his pathway, till 
 it opens into glory. It would be true, had the 
 Bible never asserted it that u whatsoever a 
 man soweth, that shall he also reap." 
 
 I am but asserting what all know to be a 
 fact, when I say that the hearts of the young 
 are full of high anticipations. After the sun 
 has passed the meridian, there are few who 
 have the resolution to embark in new enter- 
 prises, and who feel like trying to accommo- 
 date themselves to new circumstances. Old 
 people cry out, like Barzillai, " Can I hear any 
 more the voice of singing men or singing 
 women ? Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn 
 back again, that I may die in mine own city, 
 and be buried by the grave of my father and 
 of my mother." Very proper is this feeling 
 for the aged ; but it ought not to be thus with 
 those who feel the life-blood coursing warm 
 and rapid through their veins. God forbid 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 25 
 
 that they should pause and stand still, as men 
 who would gladly put off the armor. No, 
 beloved youth, you could not be inactive, if 
 you would ; and you would not if you could. 
 Your hearts throb with impulses, which, like 
 an eagle beating against the bars of its cage, 
 must express themselves in plans and pur- 
 poses and high resolves, or turn back upon 
 their fountain to make it stagnant and cor- 
 rupt. Can the full-fed war-horse be restrained 
 from champing the bit and pawing the earth, 
 without breaking his very nature ? "We blame 
 you not, ardent and aspiring youth, for being 
 all alive to those stirring in-movings, which 
 are a part of that mental and moral constitu- 
 tion conferred upon you by your Maker. Go 
 on, we rather say, with firm and earnest steps 
 in the path to which God and duty call you. 
 But while we thus give you large liberty and 
 a clear field, deem it not unkind in us, if we 
 feel constrained to whisper words of caution 
 in your ears. 
 
 Only apply the principles of Solomon's Prov- 
 erbs, of Christ's Sermon on the mount, and of 
 Paul's epistles, to every movement you make, 
 
20 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 and we have no fear for the consequences. 
 Let all the associations you form in business 
 operations, in companionship for leisure hours, 
 and in alliances for life, be begun, continued, 
 and ended with God, and you may calculate 
 upon their bringing a blessing along with 
 them. This will realize the fulfilment of the 
 prayer: "May our sons be as plants grown 
 up in their youth, and our daughters as corner- 
 stones, polished after the similitude of a pal- 
 ace." But discard these counsels of heavenly 
 wisdom, and give yourselves over to a connec- 
 tion with the irreligious, the impure and the 
 skeptical, and you fix thorns in your pillow 
 never to be extracted. We all know who has 
 said, "He that walketh with wise men shall 
 be wise, but a companion of fools shall be de- 
 stroyed." 
 
 I look forward a few years, and find chil- 
 dren become youth, and youth men and wo- 
 men in active life. The seeds sown in infancy 
 by some fond mother have swelled and grown, 
 and become trees of righteousness, and the les- 
 sons given by a kind father are yielding their 
 appropriate fruit. One comes out and joins 
 
THE SEASON OF YOUTH. 27 
 
 himself to the industrious, the prudent and 
 the pious; while another associates with the 
 indolent, the dissipated and the profane. From 
 this point you may trace their destiny for two 
 worlds. Let me see how youth assort them- 
 selves in the school, the workshop and the 
 college, and I need no prophet's ken to predict 
 what they will be and what they will do when 
 they become men. Viciously inclined as a 
 young man may be, a virtuous companionship 
 is often the means of his salvation. Virtuously 
 disposed as he may be, an unhappy association 
 may work his ruin. 
 
 Eeflect, then, my young friend, seriously 
 and prayerfully, on the importance of the sea- 
 son through which you are now passing. Lit- 
 tle do you think how deep an interest is felt 
 for your welfare. There is the man that begat 
 you, and the woman that bare you, each cry- 
 ing out, " My son, if thy heart shall be wise, 
 my heart shall rejoice, even mine." Kind 
 friends draw near and ask for blessings on 
 your heads, which shall reach to the utmost 
 bounds of the everlasting hills. Your minis- 
 ter prays that you may become his joy and the 
 
28 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 crown of his rejoicing in the day of the Lord 
 Jesus. Above all, God himself looks down, 
 and blending his claims with your highest 
 welfare, speaks out, "My son, give me thy 
 heart." Oh, shall all this interest be felt for 
 you, in heaven and on earth, in vain ! Will 
 you not at this early hour on the dial of hu- 
 man life, realize the grandeur and glory of the 
 destiny that awaits you ! 
 
 Be faithful to yourselves, to your fellow- 
 men, and to God for ten, fifteen, or twenty 
 37"ears, and I almost dare promise you a useful 
 life, a happy death, and a blissful immortality. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 
 
 NOT many days ago, a gentleman of one of 
 our large cities wrote thus to a friend : li When 
 I first came to this place, I was a young man 5 
 with nothing on earth in the way of property, 
 but the small bundle which I carried in my 
 hand. But a kind Providence has smiled 
 upon me, and I have become what the world 
 calls rich. Still, as a family, we are far from 
 being happ}^." 
 
 And what is it that is breaking the peace of 
 that father's bosom, and chasing away the joys 
 of that favored fireside? "Wealth is there, 
 spacious rooms are there, costly furniture is 
 there, and both intelligence and refinement 
 are there. Nay more, the parents of that 
 household are professors of Christ's name, and 
 are in the habit, we may hope, of sanctifying 
 
30 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 
 
 all their enjoyments by the word of God and 
 prayer. Such is the confluence of good things 
 in this case, that the cup seems to run over. 
 Why, then, you will naturally ask, is not that 
 a happy dwelling? The answer is short. 
 Those parents have just heard of the improper 
 conduct of a favorite son a son on whom 
 they had bestowed many advantages, and of 
 whom they had indulged fond anticipations 
 and their hearts are sad within them. All feel 
 the blow, but it falls heaviest on the mother. 
 "My poor wife" it is the language of the 
 husband and father " my poor wife never 
 slept a wink the first night after the intelli- 
 gence reached us." 
 
 This is a sorrowful tale, too sorrowful to be 
 dwelt upon without tears, and yet where can 
 you find any considerable group of families, 
 which does not furnish material for a tale 
 equally sorrowful. No strange thing has hap- 
 pened in that particular domestic circle. The 
 sobs which were heard under the roof are often 
 heard elsewhere. It is affecting to mark how 
 much of the grief to be met with in our dis- 
 ordered world, has its origin in the bad beha- 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 31 
 
 vior of some misguided son, who refuses to 
 hearken to the instructions of his father, and 
 forsakes the law of his mother. The enemy 
 of God and man never shoots an arrow which 
 pierces more deeply, or makes a sorer wound. 
 Every sort of trouble seems conjoined here; 
 and if you will only dam off this single stream, 
 you will turn away a bitter tide from many a 
 peaceful dwelling. 
 
 Say not, in the words of a man who imagined 
 himself to be better than he was, " What I is 
 thy servant a dog that he should do this 
 thing ?" Feel not indignant at the suggestion 
 of a possibility, that you may be left to pursue 
 a course which shall fill the home of your child- 
 hood and early days with lamentation and woe. 
 This is being strong in your own strength, and 
 trusting to your own hearts. Dream not that 
 your mountain stands so strong that you can 
 never be moved. Avenues leading off from 
 the right path open on every side, and none 
 are more exposed than those who think of no 
 peril, and are impatient at such words of cau- 
 tion and counsel as may be addressed to them. 
 It is here that the maxim, " to be forewarned 
 
32 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 is to be forearmed," has its fullest applica- 
 tion. 
 
 1. You are in danger from yourselves. 
 
 This may seem strange language, but the 
 longer you live, the more deeply will you be 
 convinced of its truth. One of the most obvi- 
 ous effects of the original apostasy was, to sub- 
 vert man's government over his own heart, and 
 undermine his power of self-control. By this 
 fatal step, he not only broke those bonds in 
 sunder which bound him in holy and happy 
 allegiance to his Maker, but he subverted all 
 the laws of his own moral constitution. From 
 that moment passion obtained the ascendency 
 over reason, and impulse over principle. So 
 disloyal did his feelings become to his better 
 judgment, that he needs now to be restored to 
 himself, almost as much as to his God. Both 
 of these changes, the one scarcely less than the 
 other, are effected by true conversion. 
 
 Young men are necessarily inexperienced. 
 The road they have to travel is to them a new 
 road. It is their lot to be encompassed with 
 difficulties with which they can have no pre- 
 vious acquaintance, and to mingle in scenes 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 33 
 
 with which, they are not familiar. Everything 
 is novel, and because of its novelty it affects 
 them all the more deeply, for good or evil. 
 Parents may tremble for their safety, and 
 friends may be anxious lest they should be 
 led astray; but they are likely to feel little 
 solicitude on their own account. Warnings 
 are not heeded, because they are not seen to 
 be applicable. Advice is not taken, because 
 it is not felt to be appropriate. So skilfully is 
 the hook baited, that the first intimation of its 
 being a hook is found in the pricking of the 
 barb. Some fatal step is taken ere the person 
 suspects the presence of danger. The homely 
 adage, " they that know nothing fear nothing," 
 finds its illustration in thousands who set out 
 with warm hearts and high hopes. 
 
 Could you realize, at the beginning of your 
 journey, that you are to pass through an en- 
 emy's country, where foes lurk behind every 
 bush and conceal themselves under the corner 
 of every jutting rock, you would be on your 
 guard. It could hardly fail to make you 
 watchful, to be assured that a snare was con- 
 cealed on one side of your path, and a pit on 
 3 
 
34 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 the other. Any proper appreciation of your 
 danger would send you to the mercy-seat with 
 an importunity that would take no denial, and 
 clothe your sense of peril in the prayer, " My 
 Father, be thou the guide of my youth. 7 ' But 
 thousands learn too late, that " strait is the 
 gate and narrow is the way which leadeth 
 unto life." 
 
 I cannot but fear for inexperienced youth, 
 sent abroad into a world all inviting in its 
 promises, but all deceitful in its performances. 
 Could they know beforehand what perils beset 
 the way, how they must encounter a dulcet 
 song at one corner, and a hoarse menace at 
 another, with what false hopes they will be 
 assailed to-day, and with what discourage- 
 ments to-morrow ; we should not see them 
 bounding forth with such wild and heedless 
 alacrity. A tithe of the real danger, antici- 
 pated at the beginning, could not fail to impart 
 a degree of sobriety to the most careless. 
 
 Not a few young men are so yielding in their 
 temper, as to be in perpetual danger. Having 
 no fixed principles, it is hard for them to resist 
 temptation, come from what quarter and in 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 35 
 
 what form it may. So long as a father's eye 
 is upon them, or a mother's voice is sounding 
 in their ears, there is something to hold them 
 up. But let them be separated from all such 
 influences and associations, and be brought 
 into a condition, when, under God, they can 
 be steadfast only as the result of inward recti- 
 tude and self-sustaining power, and they feel at 
 once that the bark has not sufficient ballast for 
 so rough a sea. Like Reuben, they are u un- 
 stable as water;" and no wonder if, like him, 
 they never excel. 
 
 It is not obstinacy that I recommend, or that 
 sort of dogged adherence to one's own opinions, 
 which shuts the eyes upon every opposing rea- 
 son, however clear and strong. This is a very 
 unhappy trait of character, especially in the 
 young. But be careful in avoiding " Scylla," 
 not to fall into " Charybdis," The young man 
 who commences life with such an irresolute 
 heart ; as not to be able to reject decidedly any 
 proposal to do wrong, has a source of danger 
 in himself which will be almost sure to work 
 his overthrow. A rough refusal is incompara- 
 bly better than a reluctant compliance. 
 
36 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 That kind of easy good-nature, which can 
 never nerve itself sufficiently to put a decided 
 negative upon any proposal, however injuri- 
 ous, is a most dangerous possession. It is no 
 exaggeration to say, that the history of thou- 
 sands of ruined youth, the untimely graves of 
 thousands of broken-hearted parents, and the 
 heavy woes of thousands of dishonored fami- 
 lies, all join their solemn attestations to the 
 evils which spring from that sort of pliant, ac- 
 commodating disposition, which is hurt to pro- 
 nounce the monosyllable no. Such a one is 
 led like an ox to the slaughter, and like a fool 
 to the correction of the stocks. If invited to 
 take a glass with the merry, sit down at the 
 table of the gambler, or profane the Sabbath 
 with the impious, you can foretell what will 
 be the result. There is no interior strength to 
 rely upon. No falling back upon principle 
 and duty. 
 
 Young men are often overweeningly self- 
 confident Too wise to be taught, and too se- 
 cure to need caution, it is no matter of sur- 
 prise if they speedily make shipwreck of faith 
 and a good conscience. We are not sur- 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 37 
 
 prised at the mistakes they make, when we 
 see how impatient they are of control, and 
 how confidently they rely upon their own wis- 
 dom and prudence. Glad that the hour has 
 come, which allows them more liberty than 
 they once enjoyed, they begin to put on an air 
 of importance, and to act as if nobody's judg- 
 ment of men and things was so good as their 
 own. But this, be assured, is an unfailing 
 prognostic of evil. Even had we never read 
 in the Scriptures that " pride goeth before de- 
 struction, and a haughty spirit before a fall," 
 we should feel assured that such a state of 
 mind must be a bar to everything like real 
 respectability or permanent success. Nobody 
 loves pomposity and self-inflation in others. 
 Much as genuine modesty and unaffected dif- 
 fidence may be at a discount, in an age when 
 learners think themselves better than teachers, 
 this is not the road to eminence in any one line 
 of life. 
 
 When I see a youth, no matter what his tal- 
 ents or fortune, impatient of the counsels of 
 experience, and disposed to lean to his own 
 understanding, I always fear for the result 
 
38 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 One thing is certain; before such an one is 
 prepared for anything great and good in the 
 world, he has many a hard lesson to learn; 
 and the sooner he begins to learn these lessons 
 the better. Previous to his being fitted for 
 any post of trust and respectability, he must 
 have the stern teaching of bitter rebuffs and 
 cruel disappointments. 
 
 We have the highest authority for saying, 
 " he that trusteth to his own heart is a fool." 
 Let the young judge as they may ; the sober 
 good sense of the world at large will join its 
 verdict in favor of suffering days to speak, and 
 multitude of years to teach wisdom. It will 
 still be considered fit and proper to pay some 
 deference to the opinions of hoary hairs, and 
 not to reject the advice of old men. 
 
 Now pause for a moment, and look at the 
 dangers to which you are exposed, arising di- 
 rectly from yourselves. That moral derange- 
 ment which we call depravity, finds an occasion 
 for its working and an outlet for its influence, 
 in your lack of acquaintance with the ways of 
 the world, in your want of firmness to reject 
 the approach of temptation, and your pronenesa 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 39 
 
 to rely unduly on your own resources. But 
 this is not all. 
 
 2. You are in danger from the circumstances 
 in which you are placed. 
 
 What is defective and wrong within is ag- 
 gravated by what is bad and injurious with- 
 out. It is the meeting of these two streams, 
 the one internal and the other external, that 
 causes the banks to overflow, and spreads dev- 
 astation among the fairest fields and gardens 
 of human life. As there must be both fire and 
 powder to produce a flash, so the heart must be 
 acted upon by the world, in order that its cor- 
 ruptions may be manifested. Take away either, 
 and so far as visible result is concerned, the 
 other would be harmless ; but let both come 
 together, and an explosion must ensue. Let 
 me name a few of the perils to which you are 
 exposed from the circumstances which sur- 
 round you. 
 
 Many young men have no kind friend at 
 hand to take an interest in their welfare. No- 
 body, from one week to another, or one month 
 to another, drops a word of either caution or 
 encouragement in their ears. If the clerk is 
 
40 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 in his place at the appointed time, and the ap- 
 prentice fulfils his allotted task, and the stu- 
 dent masters his assigned lesson, nothing fur- 
 ther is inquired. From the very necessity of 
 the case, they are sundered from the refining, 
 soothing, and elevating influence of the domes- 
 tic circle. It is their hard lot to be separated 
 from home, at the very time when they most 
 need its scenes arid associations. Who is to 
 look after them, all buoyant and full of life as 
 they are; to watch where they spend their 
 evenings, and what resources for amusement 
 or pleasure are within their reach ? Who is to 
 inquire after their Sabbaths, their church, and 
 their minister '/ 
 
 It is enough to make one's heart bleed to 
 see multitudes of arderst, aspiring youth cast 
 upon the world, with its ten thousand allure- 
 ments and snares, in a state, so far as any real 
 affection or friendship is concerned, of com- 
 plete orphanage. Ah ! what is to hold them 
 back from evil! How are they to be kept 
 from the paths of the destroyer ? If God in- 
 terpose not, it would seem as if they must in- 
 evitably perish. 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 41 
 
 No one can think of the circumstances in 
 which young men are generally placed, with- 
 out concern. During much of that pregnant 
 interval, which lies between the ages of fifteen 
 and twenty-one, most of them are so situated 
 that they can seldom hear a father's prayer, or 
 listen to a mother's counsels, or witness a sis- 
 ter's smiles. Oh ! is it any marvel under such 
 circumstances, if they should now and then 
 find the way to the theatre, the grog-shop, or 
 the dwelling of infamy ? One faithful friend 
 at this juncture might save them from ruin. 
 Were I to offer a prayer for you, beloved 
 youth, as you pack your trunk, and start for 
 the city of business or the seat of learning, to 
 spend there five or seven years in almost en- 
 tire separation from the joys of home, it would 
 be to ask that, next to the guardianship of 
 the Watchman of Israel, you might never want 
 at least one wise, kind, faithful friend, to whis- 
 per to you words of reproof or consolation, as 
 the case should be. This would relieve my 
 anxieties, as nothing else would, short of real, 
 living, Christian principle, ruling the heart 
 and controlling the conduct. But the evil is 
 
42 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 more than negative it is positive and obtru- 
 sive. 
 
 Ten thousands of young men are surrounded 
 by vicious and unprincipled associates. Besides 
 having no one to take a real, outgoing interest 
 in their welfare, they are thrown of necessity 
 into a species of direct companionship, during 
 the hours of toil and study in the eating-room 
 and dormitory, with those who have no fear of 
 God before their eyes. This is a danger which 
 they have to encounter at every onward step. 
 Feel as they may, contact with evil it is impos- 
 sible to avoid. If they walk the streets of the 
 city, or tread the floors of the hall, it is to see 
 sights, and hear sounds, and be subjected to 
 influences, all of which, gradually and imper- 
 ceptibly, but surely and permanently, are 
 drawing the lines of deformity on their 
 hearts. This is the grand peril which alarms 
 the pious parent, and wakes him up to 
 pray in the silence of the night, when ' he 
 thinks of placing a son in school, sending him 
 to college, or locating him in one of our towns 
 for purposes of trade. No wonder that the 
 father cries out, " God bless and keep our dear 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 43 
 
 son I" No wonder that the mother betakes 
 herself to her closet, and begs God to take care 
 of her darling boy. 
 
 In multitudes of cases, it seems really almost 
 a miracle if they do escape. The heart is in- 
 clined to evil of itself, irrespective of any ex- 
 ternal drawing ; and if this native tendency be 
 aided, as it is too often, by the well-planned 
 arts of the seducer, no wonder if ruin ensue. 
 An unprincipled companion is often an unmit- 
 igated curse. If the fruit do not appear very 
 fully, at once, the seed is sown, and sooner or 
 later we may expect a harvest. 
 
 Alas ! how often have I known youth, who, 
 only a short time before, left the paternal roof 
 amiable in their dispositions and pure in their 
 morals, soon turn into ringleaders of vice, and 
 from being tempted become tempters them- 
 selves. We look around with astonishment at 
 such downfalls, and inquire what enemy hath 
 done this. But should we ferret out the mat- 
 ter, it would generally be found, that the dread- 
 ful evil could be traced to the skepticism, the 
 tippling habits, or the licentiousness of some 
 pleasant, jovial companion. 
 
44 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Then, to add to the danger, books of a certain 
 kind are a fruitful source of injury to the young. 
 Ours, we love to say, is a reading age ; and few 
 are the parents who do not fee] gratified to 
 have their children imbibe a fondness for this 
 employment. But we should make a great 
 blunder, if we conclude that all must be well 
 because they subscribe for a magazine, and are 
 often seen with a book in their hands. What 
 tales of crime in its worst possible form have 
 been told, within a few years, in some of the 
 high places of our own land, as the known and 
 recognized result of pernicious reading ! Again 
 and again have both adultery and blood been 
 traced to this single source. As it regards the 
 books with which the country is fairly inun- 
 dated, it may well be said, " all is not gold 
 that glitters." If one contains the bread of 
 life, another is filled with deadly poison. To 
 say the least, there is a kind of sickly senti- 
 mentalism pervading many of the fashionable 
 volumes of the day, which scarcely less really 
 unfits the reader for the duties of earth, than 
 for intercourse with heaven. " Such reading," 
 as Hannah More well remarks, "relaxes the 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 45 
 
 mind which, needs hardening, dissolves the 
 heart which needs fortifying, stirs the imagi- 
 nation which needs quieting, irritates the pas- 
 sions which need calming, and, above all, dis- 
 inclines and disqualifies for active virtues and 
 spiritual exercises. 77 Young men must take 
 heed what they read, as well as how they hear. 
 The eye is as fruitful an inlet of evil as the ear. 
 
 It is my deliberate opinion, that thoughtful, 
 studious youth are exposed to few greater perils 
 than are to be found in books. So fully am I 
 convinced of this, that I could see a large ma- 
 jority of all the publications which come in 
 such crowds from the press, consigned to one 
 enormous conflagration, without a lingering 
 regret. The ability to read and the love of 
 reading, like a thousand other things good in 
 themselves, have their attendant evils. A bad 
 book must exert a bad influence, and the more 
 touching it is in incident, and the more capti- 
 vating in style, the worse of necessity this in- 
 fluence will be. 
 
 The heaviest censures upon such works have 
 fallen sometimes from the authors themselves. 
 Goldsmith, though a very popular novelist and 
 
46 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 writer of plays, gave this advice in respect to 
 the education of a nephew : " Above all things, 
 never let him touch a novel or romance." 
 Moore had good sense and right feeling enough 
 to keep his voluptuous lines from his own 
 daughters, though not enough to prevent his 
 sending them abroad into the world. It is 
 affirmed too of a celebrated tragedian, that he 
 never allowed his children to see the inside of 
 a theatre. There is meaning in such opinions, 
 coming from such men. 
 
 Such are the circumstances, my young 
 friends, in which you are placed, and it is idle 
 to complain of them. The present state would 
 be no probation to you, if you were already so 
 confirmed in good principles, and so free from 
 temptations, as to have nothing to fear either 
 from yourselves or the position you occupy. 
 That is the highest virtue that consists in over- 
 coming the blandishments of vice. No crown 
 is so bright as that which the victor will wear. 
 Instead then of unavailing regrets at trials, 
 arise whence they will, and come as they may, 
 be it your determination by the help of God to 
 surmount them all. 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 47 
 
 Deem it not unkind that I take so much 
 pains to apprize you of your perils. If they 
 exist, it is important that you should know 
 them. The difference between being con^ 
 scious of danger, and unconscious of it, is like 
 that between two travellers passing over the 
 same rough road, one of whom has his eyes 
 open, and the other has his eyes shut. Both 
 may stumble. Both may fall ; but the advan- 
 tage is immensely on the side of him who looks 
 at the obstacles which lie in his way. 
 
 Yes ; you are in danger, in danger from in- 
 ward corruption and outward temptation ; in 
 danger from your own native bias to evil, and 
 from the traps which are set for your feet; 
 and it is proper for me to raise the voice of 
 alarm. I believe in the doctrine of human 
 depravity I know what the Bible says of the 
 difficulty of leading a good life I have been 
 over the ground which you now occupy ; and 
 to me it is no marvel that ministers, teachers, 
 friends and parents all unite in asking for you 
 the preserving mercy and the sanctifying grace 
 of God. There is reason for this solicitude. It 
 is not without a cause. 
 
48 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 I do not charge it upon you as a fault, that 
 you are inexperienced. I do not blame you 
 in all cases for working in the same room with 
 the base, the dissipated and the profane. I do 
 not mention it as a crime that bad books are 
 sometimes put in your way. These things are 
 a part of your allotment. They are difficulties 
 which you cannot always avoid. But what 
 will you do ? My heart yearns over you. 
 And I long to see you betaking yourselves to 
 the only sure and unfailing protection. Ask 
 God for Christ's sake to watch over and bless 
 you. Seek for help in the might of his out- 
 stretched arm. 
 
 But trying as your case may be, let me beg 
 you to guard against despondency. This will 
 give you over at once into the power of the 
 destroyer. I would say to the student sad and 
 downcast over his books, to the clerk jaded 
 and worn by his oft-repeated duty, and to the 
 apprentice exhausted by his monotonous task, 
 Be not disheartened. Though you have no 
 father's fireside to return to, when the long 
 day's service is over, and no kind sister to 
 throw her arms around you and kiss away 
 
YOUNG MEN IN DANGER. 49 
 
 your griefs, and no circle of sympathizing 
 friends to whom you may tell your trou- 
 bles despair not. A brighter morning will 
 yet arrive. "Patient continuance in w ell-do- 
 ing" will lead to "glory, and honor, and eter- 
 nal life." "Heart within and God o'erhead," 
 and you have nothing to fear. You will work 
 for yourselves a way to the esteem of the wise 
 and good, and secure a name and place in the 
 earth. 
 
 There is in God as revealed in the Gospel, 
 in Christ as exhibited in his own life, death 
 and sacrifice, in the Spirit as a Comforter and 
 a guide, in the Bible as a light to them that sit 
 in darkness, and in the prospect of a blissful 
 immortality, held out to such as endure to the 
 end, all the strength which you need to resist 
 evil. Be steadfast in the hour of trial, and 
 you will gain at last a crown which will never 
 fade away. 
 
 4 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE POWER OF HABIT. 
 
 You all know the meaning of the word 
 habit. "When we say of a young man, that he 
 is habitually studious, amiable, and respectful, 
 or that he is habitually indolent, negligent and 
 morose, everybody understands us. No lan- 
 guage could be more explicit. 
 
 Nor need I say that you will probably be 
 for time and eternity what your habits make 
 you. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or 
 the leopard his spots ? Then may ye also do 
 good who are accustomed to do evil." Form 
 correct and virtuous habits, and a light sweet 
 as the morning dawn may be expected to gild 
 all your future pathway ; but let your habits 
 be vicious and depraved, and a cloud darker 
 than midnight will settle on your prospects 
 forever. 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 51 
 
 To you this is a topic of vast moment. 
 Your principles and practices are now just 
 beginning to take root, and should they grow 
 into habits, you will be likely to carry them to 
 the grave with you. A volume might be 
 written on the power of habit, but I must con- 
 tent myself with suggesting a few thoughts. 
 
 1. Let us inquire into the formation of habits. 
 
 This is a gradual work, an advancing pro- 
 cess, in which the preceding steps always in- 
 fluence those that succeed. A habit is formed 
 by the recurrence again and again of the same 
 internal, or the same external acts. Such is 
 human nature, that no one settles down sud- 
 denly into fixed opinions, or an established 
 way of life. Men may do wrong, and they 
 may do right, they may exhibit a holy temper 
 or a sinful one, in a moment ; but the habit is 
 induced by repetition. It takes time for a 
 person to become so accustomed to a given 
 course, as to be easy and happy in such a 
 course. Neither occasional good deeds, nor 
 occasional bad deeds constitute character, or 
 form what in common language we denomi- 
 nate habit. 
 
52 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 You will do well to treasure these thoughts 
 in your minds. Never forget that any one act 
 performed, or any one feeling indulged, necessa- 
 rily prepares the way for other acts and feel- 
 ings of the same kind. This remark is equally 
 true, whether applied to mental or manual 
 pursuits; to the movements of the body, or 
 the operations of the mind. A single glass of 
 wine may be the beginning of a habit which 
 shall lead to intoxication, and a single vindic- 
 tive feeling may be the precursor of a train of 
 feelings which shall lead to murder. "What we 
 do once we more readily and naturally do a 
 second time, and to go on in a certain path, be 
 it reputable or disreputable, is more easy than 
 to start. Such is the connection of things, as 
 constituted by God himself, and no one can 
 disregard it with impunity. If life is to be 
 spent in the practice of piety, special care and 
 effort will be required at the outset ; and if it 
 is to be clouded with vice, the farther a person 
 goes the more rapid will be his descent. The 
 hindrances in the first case, and the restraints 
 in the second, invariably lose their power as 
 progress is made. 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 53 
 
 Let it be noted here, that right feelings are 
 more to be considered, often, than correct do- 
 ings. For example, humility is less an overt 
 act of self-denial, or any number of such acts, 
 than a habit of watching against the indul- 
 gence of pride. Of meekness also we may say 
 it is not so much an ostensible deed standing 
 prominently forth, as it is a state of mind con- 
 trary to anger and resentment. The same ob- 
 servation may be made of a habit of sobriety, 
 a habit of self-control, a habit of application, a 
 habit of patience, or a habit of kindness. These 
 virtues are all best reached, by simply keeping 
 aloof from the opposing vices ; not to do evil is 
 often to do well. 
 
 But remember that bad habits are more 
 easily formed than good ones, and are given 
 up with more difficulty. The native depravity 
 of the heart accounts for this well-known fact 
 a depravity which inheres in man and op- 
 erates with a force which none can fully esti- 
 mate. It is for this reason that far less time 
 and pains are requisite to corrupt an unwary 
 youth, than to engraft upon his character the 
 enduring habits of righteousness and truth. 
 
54 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Men are self-indulgent and covetous, revenge- 
 ful and proud, naturally and spontaneously, 
 without example or teaching. In the present 
 fallen state, wrong and misery are the result 
 of giving up things to their own native ten- 
 dencies. In the natural world, you have only 
 to leave a field to itself, and you will see it 
 covered with briers and thorns; but if you 
 would have it filled with beautiful and waving 
 wheat, you must apply care and toil. It is easy 
 to float down the stream, but to resist the cur- 
 rent and reach the fountain requires effort. 
 
 Such statements are full of instruction, and 
 you will do well to think them over again and 
 again. There are but few things which it more 
 concerns you to understand than the way in 
 which habits are formed, so as to become a part 
 of one's abiding character. The value of sound 
 principles firm, unwavering, truth evincing 
 principles can never be over-estimated, and 
 no efforts to make them yours can be too great. 
 They are as necessary to the development of 
 a good and useful character, as the circulation 
 of the blood in the body, or the rising of the 
 sap in a tree. 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 65 
 
 2. We shall do well to consider the amazing 
 strength of habit. 
 
 Use is said to be a second nature. "What a 
 man gets accustomed to, let its influence be 
 good or bad, he finds it very difficult to aban- 
 don. We can bend or twist a twig to whatever 
 shape we please, but let that twig become a 
 tree, and it requires the force of a whirlwind 
 to uproot it. It is one thing for a child to form 
 the habit of prayer and reading the Scriptures, 
 and quite another thing for the man of gray 
 hairs to do so. The son may keep from the 
 inebriating cup ; but no one can tell what 
 dreadful struggles it will cost his father to dash 
 it to the ground. 
 
 Few are thoroughly aware of the controlling 
 power of habit. It is possible to superinduce 
 upon the beasts of the field, and the fowls of 
 the air, habits entirely foreign to their nature ; 
 and yet these habits when thus superinduced 
 can scarcely be broken. The process is tedious, 
 before a lion and tiger can be made to har- 
 monize in the same cage, or a dove be taught 
 to live on flesh. But it can be done, and 
 done so completely that what was previously 
 
56 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 strange and unnatural, becomes by habit a 
 part as it were of their very being. The 
 novice in the use of narcotic weeds, must lay 
 his account with nausea, headache, and lan- 
 guor ; but let indulgence grow into a habit, and 
 he finds it almost like parting with life itself, to 
 break it off. As often as the hour returns, be 
 it morning or noon, or night, the appetite is 
 aroused and demands gratification. There is 
 something within, which like the horseleech 
 cries, give, give. The demand becomes im- 
 perative beyond that for .daily food. 
 
 Could you see this matter in its true light, 
 you would tremble at the thought of being ad- 
 dicted to a bad habit. Why the doing of a 
 particular act, especially when it is so unpleas- 
 ant at first, should beget a disposition to repeat 
 it and even render it agreeable, we need not 
 inquire. It is sufficient for all practical and 
 useful purposes, to know that such is unques- 
 tionably the fact. It is in recognition of this 
 general and uniform law of the human consti- 
 tution, that the Bible utters its most energet- 
 ic warnings and gives forth its loudest notes 
 of alarm. "Sudden destruction," "destruc 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 57 
 
 tion without remedy" is to come upon such as 
 have acquired the habit of hardening their 
 necks in the midst of reproof. An old man's 
 bones are represented as being "full of the 
 sins of his youth, which shall lie down with 
 him in the dust." 
 
 If examples of the iron force of habit are 
 called for, we have them in abundance. All 
 are aware what adamantine chains encircle the 
 man, who has unhappily become accustomed 
 to the stimulating influence of intoxicating 
 drinks. It was not always with him, as it is 
 now. At first he took a glass not to appear 
 singular, or to nerve his arm for his daily task, 
 or to help him bear some local pain, or drive 
 away a cloud of trouble. There was then no 
 love of intoxicating drink for its own sake. 
 But soon drinking became a habit ; and how 
 strong the habit, let broken-hearted parents, a 
 weeping wife and children, and an undone 
 eternity reveal. Resistance seems out of the 
 question. "If, "said such a one, " a tumbler 
 stood before me, and I knew that endless mis- 
 ery must be the consequence of drinking it, I 
 could not refrain." Equally overpowering 
 
58 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 perhaps is the habit of gambling. Tales suffi- 
 cient, one would think, to melt any heart not 
 made of rock, are told of the effects of this 
 vice, on character, fortune and domestic peace ; 
 and yet its thraldom is unbroken. To give a 
 single case : A man in one of our large cities 
 had become opulent, and had his noble mansion 
 and splendid equipage, the unrighteous avails 
 of the gaming table. For a time, all appeared 
 well. But at length he met with a villain 
 more adroit than himself, played deeply, and 
 was unsuccessful. "With a heavy heart he went 
 home, and was found the next morning, hang- 
 ing to one of the timbers of his own chamber, 
 a blackened and frightful corpse. 
 
 These, beloved youth, are awful illustrations, 
 but they are not of unusual occurrence. Mark 
 how the habit of falsehood grows upon a man, 
 until from simple exaggeration in little things, 
 he comes to be so notorious a liar that his word 
 is not worth a rush. One may be long in 
 reaching this sad eminence; but when it is 
 reached, all is lost. The plainest truths pass- 
 ing through such a man's lips, are almost as 
 surely falsified, as rays of light passing through 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 59 
 
 water are refracted. Much the same thing 
 may be said of theft and profaneness, Sab- 
 bath-breaking and infidelity. When the habit 
 of these vices is formed, it is a miracle of mercy 
 if they are ever abandoned. 
 
 Yet, blessed be God, there is a bright side 
 to this picture. If bad habits acquire at length 
 a giant hold upon the mind and heart, it is en- 
 couraging that there is some degree at least of 
 the same force in good ones. Men do not 
 easily turn aside, after walking for years in 
 the right path. "Oh," said a profligate de- 
 scendant of pious ancestors, upon retiring after 
 an evening of jest and merriment, "I wish I 
 could forget the prayers which my mother 
 taught me." You may all recollect the con- 
 fession of the late John Randolph of Eoanoke. 
 " I should have been a French atheist, had it 
 not been that my mother used to call me to 
 her, when a little boy, to repeat the Lord's 
 prayer." This saved him from the vortex. 
 
 Such facts are instructive to parents, but 
 they make a special demand upon the atten- 
 tion of youth. You, who are now in the 
 bloom of life, are every day weaving for your- 
 
60 THE SPRING-TIMJ OF LIFE. 
 
 selves a web of habits, and when formed, it 
 will have strength beyond all your power to 
 break it. Could you see this subject in its true 
 light, how carefully would you avoid the very 
 first fatal step ! Be careless, be indolent, be 
 skeptical, be irreligious, be intemperate now, 
 and you will find where you are, and what 
 you are, when recovery is hopeless. Or be 
 early thoughtful, sober-minded and pious, and 
 you will lay up for time to come, blessings un- 
 told. " All the paths of the Lord are mercy 
 and truth to such as walk in them." 
 
 3. Mark for a moment the effects which habit 
 produces. 
 
 These are apparent every day, and not to 
 take them into account is unwise indeed. 
 Break up a man's habits, even by improving 
 what you call his comforts, and you often 
 make him miserable. It is usually no kind- 
 ness to the aged, to take them from their cot- 
 tage, their frugal fare and their early meals, 
 and place them in the mansions and surround 
 them with the ceremonies of fashionable life. 
 Changes of this sort, make them with whatever 
 kind intentions you please, are irksome, and 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 61 
 
 seldom fail to produce discontent. Men who 
 have become opulent bj habits of strict atten- 
 tion to business, always perhaps run some risk 
 when they retire from the throng and bustle 
 of life. The quiet and the shade of the coun- 
 try cannot keep the thoughts away from the 
 counting-room and the exchange. 
 
 Be careful then to start aright, and after- 
 wards be satisfied to keep quietly on in the 
 path of rectitude. Once learn to master the 
 difficulties of your allotment, to resist the 
 temptations that lie in your path, and to rise 
 superior to the ridicule of the world, and you 
 will, almost as a matter of course, find your 
 bosom filled with happy emotions. The chief 
 struggle is at the outset. The individual who 
 rises early to his study or his trade, soon ac- 
 quires a habit of looking out upon the beauties 
 of the morning, which renders him cheerful 
 and contented. Life to such a one has a 
 brightness and buoyancy which the indolent 
 and listless never enjoy. Even duties that are 
 at first trying and difficult, become such sources 
 of real pleasure, that we often hear the laborer 
 singing merrily at his anvil and the loom. 
 
62 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Only be sure that the course is right and just, 
 and as soon as it becomes habitual it will pro- 
 duce positive enjoyment. God thus intermin- 
 gles comforts with the trials, crosses and bur- 
 dens of life, and so arranges things, as one 
 happily says, that the purest water is filtered 
 through charcoal. 
 
 I can scarcely be too earnest in impressing 
 these thoughts on your attention. If consid- 
 erate and observing at all, you cannot help 
 seeing how habits of order and temperance and 
 industry, promote health, peace of mind, and 
 prosperity. Not only is the noonday of such 
 a morning warm and genial, but its evening- 
 tide is calm and serene. It is pleasant to 
 mark the fresh countenance, the firm step, and 
 the green old age of one, whose habits of sleep, 
 labor, food and recreation have all been good. 
 A bright and cheerful light is almost sure to 
 shine upon such a path to its very close. 
 What a contrast this to the haggard looks and 
 trembling limbs of the man, whose bad habits 
 have fixed a brand upon him which he must 
 carry to the grave ! Do what he may after- 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 63 
 
 wards, traces of the old evil will remain and 
 stick to him till the end. 
 
 Good habits are everything to a young man. 
 Point me to a boy in the community, who is 
 growing up thoughtful, industrious, and dis- 
 creet, no matter how humble his circumstances, 
 and I venture to predict that his future course 
 in the world will be useful and honorable. 
 Eare indeed are the instances in which such a 
 one is beguiled in later life from the paths of 
 uprightness. The good habits he has formed, 
 in addition to their own intrinsic power, will 
 be sure to draw around him a thousand kindly 
 influences, all strengthening the bonds of vir- 
 tue. But what can be anticipated for an idle, 
 intemperate, disorderly young man ? In some 
 lucid moment of after-life, he may resolve upon 
 reformation ; but his habits, like so many ropes 
 of hemp, fasten him to the ways in which he 
 has long been walking. It seems impossible 
 for him now to be anything different from 
 what he has been. 
 
 The mind, too, suffers from bad habits as well 
 as the body. Let a person once lose his deli- 
 cacy of feeling, and a wound is inflicted which 
 
64 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 many a day of sorrow cannot heal. The bad 
 book that he allows himself to read, the obscene 
 talk in which he indulges, and the impure ob- 
 jects on which he fastens his thoughts, will be 
 sure to make blots hard to be effaced. Even 
 true repentance has no power to wash away 
 the stain. Regret it as he may, the unhallowed 
 imaginations once loved and cherished will not 
 now depart at his bidding. 
 
 Hear what strong and emphatic language the 
 celebrated Lord Brougham uses on this point : 
 " I trust everything under God to habit, upon 
 which in all ages the Lawgiver as well as the 
 Schoolmaster has mainly to place his reliance. 
 It is habit which makes every duty easy, and 
 casts the difficulties upon a deviation from the 
 wonted course. Make sobriety a habit, and 
 intemperance Vill be hateful. Make prudence 
 a habit, and prodigality will seem like a crime. 
 Make honesty a habit, and fraud will be ab- 
 horred. Give a child the habit of sacredly re- 
 garding truth, and he will as soon think of 
 rushing into an element, where he cannot 
 breathe, as of telling a falsehood." These are 
 broad declarations, and yet they are evidently 
 
THE POWER OF HABIT. 65 
 
 founded on a deep acquaintance with, human 
 nature. 
 
 May I not hope then that you will lay all 
 this seriously to heart. There are instances, 
 blessed be God,' in which the idle become in- 
 dustrious, the drunkard abandons his cups, the 
 swearer learns to fear an oath, and the disso- 
 lute embrace a life of purity. Nothing is too 
 hard for the Lord. But these cases are so rare 
 as not to be expected in the ordinary course 
 of Providence. What you desire to be, five, 
 ten, twenty, or forty years hence, that strive to 
 be and pray to be at once. Pluck up the 
 shrub before it grows into a tree. Check the 
 disease ere it seize upon the vitals. Meet the 
 enemy on the borders, and suffer him not to 
 penetrate the country. 
 
 If you would ever love the Bible, begin to 
 read it carefully and prayerfully now. If you 
 would ever put your trust in Christ, begin to 
 study the beauties of the cross now. If you 
 would ever live a holy life, begin to fear and 
 obey God now. Now you have a tablet of 
 wax on which to inscribe characters of loveli- 
 ness, and peace and salvation. A few years 
 
66 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 hence this wax will be granite. Be chaste like 
 Joseph, be meek like Moses, be temperate like 
 Daniel, and the habit will remain till your heads 
 are laid on their last pillow. Trials will come, 
 when we shall see what you are, and what you 
 will do. It is a storm that gives a sight of the 
 depths of the sea ; and it is a season of tempta- 
 tion, that gives us a glimpse of one's real char- 
 acter. 
 
 Go out into the world with bad habits, and 
 I tremble for the result. With good habits, 
 and God's blessing, you will be safe every- 
 where, in city or country, counting-house or 
 mechanic's shop, student's room or clerk's of- 
 fice. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 C O M P A N Y 1 TS INFLUENCE. 
 
 SOME one remarked to the celebrated John 
 "Wesley, as he was entering upon his religious 
 course, " You must either find companions, or 
 make them." This is true of every one. It is 
 not good for man to be alone. Even the bliss 
 of Paradise was not deemed complete, until 
 Adam had a companion to unite with him in 
 his labors, and share with him his joys. 
 
 This is a law of our nature, operating upon 
 all, but felt with most force in early life. 
 Young people are formed for intercourse and 
 companionship. It would make them wretch- 
 ed to immure them in a hermit's cell. But 
 just in proportion to the strength with which 
 their feelings fasten upon those whom they call 
 their friends, will be the power of these friends 
 to be either a blessing or a curse to them. 
 
68 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Scarcely anything else is so pregnant of weal 
 or woe. Solomon has said, " He that walketh 
 with wise men shall be wise, but a companion 
 of fools shall be destroyed." 
 
 You will have associates, and you will feel 
 their influence. The link is mysterious which 
 binds human beings together, so that the heart 
 of one answers to the heart of another, like the 
 return of an echo ; but such a link exists. 
 There seems to be a sort of welding process, by 
 which the feelings and principles of two indi- 
 viduals, before entire strangers, are soon re- 
 duced to a complete identity. One catches the 
 spirit, and copies the manner of the other, so 
 that in a short time the same character belongs 
 to both. Wax does not more certainly retain 
 the figure of the seal, than does the mind retain 
 the impression produced by intercourse and 
 association. The influence is often silent and 
 unperceived, like the rolling in of a wave in a 
 quiet sea ; but like that same wave it is mighty 
 and resistless. 
 
 On the one hand, make wise and good men 
 your chosen companions, and you put your- 
 selves in the direct way of becoming wise and 
 
COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE. 69 
 
 good. Intimacies of this sort are invaluable 
 in the formation of character. A net- work of 
 virtuous associations will thus be woven around 
 you, through which you will find it difficult to 
 break, even should you desire so to do. The 
 operation is secret and imperceptible, but the 
 effects are striking. Could we only persuade 
 the youth among us to mix with the pure, the 
 considerate, and the amiable, they would feel 
 the happy influence. Strongly inclined to evil 
 as is the heart of man, this seldom or never 
 fails to be a check. Let them once become 
 the companions of such as fear the Lord, and 
 they will rarely be found disbelieving his word 
 and profaning his name, or trampling his Sab- 
 bath in the dust. The power of a truly con- 
 sistent example, bad as the world is, is immense. 
 Even when it does not reach so far as to be 
 saving, it proves salutary ; and when it does 
 not prevent eventual ruin, it has the effect of 
 putting far off the evil day. 
 
 But, on the other hand, become the associate 
 of men of bad principles and practices, and you 
 are in danger of walking in the same path. 
 Example, always influential, is peculiarly so, 
 
70 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 when it sets in the wrong direction. The reason 
 is that in every such case the depraved model 
 finds something in the bosom congenial to it- 
 self, and the wicked pattern finds its corres- 
 pondence in the existing state of the heart. On 
 this account it is, that a single improper inti- 
 macy often works the most fatal results. All 
 that parents, teachers, and pious friends have 
 been doing for years, disappears as the refresh- 
 ing dew before the rising sun. Associate with 
 the vile, and you will most assuredly become 
 vile. To " walk in the counsel of the un- 
 godly," is the first step towards " standing in 
 the place of sinners," and " sitting in the seat 
 of the scornful." 
 
 All this is well understood by those who 
 have children to educate, or sons to send out 
 into the world. There is always a sense of se- 
 curity, when it is certain that the room-mate is 
 studious and sober-minded, and the fellow- 
 apprentice and clerk are steady and church- 
 going. Men who have no real religion them- 
 selves, are often desirous to place their sons 
 and daughters in circumstances where God is 
 honored, and the Bible is treated as a book 
 
COMPANY-ITS INFLUENCE. 71 
 
 from heaven. This is a kind of homage, which 
 truth and goodness exact of thousands whose 
 hearts after all continue wedded to the paths 
 of iniquity. 
 
 Remember, in this connection, that whatever 
 is good or bad, lofty or degrading, virtuous or 
 vicious, in the human bosom, will be most fully 
 developed in society. Lot, no doubt, would have 
 been a better man than he was, had he been 
 surrounded with examples of piety, and Esau 
 would have been a worse man than he was, 
 had he lived in a wicked family. . Encourage- 
 ment is thus given to those who are struggling 
 upward, and obstacles are put in the way of 
 those who are going downward. No one, un- 
 sustained by companionship and associates, ever 
 rises to the fullest measure of excellence ; and 
 no one, who is not urged on by others, ever 
 sinks to the lowest depths of depravity. The 
 pious are more decidedly pious, and the wicked 
 are more decidedly wicked, as the result of 
 union, concert, and co-operation. 
 
 It is a well-ascertained fact, that a company 
 of bad men will generally be more openly 
 and boldly vile than any one of that com- 
 
72 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 pany would dare to be alone. In this case, 
 the first stimulates and draws on the second, 
 the second the third, until the voice of con- 
 science is drowned, and every feeling of shame 
 is eradicated from the heart. If a person really 
 wishes to rid himself of all virtuous restraint, 
 he has only to go with the multitude to do evil, 
 and the end is gained. In the confusion and 
 bustle of noisy associates, sin has no such sting 
 as it has in private. What opportunity is there 
 here for those serious reflections and painful 
 misgivings, which come thronging upon the 
 mind in the stillness of the bed-chamber and 
 the solitary walk. Instead of asking what God 
 and conscience approve, the only question now 
 is, What will gratify the company? If this 
 point can be secured, there seems to be no 
 thought of the remorse thus stored up for a 
 sick chamber, or a dying bed. 
 
 In a large majority of cases, pre-eminence in 
 evil results from the abuse of that social prin- 
 ciple, which God has implanted in our bosoms 
 as a help to the development of piety. Where 
 is it, let me ask, that the profane jest is uttered 
 against the Scriptures, the Lord's-day, and the 
 
COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE. 73 
 
 ministry of the Sanctuary ? Under what cir- 
 cumstances is it, that the song of the drunkard 
 is heard, and the silence of midnight is dis- 
 turbed by the mutterings and curses of the 
 gambler ? How comes it to pass that here one 
 and there another is enticed to the house of 
 infamy and the purlieus of damnation ? These 
 are not vices which spring up in retirement 
 and are connected with thinking on one's ways. 
 They have their origin in noise and bustle and 
 excitement, and not in stillness or solitude. 
 This is the point at which the road starts which 
 leads to profaneness, intemperance, and de- 
 bauchery. Festive seasons and days of mirth, 
 afford a fruitful soil for the growth of sin. The 
 mind is thus unbent ; pleasurable sensations 
 are excited, and one gives countenance to an- 
 other, until the most disgusting impiety and 
 inebriation ensue. 
 
 There is more of weight and importance in 
 these truths than is always supposed. A soli- 
 tary Deist or Universalist living in a neighbor- 
 hood of consistent Christians, is not likely to 
 hold his errors very firmly, or broach them 
 with a very confident air. Infidelity is a plant 
 
74 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 which, does not thrive well in by-places or se- 
 cluded spots. It grows up more rankly and 
 bears its fruit more perfectly amidst the noise 
 and smoke and fumes of the bar-room, and 
 puts on its deepest hues while the exhilarating 
 bowl is passing around. Who ever heard of 
 a man's railing against the Bible, or the final 
 doom of the wicked, in his solitary chamber ? 
 Perhaps such a thing is sometimes done, but 
 impiety like this loves publicity and show. 
 Spiritual rappers would soon cease their rap- 
 pings, if none were foolish enough to listen. 
 Clairvoyants would not "mutter and peep" if 
 there were none to hear. 
 
 It is well, too, to remark that young men of 
 amiable dispositions are often most in danger 
 from bad company. Owing to that great 
 catastrophe which so utterly deranged man's 
 whole moral nature, some of those very traits 
 of character which are denominated virtues, 
 seem really to open the door to vice. This is 
 but too true of thousands who are blessed with 
 a soft, mild and yielding disposition. Like 
 some plants which change the color of their 
 blossoms as often as you change the soil in 
 
COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE. 75 
 
 which they stand, these persons take their 
 tone of feeling from surrounding circumstan- 
 ces. While at home, where the Bible was 
 read, prayer offered, the sanctuary visited and 
 God worshipped, everything apparently went 
 well with them. But after receiving the fare- 
 well blessing of a kind father, and the parting 
 embrace of a fond mother, new scenes soon 
 opened and new impressions were made. 
 
 "We are pleased to see a soft and kindly tem- 
 per in early life ; but it is not to be concealed 
 that such a temper exposes one to peculiar 
 peril. A person of such a disposition, usually 
 lacks firmness and independence of character. 
 Hence we frequently see him falling in with 
 the opinions and practices of his companions, 
 even in opposition to his own convictions of 
 right and wrong. He has not internal strength 
 to resist evil, provided it puts on an inviting as- 
 pect. Often is he drawn into fellowship with 
 the wicked in scenes of dissipation and vice, 
 simply because he has not the courage to re- 
 sist. Sooner than turn his back upon some 
 unprincipled associate, he will sacrifice con- 
 science, peace of mind, and the favor of (rod. 
 
76 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Sad is it for such a one, when he falls into the 
 snares of those who, under a bland and spe- 
 cious appearance, hide a heart of deadly oppo- 
 sition to the ways of piety. The fly in the 
 web of the spider, or the fish on the hook of 
 the angler, is a fit emblem of a victim like this. 
 Sir Matthew Hale, one of the most learned 
 and upright judges who ever sat on the bench 
 in England or any other country, came near 
 being ruined in this very way. When quite 
 young he was amiable and studious, and great 
 hopes were entertained of his future eminence. 
 But some strolling theatrical players came to 
 the town where he lived, and he was induced 
 by his own yielding disposition, to become a 
 witness of their performances. This so com- 
 pletely captivated his heart, that he lost all 
 relish for study, and gave himself up to dissi- 
 pated company. Happily, however, for his 
 prospective usefulness and peace of mind, as 
 he was one day surrounded by vile associates, 
 it pleased God to put a stop to their folly, by 
 smiting one of their number with a sudden dis- 
 ease, which soon sent him to the grave. This 
 broke the bonds which tied the heart of young 
 
COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE. 77 
 
 Hale to a life of dissipation, and drove him to 
 his closet, his Bible, and his God. 
 
 Instances of the like wandering are common 
 alas that instances of like return are so few. 
 Let one of an easy complying disposition, 
 and with little fixedness of principle, come into 
 contact with educated and refined iniquity, 
 and the work of ruin is speedily done. The 
 politeness of the exterior renders him unsus- 
 picious of the sink of corruption within. At 
 first he only listens, then he begins to imitate, 
 and soon he goes as an "ox to the slaughter 
 and as a fool to the correction of the stocks." 
 
 All this is confirmed by the fact, that young 
 men are sure to be estimated by the character of 
 their companions. Not only do a man 7 s familiar 
 friends exert an influence over him, but what 
 is more, they constitute the sure and ready 
 test by which others judge of his worth. 
 There is an old proverb, and all experience 
 verifies it ; " every man is known by the com- 
 pany he keeps." On this account it is that 
 shrewd and intelligent observers of human na- 
 ture seldom put themselves to the trouble of 
 looking any further in order to decide upon a 
 
78 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 person's reputation. Tell them where the 
 clerk or apprentice spends his evenings, and 
 with whom he takes his walks, and it is 
 enough. Nothing would seem stranger to 
 them than to look for a sober, considerate, 
 trustworthy young man, in the midst of the 
 idle, the profane, and the licentious. Never 
 do they expect to find one that is temperate, 
 industrious and correct, among a noisy, dissi- 
 pated and drunken crew. So certain is it, 
 that every individual will be what his com- 
 panions are, in character, habits, and way of 
 life, that in nine cases out of ten, no further 
 testimony is required. 
 
 The firmest reputation is a delicate plant, 
 which will not bear the touch of violence, or 
 the breath of pollution. Though it advance by 
 slow and almost imperceptible degrees, it often, 
 like the Prophet's gourd, withers in a night. 
 It is possible for you to lose in an hour, what 
 it costs years of care and circumspection to 
 gain. A little want of consideration, a little 
 forgetfulness of what is due to yourselves, a 
 little yielding to the blandishments of vice, may 
 inflict an injury never to be repaired. But 
 
COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE. 79 
 
 take another course. Seek the society of the 
 good, cast in your lot among the virtuous and 
 faithful, and your standing will become repu- 
 table at once. Everybody will see that you 
 respect yourselves, and this will secure the re- 
 spect of others. 
 
 I charge you, ponder well these remarks. 
 If you are seen to associate freely with such as 
 are known to have no respect for the Scrip- 
 tures, and no reverence for the Sabbath, espe- 
 cially if it should once come to be understood 
 that you can cast in your lot with those who 
 have gone so far in the ways of transgression 
 as to glory in their shame, you must not deem 
 it a hardship to be treated as if you sustained 
 the very same character. This is perfectly 
 natural and not at all to be complained of. 
 You might as well visit a district infected with 
 the plague, and expect to be welcomed at once 
 to the bosom of families where health prevails ; 
 us to associate with the workers of iniquity, and 
 hope to pass along without having a mark 
 fixed xipon you, by men of every name and 
 place. 
 
 What a penalty to pay for going astray in 
 
80 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 this one particular ; and yet it must be paid, 
 if the false step be taken. Such are the legiti- 
 mate fruits of intimacies formed without regard 
 to the high interests of morality and virtue ; 
 and they open the way to a miserable life, as 
 well as an undone eternity. A young man of 
 good character may hope to gather around his 
 dwelling the blessings of peace, and the com- 
 forts of plenty. But with no safe and reliable 
 passport like this, he enters upon life only to 
 end it in grief to himself and disappointment 
 to his friends. Ah ! who would be willing to 
 purchase the fellowship of the wicked at so 
 dear a rate ? Who can consent to pay such a 
 price for the privilege of filling his own cup 
 with wormwood and gall ? 
 
 As united fires send up the tallest and 
 fiercest flames, so in the case before us, the 
 wickedness of the entire group seems to con- 
 centrate upon each individual. Shun then, as 
 you would pestilence and death, all such as 
 have contracted vicious habits. No matter 
 what gay clothing they wear, how flippant their 
 conversation, or how respectable their friends; 
 they are not the companions for you. It is 
 
COMPANY ITS INFLUENCE. 81 
 
 impossible to join affinity with them, without 
 exposing yourself to be dragged into the same 
 gulf, in which they are fast sinking. 
 
 If you will take the advice of one older 
 than yourselves, be not ambitious of having a 
 multitude of bosom friends. Far be it from 
 me to utter a syllable, which might by any 
 possibility be construed into an encouragement 
 of those misanthropic feelings, which sometimes 
 struggle for ascendency, even in the youthful 
 bosom. But still let me tell you, that to open 
 your arms to every one's embrace, and to form, 
 intimacies with every new-comer, is to sow the 
 seeds of sorrow for yourselves. My advice is 
 be polite, be kind, be courteous to all ; but 
 for your own sakes, be familiar with very few. 
 Make companions of parents, brothers and sis- 
 ters, and you need never feel lonely. 
 
 Let me say further in choosing friends, 
 learn to set a much higher value on virtue and 
 religion, than on any outward distinctions. 
 Surely, you need not wonder at the multiplied 
 sorrows which too often embitter life, if you 
 but call to mind on what principle it is, that 
 some of its most sacred ties are formed. The 
 6 
 
82 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 inquiry is not Has the individual a truly 
 good character ; but, has he wealth, is he pros- 
 perous in business, and do his connections stand 
 high in the world ? Nay, family, fortune, and 
 personal attractions are not unfrequently re- 
 garded as a tolerably fair offset for serious 
 suspicions against purity of morals. Oh, is 
 it any matter of surprise that this world of 
 ours is to so great an extent a sad and dis- 
 appointed world. What real happiness can a 
 young person, male or female, expect from a 
 voluntary alliance with that which is low in 
 feeling, debased in taste, and depraved in hab- 
 its? The hope of after-reformation in such 
 cases, is so fallacious, that you should never 
 dream for a moment of relying upon it. Let 
 the change for the better come first, and let the 
 union, if it ought to take place, follow. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 ERROR ITS CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES. 
 
 " I ENVY no man his learning, his wit, his 
 eloquence, or his fancy, but of all possible pos- 
 sessions, there is none I prize so highly as a 
 firm and well-established religious belief." 
 Who, think you, made this remark ? It was 
 not a disappointed and desponding man turn- 
 ing in disgust from a world which had refused 
 him its pleasures, nor was it a minister of the 
 gospel, called by his very office to speak of the 
 Bible and eternity. No ; these are the sober 
 and well-considered words of one courted by 
 the great and the gay a man of high distinc- 
 tion in the scientific world, for years in succes- 
 sion President of the Eoyal Society of Great 
 Britain, and the inventor of the Safety Lamp, 
 of such inestimable benefit to miners. The 
 
84 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 language is that of Sir Humphrey Davy a 
 name of renown. No man in the early part 
 of the present century stood higher as a prac- 
 tical philosopher; and his lectures were at- 
 tended by brilliant audiences, attracted as well 
 by the results of his experiments, as the elo- 
 quence of his manner and the clearness of his 
 expositions. Such a man has a right to speak. 
 From him it is we learn, that a well-established 
 religious faith is to be prized above all other 
 attainments and possessions. 
 
 "Weighty sentiment this, and happy will it 
 ,be for us if it exert its proper influence I The 
 times are full of peril. We see the minds of 
 people wandering through every grade and 
 form of skepticism, from the more dignified 
 and manly infidelity of the last century, down 
 to the lying wonders of Mesmerism and Spir- 
 itual-rappings. Such is its chameleon face 
 that we can scarcely sketch its likeness, before 
 it assumes some new form. The only stabil- 
 ity about it is, its contrariety to the simple 
 truths of the Bible its rejection of the claims 
 of God and divine truth. 
 
 But why is it so? The CAUSES of every 
 
ERROR ITS CAUSES. 85 
 
 sort of infidelity are three: Ignorance. Pride 
 of understanding, and a Bad Life. 
 
 That ignorance is a fruitful source of infidel- 
 ity, especially in our day, there can be no 
 reasonable doubt. The time seems to have 
 gone by when men of talents and learning, like 
 Hobbes, and Collins, and Bolingbroke, and 
 Shaftesbury, are willing to be ranked among 
 open and avowed unbelievers. One full ex- 
 periment of what wit and erudition could do 
 to put the Bible down was permitted, but it is 
 not repeated and probably never will be. The 
 thing has been tried and failed, ignominiously 
 and forever. It is seldom now that we find 
 real learning and lofty intellect enlisted in the 
 work of overthrowing the Sabbath and the 
 ministry of the gospel, marriage and the rights 
 of property. The business seems entrusted to 
 feeble and unfledged hands. 
 
 Lord Bacon understood the matter well, and 
 he has given us his opinion in language which 
 every school-boy should remember. " A little 
 learning/' I quote the words of the distin- 
 guished sage and the profound philosopher, 
 " a little learning may incline a man to infidel- 
 
86 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 ity, but a good deal is sure to bring him back 
 to revealed religion." This remark is well 
 founded, and seldom needs the least qualifica- 
 tion. If infidelity be making proselytes, and 
 probably it is in some quarters, I venture to 
 affirm it is not among the well-educated, the 
 deeply-read, the truly intelligent, but among 
 sciolists, or pretenders to science. It is in- 
 structive to mark who they are, here and 
 there, that take sides against the Bible, the 
 Sabbath and the pulpit. "What class of peo- 
 ple is it, that rise up and say Christianity is a 
 failure ; responsibility to Grod is a figment of 
 the brain ; and suffering in the world to come 
 is a bugbear ? Men of respectability and sta- 
 tion in society no longer hazard such destruc- 
 tive assertions. The infidels of our cities and 
 larger towns, except foreigners and new-com- 
 ers, are the young and inexperienced, persons 
 of little learning and less good sense. These 
 are they, who gather up and retail errors a 
 thousand times exploded. 
 
 I am well aware that in making this state- 
 ment, I shall be considered as treading on ten- 
 der ground. Be it so. It is enough for me to 
 
ERROR ITS CAUSES. 87 
 
 know where I stand, when I affirm fearlessly, 
 and beg you to bring the affirmation to the 
 touch-stone of the most rigid scrutiny, that the 
 infidelity of our day is mainly the infidelity of 
 ignorant pretence. What if these people can 
 start inquiries which their humble and pious 
 neighbors are unable to solve? A child of 
 five years may ask questions about himself 
 and his destiny, about this world and the next, 
 about the soul and God, which the best edu- 
 cated men on earth are unable to answer. 
 
 Let nothing of this kind move you from 
 your steadfastness. Faith in the Bible, just 
 as it reads, with all its duties and precepts, is 
 but believing in God, as a child believes in a 
 fond father, or a wife believes in a faithful 
 husband, or a patient believes in a skilful 
 physician, or a soldier believes in a brave com- 
 mander ; and is no less reasonable. 
 
 Pride of understanding, too, comes in to help 
 on this work of infidelity. Humility is a hard 
 lesson for fallen men to learn. There is some- 
 thing in the human heart that rises in opposi- 
 tion to inspired truth, on a variety of subjects 
 connected with God and sin, and law and par- 
 
88 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 don, and justification and final punishment. 
 These are subjects in relation to which young 
 men, more than any other class, are prone to 
 cavil and object. You would be surprised to 
 hear any such doubts suggested or denials 
 made by those of the other sex. A young 
 lady would lose her respectability at once, if 
 it w r ere known that she could talk lightly 
 about the Scriptures, salvation, or the world 
 to come. 
 
 Suffer me to illustrate my idea by a refer- 
 ence to the life of the late excellent Dr. Dwight. 
 When he entered upon the presidency of Yale 
 College, no small portion of the students, we 
 are told, were bold and declared infidels. In- 
 deed, so proud were they of this distinction, 
 that they assumed the names of the principal 
 Deists of England and France. Full of confi- 
 dence in themselves, they resolved to bring 
 the matter to an early issue, and overwhelm 
 the new president at the very outset of his 
 course. Accordingly the first question which 
 they proposed for public debate was, tl Are the 
 Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments the 
 word of God?" They were told to select 
 
ERROR ITS CAUSES. 89 
 
 which side of this inquiry they chose, and 
 bring forward all the facts and arguments 
 which were supposed to bear on the subject 
 Most, if not all, who were expected to take 
 part in the debate, appeared as the open cham- 
 pions of infidelity. But what was the result? 
 When they had ended, and were felicitating 
 themselves on having gained a victory, the 
 president took up their arguments one by one, 
 and succeeded in showing them that they did 
 not at all understand the subject. From that 
 day skepticism began to go down in the col- 
 lege, until it became universally unpopular. 
 
 A story very similar to this is told of the 
 learned and venerable Chief Justice Marshall. 
 Much in the same way did he silence a com- 
 pany of forward and boastful young men at a 
 public inn ; who had just been making out to 
 their own satisfaction, that the Bible is not the 
 book of God. That venerable man, in a strain 
 of simple and convincing eloquence, such as 
 he well knew how to employ, went over the 
 whole ground of the Divine authority of the 
 Scriptures, as they all sat together by the fire- 
 side, and so clearly did he make out the case, 
 
90 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 that not one of them had another word to utter. 
 But what is it except pride and self-confidence 
 that makes such persons infidels ? Instead of 
 being really distinguished for free and liberal 
 thought, these are the men of all others, whose 
 minds are hampered, and whose horizon is 
 narrow. Notice it when and where you will, 
 real superiority is always connected with diffi- 
 dence and self-distrust. The great Sir Isaac 
 Newton was a pattern of modesty. 
 
 But, above all, skepticism has its origin in 
 a bad life. Nothing has such an influence in 
 leading men to break loose from the Sabbath, 
 the Bible and the Saviour as the love of sin. 
 Thousands are against religion for no other 
 reason than because it condemns their wicked 
 practices. You never heard of an individual 
 that was humble and holy and prayerful, who 
 rejected the Scriptures, denied an hereafter, 
 and called in question the being of a God. 
 This is fruit which grows only on the bram- 
 bles and thorns of vicious indulgences. A 
 person must have a reason for wishing there 
 were no final account and no eternal retribu- 
 tion, before he can believe that there is none. 
 
ERROR ITS CAUSES. 91 
 
 The principles and practices of men will ex- 
 ert a powerful influence over each other. Those 
 who do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with 
 God, are never forced to raise an outcry against 
 the doctrine of human depravity, or the judg- 
 ment of the great day. If this be done at all, it is 
 almost sure to be done by such as cast off fear 
 and restrain prayer before God. The heart is 
 led to adopt some false scheme of religious 
 opinion and practice from a consciousness a 
 painful consciousness that the life will not abide 
 the test of the true one. Look around you and 
 see if these things are not so. When you find 
 people rejecting the gospel, decrying the most 
 sacred institutions, and seeking to cut away the 
 cords which bind our country to the throne of 
 God, you may conclude of a certainty, that 
 there is something wrong in themselves. Good 
 men never sow such seeds of bitterness. This 
 is the work of an enemy an enemy as really 
 to human welfare as to the government of Je- 
 hovah. 
 
 The matter is every now and then brought 
 to the decision of actual experiment. Let some 
 skeptical lecturer come along, some one who 
 
92 TIJE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 has an easy way of getting to heaven to pro- 
 pose, some one desirous of influencing the poor 
 against the rich ; and what class of the com- 
 munity will be drawn around him? As a 
 general thing, be assured, you will not see the 
 steady, the sober-minded, the church-going part 
 of the people there. If there be Sabbath- 
 breakers and drunkards in the vicinity, they 
 will be likely to be attracted to the spot ; and 
 if there be men of loose habits and unkind to 
 their wives, they will be sure to make a por- 
 tion of the audience. You may know the man 
 and his communications from the character of 
 his followers. 
 
 If anything be established beyond contradic- 
 tion, it is that a bad life is a fruitful source of 
 wrong creeds. A clergyman of my acquaintance 
 tells of a boy, not over ten years of age, who 
 stood up and looking wise among his associates 
 declared that he did not believe the Bible. I 
 myself have seen a man, but a few degrees re- 
 moved from idiocy, avowing his belief in uni- 
 versal salvation. What principle was at work 
 here ? Why, the very same that led the infa- 
 mous Eousseau to become an infidel after he 
 
ERRORITS CONSEQUENCES. 93 
 
 had resolved to lead the life of a profligate. 
 We have it from his own lips that the rejection 
 of the Bible made him feel comfortable in his 
 wicked courses. After conscience was thus 
 lulled to sleep, it was easy to " work all unclean- 
 ness with greediness." 
 
 Ponder this, beloved youth, and you will be 
 prepared to look at some of the CONSEQUENCES 
 of embracing error. 
 
 These are numerous, and they have been in 
 part anticipated, but we may go somewhat more 
 into detail. " As truth," to adopt the beautiful 
 language of Jeremy Taylor, " has its origin and 
 dwelling-place in the bosom of God," no one 
 can renounce the truth and embrace error with- 
 out harming himself. The following effects 
 are sure to be produced by such a course : it 
 bewilders the mind, it affords no support in the 
 day of trial, and it stands in the way of salva- 
 tion. 
 
 There is something in error which has a di- 
 rect tendency to bewilder and enthral the mind. 
 We often speak of infidels as "free-thinkers," 
 but if by free-thinking is meant, real, conscious 
 liberty, the term is egregiously misapplied. If 
 
94 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 there be anything like mental bondage a 
 bondage servile and degrading, a bondage worse 
 than that imposed by the tyrants of Egypt, it 
 is theirs. What do such men know, and what 
 indeed can they know of thought so emanci- 
 pated from everything dark and earthly, as to 
 be able to lift itself up to God and commune 
 with eternity ? The man who renounces his 
 Bible and his Saviour has descended into a 
 cavern where no light can reach him with its 
 healing beams. All the movements he now 
 makes are the mere groping experiments of 
 one that has not a ray of the Sun of Kight- 
 eousness to guide his footsteps, or cheer his 
 heart. 
 
 All error is downward, and the farther a per- 
 son advances, the darker does his path become. 
 To go forward seems easy and natural, but if 
 he ever bethink himself and desire to return, 
 he finds that he is involved in a labyrinth, from 
 which there appears to be no escape. This 
 accounts for the fact, that men so seldom re- 
 nounce opinions which they have once embra- 
 ced and avowed before the world. We have 
 had in our own country an example of a cler- 
 
ERROR ITS CONSEQUENCES. 95 
 
 gyman running the whole round of loose opin- 
 ions, relinquishing this truth of the Bible and 
 that, until at length he landed in universal 
 skepticism. Such facts should be held up as 
 beacons to warn the inexperienced and unwary. 
 Once come to harbor the idea, that this and 
 the other great doctrines of the Scripture is not 
 to be believed, and the delusion will be very 
 likely to go down to the grave with you. The 
 false notion will fix itself like a gloomy incu- 
 bus on the mind, and prevent your seeing the 
 force of any opposite evidence. What }^ou 
 embrace from ignorance and pride, or a love 
 of sin, will rivet fetters upon your soul never 
 likely to be broken, until death arrests you. 
 
 It has been my lot to witness an example 
 of this sort of mental thraldom. The individ- 
 ual referred to, had been in the habit, while a 
 mere youth, of reading infidel books, and what 
 was still worse, had often come under the in- 
 fluence of infidels themselves. In this way 
 the poison had taken effect, and it seemed im- 
 possible to expel it from the system. Though 
 he could see the evils of skepticism, and ap- 
 peared really desirous to exercise faith in Di- 
 
96 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 vine salvation, the shackles were too strong for 
 him to break asunder. Little does any one 
 know, who has not made the trial, how tena- 
 cious are the cords spun and twisted by infi- 
 delity. Nothing short of the all-conquering 
 grace of God can bring such a man to the 
 knowledge and acknowledgment of the truth. 
 
 Again, infidelity affords no sure support in 
 the day of trial. Skeptics, as a class, are gen- 
 erally unhappy men, uneasy in themselves 
 and dissatisfied with everything around them. 
 They act like persons treading on yielding and 
 uncertain ground, unable to bear their weight. 
 What indeed can there be to cheer the heart 
 and brighten the prospects of one who has no 
 Bible to rely upon, no God to go to, and no 
 Saviour to trust in ? If he can manage to be 
 gay and volatile in the season of prosperity, it 
 is far otherwise when health fails, and property 
 disappears, and friends die ; then it is that we 
 see the sadness of such as have no hope, and 
 are without God in the world. 
 
 Well may the Christian say, " their rock is 
 not as our rock, our enemies themselves being 
 judges." You have never heard of an humble 
 
ERROR ITS CONSEQUENCES. 97 
 
 and devout believer who, in the day of sick- 
 ness or on the bed of death, regretted that he 
 had confided too implicitly in the Scriptures. 
 We may challenge the world to produce a sol- 
 itary case. But who has not heard of multi- 
 tudes of skeptics, that were filled with anguish 
 as eternity approached, and were ready to 
 curse the hour when they began to forsake 
 the right path? Such instances are familiar 
 in almost every part of the land. Of all the 
 enemies of revealed religion, in days gone by, 
 Hume stands without a rival among those who 
 reason, and Voltaire among those who scoff. 
 But who were these men, what kind of life did 
 they lead, and how did they die ? Let these 
 inquiries be answered fairly and truthfully, 
 and there will be found to be nothing encour- 
 aging in their example. One of them left the 
 world joking about the boat which was to 
 carry him over the dark river, and the other 
 raving with madness at the companions of his 
 crimes. It is not necessary to dwell on the 
 spectacle of the poor, drunken, bloated Paine. 
 There are people in our country lost enough 
 to self-respect to keep the anniversary of this 
 7 
 
98 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 man's birth, but his death was awfully ap- 
 palling. 
 
 If there be a sight on earth truly distressing, 
 it is that of an aged and feeble skeptic, neg- 
 lected by men and forsaken of God. While 
 his spirits were joyous and his anticipations 
 bright, he could trifle with the Bible, the Sab- 
 bath, and the Saviour. But it is a very differ- 
 ent thing now that the frosts of many years 
 are gathered on his head. With health gone, 
 and a mind debilitated, and days and nights 
 devoid of comfort, where is he to look for con- 
 solation, and to what refuge is he to betake 
 himself? The heavens are all dark above 
 him, and the earth is all desolation around 
 him. One foot is already in the grave, and he 
 feels himself drawn irresistibly forward to- 
 ward a judgment for which he is not prepared, 
 and a world where he can hope for no enjoy- 
 ment. What a picture of despair! In vain 
 does he cry aloud, "Come back! my early 
 days, come back !" Ah, young men, there is 
 no power in error to chase away the sadness 
 of life's dark hours. In the midst of wine and 
 song and merriment it may do to laugh at the 
 
ERROR ITS CONSEQUENCES. 99 
 
 Bible and deny that there is a hell. But this 
 is a poor resort for days of pain and nights of 
 wakefulness. "When heart and flesh fail, God 
 only can be the strength of the heart, and the 
 portion forever. 
 
 Then, finally, skepticism of every sort stands 
 directly in the way of salvation. This is the 
 worst effect of all, and it is one, alas, which we 
 have reason to fear is realized in thousands of 
 instances. If it be under God, the truth, the 
 simple truth of the Bible which converts men, 
 how are they ever to be brought out of dark- 
 ness into the marvellous light of the gospel, 
 while their hearts are full of unbelief? Noth- 
 ing indeed is too hard for Omnipotence, but 
 such a state seems to me to be hopeless above 
 all others. Let a man once imbibe some favor- 
 ite system of error, and like a thick cloud it 
 will be sure to shut out the light of heaven 
 from his mind. 
 
 This is a point which may be brought to the 
 touch-stone of every one's experience or obser- 
 vation. Tell a person that he is not lost and 
 ruined by sin, that he needs no regeneration 
 to fit him for the kingdom of heaven, that God 
 
100 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 is too merciful to cast off any of his creatures 
 forever, and that there is no demand for so 
 much prayer and effort, and you are doing all 
 you well can to make his destruction sure. If 
 he believes what you say, each of these opin- 
 ions will prove like a bar between him and 
 the path of life. How can he flee from the 
 wrath to come, the very existence of which he 
 denies, or how can he fall into the arms of 
 Christ as a Saviour, when he has no convic- 
 tion that he needs such a Saviour ? Little do 
 men think what consequences a rejection of 
 these doctrines of the Bible is sure to involve. 
 You will never find a man anxious about ob- 
 taining a new heart, until he believes that a 
 new heart is necessary, or desirous to be made 
 holy, until he believes that "without holiness 
 no man shall see the Lord." In matters of 
 this nature, the conduct is controlled by the 
 creed. 
 
 Take heed then how you yield to the be- 
 ginnings of this evil. If you give up the Di- 
 vine authority of the Sabbath, or the doctrine 
 of total depravity, or the final condemnation 
 of the ungodly, you may for the very same 
 
ERROR ITS CONSEQUENCES. 101 
 
 reason give up any other and every other 
 truth which you happen to dislike. The 
 whole is made up of its several parts, and to 
 blot out one chapter is to impugn the charac- 
 ter of the entire book. There is a process in 
 the human mind, in the reception of error, 
 which you will do well to note. The man 
 who begins by doubting in regard to certain 
 specified statements, will generally be found 
 after a while cavilling at them; and soon the 
 open and utter rejection of them follows as a 
 matter of course. These things naturally and 
 almost unavoidably succeed each other. The 
 steps are usually short which lead men down 
 from incipient skepticism to bold and unblush- 
 ing infidelity. 
 
 How then can I do otherwise than warn you 
 against listening to the instruction that causes 
 to err from the words of knowledge. Tell me, 
 my young friend, when or where has infidelity 
 enlightened, purified or blessed a nation, tribe 
 or family ? Where has it taken up its abode 
 in the domestic circle to render parents more 
 kind, or children more dutiful, or brothers and 
 sisters more happy in themselves, or in one an- 
 
102 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 other? Where has it entered an individual 
 "bosom to soothe its sorrows, establish its hopes, 
 and expel its apprehensions? These are 
 achievements effected by the Bible, and the 
 Bible alone. 
 
 I must urge you therefore to hearken to no 
 one, be his reputation or talent what it may, 
 who would lessen your reverence for the word 
 of God. Never suffer the beauty of language 
 or the fascination of eloquence to diminish 
 your regard for simple, unadulterated truth. 
 The pill may be gilded, and yet contain arse- 
 nic. If the living teacher or the printed page 
 be found to give you diminutive views of sin, 
 or hide the glory of the Saviour, you have 
 heard and read enough. Take not another 
 step in this direction. No matter what pre- 
 tence is set up, your peace of mind is of more 
 moment to you than all besides ; and sooner than 
 relinquish this blessing, burn the book that 
 would injure you, and sacrifice the friend who 
 would lead you astray. 
 
 But I forbear. There is one safeguard, and 
 you will find it in cherishing an habitual rev- 
 
ERROR ITS CONSEQUENCES. 103 
 
 erence for the Bible as the book of the living 
 and true God. Hold fast here, fail what may, 
 and it will be well with you in life, well with 
 you in death, and well with you in eternity. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 
 
 I COULD hardly do any youth a better ser- 
 vice, than to recommend to him the frequent 
 and careful study of the Book of Proverbs. 
 For pith, and force, and comprehensiveness, 
 Solomon has had no equal, in any age or coun- 
 try. This is the man to whom God gave " wis- 
 dom and understanding exceeding much, and 
 largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on 
 the sea-shore." 
 
 Among the many sayings of the wis& man 
 adapted to those in early life, let me dwell a 
 little upon one of pre-eminent importance. 
 " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and 
 lean not unto thine own understanding. " Here 
 is a sovereign antidote to two of the evils to 
 which young men are often exposed timidity 
 on the one hand, and presumption on the other. 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 105 
 
 Only pursue your course safely between these 
 perils, and we shall see you in due time, reach- 
 ing the desired haven in peace. 
 
 What Solomon would inculcate upon youth, 
 in this striking passage, is a continual depend- 
 ence on the ivord and providence of God. You 
 may exert your powers, and put forth your 
 efforts, but you must not rely upon them. An 
 entire submission to the will and ways of the 
 Most High, joined to a deep distrust of your 
 own wisdom and prudence, is what your con- 
 dition demands. 
 
 The words apply to practice, as well as faith 
 to the course you should pursue, as well as 
 to the creed you should adopt. In both these 
 respects you are in danger either of self-confi- 
 dence, or despondency. Every youth in the 
 land needs to be stimulated to earnest and per- 
 severing exertion, but then he equally needs to 
 know that the way of man is not in himself. 
 If he can be set right, and kept right in these 
 two particulars, eventual success is almost 
 certain. 
 
 But WHY is IT UNSAFE for men to lean unto 
 their own understanding? 
 
106 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 It is so because of the limited capacities of the 
 human mind. The knowledge, gained by the 
 wisest of men, however diligent and success- 
 ful they may have been, is confined within 
 a comparatively small compass. How little, 
 after all, do they comprehend of the operations 
 of nature, or the mysteries of Providence ? A 
 very few steps take them beyond their depth. 
 "Wonderful as were the discoveries of Sir Isaac 
 Newton, he seemed to himself merely to have 
 been walking along the shore, and picking up 
 now and then a shining pebble, while the vast 
 treasures of the ocean still lay unexplored be- 
 fore him. Such a sentiment from the lips of 
 such a man, ought to have weight. Let pre- 
 tenders boast as they may, true science is in- 
 variably modest. It is only the superficial 
 thinker, the man with a bare smattering of 
 knowledge, one that has simply tasted of the 
 ethereal spring, that deems himself to be very 
 wise. 
 
 Is proof of this demanded ? You may find 
 it in the well-established fact, that men of the 
 clearest minds, and most solid attainments, are 
 generally the most ready to admit the weak- 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 107 
 
 ness of their own understanding. Ripe and 
 thorough scholars are seldom self-confident. 
 Humility is the constant attendant of true wis- 
 dom. Mark how patiently such persons listen 
 to others, with what diffidence they give their 
 own opinions, and how slowly they come to 
 fixed and definite conclusions. Especially are 
 they backward to reject that which has the 
 sanction of age, and the recommendation of 
 usefulness. Never do they adopt new notions 
 on any topic of interest for the sake of being 
 singular, or with a view of evincing their supe- 
 riority to the decisions of days gone by. They 
 have too much good sense to break loose from 
 what is settled, and run after the thousand va- 
 garies afloat in the world. It is of no avail to 
 tell them, that this strange thing and the other 
 strange thing is exciting attention, and making 
 proselytes, unless it coincides with the lessons 
 of the Bible, and of experience. You do not 
 see them " carried about by every wind of 
 doctrine." 
 
 "Well do they know, that to confide in their 
 own reasonings, on the great questions which 
 relate to God, and pardon, and eternity, would 
 
108 THE SPRliNG-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 be but to follow an ignis-fatuus. Men of deep 
 reflection, and really logical minds cannot thus 
 become the dupes of their own imbecility. 
 "What they have as yet traversed of the vast 
 fields of knowledge, bears so small a proportion 
 to what still lies before them, that they feel 
 more like learning than teaching. 
 
 What a contrast this with the conduct of 
 those, who merely skim the surface of things ! 
 Never examining any important subject with 
 sufficient care to see its real difficulties, or 
 grapple with them, they naturally enough be- 
 come talkative and opinionated. There is but 
 little in their minds at all, and that little lies 
 so entirely on the top, that it runs off without 
 an effort. A fuller vessel would be less fluent. 
 The world abounds with such folks, and they 
 are the very people who are ready to overturn 
 the pillars on which society has been resting 
 for centuries. Puffed up with a vain conceit 
 of their own wisdom, they feel themselves equal 
 to any task. It would really seem as if they 
 were wise enough in their own eyes to renounce 
 all the teachings of the past, and cast every- 
 thing into a new mould. But such a course 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 109 
 
 never ends well. It is that sort of leaning unto 
 one's own understanding which is almost sure, 
 sooner or later, to involve an utter departure 
 from the right path. 
 
 Again, men are liable to prejudice. Where 
 can you find an individual whose opinions on 
 the most vital topics are not somewhat in- 
 fluenced by his feelings and wishes? There is, 
 even in the most candid and ingenuous, some 
 sort of bias in the mind, which must be resist- 
 ed, or it will mislead. Be on your guard as 
 you may, you will not unfrequently detect 
 yourselves in pursuing a given course, more 
 because it is pleasing, than because it is right. 
 It is what is felt to be agreeable, rather than 
 what is known to be proper, that decides the 
 case. Opinions are embraced, and courses of 
 conduct persisted in every day, on the simple 
 ground that the heart loves them, and not that 
 the judgment approves of them. How hard it 
 is to see things in a just light, when duty leads 
 in one direction, and inclination in another. 
 
 This, allow me to say, is one main reason 
 why the Bible is so often rejected. Could you 
 get behind what is open and palpable, and ex- 
 
110 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 amine the secret springs of action, you would 
 find that skeptical opinions generally have 
 their origin in inward depravity. The state 
 of the heart determines the decisions of the 
 judgment. Free-thinking, in a great majority 
 of instances, is the result of free-living. So 
 hard is it for men to practise one thing and 
 believe another, that you will by and by see 
 them making shift to suit the articles of their 
 creed to the habits of their life. This is so 
 natural that multitudes do it, almost uncon- 
 sciously to themselves. What reason is there 
 for surprise in the fact, that men who love sin 
 soon come to renounce the authority of the 
 book which contains the sentence of their con- 
 demnation ? It would be strange were it 
 otherwise. Thousands dislike the Bible for 
 the very same reason that Ahab disliked Mi- 
 caiah it " prophesies evil" against them. A 
 known and felt disqualification for heaven is 
 really the grand argument by which bad men 
 persuade themselves that there is no hell. 
 
 An appeal to facts can scarcely fail to set 
 this matter in its true light. Are men of loose 
 opinions on the subject of religion, men of sol- 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. HI 
 
 emn and earnest inquiry ; men of a candid and 
 ingenuous temper ; men of useful and virtuous 
 lives ? Whatever may be said of individuals, 
 there is no difficulty in learning where they 
 stand as a class. Let them pretend what they 
 may as to liberality and openness to conviction, 
 there are no people in the world so completely 
 encased in prejudice, as those who see no truth 
 in the Bible, and no glory in the character of 
 Christ. 
 
 Sad as such a statement is, its truth will 
 hardly be called in question. The word of 
 God has to make its way to the human bosom, 
 through a host of prejudices and prepossessions 
 of the most formidable character. A cold as- 
 sent to it as a valuable document of antiquity, 
 is of no avail, if you go no further. If received 
 to any saving purpose, it must be received to 
 govern the will, and purify the affections, and 
 regulate the temper, and shape the life. To 
 dress it up in beautiful binding, and give it a 
 place on the parlor table, will not suffice. Its 
 grand aim is to get possession of the heart, arid 
 unless dominion be given to it here, its claims 
 to come from God will probably be rejected 
 
112 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 There is a prejudice in the mind which impels 
 it to lean to its own understanding. 
 
 Once more, the sentiments and purposes of 
 multitudes are very unsettled. Not a few pass 
 through the world, without ever becoming 
 rooted or grounded in any well-considered 
 opinion, even on the most vital points. Their 
 course from first to last is shaped altogether by 
 circumstances. As for fixed and firmly estab- 
 lished principles, in regard to God, and sin, 
 and Christ, and the life to come, they cannot 
 be said to have any whatever. The ideas they 
 entertain on such subjects float loosely in the 
 mind. Nothing is settled, nothing steadfast. 
 To-day they are one thing, to-morrow another ; 
 and if any single trait of character is confirmed 
 in them, it is a love of perpetual change. We 
 may liken them to a ship at sea without helm 
 or ballast. When the wind blows from one 
 point of the compass they sail before it, and 
 when it shifts they are sure to shift likewise. 
 Unstable as water, how can they excel ? 
 
 You have often met with persons of this va- 
 cillating and wavering state of mind. Though 
 they seeni to be ever learning, they are never 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 113 
 
 able to come to the knowledge of the truth, or 
 quietly to settle down on any system whatever. 
 A love of novelty keeps them perpetually 
 chasing after this teacher and that, and trying 
 this scheme and that. Instead of believing 
 that arsenic is arsenic, upon the testimony of 
 competent judges, they must needs taste for 
 themselves, though at the hazard of being poi- 
 soned. It would be amusing, were not the 
 interests involved so serious, to stand by and 
 witness the thousand chameleon tints which 
 such persons assume. One thing only seems 
 certain, and that is, that they are on a decliv- 
 ity, and are descending lower and lower. Jude 
 describes them in truthful, but most terrific lan- 
 guage " Clouds they are without water, car- 
 ried about of winds, trees whose fruit wi there th, 
 without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the 
 roots ; wandering stars, to whom is reserved 
 the blackness of darkness forever." What a 
 description of a man, broken loose from truth, 
 and driven about at the mercy of every breeze ? 
 It is the ruin of multitudes, that they have 
 no stability of character. Afraid of the shackles 
 of an early education, they launch forth upon 
 
114 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 the great and wide sea of human uncertainties, 
 as if there were neither rocks nor shoals. What 
 their fathers and mothers taught them seems 
 tame and lifeless. It pleases them better to 
 turn from the beaten path, though in doing so 
 they are forced out into a wilderness on which 
 no ray of light falls, and where no sure index 
 denotes the course to be pursued. Alas, how 
 much is lost as to peace of mind, and confi- 
 dence in God, by such a reckless spirit as this! 
 In place of what once seemed fixed, and past 
 dispute, these persons find themselves now 
 tormented by a sort of universal uncertainty. 
 It is impossible for them any longer to say 
 what they believe, or where they rest. From 
 leaning unto their own understanding, they 
 have rapidly gone down to the point of having 
 no creed, no hope, no heaven, no God. 
 
 Pause here, and consider what has been said 
 in the way of caution. Reflect upon the lim- 
 ited capacities of men, the prejudices which 
 stand in their way, and the instability of their 
 opinions, and you cannot but see reasons why 
 you should not be self-confident. 
 
 But there is ENCOURAGEMENT for you as well 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. H5 
 
 as caution. This you have in the Divine in- 
 junction, " Trust in the Lord with all thine 
 heart." 
 
 You need guidance from above. If anything 
 is made plain, by the history of the race, and 
 of every individual of that race, it is that a 
 revelation of the will of God is absolutely 
 indispensable. Destitute of the light of the 
 Bible, man has been forever groping in the 
 dark, and must continue forever to grope in 
 the dark. It was on purpose to meet this felt 
 want of the human bosom, that the Most High 
 has condescended to utter his voice, and give 
 forth his oracles. On these blessed pages, all 
 instinct with life, and all luminous with truth, 
 we have a perfect rule of conduct. Instruc- 
 tions are here given, and principles are here 
 laid down, which apply to every variety of 
 case, even though the case itself be not partic- 
 ularly stated. Nothing essential to a complete 
 system of faith, and a correct line of practice, 
 is omitted. This single volume tells us all 
 that we need to believe concerning God, and 
 makes sufficiently obvious every duty that God 
 requires at our hands. No one can wander 
 
116 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 from the right path, who meekly and honestly 
 takes the Bible as his guide. 
 
 It is not pretended that every objection 
 which the wicked heart of man can raise, is 
 answered here in so many words. Men if 
 determined so to do may continue to stum- 
 ble and fall on such questions as, Why was 
 sin permitted to enter our world ? Why have 
 the heathen been left in their idolatry ? Why 
 are so few who hear the gospel saved by it ? 
 They may, if they will, cavil at the incompre- 
 hensibility of the doctrine of the Trinity, and 
 the union of divinity and humanity in the one 
 person of Christ. But all this only shows 
 that their proud hearts have never been hum- 
 bled, and their high looks have never been 
 brought low. On all points which relate to 
 facts, and principles, and actual duties, the 
 Bible is the plainest, and most easily under- 
 stood book in the world. Only be ready to do 
 the will of God, and you shall know all that 
 need be known of the doctrines which he in- 
 culcates. 
 
 Will you spurn the light of this lamp of 
 life, merely because you cannot solve every 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 117 
 
 query in regard to the nature and mode of its 
 shining ? The book of Creation is in many re- 
 spects very like the Bible. It is impossible to 
 study them in connection, and not perceive that 
 the pen in both cases was held by the same 
 hand, and that they are equally emanations from 
 the same infinite mind. The two streams flow 
 from one great fountain-head. If the impress 
 of Deity is fixed upon the lofty mountain, 
 and the fruitful valley, and the rolling ocean, 
 it is equally fixed upon the Pentateuch of 
 Moses, the Proverbs of Solomon, and the vis- 
 ions of John. The same Being who formed 
 the earth and clothed it in beauty, has given 
 us the Prophecies, and the Psalms, and the 
 Gospels. But these volumes, though both the 
 product of one all-comprehensive mind, and 
 both intended as the medium through which 
 one undivided power and Godhead should be 
 made known to us, are not equally adapted to 
 inculcate moral duty. It is on the Scriptures, 
 and on the Scriptures alone, that you must rely 
 for direction on all such points. They speak 
 in intelligible and clear terms as to what you 
 should believe, and the course you should pur- 
 
118 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 sue. Only approach them with the humility 
 and simplicity of a little child, and you will 
 find that they shed a most reviving light over 
 all your pathway. 
 
 The Bible, to those who feel their need of 
 its guidance, is, for the most part, a very per- 
 spicuous and intelligible communication. That 
 difficulties are to be met in this sacred volume, 
 that deep mysteries are brought forward on 
 these inspired pages, is just what might have 
 been expected. The Book would have lacked 
 one proof of its Divine original, had it con- 
 tained nothing which we cannot " search out 
 unto perfection." But so far as essentials are 
 concerned, its truths are clothed in language 
 of the utmost perspicuity, and brought down 
 to the level of the most untutored intellect. 
 It is emphatically a book for man, consult- 
 ing his wants, and adapted to his circum- 
 stances. "Who ever went astray while follow- 
 ing its directions ? "Only give me," says one, 
 " a Bible and a candle, and though shut up in 
 the deepest dungeon, I can tell you what is 
 going on in the world." 
 
 Then too you must depend on GocCs overrul- 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 119 
 
 ing Providence. Every one has questions to 
 ask respecting the way he shall take, the plans 
 he shall adopt, and the responsibilities he shall 
 assume, which man can never answer. The 
 mind needs something clearer, stronger, surer 
 to lean upon, and that something the world 
 does not afford. If we turn to our dearest and 
 best friends, they are as much at a loss as our- 
 selves. If we consult the history of other 
 men's lives, we find no solution of our doubts. 
 A path opens on this side, but whether it is a 
 path to walk in, or to shun, is more than mor- 
 tal man can tell us ; and it closes on that, but 
 whether it closes, to turn us in another direc- 
 tion, or to try our patience, none are wise 
 enough to say. We need a power above to 
 mark out our way. 
 
 The urgency is great, but, thanks to God, it 
 is not unprovided for. There is an all-dispos- 
 ing Providence rising up before us, like the 
 Star in the East; and if we follow its direction, 
 we shall be led safely in the way. What a 
 privilege to be able to descry such a light, 
 Awhile walking in. Darkness. To a rightly dis- 
 posed mind, nothing can be more animating 
 
120 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 than the thought, that the same God, who cre- 
 ated the stars, and marshals the hosts of heaven, 
 notices also a sparrow's fall, and numbers the 
 hairs of our head. Who can say, that he has 
 no one to care for him ? If the God in whom 
 he lives, and moves, and has his being, takes 
 a deep interest in his welfare, what needs he 
 more? Let him but feel right, and do right, 
 and all will be well. Temporary embarrass- 
 ments will do him no eventual harm. If his 
 dependence is on the Mighty God of Jacob, 
 ravens shall bring flesh, and fish furnish tribute 
 money, sooner than his expectations shall be 
 cut off. 
 
 Eely upon it, " the steps of a good man are 
 ordered by the Lord." No audible voice reaches 
 his ears, from the high and holy place, saying, 
 11 This is the way walk ye in it," but he has 
 in the thousand arrangements made without 
 his agency, and oftentimes contrary to his ex- 
 pectations, all the evidence he needs, that one 
 higher than himself is giving complexion to his 
 life. He finds scarcely anything as he once 
 fondly thought it would be. The place he 
 lives in is not the one which in his childish 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 121 
 
 days lie dreamed of, nor is he surrounded by 
 such circumstances as once brightened his an- 
 ticipations; yet he can say, God has done 
 all things well. Though clouds and darkness 
 have sometimes been about him, he sees the 
 guidance of a Divine hand almost as distinctly 
 as did the Israelites while making their way to 
 the land of promise. 
 
 To all this you must add earnest prayer for 
 direction. If men will ask the help of God, 
 they will not ask in vain. To encourage them 
 to do this, he comes near to them by his word 
 and Spirit, and seeks in a thousand ways to 
 win their confidence. In nothing does he take 
 more delight than in the weak coming to him 
 for strength, and the blind depending upon 
 him for sight, and the wandering directing 
 their eyes to him for guidance. If they will 
 find heart and voice to pray, he will be sure 
 to find an ear to hear, and an arm to save. 
 You may read the annals of the Church from 
 beginning to end, and you will not meet 
 with a solitary instance, in which God hid 
 his face from the supplications of his people. 
 When all other resources failed, this was the 
 
122 THE SPKING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 refuge to which they could betake themselves 
 with confidence. 
 
 " The secret of the Lord is with them that 
 fear him, and he will show them his covenant." 
 Difficulties now and then arise in the history 
 of every individual's life, on which the Bible 
 seems to throw no satisfactory light, and in 
 reference to which the responses of Providence 
 appear to admit of no clear solution. This, 
 though a trying case, is distinctly contem- 
 plated and provided for in the Scriptures of 
 truth. "If any man lack wisdom" so runs 
 the comprehensive direction, the explicit prom- 
 ise " if any man lack wisdom, let him ask it 
 of God, who giveth to all men liberally and 
 upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 
 "What more could be desired? Such a decla- 
 ration has a value which belongs not to silver 
 and gold. On the easy condition of going to 
 God with a humble and believing heart, to 
 seek his guidance in the day of perplexity, 
 the pledge of a gracious answer is made ; and 
 heaven and earth may pass away before it 
 shall fail. Why then should any one live or 
 die in doubt. That very Being who alone is 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 123 
 
 able to tell you what is good for man, both as 
 a dweller on earth, and a probationer for eter- 
 nity, has publicly committed himself in refer- 
 ence to this matter, and he will redeem his 
 bond. The word has gone out of his mouth, 
 and cannot be recalled. From the days of Enos 
 when men began to call upon his name, to the 
 present hour, the promise stands unbroken. 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and 
 you shall never be ashamed or confounded. 
 If you doubt this, look at Jacob on the plains 
 of Penuel, at David in the cave of Adullam, 
 at Ezra by the river Ahava, at Peter in the 
 house of Simon the tanner, and at Paul and 
 Silas in prison at midnight. Think of the 
 prayers of Edwards in the midst of the revi- 
 vals at Northampton, of Brainerd among the 
 Indians of the wilderness, and of Martyn on 
 the sands of Persia. These cases all proclaim 
 as with trumpet-tongue that "it is better to 
 trust in the Lord than to put confidence in 
 man' 7 yea, that "it is better to trust in the 
 Lord than to put confidence in princes." To 
 connect one's cause by prayer with the mercy- 
 seat, is to ensure the best possible success. 
 
121 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Can you then do otherwise, my young 
 friends, than comply with the duty thus en- 
 forced? Learn to depend implicitly on the 
 teachings of Divine truth ; have an eye to the 
 good providence of God at all times ; and be 
 faithful in pouring out your hearts in prayer 
 before him, and you will be led in the right 
 way. God himself invites you to this course, 
 and pursuing it you will never be disappointed. 
 
 The bane and antidote are now before you. 
 Lean to your own understanding as you make 
 your way through the world, and nothing but 
 disappointment and sorrow will hang upon 
 your footsteps. Trust in the Lord with all 
 your heart, and everything is safe for both 
 earth and heaven. And the one or the other 
 of these things you will certainly do. Counsel 
 you will take of some one, and it will be either 
 of man or God, either of yourselves or your 
 Maker. You need light, and you will seek it 
 from your own taper, or from the Sun of 
 righteousness. Can you hesitate ? 
 
 O come now, in the bright morning of your 
 being, while the dew of youth is fresh upon 
 you, and put yourselves under the guidance 
 
CAUTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 125 
 
 of the word and Spirit of God. Take no step, 
 form no associations, engage in no pursuit, 
 without first turning aside to implore the 
 blessing of the Mighty God of Jacob. Set out 
 in life upon this plan, and follow it steadily 
 from day to day, and I guarantee that the ret- 
 rospect will occasion you no regret, in the 
 hour when flesh and heart must fail. Put 
 yourselves under the care of a covenant-keep- 
 ing God, and he will "guide you by his coun- 
 sel, and afterwards receive you to glory." 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 
 
 WERE I called to name any one trait of 
 character, which, goes farther than another, 
 perhaps than all others, to render a person 
 really worthy of respect, I should say vera- 
 city. The child that will always tell the truth, 
 the youth that will always tell the truth, and 
 the man of business that will always tell the 
 truth, is sure to be relied on. Even in the 
 absence of much that is pleasing in deport- 
 ment and amiable in disposition, a well-estab- 
 lished reputation for simple, straight-forward, 
 undeviating honesty, never fails to secure re- 
 spect and confidence. A love of truth, like 
 charity, seems to cover a multitude of sins. 
 
 To those especially, who are just now form- 
 ing a character, the habit of stating things pre- 
 cisely as they are, is of more consequence than 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 127 
 
 can be easily estimated. Point me to a young 
 man, in any walk of life, of undeviating vera- 
 city a veracity which knows no forgetfulness, 
 and which no temptation can overcome, and I 
 dare predict for him a safe and honorable ca- 
 reer through the world. No danger but that 
 such an one will open for himself an avenue 
 to the confidence of wise and good men. Let 
 it be seen that a love of simple verity is so 
 imbedded in his bosom, that neither fear nor 
 favor can turn him from it, and he will be re- 
 garded, confided in, and employed. 
 
 There are different kinds of truth ; mathe- 
 matical truth, moral truth, and evangelical 
 truth, and they are all important. So there 
 are different ways of uttering falsehood. It 
 may be done by flattery, it may be done by 
 promise-breaking, and it may be done by per- 
 jury. But my object now is to treat of truth 
 in its ordinary acceptation, in the intercourse 
 of man with man. 
 
 "We may define truth by saying, it is confor- 
 mity to/act, and to utter truth, is to utter what 
 we honestly believe to be in accordance with 
 fact. There is in every such case, a faithful 
 
128 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 correspondence between the heart and the lips, 
 the feelings and the words, the inward con- 
 sciousness and the outward expression. A 
 really truthful man never intends to produce 
 a conviction in the mind of another, by lan- 
 guage or signs, different from that which exists 
 in his own mind. If you could read his very 
 thoughts, as they arise and assume shape, you 
 could frame from them no other conclusions 
 than those which his words are adapted to 
 convey. Ingenuous himself, he cannot desire 
 to deceive others, or allow them to receive 
 from him as true, what he knows to be false. 
 If he speak or act at all, he must speak and 
 act conscientiously. 
 
 Be careful to understand this. No man de- 
 serves to be called a man of veracity, who does 
 not give utterance to the real meaning of his 
 own heart. The essence of falsehood consists 
 in an intention to deceive, and this may be 
 shown by a look of the eye, a motion of the 
 hand, or a tone of the voice as effectually as 
 by explicitly uttered words. Anything which 
 makes an impression inconsistent with, fact, 
 when that impression is purposely made, is a 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 129 
 
 departure from truth. It is either a spoken or 
 an acted falsehood. 
 
 But farther. It is possible to state facts and 
 to state them as they actually occurred, and yet 
 so to arrange and put these facts together, as to 
 constitute actual falsehood. Suppose I should 
 say of two boys, William and John, at the same 
 boarding-school, that William left John's room, 
 and five minutes after he left it, John went in 
 and found that his watch was gone. This 
 might convey an untruth, in the worst sense 
 of the term, though the things took place pre- 
 cisely as has been stated. I should not thus 
 charge William with being a thief in so many 
 words, but my way of telling the story would 
 convey that impression. This is a homely il- 
 lustration, but all the better on this account. 
 It presents the subject in a light in which it is 
 not sufficiently contemplated, and in a form in 
 which it cannot but be understood. If you 
 would avoid sinning against the ninth com- 
 mandment, it is necessary to know that decep- 
 tion may be practised even where no words of 
 untruth are used. A lie may be acted as well 
 
130 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 as uttered. It may be a lie in reality though 
 not in appearance. 
 
 As you come into closer contact with the 
 world, you will meet with people ready to jus- 
 tify themselves for departing, on some occa- 
 sions, from the laws of strict veracity. Let me 
 name a few of the more common instances in 
 which this is done. Here is a father trying to 
 get his child to take medicine, and to overcome 
 its reluctance for the nauseating dose, he gravely 
 affirms that it does not taste bad. Yonder is a 
 fashionable lady, who wishes her time for other 
 purposes, and sends a servant to the door to 
 say she is not at home. Here is a circle of 
 kind friends, who persist in telling the occu- 
 pant of the sick couch, that his case is not 
 considered at all dangerous. But are not all 
 these to be put down in the catalogue of de- 
 ceptions ? To make the best of them, they are 
 doing evil that good may come. 
 
 Such acts generally defeat their own end. 
 The deception will be detected. Something 
 will occur to make the disguise apparent. 
 How much better to be open and ingenuous, 
 and if we tell not the whole truth, tell nothing 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 131 
 
 but the truth. Let that father act with deci- 
 sion, and say to the sick child in so many 
 words, This medicine is unpleasant, but you 
 can take it in a moment, and we believe it will 
 do you good. Let that mistress of the family 
 speak out plainly, and tell her visitors that her 
 time for the present is occupied with other and 
 indispensable duties. Let that group of anxious 
 friends, if they must express an opinion to the 
 afflicted one, express it truly, and endeavor to 
 turn his thoughts to Him, in whose hands are 
 the issues of life. This is the only course con- 
 sistent with sound morality, and here, as in 
 everything else, it will be found that honesty 
 is the best policy. 
 
 But the evil in question assumes a thousand 
 forms. There are lies of sheer malice, pure 
 fabrications of iniquity uttered and circulated 
 to defeat some dangerous rival, and cloud the 
 fair fame of some political aspirant. There are 
 lies too of self-interest, as when the seller of 
 goods extols them beyond what he knows to 
 be their value, or the buyer says of them, " It 
 is naught, it is naught." And there are lies of 
 vanity, told by men who love to attract atten- 
 
132 THE SPRING-TtME OF LIFE. 
 
 tion, and can never suffer a story to pass 
 through their hands without giving it some 
 additional embellishment. But they are all 
 lies, and if not equally malignant in their na- 
 ture, yet all to be scrupulously avoided. 
 
 By what MOTIVES then may truth be en- 
 forced ? These are so numerous, it is difficult 
 to make a selection. Eeasons for speaking the 
 truth, one with another, rise up on every side, 
 and are drawn from time and eternity, from 
 your relations to God and your fellow-men. 
 Let me suggest a few of them. 
 
 Falsehood of every name and form is a sin, 
 a sin against the God who made you, in whose 
 hand your breath is, and whose are all your 
 ways. If ever tempted to transgress in this 
 particular, open your Bible and read, as from 
 the mouth of Jehovah himself, "Ye shall not 
 deal falsely, neither lie one to another." Turn 
 to the passage, " All liars shall have their part 
 in the lake which burneth with fire and brim- 
 stone, which is the second death." This is 
 enough. God is a God of truth ; the Bible is 
 a book of truth ; Jesus is the faithful and true 
 witness ; the church is the pillar and ground 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 133 
 
 of the truth, and every precept of the Most 
 High is true and righteous altogether. How 
 then must a lie appear in His sight ! 
 
 Hence you find the most awful judgments 
 inflicted for the commission of this sin. You 
 know how the servant of Elisha was struck 
 with a leprosy, which ended only with death, 
 for his falsehood in reference to the talents of 
 silver and changes of raiment given him by 
 Naaman the Syrian. Your hearts have trem- 
 bled within you, while reading the terrible 
 catastrophe which befell Ananias and Sapphira, 
 for lying to the Holy Ghost about the price of 
 their land. But these are only individual in- 
 stances. The history of the world proves that 
 lying is a sin, which in the holy providence of 
 God is seldom suffered to go unpunished. 
 
 Even life itself is not to be purchased at the 
 price of falsehood. Had the martyrs consented 
 by a word or a nod, to deny the Lord that 
 bought them could they have been persuaded 
 to cast a single grain of incense upon the idol's 
 altar they might have escaped the rack, the 
 scaffold and the cross. But false they could 
 not be in word or in deed, though life was the 
 
134 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 forfeit of being faithful. In their view it was 
 a thousand times better to go to prison and to 
 death, with a clear conscience, than accept of 
 deliverance on condition of deceiving; and 
 that they judged wisely is proved by the 
 crowns they now wear, and the harps they 
 now tune. 
 
 Consider, too, how it elevates and ennobles 
 one, to stand fast by the truth in the greatest 
 emergencies. "What else was it than the love 
 of truth, that sustained the three Hebrew chil- 
 dren when the fiery furnace was heated to 
 seven-fold intensity; that enabled Daniel to 
 answer the king so tranquilly while sitting 
 among the lions in their den ; and that filled 
 the blessed Saviour with such composure in 
 the presence of Pilate ? Truth has often stood 
 up, unattended and alone, to rebuke the mad- 
 ness of the people, tear off the veil from the 
 designs of despots, and reason of righteousness, 
 temperance and judgment to come, in the pres- 
 ence of pomp and power. In whatever else 
 you fail, never, never swerve from the truth. 
 Even a bad man, if known never to tell a lie, 
 will command a measure of respect. But a 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 133 
 
 liar is everywhere despised. To charge a man 
 with falsehood is regarded as the greatest in- 
 sult which vulgarity and ill-nature are capable 
 of offering. 
 
 The whole frame-work of society is upheld and 
 kept in order by truth, and nothing but truth. 
 Let deception become universally prevalent, 
 and communities as such could scarcely exist, 
 much less flourish and be happy. If charity 
 is the blood which circulates through the sys- 
 tem, imparting to it life and warmth, truth is 
 the joints and ligaments which hold all to- 
 gether. What would be the condition of a 
 family, a school, a church, or a city, in which 
 no one's word could be relied on. In such 
 case, the stream of social enjoyment would be 
 poisoned at its very fountain. Other vices 
 have but a partial and circumscribed influ- 
 ence, but this touches everything and pollutes 
 everything. Suspicion now takes the place 
 of confidence, and the abodes of human beings 
 are turned into so many dens of ravenous 
 beasts. The very thought is appalling. Im- 
 agine for a moment what would be the inevi- 
 table result, if the husband could no longer 
 
136 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 trust in the word of his wife the child in that 
 of his father the mother in that of her daugh- 
 ter or the sister in that of her brother. Con- 
 fidence and happiness could have no place. 
 Even Hope would not be left behind. 
 
 No wonder that the liar is regarded as so de- 
 graded a character. Long ago did he begin to 
 go astray by not keeping up the distinction 
 between truth and falsehood, so that he soon 
 became not only unable to repeat the same 
 story twice in the same way, but ready to add 
 one circumstance and another, until now he 
 can tell a point blank lie and not blush. If 
 there be deeper degradation than this, I scarce- 
 ly know where to find it. What a process has 
 all the while been going on in the man's own 
 mind. That his comfort is destroyed, and the 
 light of heaven shut out from his bosom, is 
 only a part of the evil. One transgression fol- 
 lows another, until by and by he is palpably 
 detected, and known and recognized as a liar. 
 All honest and true men exclude him from 
 their companionship as a nuisance and a plague- 
 spot. 
 
 What is he to do and where is he to go in 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 137 
 
 such circumstances ? I arn not speaking now 
 of the sadness with which the child retires to 
 its pillow, or the gloom with which the student 
 opens his books, or the dread which fills the 
 bosom of the clerk after the commission of the 
 first fault of this kind. This, if it go no far- 
 ther, is dreadful. There is already an arrow 
 in the soul, the poison whereof drinketh up 
 the spirits. But let the solitary act become a 
 habit, and though the conscience should grad- 
 ually grow so callous as at length to be past 
 feeling, the public ignominy which must hence- 
 forth and forever hang upon his footsteps, is 
 absolutely overwhelming. All, all of real vir- 
 tue is now gone. 
 
 We tell a sad tale of a young man, when we 
 say that he is now and then overcome with 
 wine, or that he occasionally breaks the Sab- 
 bath, or that he sometimes swears profanely. 
 God forbid that I should speak of such prac- 
 tices, in any other terms than those of decided 
 reprobation. But on some accounts, and in 
 relation to certain aspects of character, it is 
 worse and more fraught with every ingredient 
 of utter hopelessness, to be compelled to say 
 
138 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 of him, that he no longer feels upon his heart 
 the sacred obligations of truth. When this is 
 said, all is said that can be meant by the fear- 
 ful word ruin. 
 
 O, then, give me assurance that you will 
 never conceive or utter words of falsehood, 
 and " my heart shall rejoice, even mine." Let 
 our little children, growing up as olive plants 
 around our tables ; our sons and daughters at 
 school; our clerks and apprentices, be truth- 
 loving and truth-speaking, at all times and 
 under all circumstances ; and every one who 
 wishes their welfare, will be filled with glad- 
 ness. As for being rich, or acquiring great 
 learning, or standing high in the temple of 
 fame, it is more than any one can assure you 
 of. But you can all attain to the dignity and 
 honor of having a perfectly transparent char- 
 acter, and this will be sure to shed a hallowed 
 light over your future pathway, be it what it 
 may, and lead where it will. 
 
 Real Christians, without a sacred regard for 
 truth, you can never be. Men may be sin- 
 cerely pious, and yet have many errors in 
 their understandings and many corruptions in 
 
TRUTH BETWEEN MAN AND MAN. 139 
 
 their hearts, but they cannot be pious if in 
 league with him "who loveth and maketh a 
 lie." Such a life is one perpetual falsehood 
 a grand and fatal deception. 
 
 No matter what the exigency is, meet it 
 manfully and abide the result. It may be a 
 sore trial to the boy of ten years, to come for- 
 ward and say, though it be with a beating 
 heart and quivering lip, I did the wrong. It 
 may make a heavy draught upon the courage 
 and constancy of the young man, frankly to 
 say, The evil is upon me, for I am its author. 
 It may require a greater strength of inward 
 principle than many members of the commu- 
 nity possess, to say ingenuously, That mistake 
 is mine. But once rise to the elevation of say- 
 ing so, and a grand victory is gained. A sin- 
 gle such open and candid avowal is worth more 
 than tongue can tell. 
 
 That strict and undeviating adherence to 
 truth will never cause you temporary incon- 
 venience, is more than I dare promise. But 
 what of that? Should love of truth threaten 
 you with poverty and loss of friends, or should 
 it turn you out cold and comfortless upon the 
 
140 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 world, mind it not. The gain will be greater 
 than the loss. Sit down in ashes with Job and 
 feed like the prophet on tears, rather than dwell 
 in the palaces and share the banquets of false- 
 hood. 
 
 " Buy the truth and sell it not." Be thank- 
 ful to the parent, who watches over you with 
 sleepless vigilance and marks the slightest 
 aberration from truth. Prize the teacher who, 
 pass by whatever other faults he may, never 
 feels at liberty to let you trifle with truth. 
 Venerate the Minister who stands up in the 
 pulpit and tells you, that none can enter heaven 
 who do not speak the truth. 
 
 But yield in this matter to the beginnings 
 of evil, and a weak and cowardly heart will 
 soon feel the necessity of sustaining one false 
 statement by another still more false, until at 
 length the chain becomes so heavy as to break 
 by its own weight, and what was carefully con- 
 cealed is suddenly brought to light as open, 
 ignominious and never to be forgotten guilt. 
 
 Is it not wise and well to offer the prayer, 
 Lord, " cleanse thou me, from secret faults, keep 
 back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BIBLE HONESTY. 
 
 EELIGION is not, as some take it to be, a 
 system of dry, abstruse doctrines. It comprises 
 practice as well as faith ; the regulation of the 
 life as well as the rectification of the heart ; a 
 correct conduct in the world, as well as a sound 
 creed in the church. If one page of the Bible 
 tells us what man is to believe concerning God, 
 the next is sure to tell us what duties God re- 
 quires of man. Thus the way is prepared for 
 uniting good citizenship and true piety, the 
 strictest integrity with the purest devotion. 
 
 Doing justly, you will readily see, is no less 
 necessary than loving mercy and walking hum- 
 bly with God. No system of sound morals or 
 Christian piety can be deemed complete, which 
 does not bring clearly out the principle of per- 
 fect reciprocity between man and man. Some- 
 
112 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 thing to regulate the complicated business in- 
 tercourse of the world, is indispensable to the 
 welfare of individuals, and of society at large. 
 The Catechism of King Edward thus explains 
 the ninth precept of the Decalogue : " It com- 
 mandeth us to beguile no man, to occupy no 
 unlawful wares, to envy no man his wealth, and 
 to think nothing profitable that either is not 
 just, or differeth from right and honesty." This 
 seems to cover the whole ground. 
 
 But we turn to the Saviour's Sermon on the 
 Mount, and find something still more full and 
 comprehensive. The injunction of the Great 
 Teacher is, "All things whatsoever ye would that 
 men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for 
 this is the law and the prophets" These words 
 are "like apples of gold, in pictures of silver." 
 It is said that one of the Eoman Emperors had 
 them inscribed on the walls of his closet, and 
 frequently referred to them in his public acts ; 
 and it would be sad if they should receive less 
 respect at Christian hands. 
 
 "We may regard this as the true and proper 
 definition of the word HONESTY, and I cannot 
 better fill up the present chapter, than by ex- 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 143 
 
 plaining the precept, and specifying some of the 
 cases to which it especially applies. 
 
 Much is comprised here in one short and 
 easily remembered sentence. It requires us to 
 deal with our neighbors, in everything which 
 appertains to the commodities of life, just as 
 we should think it proper for them to deal 
 with us in an exchange of circumstances. If 
 we would have others act fairly and righteous- 
 ly towards us, then we are bound for the same 
 reason to act fairly and righteously towards 
 them. The measure of our just expectations 
 from the men with whom we have business 
 intercourse, is the precise measure of our own 
 duty. Such is the substance of all the teach- 
 ings both of the law and the prophets, on this 
 important point. Nothing more is required 
 from man to his fellow-man. Nothing more is 
 demanded by the claims of the purest recti- 
 tude. For any one simply to do as he would 
 be done by is enough. 
 
 The moral beauty of the precept before us 
 cannot fail to be seen at once. Not only does 
 it lay an absolute interdict upon everything in 
 the form of direct theft, but it goes behind the 
 
144 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 act, and strikes at that desire for the property 
 of others, in which such act originates. An 
 honest man according to the Savior's teachings, 
 is one who always intends to do right, whether 
 it make for him, or against him. Besides re- 
 garding the false balance and the deceitful 
 weight as an abomination, he is above all that 
 shuffling and evasion, by which multitudes 
 seek to advance their interests in the world. 
 His intentions are upright in the sight of God, 
 and hence it is natural for his dealings to be 
 upright in the sight of men. In every transac- 
 tion, which has respect to property, he is what 
 he would be thought to be ; his conduct is a 
 fair transcript of his principles. Not intending 
 wrong, he has nothing to conceal, and nothing 
 to gloss over. Try him as often as you please, 
 and let him be exposed as often as he may, his 
 unbending integrity still shines forth, as gold 
 from the heat of the furnace. 
 
 Such a man is honest simply because he does 
 to others as he would that they should do to 
 him. Is he a dealer in those articles which 
 are needed for daily domestic consumption, 
 it is as safe to send a child eight years of age 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 145 
 
 to make the purchase, as to go yourself. Does 
 he employ some laboring man to gather in his 
 harvest, the hard-earned wages are not kept 
 back a moment unnecessarily. Has he money 
 for which he has himself no immediate use, no 
 advantage is taken of the exigency of some less 
 fortunate neighbor. In all matters of this na- 
 ture, he acts upon one fixed and well-defined 
 plan, and hence his heart reproaches him not 
 for injustice. 
 
 A truly honest man will never avail himself 
 of the weakness or incompetency of the pur- 
 chaser, to fill his own purse. What he gives 
 in articles of food, fuel or clothing, he intends 
 shall be a fair and just equivalent for what he 
 receives in produce or money. If the article 
 has in it any defect, known to him, but un- 
 known to his customer, he feels bound to re- 
 veal it, however much it may work to his 
 pecuniary injury. Never does he sell a dam- 
 aged yard of cloth, whatever its texture or 
 appearance, for a full price. Never does he 
 put off a horse as sound, when he himself has 
 evidence to the contrary. In such cases, all 
 the loss resulting to one individual through 
 10 
 
146 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 ignorance, is so much unlawful gain to the 
 other. So far as principle is concerned, it 
 would be just as proper to go unobserved into 
 a neighbor's house, and take from it an equal 
 amount of silver or gold. To say that such 
 things are common in the business world, 
 avails nothing, unless you can prove that they 
 are right. 
 
 That the deviation from perfect fairness, in 
 the way of trade, is in itself but small, by no 
 means proves that it is proper. The maxim 
 of the blessed Saviour is, "He that is faithful 
 in that which is least, is faithful also in much, 
 and he that is unjust in that which is least, is 
 unjust also in much." It is neither the large- 
 ness nor the littleness of the thing, that makes 
 it fair or unfair, honest or dishonest. Find a 
 man who will deliberately overreach his neigh- 
 bor in the smallest item, and that man, if the 
 temptation were increased, would overreach 
 him on the broadest scale. The straight line 
 of duty may as really be passed, by the least 
 departure from rectitude, as by the most pal- 
 pable injustice. 
 
 Never forget, my young friends, that a penny 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 147 
 
 stealthily abstracted from the drawer, a sixpence 
 belonging to another appropriated to one's own 
 use, a false representation made in regard to a 
 piece of tape, is as real dishonesty, before God, 
 and so far as the state of the heart is concerned, 
 as the changing of the face of a bond from fifty 
 dollars to five hundred. It was not the value 
 of the fruit, which constituted the criminality 
 of our first parents. Their act was criminal 
 because it was disobedient, and the smallness 
 of the thing done, if it affected its blamewor- 
 thiness at all, only made that blameworthiness 
 the greater, inasmuch as it was proof of a 
 stronger disposition to transgress. 
 
 These remarks should be well weighed by 
 such as are just commencing their business 
 career. It is no excuse for the false statement, 
 or the incorrect entry, but a great aggravation 
 of them both, that not much profit is antici- 
 pated by such deviations from rectitude. "What 
 then are we to think of the thousand little 
 tricks, and petty dishonesties, which so often 
 disfigure the dealings of man with his fellow- 
 man ? It seems as if the real dishonesty of the 
 heart, in such cases, must be greater, inasmuch 
 
148 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 as the temptation is less. Besides, little here 
 leads to much, and to tamper with evil at all, 
 is the first step towards going after it openly 
 and fully. The act which puts a man in the 
 state-prison is not usually the only one of the 
 kind committed. A beginning was made pre- 
 viously, of which this is the natural and ap- 
 propriate consummation. 
 
 Such is the searching nature of the precept 
 in question, and CASES TO WHICH IT ESPE- 
 CIALLY APPLIES are easily pointed out. 
 
 That all fraud, in the common use of the 
 term, is here forbidden, is too plain to require 
 a word of proof. This is a crime so well un- 
 derstood, and so universally infamous, that 
 not a moment need be spent in holding it up 
 to your detestation. Direct theft and outright 
 robbery are not sins into which young men of 
 any respectability are much in danger of fall- 
 ing. At least, this is not the point at which 
 aberration usually commences. It will be 
 more profitable to put you on your guard 
 against the same general evil, in its less palpa- 
 ble and reproachful forms. 
 
 But to prevent all misapprehension, let me 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 149 
 
 make a single preliminary remark. -You are 
 by no means to conclude that there is anything, 
 in this golden rule of the Saviour, to render a 
 man indifferent to the obtaining of what is 
 clearly and justly his due. Some of the most 
 perfectly honest men I have ever known, have 
 been very careful to require, at the precise time 
 and in full measure, what was truly their own. 
 Prompt themselves, they naturally expect 
 promptitude from others, and if they demand 
 what is right, they never demand more than is 
 right. Strict integrity is the law of their own 
 dealings, and the law which they wish to see 
 everywhere enforced. These, too, mark it 
 where you will, are generally the men whose 
 hearts and hands are most open to aid the 
 Christian and benevolent enterprises of the 
 day. With them it is a principle to save, in 
 order that they may give; and careful to 
 keep their outgoes clearly within the limits of 
 their income, they are seldom without some- 
 thing to bestow. 
 
 In seeking to incorporate honesty with the 
 daily business of life, the great point is, not to 
 covet any man's " silver, or gold, or apparel." 
 
150 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 This is checking the evil in its embryo ; and 
 when all desire of unlawful gain is thus ex- 
 pelled from the heart, it will be found an easy 
 thing to keep the hands from defilement. A 
 man of true integrity is so on principle, and 
 would be so irrespective of all laws and penal- 
 ties on the subject. Still it is well to be spe- 
 cific, and see how the general rule of duty is to 
 affect individual cases. 
 
 The injunction, " Whatsoever ye would that 
 men should do to you, do ye even so to them," 
 has a double application. It addresses those 
 who have hands to labor, as well as those who 
 have property to live on those who would 
 rise, as well as those who have risen in the 
 world. To the first of these classes, its direc- 
 tion is, deal fairly and equitably with your 
 employers. The capital with which you com- 
 mence business is your strength and skill and 
 perseverance ; and see to it that you use them 
 according to the terms of the specific, or im- 
 plied contract. For the time being they be- 
 long to another, and not thus diligently to ap- 
 propriate them is fraudulent. Make no prom- 
 ise, which at the moment you do not feel able 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 151 
 
 to perform ; but having made it, be as good as 
 your word, though compelled to rise while the 
 stars are still shining. Redeem every pledge 
 of this sort, unless prevented by the providence 
 of God. Better deny yourselves food or sleep, 
 than be guilty of any such keeping from others 
 what belongs to them. 
 
 This however is not all. The Saviour's pre- 
 cept tells men that build houses, and open 
 stores, and have lands cultivated, that they too 
 have a duty to discharge. Just as soon as the 
 service is rendered, the equivalent for it in 
 money or goods, is no longer yours, and you 
 cannot retain it and be strictly honest. On 
 what principle is it that you have a right to 
 make the journeyman, the clerk, or the day- 
 laborer, wait your convenience ? Who author- 
 ized you to consume his time time perhaps 
 which he needs to obtain bread for his children 
 by requiring him to call again and again? 
 The world may not denominate this fraud, but 
 it is fraud, and fraud which God has promised 
 to avenge. 
 
 In process of time, some of you may attain 
 to wealth and distinction, and find it proper to 
 
152 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 band yourselves with others in carrying for- 
 ward important enterprises. Should such be 
 the case, be on your guard. It is a common 
 opinion, and no doubt often a correct one, that 
 chartered companies will billow themselves to 
 do what, as individuals, they could never do 
 and retain the least reputation for honesty. 
 The idea seems to be, that though a single man 
 may not take advantage of his neighbor, ten 
 or twenty united may do it with impunity. 
 Each appears to merge his individuality in 
 the collective body, so that the guilt of the 
 wrong transaction, may be diffused over the 
 whole, and thus not be perceived. 
 
 Are you ready to say, None but a sadly per- 
 verted mind could ever thus impose upon it- 
 self? This is true, and yet the iniquity, we 
 have reason to believe, is often practised, and 
 the evils resulting from it are felt far and wide. 
 Many a widow, and group of fatherless chil- 
 dren, have in this way been despoiled of their 
 little all. I charge you spurn every such com- 
 panionship in iniquity. Never do a disrepu- 
 table deed, because there is in it a division of 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 
 
 responsibility. The dishonesty is personal, 
 though the act is that of a company. 
 
 There is still another case, which may try 
 the strength of your uprightness. After rising 
 to the possession of wealth, you may lose that 
 wealth, and be reduced to the hard necessity 
 of putting off your creditors with fifty cents 
 on a dollar. Nothing is more common in the 
 fluctuations of the business world. The rich 
 man of to-day may become the poor man of 
 to-morrow. But the path will after all be open 
 before you, and the tide of fortune may again 
 set towards your habitation. And what will 
 be your duty, as honest men, under such cir- 
 cumstances ? Why, to pay every penny you 
 owe in the world. No matter if you have a 
 legal clearance. No matter if nothing can be 
 demanded of you. It is impossible that any 
 bankrupt law should set aside the enactments 
 of the Saviour. 
 
 Let me cite an example. A man who was 
 once Franklin's fellow-passenger to England, 
 had been engaged in business in that country, 
 was unsuccessful, compounded with his cred- 
 itors, and came to the United States. Here by 
 
154 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 dint of unremitting industry, and careful fru- 
 gality, lie amassed a considerable fortune in a 
 very few years. Upon his return to England, 
 he invited all his old creditors to an entertain- 
 ment, when after thanking them for their in- 
 dulgence, he presented to each an order for 
 the full amount of his claim, principal and in- 
 terest. Noble man ! He did as he would be 
 done by. And if ever brought into similar 
 circumstances, go ye and do likewise. 
 
 Fix it then in your minds from this hour, 
 that you will always act upon this rule of the 
 Saviour. Be assured " honesty is the best poli- 
 cy." Overtaken by misfortune you may be, 
 but so long as you are conscious that no one 
 can point to a single unfair act, in all your 
 business arrangements, you may sit calmly 
 down in the midst of broken hopes, and dark- 
 ened prospects. But, as Milton justly says, 
 " God and good men will not suffer a fair char- 
 acter to die." The day often arrives when the 
 man of unbending integrity is permitted to 
 come back to the mansion, where he formerly 
 met the smiles of joyous and confiding friend- 
 ship. Hold on to what is right, and the issue 
 
BIBLE HONESTY. 155 
 
 will be happy. You may die poor, but you 
 will die honest. Your couch may be hard, but 
 your sleep will be sweet. 
 
 And so far as the well-being of society is 
 concerned, honesty is of pre-eminent impor- 
 tance. Deprive the world of trade, of this 
 strong bond which now holds all its parts to- 
 gether in harmony, and it would fall to pieces 
 as certainly and as suddenly, as would the world 
 of matter, if deprived of the great law of grav- 
 itation. But blessed be God, there is enough 
 of fairness and uprightness, in business trans- 
 actions, to lay a foundation for general confi- 
 dence. What else could induce a merchant or 
 manufacturer to suffer all he has to depart 
 from under his own eye, and go to the other 
 side of the globe, there to be lodged with per- 
 sons he has never seen ? Bad as the world is, 
 it is not so bad as it might be. Here is a man 
 in New York, sleeping soundly on his pillow, 
 while all the gains of years of successful indus- 
 try, are stowed away in the warehouses of 
 London, or Liverpool. This tells a favorable 
 story for the commercial integrity of the world. 
 Every thing is entrusted to factors abroad, with 
 
150 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 an assurance almost, that it will return witli 
 a double tide of opulence to the man's own 
 door. 
 
 I charge you, my young friends, do nothing 
 yourselves to break up the foundation of this 
 general confidence. Live in a lowly dwelling, 
 wear a threadbare coat, sit down to a dinner 
 of herbs, sooner than create a temptation to 
 dishonesty, by permitting your expenditures to 
 outrun your income. Distressing tales might 
 be told on this subject. If you begin to go 
 astray, you will find before you are aware of 
 it, that you have woven a web about your steps, 
 from which there is no breaking loose. Deter- 
 mine from the very first, that though you may 
 be poor, you will not fail to be honest. Come 
 what will, rise or fall, have friends or be left 
 alone, resolve, as God shall help you, that no 
 living man shall ever say you wilfully did 
 him wrong. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 
 
 THEKE is running through the whole system 
 of nature, providence and grace, a very close 
 connection between means and ends. Success 
 is not to be gained the hill is not to be climbed 
 the crown is not to be won without an effort. 
 No one need expect to be borne along to the 
 prize, either in religious or secular matters, in- 
 dependently of his own exertions. Though 
 the race is not always to the swift, nor the bat- 
 tle to the strong, yet he that dealeth with a 
 slack hand will become poor. The diligent in 
 business may fail, but drowsiness is sure to 
 clothe a man with rags. 
 
 This is a wise and kind arrangement, at once 
 blessing men and making them a blessing. It 
 is the flowing brook, and not the stagnant pool, 
 that is pure itself, and spreads health and fer- 
 
158 T*E SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 tility over the land ; and it is the man of per- 
 severing industry, who is happy in his own 
 bosom, and who contributes to the happiness 
 of others. Let idleness prevail, and the cheer- 
 ful hum of business is exchanged for the dis- 
 cordant notes of vice and revelry. Besides, it 
 should never be forgotten, that the use of one's 
 powers, physical and mental, is necessary to 
 their full and proper development. "Without 
 bodily exercise, the muscular arm of the labor- 
 ing man would never have had its present 
 strength. Without activity of mind, Bacon 
 and Locke and Newton would have been weak 
 as other men. 
 
 Think of this, as you are now starting for 
 the goal, and gird yourselves for a life-long 
 labor. If you look about in the world at all, 
 you must see that comfort and competency are 
 not ordinarily to be anticipated, except at the 
 price of honest industry. So teaches the in- 
 spired volume, and such is the testimony of 
 observation and experience. You wish to rise 
 in the world, and we blame you not for it. 
 The desire is natural and laudable. But re- 
 member that the cost of this attainment is 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 169 
 
 steadfast and well-directed effort. Let me tell 
 you, 
 
 1. What industry really IMPLIES. 
 i/ You must engage in some useful calling. La- 
 bor is the allotted condition of man. It was so 
 in Paradise, and still more emphatically is it 
 so now. He is to eat his bread by the sweat 
 of his brow. Active exertion is what he was 
 intended for. Every feature of his counte- 
 nance, every faculty of his mind, every bone 
 of his body, every muscle of his limbs give in- 
 dication of this. It is said that all are indolent 
 by nature, but indolence is proof of depravity. 
 Savages hate work. Barbarians in every land 
 and clime are lazy. It is only in Christian 
 countries, that habits of application are found, 
 and these are formed generally while the heart 
 is tender and the character is taking its com- 
 plexion. You can scarcely find an industrious 
 man, anywhere, the morning of whose days 
 was spent in idleness. So well was this un- 
 derstood among the Jews, that it passed into a 
 proverb he who does not bring up his child 
 to industry, brings him up to be a beggar. 
 Yet toiling with the hands is not necessary 
 
160 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 in every case to show that man is fulfilling his 
 allotted condition here on earth. Who works 
 harder than the minister of the gospel, with 
 the cares and responsibilities of a large congre- 
 gation upon him or the physician, liable to 
 be called to the sick-bed by day and by night 
 or the lawyer, surrounded by clients whose 
 interests he is bound to regard as his own or 
 the judge, dispensing justice from the bench 
 or the legislator, watching for the weal of 
 multitudes. Chalmers, and John Mason Good, 
 and Emmet, and Sir Matthew Hale, and Wil- 
 berforce were industrious. It is a great mis- 
 take to suppose that labor is confined to far- 
 mers, mechanics and merchants. The nature 
 of the service rendered to God and their gen- 
 eration by these several classes of persons dif- 
 fers, but there is no harder work than that 
 which tasks the head, the mind and the heart. 
 This often wrinkles the face and turns the hair 
 gray sooner than ploughing and digging. 
 
 ]STo exceptions are to be made for such as 
 are in affluent circumstances. In respect to 
 industry, there is no favored class. Parents, 
 who are themselves happy examples of sue- 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 161 
 
 cessful industry, must not let their children 
 grow up in idle habits. Sons and daughters 
 should scorn the idea of suffering their fathers 
 and mothers to toil from the rising of the 
 morning till the stars appear, while they them- 
 selves have nothing to do. The kind of em- 
 ployment is left very much to your own option, 
 but the duty of being employed is one of divine 
 inculcation. We are to labor six days of the 
 week, as well as rest on the Sabbath. 
 
 Besides, you must w ork energetically and per- 
 severingly. Not that there must be incessant 
 toil, without relaxation or rest. Nature de- 
 mands due repose, and nothing is lost to mind, 
 body or estate by hearkening to her voice. 
 The man who toils early and late, and hardly 
 takes time to sleep, to visit a friend, or observe 
 the Lord's-day, will find sooner or later, that 
 he is not consulting his own best interests. It 
 is impossible for you to better the divine ar- 
 rangements. "Poor Castlereagh," cried one 
 of his earliest and best friends, when he heard 
 of the suicide of the great statesman, "Poor 
 Castlereagh ! he had no Sabbath." Eelaxation 
 is like stopping to whet a scythe, or file a saw, 
 11 
 
162 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 or oil the wheels of a carriage. The time thus 
 spent is more than made up by the ease of the 
 after movements. 
 
 It is easy to make grievous miscalculations 
 here. Energetic as the student, the clerk, or the 
 apprentice may occasionally be, he will find it 
 impracticable to lay the burden of one period 
 over upon another. What is not done at the 
 proper time, whether in sacred or secular things, 
 is generally never done, and certainly never done 
 well. But it is possible for men to be occupied 
 every day and every hour of the day, with no re- 
 sult that seems to correspond with the effort put 
 forth. Thousands, says the old adage, make 
 greater haste than good speed. This reminds us 
 of the exclamation of abusy man on his death bed. 
 " I have wasted life by laboriously doing noth- 
 ing." There is such a thing as being in a hurry, 
 and yet not getting forward. The reasons are 
 two : men either occupy themselves with trifles, 
 or they fail to carry through what they under- 
 take. It is not the deep and majestic river, 
 but the shallow brook that makes a noise. 
 What we need, both in the church and in the 
 world, is a calm, steady spirit. To run well for 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 163 
 
 awhile is not sufficient. There must be a hold- 
 ing on and a holding out to the end, or the 
 prize will not be secured. 
 / Again, you must act upon some regular and 
 well-considered plan. System is everything. A 
 distinguished individual was once asked, how 
 it was possible for him to get through with 
 such an amount of labor. His reply is worth 
 remembering. "I do one thing at a time." 
 General Washington was remarkable for the 
 order and regularity with which he attended 
 to the vast affairs entrusted to his care. Every 
 paper had its date and its place. No time was 
 lost in looking up what had been mislaid. The 
 distinction of Henry Marty n, both as a man 
 and a missionary, depended not a little upon 
 his habits of regularity. To such an extent 
 did he carry these, that he was known in the 
 University, as the student who never wasted 
 an hour. No wonder that he rose to such 
 eminence as a scholar and a Christian. 
 
 There is more in this than you. probably are 
 aware of. How often is it that men carry to 
 their graves a sort of unfixedness and desul- 
 toriness of character contracted in early life. 
 
161 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 They never become in the pulpit, at the bar, 
 or on the bench, what they ought to have been. 
 If they have a shop, everything is out of order ; 
 and if they have a farm, it looks as though it 
 had no owner. The inattention of the first fif- 
 teen or twenty years of life, hangs about them 
 like a gloomy incubus to the very end. When 
 will it be learned that distinction is not won 
 by fits and starts. A sudden impulse now and 
 then, however noble, is not enough to lift one 
 up to enduring eminence and respectability. 
 " Patient continuance in well-doing," is neces- 
 sary. 
 
 A good plan of life is like the skilful pack- 
 ing of merchandise ; you get much more into 
 the same space. What can a man do, who has 
 no regular hours for rising, for prayer, for 
 meals, or for rest. Everything in such a case 
 must of necessity be loose and ineffective. 
 Take for instance the bright and buoyant 
 hours which thousands waste on -the morning 
 pillow, and what a vacuum do they make in 
 life. Piety, health, and success, all suffer by 
 such indulgence. Eeckoning the day at ten 
 hours of active employment, and one hour lost 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 165 
 
 in bed, out of every twenty -four, makes a dif- 
 ference of six years in sixty. "Who of the 
 heavy -headed slumberers among us thinks of 
 this? The celebrated Buffon promised his 
 servant half a crown for every time he should 
 get him up at a certain hour. And to this 
 fact, he tells us the world is indebted for his 
 Natural History. 
 
 But it is time we proceeded to the inquiry 
 how is industry THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. ^ 
 
 It is so, partly because it keeps men out of 
 the way of temptation. To be busy, is itself a 
 security against a thousand ills, and a passport 
 to a thousand blessings. If the young Divine J 
 has no pastoral charge, let him read, and think, 
 and write, and a call will come in due time. 
 If the young lawyer has but few causes to try, 
 let him attend to his office and his books, and 
 clients will by and by appear. If the young 
 Physician has only now and then a patient, let 
 him keep at work in gaining fitness for duty, 
 and his services will be sought. If the young 
 Merchant or Mechanic has but few customers 
 at first, let him stick to his counter or shop, 
 and they will come by and by. The effect of 
 
166 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 such a course is two-fold: it preserves him from 
 evil, and it fits him for duty. 
 
 We have an affecting description of an idle, 
 sauntering youth, in the seventh chapter of the 
 Book of Proverbs. Much of the detail could not 
 with propriety be given here. But suffice it to 
 say, that a young man void of understanding was 
 seen at the dusk of the evening, wandering about 
 the city, where he was met by an impudent 
 woman, who with her much fine speech caused 
 him to yield, so that he went after her straight- 
 way, as an ox to the slaughter, or a fool to the 
 correction of the stocks. But it proved like a 
 dart striking through his liver, and he found 
 at last, that her house was the way to hell, 
 leading down to the chambers of death. But 
 for the king's leisure, the story of Uriah's mur- 
 der had never been told. It is a proverbial 
 remark, founded on experience and common 
 sense, that Satan will employ him, who does 
 not find employment for himself. Unoccupied, 
 he is sure to fall into a current which will 
 gradually carry him farther and farther away 
 from God, from hope, and from heaven. 
 
 Industry will secure the confidence and en- 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 167 
 
 couragement of good men. What is it that we 
 first inquire after, respecting one who is just 
 coming forward on the arena of public life? 
 Brilliant talents may be desirable ; respectable 
 connections may have an influence ; property 
 may serve as an outfit ; but after all, our real 
 judgment of the man, and our readiness to 
 commit important trusts to his keeping, will 
 depend on something more inherent and per- 
 sonal We must know that he is industrious 
 and faithful. Without these abiding qualities, 
 capacity, and family, and fortune will seem 
 light as air and empty as a bubble. 
 
 It is instructive to ask who they are, that 
 rise to the highest distinctions both in church 
 and state. Flashes of genius and outbursts of 
 effort usually accomplish little. We hear much 
 of fair openings and happy beginnings, but in 
 a great majority of instances the men of per- 
 severing diligence bear away the palm. The 
 best talent on earth is that of assiduous appli- 
 cation. Pharaoh understood this matter well, 
 when he said to Joseph, " If thou knowest any 
 men of activity" among thy brethren, " make 
 them rulers over my cattle." We know what 
 
168 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 to depend upon when we employ such persons. 
 But show me a young man, who mingles in 
 every little group gathered at the corners of 
 the street, and is ready to attend to anybody's 
 business but his own, and it requires no pro- 
 phetic eye to foretell his course. No one puts 
 confidence in him. He dooms himself to the 
 occupancy of an inferior position all the days 
 of his life. 
 
 Moreover, persevering industry generally 
 secures a competency of worldly good. God has 
 nowhere bound himself by an absolute prom- 
 ise, to fill the barns of every diligent man with 
 plenty, and cause his presses to burst out with 
 new wine. This would give to the Divine ad- 
 ministration a temporary and earthly aspect, 
 unbefitting its high ends. Cases will be found 
 in which the best human exertions and the 
 greatest human prudence fail of success. A 
 wind from the wilderness may beat down the 
 dwelling, fire from heaven may consume the 
 sheep, and robbers from the desert may drive 
 away the cattle. Neither industry nor piety 
 is to be regarded as a protection from sickness 
 and loss and disappointment. Still, as a gen- 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 169 
 
 eral remark, it will be found true that "the 
 hand of the diligent" literally <l maketh rich." 
 This is a law of Providence, and it operates 
 with more force and regularity than many 
 seem aware of. If industry and frugality 
 sometimes stand disconnected with the com- 
 forts of life, the instances, it must be admitted, 
 are rare indeed. 
 
 Riches may "make themselves wings and 
 fly away ;" but who does not know that the 
 penury and misery which exist in the land, 
 are generally to be traced to indolence and in- * 
 temperance and improvidence. It is no want 
 of charity to say, that squalid and oppressive 
 poverty, in our happy country, as a general 
 thing, is criminal, and should be so regarded. 
 Hear in what glowing language Solomon 
 speaks: "I went by the field of the slothful 
 and by the vineyard of the man void of under- 
 standing ; and lo ! it was all grown over with 
 thorns, and nettles had covered the face there- 
 of, and the stone wall thereof was broken 
 down. Then I saw, and considered it well : 
 I looked upon it and received instruction. 
 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little fold- 
 
170 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 ing of the hands to sleep : so shall thy poverty 
 come as one that travelleth; and thy want as 
 an armed man." Striking description this, 
 and true to the life. 
 
 But who is not gratified to see honest indus- 
 try conducting to happy results? In every 
 city, town and village of the land, we find men 
 who began the world with nothing, living now 
 in great respectability, and exerting a wide- 
 spread influence on all around them. Theirs 
 is a favored lot. It is pleasant to see labor 
 
 r thus rewarded. Such persons may adopt the 
 language of the grateful patriarch, and say, 
 " With my staff I passed over this Jordan, and 
 now I am become two bands." If piety is 
 added to their other mercies, they indeed have 
 all and abound. 
 , I Cheer up, then, young men, and let your 
 
 hands be strong. You live in a land of indus- 
 try and enterprise. It has been strikingly 
 said, "that here, as nowhere else, we subdue 
 and replenish the earth we plant corn in the 
 very path lately trod by the buffalo of the wil- 
 derness we gather wheat on the spot where 
 the Indian council-fire but recently burned 
 
INDUSTRY THE ROAD TO SUCCESS. 171 
 
 we build cities almost as by oriental enchant- 
 ment we raise millions of money for the pur- 
 pose of popular education we voluntarily 
 support thousands of churches and ministers, 
 and what is more, we send preachers and 
 printing-presses and Bibles to the dwellers in 
 distant lands." What a picture! Yes, and all 
 this by a people that two centuries and a half 
 ago had no existence. 
 
 Examples of successful industry are at hand. 
 It would be pleasant to speak of men of every 
 profession, and in every walk of life, from the 
 pioneer of the wilderness, to the Merchant Prince, 
 all of whom, by the blessing of God, became what 
 they were and what they are, by the help of their 
 own strong arm and resolute hearts. But there 
 is one case so exactly in point, and so literally 
 an illustration of our subject, as to merit a dis- 
 tinct notice. Had you been in Philadelphia a 
 hundred and twenty years ago and met a poor 
 boy, friendless and alone, with a roll of bread 
 under his arm, inquiring for work in a print- 
 ing-office, you could hardly have imagined 
 that a lad so forlorn, A^ould ever come to rank 
 among the Philosophers of the day, be an 
 
172 THE SPRING-TIME OP LIFE. 
 
 ambassador to a foreign country, and actually 
 stand before kings. Yet all this was achieved 
 by Benjamin Franklin. What a testimony to 
 the value of diligence in business I 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 
 
 THAT there is a vast amount of evil in the 
 world, all admit. Complaints are made on 
 every side of the early development of bad dis- 
 positions as seen in impatience of parental 
 restraint, disregard of the counsels of experi- 
 ence, and contempt of divine institutions. But 
 the question arises, whence this premature im- 
 piety. There is doubtless a reason for it ; and 
 perhaps the reason may be found partly in the 
 fact, that in our times too much attention is 
 paid to the mere surface of character. "We for- 
 get that the way to cleanse the outside is to 
 make the inside clean. It is not properly con- 
 sidered that men are never safe, and can never 
 be really happy, until they become a law to 
 themselves. Young men must set out in the 
 world with good principles. 
 
174 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 You cannot but be interested to see in what 
 light the Scriptures present this subject. 
 
 No book more fully inculcates the value of 
 sound and firmly-established principles. We 
 scarcely go too far when we affirm, that the 
 grand design of this communication from God, 
 in all the lessons it prescribes and in all the 
 duties it enjoins, is to prepare men to be a law 
 to themselves. The demands of the Bible are 
 complied with, really and in truth, only when 
 we love the Lord our God with all our heart, 
 and our neighbor as ourselves. This covers 
 the entire ground. Let these two short, ex- 
 plicit, easily-remembered requisitions be obey- 
 ed, and it would restore our jarring, discordant 
 world to the peace and serenity of Paradise 
 itself. 
 
 It is instructive to mark what worth the 
 Bible always attaches to internal rectitude. 
 Take up the volume at what page you please, 
 the Pentateuch of Moses, the Psalms of David, 
 the Proverbs of Solomon, the Epistles of Paul, 
 or our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, and you 
 will see that it proceeds upon the one idea that 
 every man is to be tried by his principles. Ap- 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 175 
 
 pear as lie may, unless right in this respect he 
 is no better than a whited sepulchre, beautiful 
 on the outside but within full of all unclean- 
 ness. There must be a renewal of the heart, 
 before the life can be correct. 
 
 Nothing is sounder in philosophy, or more 
 orthodox in piety, than to make the tree good 
 as the only method of securing good fruit. The 
 whole scheme of revealed religion implies the 
 necessity of an internal renovation. God must 
 first put his Spirit in men and create in them 
 a clean heart, before they will walk in his 
 statutes or keep his commandments to do them. 
 A new moral taste has to be created, a new 
 motive power supplied, a new principle im- 
 planted. " Marvel not," cries the Great Teach- 
 er in the ears of the astonished Mcodemus, 
 " Marvel not that I said unto you, ye must be 
 born again." This renders a man, in the high- 
 est and best sense of the words, a law to himself. 
 
 This is the scriptural way of reforming the 
 world. Make a man a -new creature, as the 
 Bible phraseology is, or, which is the same 
 thing, bring him to love God supremely, to 
 trust in Christ sincerely, and to delight in the 
 
176 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 divine law heartily and you secure at once 
 his right conduct, in all places and circum- 
 stances. No other religion seeks thus to 
 change the principles of the inner life. It is 
 the glory of the great system of truth, em- 
 braced between the covers of this venerable 
 book, that it seeks to establish itself in the 
 love and humility and reverence of the heart, 
 as the only true, as it certainly is the only 
 successful method of controlling the life. 
 
 These remarks throw light on a variety of 
 modern movements to rectify the evils of so- 
 ciety. As a general thing, no real, enduring 
 good is attained by merely taking advantage 
 of the impulse of the moment to induce men 
 to promise that they will avoid this or that 
 pernicious course. The amendment may be 
 very valuable in itself, and very much de- 
 manded by the circumstances of the case ; but 
 the pledge to amend, which is administered 
 with no instruction, and adopted with no con- 
 viction, will be hardly likely to outlive the 
 excitement in which it originated. There is 
 nothing to support it ; the seed has no roots, 
 no tendrils reach down into the soil. 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 177 
 
 Mistake not my meaning. Specific pledges 
 are sometimes useful, but their usefulness must 
 depend upon the intelligent and well-consid- 
 ered motives which prompt to them. While 
 it may be proper to call them in to strengthen 
 actual purposes of reform, they must never be 
 suffered to take the place of such purposes. 
 In the case of the thoughtless, the inconsider- 
 ate and the unprincipled, they will, almost as 
 a matter of course, prove like the morning 
 cloud or the early dew, which vanish away. 
 
 The divine plan is infinitely better, because 
 it goes on the assumption that the state of the 
 heart regulates the habits of the life. You do 
 comparatively little for a man, when you put 
 the book of the law into his hands, unless you 
 can at the same time secure the putting of the 
 spirit of the law into his mind. In addition 
 to the precepts of an external revelation, writ- 
 ten with pen and ink on the page before him, 
 there must be a writing of those same precepts 
 on the tablet of the soul within him. Then 
 the man becomes, by a sort of happy necessity, 
 his own rule of conduct. Were there no other 
 preacher, he would still love his neighbor, be 
 12 
 
178 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 honest in his dealings, fear God, and keep the 
 Sabbath holy. The Bible regulates the great 
 sources of feeling and of action. Only secure 
 scriptural principles in the heart of the com- 
 munity, and commercial integrity will prevail, 
 prudent habits will be formed, diligence in 
 business will be practised, and all the gifts of 
 Providence will be put to the wisest use. This 
 book speaks with a voice that hushes into si- 
 lence the din and tumult of the world. To 
 scatter it everywhere over the land is really to 
 sow the seeds of stability of character and en- 
 during independence, and to secure for all time 
 to come the spectacle of a powerful, thriving, 
 well-ordered society. 
 
 This is an essential point, and happy will it 
 be if you fully comprehend it. The world is 
 fall of expedients to render individuals, fami- 
 lies and communities virtuous and happy. 
 Multitudes are standing at the head of every 
 street, crying, u Lo here!' 7 or u lo there!" 
 Each one has some specific, some panacea for 
 the numerous ills which embitter life. But 
 when will these self-styled benefactors come to 
 know, that all changes for the better must be 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 179 
 
 the product of inward principle ? In no other 
 way is the work to be effected ; there is no 
 other hope for the gambler, the drunkard, or 
 the libertine. 
 
 Young men, above all others, ought to un- 
 derstand that the book of God is not directed 
 so much against any particular form of evil in 
 the life, as against the indulgence of evil in the 
 heart. Its appliances are less for the purple 
 spot on the cheek, than for the hidden ulcer 
 on the lungs. It is not so intently occupied 
 with plucking and destroying the fruit when 
 it ripens, as with laying the axe at the root of 
 the great upas-tree. Its aim is to crush the 
 egg before it breaks out into the viper. To 
 correct the deportment of the outer man, it 
 operates at once on the soul. 
 
 What you want is to go forth into the world 
 with a firm and well-garrisoned heart. This 
 will fit you by the steadiness it imparts to 
 your feelings, and the correctness it gives to 
 your judgment, and the sobriety it throws 
 over your anticipations, to travel forward 
 safely in the highways and by-paths of life. 
 It will act as a curb on every unruly appetite. 
 
180 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 It will cool the raging fire of ambition. It 
 will break the shock of disappointed hope. 
 Only become, after this sort, a law to your- 
 selves, and you will find no difficulty in sub- 
 mitting to the law of God and man. 
 
 ISTay, I go farther. Build on this foundation, 
 and you will have the promise of the life to 
 come, as well as of the life that now is ; for 
 good principles are in their very nature eter- 
 nal. Such mere conventional rules as men 
 often adopt to regulate their intercourse with 
 others, are not suited to every stage of exist- 
 ence. After a while they become obsolete, 
 wax old, and vanish away. But not so the 
 principles of inspired rectitude. The man 
 who, by studying the Bible, communing with 
 God, and relying on the Saviour, becomes a 
 law to himself, will act properly in every state 
 and condition. External circumstances do not 
 affect him. Should he change his clime and 
 even his world, he will still be the same man 
 in all ihe essential elements of his character. 
 
 But how is the value of good principles illus- 
 trated in actual life. 
 
 You need but little acquaintance with men 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 181 
 
 to see how one's external ways depend on his 
 internal feelings. Only let those views which 
 the word of God gives of truth and duty be 
 cordially received, and become the basis of 
 character, and they will produce such stead- 
 fastness of purpose, as no fickleness of fashion, 
 opinion or pursuits can very seriously influence. 
 This will enable a man to stand erect in diffi- 
 culty and danger. A character thus formed 
 and thus supported will abide the day of trial, 
 whatever be the darkness or tribulation such a 
 day may bring. 
 
 Only see to it, that conscience is enlightened, 
 and passion restrained, and love of truth and 
 of right embedded in the soul, and you have 
 nothing to fear. Specific rules for the control 
 of every individual feeling and the guidance 
 of every individual act cannot be given ; and 
 if they were they would not be read. The 
 world itself could not contain the books which 
 must be written to meet such a demand. 
 Nothing more is necessary, than general prin- 
 ciples cordially adopted by the farmer in the 
 field, the mechanic in the shop, the clerk at 
 the counter, and the student at the desk, and 
 
182 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 applied to cases as they occur. Let the mind 
 be well imbued with them, and you will scarce- 
 ly feel the need of a direct injunction against 
 the wine-cup, the gaming table, or the house 
 that is on the way to hell. This will extract the 
 moisture from the root of poisonous plants, so 
 that they will die of themselves. 
 
 It is refreshing to see how men of like pas- 
 sions with yourselves, feeling the same weak- 
 nesses and plied with the same temptations, 
 have maintained their integrity in circumstances 
 of great peril, and kept their garments unde- 
 filed. Delightful illustrations of the sustaining 
 power of real, inward principle, appear on 
 every side. Even the fear of death could not 
 make the fainting David drink of the water of 
 Bethlehem, or keep Daniel from his daily pray- 
 ers, or cause Shadrach and his companions to 
 fall down before the idols. Men so self-sup- 
 ported could eschew pleasure, defy pain, and 
 brave the lions' den and the heated furnace. 
 So long as their own hearts did not condemn 
 them, they had nothing to fear. 
 
 Turn aside for a moment and contemplate 
 the character of the beloved Joseph. Few nar- 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 183 
 
 ratives are more instructive, than that of this 
 young man, as he dreams of future advance- 
 ment, seeks out his brethren on the field of 
 Dothan, is carried into Egypt by the Midian- 
 ites, becomes the servant of Potiphar, is cast 
 into prison, interprets the vision of Pharaoh, 
 is clothed in princely robes, and rides in the 
 second chariot of the kingdom. What chequer- 
 ed scenes for one to pass through, at his early 
 time of life ! Never was virtue more severely 
 tried, and never was its triumph more com- 
 plete. Mark the noble youth at whatever point 
 you will, you see the same lofty, unbending 
 principle. This was the reason why he did 
 not become dispirited in bondage, or yield to 
 the blandishments of an artful woman, or give 
 up all for lost within the walls of a prison, or 
 feel the intoxication of power when the chain 
 of gold was put upon his neck. The Lord was 
 with him, and in the best sense of the word, 
 he was a law to himself. 
 
 Such conduct shines brightest by contrast. 
 Look then a little at the course of an unprin- 
 cipled man, or which is nearly the same thing, 
 a man without any fixed principle. See how 
 
184 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 he veers with every change of fortune to-day 
 one thing, and to-morrow another. Only let 
 wealth, fame, or office hold out their lure, and 
 there is no sacrifice of feeling or conscience which 
 he will not make to gain the prize. Trust such 
 a one ? Never ! Never ! For a time he may 
 carry himself with so much apparent propriety 
 and move so steadily along, that it seems al- 
 most uncharitable to suspect him. But depend 
 upon it, nothing is wanting but opportunity, 
 and he will betray your confidence. In no in- 
 stance is it safe to rely on one who is unsound 
 at heart. Just when exigencies arise and firm- 
 ness is most required, you will find him giving 
 way, and if he become not an Arnold, or a Ju- 
 das, it is because he lacks a fit occasion. 
 
 To make the case clearer let me select two 
 individuals, known the country over, and with- 
 in a few years past numbered with the dead. 
 Both of them had a worthy ancestry, both were 
 possessed of fine talents, both were highly edu- 
 cated, and both were called in the Providence 
 of God to act a distinguished part in life. 
 Everything promised an equally useful and 
 honorable course for each. Their fame was 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 185 
 
 wider than the land which gave them birth. 
 Side by side, they rose from one position of 
 honor and trust to another, until no earthly 
 glory which men can desire, seemed beyond 
 their reach. But here the parallel fails. One 
 of these distinguished individuals had good 
 principles, the other was unprincipled. 
 
 The first of these men early in life cast off 
 the fear of the God of his fathers, renounced 
 the Bible as a light from heaven, gloried over 
 the spoils of female virtue, killed in a duel a 
 man far better than himself, became suspected 
 of treason against his country, gradually slunk 
 away from all decent society, and when he 
 died was carried to the grave and put under 
 the clods of the valley in silence and sorrow. 
 There was no lamentation over him. No one 
 shed a tear, except in pity that such a sun 
 should set in clouds so dark and troubled. 
 
 Not so the other. Living a life of unsus- 
 pected purity, cultivating habits of the strictest 
 temperance, making the Scriptures his daily 
 study, never failing to be in his pew on the 
 Sabbath, and devoting himself to duty with an 
 energy that never gave out, he rose from one 
 
186 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 elevation to another, till he had nothing further 
 to wish, and his country nothing greater to 
 give. For long years did he steadily hold on 
 his way. But at length he died. And when 
 it was told that the old man eloquent or as it 
 could better be said, the old man honest had 
 fallen at his post, uttering the significant cry 
 " This is the last of earth," a sensation was pro- 
 duced, which not only reached to his own New 
 England hills, but was felt in all the cities of 
 the sunny South, and over all the prairies of 
 the mighty West. The first statesmen of the 
 land vied with each other in paying honors to 
 his memory. 
 
 Names have not been given and names are 
 not necessary. Such things cannot be done in 
 a corner. But my young friends, can you look 
 at these men as they pass on step by step, until 
 the day of one terminates in poverty, neglect, 
 and despair, while a halo of more than earthly 
 glory encircles the dying couch of the other, 
 without getting a deeper impression of the im- 
 portance of being a law to yourselves. Here 
 was indeed a forcible illustration of the value 
 of good principles. 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 187 
 
 Shall such examples be lost upon the youth 
 of the land ? They can here learn what power 
 there is in a good character to carry men safely 
 over the rough voyage of life ; while a want 
 of such character is sure to send the brightest 
 and most brilliant to a dishonored tomb. 
 
 What training then can be compared with 
 that of preparing men to be a law to them- 
 selves ? You may put a Bible into the hands 
 of a J^oung man and charge him to read it, you 
 may lay down rules for the government of his 
 conduct and beg him to observe them, you 
 may set before him the example of good men, 
 and exhort him to follow it ; but all will not 
 answer unless the principle of right-doing is 
 imbibed. There will be hours of forgetfulness 
 when that Bible will not be read ; there will 
 be assaults of temptation, when those rules will 
 be neglected ; and there will be allurements to 
 evil, when the example of others will be pow- 
 erless. Nothing, nothing, will serve the pur- 
 pose, short of fixed and settled principles. 
 
 The eye of friendship cannot follow you, 
 as you go out to embark in business, toss 
 in ships, and travel in cars, everywhere in 
 
188 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 danger, everywhere needing protection. If 
 God and your own good principles do not 
 stand you in stead, fall you will. You must 
 be a law to yourselves, in the mart of trade, 
 the cabin of the steamboat, and the crowded 
 inn, or you will soon make shipwreck of faith 
 and a good conscience. No shield less strong 
 can quench the darts of Satan and bad men. 
 
 This is the grand safeguard. Thoroughly 
 furnish a man with this resource, and he will 
 go calmly and steadily forward, breasting the 
 storm which would hinder his progress, and 
 beating back the waves which threaten to over- 
 whelm him. 
 
 Think of Samuel, old and gray -headed in 
 the service of God and his country. " Behold," 
 says he, "here I am; witness against me be- 
 fore the Lord whose ox have I taken? or 
 whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I de- 
 frauded ?" Look at Paul as he stands arraign- 
 ed before the Jewish Sanhedrim. Lifting him- 
 self up in conscious and self-sustaining rectitude, 
 he cries out, " Men and brethren, I have lived 
 in all good conscience before God until this 
 day." Contrast these cases with the dreadful 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 189 
 
 lamentation of the degraded Wolsey : " Had I 
 served my God with half the zeal I have serv- 
 ed my king, He would not have forsaken me 
 in my old age." 
 
 The subject is fully before you, and will you 
 not arise and gird yourselves for duty as best you 
 may? 
 
 If I am right in the views now given, what 
 you need above all else is truth in the inward 
 parts. As for having a kind father always 
 near to brace up your minds amid the changes 
 and chances of this mortal life, or a fond moth- 
 er at hand to watch over you in the " ups and 
 downs" of your course like a guardian angel, 
 or a sweet sister to cheer away your sadness, 
 and encourage you to buffet manfully the bil- 
 lows of the world, it is impossible. The 
 hours hasten on, when you must be alone 
 with nothing but God and good principles for 
 your guide. 
 
 Nay ; to some of you this hour has perhaps 
 come already. Affectionate parents, a glad- 
 some fire-side, and a pleasant home, are things 
 of remembrance rather than of present enjoy- 
 ment. If such be the case, you have my sym- 
 
190 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 pathies and my prayers. Who now is to speak 
 words of consolation to you when your cheeks 
 are covered with tears and your eyelids are 
 heavy with pain? But despond not. Only 
 confide in God, and adopt good principles, and 
 you can get forward without other aid. The 
 great Milton put into the mouth of a fallen 
 spirit a momentous truth 
 
 " The mind is its own place and of itself, 
 Can make a heaven of hell, a hell in heaven.' 
 
 In other words be right yourselves, and this 
 will make all right. 
 
 Do you know who was that signer of the 
 Declaration of Independence, a member of the 
 first Congress, of whom Thomas Jefferson re- 
 marked, " He never said a foolish thing in his 
 life?" It was Roger Sherman, a poor youth, 
 brought up to an humble occupation. But he 
 was a man, the superstructure of whose char- 
 acter was laid on the broad principles of the 
 word of God ; and this united with native force 
 and energy enabled him to rise higher and 
 higher, until he could cope successfully with 
 the strong and mighty men of the land. 
 
THE VALUE OF GOOD PRINCIPLES. 191 
 
 This, be assured, is the hinge on which f 
 everything will turn. The difficulty in getting 
 onward in the world is not perhaps where you 
 deem it to be. What if competition be earnest, 
 and every prize hotly contested ; this is just 
 as it should be. In this broad land of free in- 
 stitutions, high mountains, deep rivers, and 
 warm hearts, we are not to look for the dead 
 level of Spain and Portugal. It is all the bet- 
 ter, that you are forced out upon an arena, 
 where you must try your strength, and measure 
 your weapons with young men as full of life 
 and zeal as yourselves. But only be true- 
 hearted, and some door will open which all the 
 world cannot close. If you cannot be one 
 thing, be another. A man's being a man does 
 not depend on the coat he wears, or the house 
 he lives in. 
 
 My young friends, if ever brought into such 
 circumstances that losses must be sustained to 
 keep the ship afloat, cut away the masts, cast 
 over the lading, let the entire cargo go, sooner 
 than give up the helm. Or to speak without 
 a figure, renounce the favor of the rich and 
 powerful, sacrifice health, and even life itself, 
 
192 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 rather than relinquish one iota of right princi- 
 ple, or yield to a single inroad upon a clear 
 conscience. Come what will, only hold fast 
 your integrity, and you will never be left with- 
 out resources. Exalt this inward conscious 
 rectitude, and "she shall promote thee; she 
 shall bring thee to honor when thou dost em- 
 brace her. She shall give to thy head an or- 
 nament of grace; a crown of glory shall she 
 deliver to thee." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 COURTESY. 
 
 NOTHING- is more delightful than to see what 
 is pleasant and amiable blended with what is 
 just and true. If the little amenities and 
 every-day proprieties of life are not essential 
 to a virtuous character, they are requisite to 
 give finish and perfection to such a character. 
 Men are to be of good report as well as pure, 
 lovely as well as honest, kind as well as faith- 
 ful. To be right in the weightier matters of 
 the law, though confessedly the grand point, 
 is no reason for being wrong in things of 
 smaller consequence. 
 
 In nature, the tasteful and ornamental are 
 sure to be seen mingling with the useful and 
 the necessary. As we look over the face of 
 creation, we find beauty as well as utility, the 
 honey-suckle as well as the sturdy oak, the lily 
 13 
 
194 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 of the valley as well as the cedar of Lebanon. 
 God does not merely give us trees for fuel, and 
 water to drink, and bread to eat. His bounty 
 adds flowers to send forth their fragrance, land- 
 scapes to delight the eye, breezes to fan the 
 cheek, fruits sweet to the taste and couches to 
 lie upon. The world was designed to cheer 
 and please us, and not simply to afford us a 
 dwelling-place. 
 
 Why not then group together in human 
 character whatever is amiable in temper, with 
 whatever is firm in principle? True men, just 
 men. honest men and religious men, we hope 
 you will all be ; but this need not hinder you 
 from exhibiting everything pleasing in dispo- 
 sition, and condescending in deportment, and 
 kind in intercourse, and complaisant in man- 
 ners. Act thus, and you will fulfil the apos- 
 tolic injunction, " Be courteous." Pursue such 
 a course, and you will be happy yourselves 
 and add to the happiness of others. 
 
 What are WQ to understand by courtesy, as a 
 duty of Bible-inculcation ? 
 
 The term implies that kindness and civility 
 in social intercourse on which the enjoyment 
 
COURTESY. 195 
 
 of life so much depends. We speak of it as an 
 adornment of one's character, because it never 
 fails to render him more pleasing as a com- 
 panion, more esteemed as a superior, and more 
 engaging as a friend. Cicero has beautifully 
 remarked, " It is the property of justice not to 
 injure men, and of politeness not to offend 
 them." True Christian courtesy unites and 
 perfects both these qualities, and thus con- 
 structs a reputation as solid as it is lovely, and 
 as useful as it is charming. There must be 
 minute touches and graceful fillings up, as well 
 as bold and strong outlines, to constitute a 
 good portrait. The fainter shades will not of 
 themselves make a valuable picture, but with- 
 out them there cannot be completeness and 
 beauty. 
 
 You will hardly do wrong to rank courtesy, 
 in its highest and best sense, among the graces 
 of the Holy Spirit. If it be less essential to 
 the existence of genuine piety in the heart, 
 than repentance, or faith, or humility; it nev- 
 ertheless springs from the same source, and is 
 to be regarded as a sister in the same family. 
 Let the gospel have free course, and it will 
 
196 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 render men meek and forbearing, and fill their 
 bosoms with kindness and condescension. It 
 will be very wide of the mark to suppose that 
 this book of God has to do merely with the 
 grosser vices and the more splendid virtues. 
 On the contrary, its aim is to fashion and 
 mould the whole man, externally as well as 
 internally, by abasing his pride, and thus dis- 
 posing him to be kind and amiable and conde- 
 scending. We go not a step too far when we 
 call it a system of the truest politeness. It 
 does what nothing else ever does so well ; it 
 leads men not to look on their own things su- 
 premely and exclusively, but also on the things 
 of others. Seldom are its triumphs more com- 
 plete than are witnessed in an habitual tender- 
 ness of feeling and kindness of deportment. 
 
 Can it be supposed that this is a matter 
 which Christianity overlooks? As for the 
 hollow-hearted courtesy which has its place 
 and its purpose in the fashionable world, I 
 trust you will know how to reckon it at its 
 proper value. Nor are you to imagine that, 
 even in its better form, it can be a substitute 
 for a right spirit and a holy life. But sad will 
 
COURTESY. 197 
 
 it be for the interests of society, if we weave 
 the interstices of our moral net so wide as to 
 admit the churl and the supercilious. "When 
 this is done, be assured, we make the meshes 
 wider than the teachings of Christ and the 
 apostles make them. 
 
 I hesitate not to say that the readiest way 
 for a young man to become truly courteous 
 is to drink in the spirit, and act upon the 
 principles of the gospel. Besides teaching the 
 terms of acceptance with God, and thus secur- 
 ing for you an inheritance in the heavens, the 
 aim of this whole scheme of mercy is to soften 
 whatever is harsh in temper, and smooth what- 
 ever is rugged in deportment. An external 
 change will in all such cases be arrived at 
 through the influence of a previous internal 
 change. After having worked its hidden and 
 interior renovation, the truth received in love 
 will manifest its transforming power in what is 
 external and palpable. Be assured, the religion 
 of Christ never gains its full conquests while 
 the subject of it continues sour and uncivil. 
 You may be really pious and not have the 
 splendid and hollow politeness of a Chester- 
 
198 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 field, but you cannot be pious without having 
 something of the mind of Christ. 
 
 Yes, my young friends, courtesy is a Bible 
 virtue, and it is in the Bible that we find the 
 finest examples of its presence and power. 
 Look at Abraham as he gives to Lot, though 
 his nephew and a man of much fewer years 
 than himself, the choice of all the lands before 
 them, rather than have strife between their 
 respective herdsmen. See him as he welcomes 
 the three travellers in the heat of the day, to 
 the hospitalities of his tent, and hastens to kill 
 for them the fatted calf. Observe his conduct 
 as he bows before the sons of Heth to bargain 
 with them for a cave, in which to deposit the 
 remains of his beloved Sarah. Venerable and 
 lovely man ! Was there ever a better exem- 
 plification of the true gentleman ? Well did 
 the patriarch know what was due from man to 
 his fellow-man. 
 
 We see the same thing in the bold, uncom- 
 promising apostle to the Gentiles. Though 
 firm as a rock where truth and duty were con- 
 cerned, it would be easy to note instances in 
 which his courtesy was strikingly apparent. 
 
COURTESY. 199 
 
 Bead his defence before Felix. Study his ad- 
 dress in the presence of Agrippa ; mark his 
 reply to the interruptions of Festus; or see 
 him in his epistle to Philemon, or in his salu- 
 tations at the close of his epistle to the Ro- 
 mans. Everything proves that in his zeal for 
 more vital points, he was not inattentive to the 
 graces and proprieties of social intercourse. 
 The man of God did not absorb the man of 
 humanity. 
 
 But a greater than patriarch and apostle is 
 here. To those of you who have not thought 
 of the matter in this light, it may seem almost 
 strange to be told, that there was never so per- 
 fect an illustration of genuine courtesy as that 
 given by the blessed Saviour. "Were I to fur- 
 nish all the instances in which this virtue ap- 
 pears, I must transcribe his life. What a ray 
 of softness an d beauty did his unparalleled con- 
 descension shed over all his conduct! Notice 
 him as he takes a towel, girds himself, and 
 washes the disciples' feet ; saying, " Ye call me 
 Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am." 
 Draw near and mark how kindly he restores 
 the young man just raised to life, to his wid- 
 
200 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 owed mother. Hear him cry out, in the kind- 
 ness of his heart, "Come unto me, all ye that 
 labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you 
 rest. 77 
 
 Was there ever such courtesy as this ? No 
 matter how poor and wretched were the appli- 
 cants for his favors ; no matter if the children 
 of affliction besieged his retreat, and broke in 
 upon those hours which he needed for food 
 and rest ; no matter if publicans and women 
 that had been sinners thronged around him, 
 the blessed Saviour had a kind look and an 
 encouraging word for them all. Wearied and 
 toil-worn as he often was, he was still ready 
 to hearken to the sighing of the prisoner, and 
 to raise the suppliant from the dust. 
 
 Such is true courtesy. And can we over- 
 estimate its value to the world ? 
 
 I have already told you that you must not 
 exalt condescension and civility to an equality 
 with the more essential characteristics of truth 
 and integrity. Much less must you for one 
 moment suffer any such embellishment of the 
 outer-man, to take the place of genuine, heart- 
 felt piety towards God. Yet while this is ad- 
 
COURTESY. 201 
 
 mitted, be careful not to conclude that you can 
 be cold, and distant, and overbearing, with im- 
 punity. This would not only greatly lessen 
 your influence over friends, and neighbors, 
 and dependents, but would be sure to produce 
 bad effects on your own minds. 
 
 You have already seen enough of the world 
 to know that many good and trustworthy men 
 fail sadly at this very point. No one doubts 
 the sincerity of their religious profession. No 
 one feels a want of confidence in the upright- 
 ness of their dealings. But having said this, 
 there is nothing more that we can say. There 
 is such a want of kindness in their temper, and 
 conciliation in their deportment, that the good 
 which they really have, is in danger of being 
 evil spoken of. Such characters may be likened 
 to a diamond in its rough, unwrought state. It 
 has value even then, but you must give it pol- 
 ish before its intrinsic lustre can fully appear. 
 Eobert Hall once said of a pious friend, "he 
 cannot know how offensive such conduct is, or 
 as a religious man he would endeavor to cor- 
 rect it." This is the grand defect of mul- 
 titudes. 
 
202 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 No man, whatever his standing in more 
 essential things, can afford to dispense with a 
 courteous behavior. Take away what was 
 manifest of this virtue from Moses and Daniel 
 of the Old Testament Paul and John of the 
 New Washington and Wilberforce in the 
 world, and Leighton and Legh Eichmond in 
 the church, and what a serious inroad do you 
 make upon their reputation? They might 
 perhaps have been good men and true at 
 heart, without any such embellishment. But 
 think of any of them as stiff or sour or super- 
 cilious, and you detract amazingly from their 
 worth, and from the power of being useful 
 which they possessed. 
 
 I am confident, my young friends, there is 
 more importance, to be attached to these re- 
 marks than is commonly supposed. It is not 
 every one that looks below the surface of 
 things. Demetrius might have had a good re- 
 port of all men, for the lesser virtues that clus- 
 tered around his name, though his attachment 
 to the truth, for the truth's sake, could be 
 appreciated by comparatively a very few. 
 Nor is the fact that a man makes no pre- 
 
COURTESY. 203 
 
 tensions to piety any excuse for his not being 
 amiable, or kind, or complaisant. We may 
 wish, that he was not only almost but alto- 
 gether a sincere Christian, and yet his failing 
 to be such is no good reason why he should 
 treat his friends and neighbors with disregard. 
 Courtesy is useful even when it has no founda- 
 tion in the fear and love of God. This it is 
 that renders a superior amiable, an equal agree- 
 able, or an inferior acceptable. It encourages 
 the timid, soothes the turbulent, softens the 
 fierce, and distinguishes a society of civilized 
 men from a horde of barbarians. If we could 
 look into the secret troubles of life, we should 
 find that no small part of them have their ori- 
 gin in frowns and expressions of contempt. 
 
 Let me not be misunderstood. Kindness 
 and courtesy, as they exist in a human bosom, 
 are not an exhaustless spring, but a limited 
 reservoir, which must be replenished from the 
 fountain of Divine grace, or it will frequently 
 dry up. No sufficient motive for the steady 
 and uninterrupted love of others, apart from 
 the principles of the gospel, can be found, 
 either in ourselves or in them. The poet may 
 
204 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 beautifully compare cordial benevolence to the 
 ripples of a lake stirred by the falling pebble, 
 which is sure to form circles widening and 
 spreading, till they reach the farthest shore ; 
 but the question is, what is to ensure the con- 
 tinuance of this healthful motion ? In the cold 
 world where friends die, and age saddens the 
 spirit, and disappointment benumbs the sensi- 
 bilities, it is difficult to originate the motion 
 of the surrounding waters. We must love men 
 for Christ's sake, or we shall be in danger of 
 not loving them permanently and effectively. 
 
 The exercise of a spirit of courtesy is use- 
 ful, even though it never rise to the dignity 
 of a Christian grace. Kind words, and pleas- 
 ant looks, and a condescending demeanor cost 
 but little, and yet no one can estimate their 
 happy effect upon all the relations and condi- 
 tions of life. A charm is thus thrown around 
 the intercourse of the fireside, the shop, the 
 exchange and the senate-chamber. This is a 
 cheap way of securing respect, and augment- 
 ing the circle of one's usefulness. Let a person 
 be himself rightly disposed, and it can be no 
 hard task for him to give a nod of friendly 
 
COURTESY. 205 
 
 recognition to the humblest individual that he 
 meets along the street. The outlay here is 
 very small in proportion to the largeness of 
 the return. 
 
 Such a course is sure to advance the comfort 
 of those around you. It is cheering often to 
 see how an approving smile, or a word of con- 
 dolence, goes to the heart of men oppressed by 
 poverty and borne down to the earth by sor- 
 row. Shall such balm be withheld? Did 
 those in the higher walks of life realize how 
 much of light and peace they may thus dis- 
 pense, we should see them courteous out of 
 pure charity. On every side are to be found 
 those whose lot in life is far from being easy. 
 Incessant toil, homely fare, and little or no 
 prospect of ever rising to a condition of com- 
 petency, are a load upon their spirits, which 
 they have hardly strength to bear. Shall 
 those in better circumstances never speak to 
 them in accents of kindness ? This would be 
 cruel indeed. 
 
 Let any one envelop himself in an atmos- 
 phere of courtesy, and he will in this very way 
 increase his usefulness ten-fold. It is not so 
 
206 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 much the labor he performs as the temper he 
 exhibits, not so much the money he gives as 
 the condescension he shows, not so much the 
 words he uses as the tones he employs, that 
 wins for him the honorable title of the poor 
 man's friend. 
 
 And as this course does good to others, so 
 it is sure to benefit oneself. No one cherishes 
 a spirit of true courtesy and is careful to act it 
 out, without finding it tributary to his own en- 
 joyment. It did Abraham as much good per- 
 haps as it did his guests to prepare them a 
 repast, and then stand by to see them eat 
 under the shade of the tree. Some feeble old 
 man receives pleasure, when youth and talent 
 and wealth rise up to give him place, but the 
 pleasure is always reciprocal. If a child be 
 comforted by words of kindness, the person 
 uttering those words is scarcely less so. What 
 is thus sent out in the form of condescension 
 is sure to come back in the form of augmented 
 peace and self-respect. But, on the contrary, 
 be supercilious and overbearing, and you as 
 surely plant thorns in your own pillow, as 
 you diminish the comfort of others. Such a 
 
COURTESY. 207 
 
 man is always and of necessity an unhappy 
 man. 
 
 It is said of the father of the late Mary Lyon, 
 Principal of the Mount Holyoke Seminary, 
 that he was never known to speak an unkind 
 word. No wonder that we find it added ; " he 
 was greatly beloved by all his acquaintances, 
 and was frequently sent for to visit the afflicted 
 and sorrowful." Such an one is fitted to move 
 about as an angel of mercy, among the abodes 
 of sickness and the hovels of poverty. 
 
 In view of such considerations, will you not 
 resolve at this early day to be courteous ? 
 
 There are two ways for you to pass through 
 the world. You may treat everybody kindly, 
 high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, 
 and feel that all are brethren of one common 
 household, though some of them are rough 
 and uncultivated and care-worn ; or you may 
 shut up your sympathies in your own bosoms, 
 and live as if you felt no concern in the wel- 
 fare of two thirds of the race. But what, as it 
 respects comfort and usefulness and a good 
 name, will be the difference between these op- 
 posite courses ? The first will fill your bosoms 
 
208 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 with peace and surround you with tokens of 
 regard, while the latter will render you as 
 wretched as you really, though it may be un- 
 wittingly, render others. 
 
 To a young man just commencing his ca- 
 reer, a kind and courteous disposition is worth 
 more than rubies. Some of you will be me- 
 chanics, coming-into business contact with those 
 who have ships to build and mansions to erect. 
 Some of you will be merchants, seeing hun- 
 dreds of faces in a day, and among them peo- 
 ple of all tempers and constitutions. Some of 
 you will be lawyers, physicians, and ministers, 
 having to do with every grade and walk of 
 life. A uniformly kind and conciliating de- 
 portment will open a path before you. It will 
 win confidence and success. The opposite will 
 leave you alone and in penury. 
 
 This matter may not appear to you now pre- 
 cisely as it will, when more years have passed 
 over your heads. But if the experience of 
 those who have lived longer and seen more of 
 the world, is of any value, they can give you 
 testimony which you should highly prize. 
 There is no need of being false-hearted, or of 
 
COURTESY. 209 
 
 expressing sympathy which you do not really 
 feel. All j^ou have to do is to act upon the 
 large Bible-principles of good- will to all men, 
 and you will be courteous sincerely and of 
 choice. To this you are bound by considera- 
 tions, which you cannot disregard without 
 wronging yourselves. 
 
 There is an incident recorded of Zachariah 
 Fox, one of the princely merchants of Liver- 
 pool, which you would do well to lay up in 
 your memory. A friend asked the venerable 
 man one day, by what means he had come to 
 realize so ample a fortune? His simple and 
 sententious reply was, " By one article alone, 
 in which thou too mayest deal if thou choosest 
 civility." Forget not the advice, and while \ 
 you remember the word, be sure to practise 
 the thing. The young man of uniform civility 
 will be almost sure to outstrip his fellows in 
 the great race of life. 
 
 Begin right in this respect. Let the child 
 in his father's house be uniformly kind and 
 pleasant. Let the boy at school be considerate 
 of the rights and feelings of his companions. 
 Let the apprentice, the clerk and the student 
 14 
 
210 THE SPRING-TiME OF LIFE. 
 
 learn to treat everybody with civility. Let 
 the man just commencing business, have a 
 pleasant look and word for all; and while 
 they thus diffuse happiness on every side, they 
 will be sure to augment their own enjoyment. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SELF-CONTROL. 
 
 FEW things are more necessary to the com- 
 fort and success of a young man, than the 
 proper government of his own temper. You 
 can take no part whatever in the concerns of 
 the world, without meeting with much to ruffle 
 your feelings and put your disposition to a se- 
 vere test. But let your trials of this sort be 
 what they will, it may be laid down as a 
 maxim that nothing can seriously injure you, 
 if you retain the mastery over yourselves. 
 Other spots may be covered with clouds and 
 shaken with tempests, but that on which the 
 self-controlled man stands will be visited with 
 sunshine. 
 
 Solomon places the control of one's self 
 above the exploits of the bravest and most 
 successful heroes. And the statement is not 
 
212 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 extravagant. There is a moral beauty and 
 magnanimity in being calm in the midst of 
 tumult, and patient under provocation, which 
 can scarcely be found in any other circum- 
 stances. "He that is slow to anger is better 
 than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit 
 than he that taketh a city." Vastly more 
 credit is due to the man who can check the 
 risings of vindictive passion, and preserve at 
 all times the balance of his own mind, than to 
 the most renowned general that ever led an 
 army to battle and to victory. Walls may be 
 scaled and flags unfurled in conquered cities, 
 by men of very little real worth of character ; 
 but he that is able to govern himself is fairly 
 entitled to bear away the palm from every 
 other competitor. 
 
 My young friends, you cannot but wish to 
 make such honor your own; and the prize, 
 let me tell you, is not beyond your reach. 
 Short as your life has been, you have already 
 seen enough and felt enough of the evils of an 
 excited temper to lead you to weigh with 
 candor what I have to say on the nature and 
 advantages of a proper self-control. This is 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 213 
 
 one of the lessons which you should begin 
 early, and which you will need to be learning 
 all your days. 
 
 As to the JSTATUKE of self-control, it should 
 be noted that the very term implies difficulty, 
 struggle, conquest. It is the high-spirited 
 horse whose mouth must be held in with bit 
 and bridle. It is the lively, dashing stream 
 that needs to be confined by strong embank- 
 ments. Were there nothing turbulent and 
 impetuous and unruly in man's temper, it 
 would cost no effort to govern himself. 
 
 There is nothing sinful in indignant feeling, 
 when awakened by an adequate cause, or kept 
 within suitable bounds. The very caution of 
 the Bible, to be slow to anger, implies beyond 
 a doubt that occasions sometimes arise when 
 anger may not only be properly felt, but prop- 
 erly exhibited. There is an indignation which 
 is not in all cases wrong. Anger may, for 
 valid and sufficient causes, kindle in the bosom 
 of a wise man ; but it " rests," or takes up its 
 abode, only in the bosom of a fool. Like fire, 
 it is a good servant though a bad master ; val- 
 
214 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 uable if kept on the hearth, but destructive if 
 it reaches the roof. 
 
 What we need especially is to guard against 
 sudden and undue excitement. It is a great 
 matter to be always so calm and self-collected, 
 that we can look at things as they are, and, if 
 we must be angry, still strive to regulate our 
 anger. This is a difficult task, requiring a 
 stronger and steadier hand than most men 
 possess. Now and then we do indeed meet 
 with an individual of so much native sweet- 
 ness and amiability of temper, that self-gov- 
 ernment, in his case, seems to be an easy 
 work. Generally, however, patience under 
 provocation is the result of frequent, prayer- 
 ful, and persevering exertion. To reach so 
 happy an eminence costs many a painful and 
 self-denying struggle. 
 
 One of the most obvious effects of the origi- 
 nal apostasy, was to subvert man's government 
 of himself. He then not only broke those 
 bands in sunder, which bound him to his 
 Maker, but he deranged and unhinged all the 
 laws of his own moral constitution. Prom 
 that moment passion got the ascendency over 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 215 
 
 reason, and his bosom became the abode of 
 excited and misguided temper. So disloyal 
 did man's feelings become to his better judg- 
 ment, that he needs to be restored to himself, 
 almost as much as he needs to be restored to 
 his Maker. Indeed the one recovery is in 
 some degree always connected with the other, 
 and is a proof of its genuineness. 
 
 The injunction of inspired truth is, "Be 
 swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.' 7 
 Anger provokes anger. One hard word calls 
 out another, just as fire kindles fire, until what 
 was at first a bare spark, apparently not worth 
 regarding, bursts out into an uncontrollable 
 flame. Once it might have been extinguished 
 by a single glass of water or by the slightest 
 tread of the foot ; but now it rages on, rioting 
 in its own power, and hedges, barns and 
 houses are swept away in its devastating 
 course. 
 
 We should also fix it deeply in our minds, 
 that there is something really noble in Christian 
 self-control. It is not every one that has strength 
 enough of good principle to rise above the cus- 
 toms of an ungodly world, and bear reproaches 
 
216 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 with serene and uncomplaining dignity. Earely 
 can we find such an illustration of real, genu- 
 ine magnanimity. "We have seen it some- 
 where strikingly said, that it is easier to act 
 the part of a martyr, than to gain the victory 
 over a bad temper. This is strong language, 
 but perhaps no stronger than truth will justify. 
 To be calm in the midst of tumult, to keep 
 cool when suffering provocation, and to re- 
 press anger rather than give it vent, is a surer 
 evidence of sound religious principle than to 
 mount the scaffold or embrace the stake. 
 
 There is nothing weak or mean-spirited in 
 pursuing such a course as this. What an ex- 
 ample of wise, virtuous and elevated self- 
 government is given us in the conduct of the 
 brave and disinterested Nehemiah. There 
 were many things to irritate and annoy that 
 good man ; and indeed he tells us that he was 
 " very angry." But his anger betrayed him 
 into no foolish expressions, and never lessened 
 his respect for himself. The real dignity of 
 his character he preserved, and forgot not 
 what was due to the standing of the Governor 
 of Israel. 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 217 
 
 The self-possessed man may be expected 
 to think before he speaks, and deliberate be- 
 fore he acts. Anger has been called a short 
 madness, and justly is it so called, because, for 
 the time-being, it dethrones reason and leaves 
 the bosom a prey to every ungovernable feel- 
 ing. Most sins are weak at first, and come to 
 maturity by degrees. But anger is born in 
 full strength, and hurries the individual on to 
 the perpetration of irretrievable mischief, with- 
 out thought, reflection or prayer. Ere he is 
 aware, he has taken a step, which, one hour 
 after, he would not have taken for .the world. 
 The fatal word has been uttered, and cannot 
 be recalled the injury has been done, and 
 cannot be repaired. " The beginning of strife 
 is as when one letteth out water," and hence 
 we are exhorted to " leave off contention be- 
 fore it be meddled with." Our comfort and 
 our safety, under God, consist in being always 
 master of ourselves. 
 
 We must learn to put the best possible con- 
 sanction upon the doubtful conduct of others. 
 "We are not to regard every man as an enemy 
 who does not meet us with a smile, or to jostle 
 
218 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 him off the walk because he chooses a particu- 
 lar side. The very fact that we are forever 
 suspecting evil, will go far to create the evil 
 which we thus allow ourselves to suspect. 
 How much better is it to think all is right, 
 and go calmly and fearlessly forward. 
 
 Nothing is more common than to mistake, 
 when we attempt to judge of the motives of 
 men. What we are so ready to consider and 
 resent as so many indications of malice, may 
 be the result of mere inadvertence, and of the 
 very same inadvertence with which we our- 
 selves are every day chargeable. The direst 
 catastrophes have often grown out of language 
 which was not intended to convey the least 
 harm. While the world continues as it now 
 is, we shall find it impossible to get on with- 
 out having our feelings sometimes chafed and 
 our temper tried. But what is to be gained 
 by being suspicious and asking for explana- 
 tions? When the two goats, in Luther's 
 fable, met on a narrow bridge, they escaped 
 the event of mutual ruin by one's lying down 
 that the other might walk over him. 
 
 Seasons of angry excitement are seasons of 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 210 
 
 delusion, in which our opinions are generally 
 erroneous, and our decisions extravagant. 
 "We are tempted then to palliate the commo- 
 tion which our own bad feelings have excited. 
 But this is not the time to speak or act. What 
 we need, is to wait until the dust settles and 
 the mists disappear, that we may the better 
 see where the path of true comfort and dignity 
 lies. Kindness shown us is often like lines 
 drawn in the sand, which the next wave is 
 sure to obliterate; while anything in the 
 shape of an injury, real or imaginary, leaves 
 a mark which seems never to wear out. 
 
 As for stopping at every corner to take care 
 of our character, it is all a mistake. " A lying 
 tongue is but for a moment," and if we treat 
 unfounded reports with neglect, other people 
 will commonly do so too. The best way to 
 build up a fair reputation, is to be sure to act 
 right, and leave our reputation with Grod. 
 Slander may generally be lived down, but it 
 can seldom, if ever, be talked down. 
 
 But what are the ADVANTAGES which will 
 be likely to result from this kind of self-con- 
 
220 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 trol? These are many. Let me enumerate 
 a few of them. 
 
 The person receiving injury is sure to be 
 benefited by exercising this self-control. In- 
 stead of losing by being slow to anger and 
 ruling his spirit, he gains by it gains in rep- 
 utation, in influence, and in peace of mind. 
 This will lift him above the little broils of the 
 world, as the summit of the mountain is lifted 
 above the surrounding clouds. It is impossi- 
 ble for any one to be really and permanently 
 harmed, no matter what insults are heaped 
 upon him, or through what provocations he 
 may be called to pass, if he can be calm and 
 quiet himself. Uneasy men can give us but 
 little disturbance, so long as their uneasiness 
 is not imparted to our feelings. Thorns in 
 the hedge we can generally avoid, but thorns 
 in the flesh are perpetually irritating and an- 
 noying us. 
 
 What injury can all the malice of an un- 
 governed tongue do to a self-poised, self-col- 
 lected man? At most, it is like a mouth full 
 of smoke, blown upon a diamond, which, 
 though it may obscure its brightness for a 
 
StfLF-CONTROL. 221 
 
 moment, is easily rubbed off, and then the 
 gem is restored to more than its former lustre. 
 But so soon as we begin to give way to ex- 
 citement, and repay angry looks and harsh 
 words in the same coin, we let ourselves down 
 to the level of any one who may choose to 
 molest us. Nobody can degrade our character 
 as we degrade it ourselves, whenever we in- 
 dulge an uncontrolled temper. 
 
 The actual pain and mortification arising 
 from such a state of mind, are among the chief 
 of its evils. Give me a hard bed and a scanty 
 table give me sickness and bereavement 
 give me almost anything in the long catalogue 
 of human ills, rather than make me the victim 
 of a bad temper. A petulant, ill-natured man, 
 really knows not what it is to be happy. Every 
 cup which he puts to his lips seems mingled 
 with wormwood, and every path in which he 
 walks is planted thick with briers. Often is 
 his heart broken by that which ought not to 
 break his sleep. How different is such a per- 
 son, as it respects comfort and reputation, from 
 him who has learned the great lesson of bri- 
 dling his temper and his tongue ! There he is, 
 
222 THE SPRING-TIME tWF LIFE. 
 
 as a noble ship riding safely at anchor in a 
 furious storm; the timbers may ereak } and the 
 rigging tremble, under the dreadful force of 
 the tempest, but nothing breaks her from her 
 moorings. 
 
 It is the glory of a wise man to pass over a 
 transgression. A celebrated emperor was 
 heard to say, on his dying bed, " Among all 
 my conquests, there is but one which affords 
 me any consolation now, and that is the con- 
 quest I have gained over my worst enemy, 
 my own turbulent temper." This is a victory 
 worth celebrating. Alexander and Caesar 
 found it easier to subdue a world than to sub- 
 due themselves. After conquering nation 
 after nation, they fell one of them the victim 
 of beastly intemperance, the other of mad 
 ambition. 
 
 To keep one's self cool and quiet is also the 
 surest method of benefiting the offender. Re- 
 member, it is the soft answer which has power 
 to turn away wrath. Coals must not have air 
 introduced to them, if we would see them go 
 out, and passion must not be met by passion, 
 if we would have it subdued. The idea of 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 223 
 
 bringing a man who has done me an injury 
 to a right state of mind, by inflicting as large 
 or a larger injury upon him, is preposterous 
 to the very last degree. This argues a child- 
 ish ignorance of the great principles of human 
 nature. So soon as we demand satisfaction, 
 we put our adversary into a posture of de- 
 fence, and he is led, almost necessarily, to 
 think not of retracing his steps, but of repel- 
 ling our attack. Eevenge never yet conquered 
 a foe, so as to make a friend of him ; but for- 
 giveness has its thousands. The Bible plan 
 is, " If thine enemy hunger, feed him, or if he 
 thirst, give him drink, for in so doing thou 
 shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." 
 
 With this accord all observation and all ex- 
 perience. Even Saul himself, the envious, 
 cruel, vindictive Saul, was on more occasions 
 than one, entirely overcome by the disin- 
 terested and generous conduct of David. His 
 heart could not but relent, as he listened to 
 the deeply -injured man, who cried out, " God 
 forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand 
 against the Lord's anointed." No wonder 
 that the monarch was disarmed of his fury, 
 
224 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 and compelled to exclaim, "Thou art more 
 righteous than I." Mark, too, how Jacob 
 found access to all the better feelings of Esau's 
 bosom, by a meek and conciliating deport- 
 ment. Had that high-mettled man been met 
 with looks of defiance and words of menace, 
 we should never have heard of his running to 
 his brother and falling on his neck and kissing 
 him. Yielding, in this instance, pacified a 
 great offence, and wrath was conquered by 
 kindness. 
 
 One thing is to be observed; the person 
 doing wrong is usually much more loth to 
 yield, than the person suffering wrong. If 
 ever called to reconcile two men at variance, 
 you will find it much easier to deal with the 
 one who has been injured than with the one 
 who has inflicted the injury. The difficulty 
 of reconciliation is generally very much in 
 proportion to the amount of guilt. This may 
 seem strange, but nothing is more indisputa- 
 ble as matter of fact. It was he that did his 
 neighbor wrong, who complained of Moses as 
 usurping the authority of a prince and a judge. 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 225 
 
 A sense of being in error often renders a man 
 impatient of reproof. 
 
 The exhibition of a well-regulated temper 
 likewise exerts a good influence on all around. 
 When a man controls himself, he gains two 
 conquests, one over his own heart and an- 
 other over his opposer, and this will ensure 
 him the respect and confidence of society at 
 large. No possible way of acquiring the good- 
 will of the community is so certain, so safe, 
 and so honorable. He that has no rule over 
 his own spirit is like a city which is broken 
 down and without walls, while the ornament 
 of a meek and quiet spirit is of great price in 
 the sight both of God and man. The empty, 
 blustering bravado may acquire a short-lived 
 popularity, among others as degraded and 
 worthless as himself. But no one can help 
 feeling a sincere regard for that high-born 
 courage which prefers suffering to sinning, 
 and would sooner be posted as a coward than 
 be guilty of a wrong act. 
 
 Such a man is a great public blessing. No 
 possession that can be named is so efficient for * 
 
 good as power over ourselves power to en- 
 15 
 
226 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 dure trial, bear reproach, and confront danger 
 power to follow the convictions of con- 
 science in the midst of tannt and scorn the 
 power of calm self-command, when made the 
 mark of envy and detraction. This is real 
 nobility: a name inscribed in the very best 
 book of heraldry. 
 
 It is impossible to awaken the sympathy of 
 wise and good men, by vehement gestures and 
 boisterous language. If our cause be a just 
 and right one, it needs not the defence of an 
 excited temper ; and if it be bad, to defend it 
 with a bad spirit is only to make it tenfold 
 worse. This is the common opinion, and it is 
 not entertained without reason. Let a dispute 
 arise whenever and wherever it may, we natu- 
 rally, and, I might almost say, instinctively, 
 take the side of the man who is most calm and 
 self-controlled. It is neither the last word 
 nor the loudest word that convinces us. 
 
 Such a man carries a pleasant atmosphere 
 
 with him wherever he goes. As we gaze 
 
 upon his placid and composed countenance, 
 
 ' and see how unmoved he stands in the midst 
 
 of the jarring elements around him, we can 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 227 
 
 hardly help wishing for the privilege of bind- 
 ing another laurel on his brow. Such victo- 
 ries as he achieves make no wives widows, no 
 children orphans. They bring down no gray 
 hairs of fathers or mothers with sorrow to the 
 grave. No one is called into the field of sin- 
 gle combat, to burnish up his tarnished honor 
 and try either his courage or his cowardice, by 
 a man who can govern himself. 
 
 On the contrary, no small share of the an- 
 noyances of life its daily heart-burnings, its 
 constant irritations spring from an unbridled 
 temper. Why is it that the peace of yonder 
 domestic circle is so often broken ? What has 
 separated those once bosom friends, so that 
 they pass each other without one smile of 
 pleasure or one word of recognition ? Who 
 has been sowing discord here and there, in 
 neighborhoods and villages and churches? 
 Ah ! much of all this has come from the want 
 of a little more meekness, a little more self- 
 control. 
 
 Why should this be so ? From some trials 
 it is impossible to escape, inasmuch as they 
 come directly from the hand of God himself. 
 
228 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Such are often the diseases which flesh is heir 
 to the disappointments in business the be- 
 reavements of Providence, and the approaches 
 of death. These we cannot avoid, take what 
 course we may. But why give ourselves so 
 much gratuitous trouble? Why pour fresh 
 bitterness into the cup of life ? Why add to 
 the catalogue of ills by indulging a bad 
 temper? 
 
 The best government in the world is the 
 government of one's sel Let each individual 
 put on the ornament of a meek and quiet 
 spirit, and families will be happy, and congre- 
 gations happy, and towns happy, and the 
 country happy, and the world happy. It all 
 begins with units. The work of general peace- 
 making must commence in each separate bosom. 
 
 Never excuse yourselves by alleging that 
 your temperament is naturally hasty. This is 
 but a flimsy pretext, which can have no power 
 to repair the injury inflicted by imprudent 
 words and deeds. It will not do to strike a 
 man and then tell him that you are easily ex- 
 cited. Some, no doubt, are quicker and 
 warmer in their feelings than others, but no 
 
SELF-CONTROL. 229 
 
 temper is so irritable as to be beyond the con- 
 trol of reason and religion. The experiment 
 has been made again and again, and with sur- 
 prising success. Hard as it is to conquer this 
 form of human depravity, remember for your 
 encouragement that nothing is impossible with 
 God. By his assisting grace your temper may 
 become as serene as a summer evening. 
 
 Suffer me to give an instance of wonderful 
 self-control, from the life of the great Marshal 
 Turenne. Some young nobleman, conceiving 
 himself affronted by the marshal, adopted the 
 fashionable expedient for adjusting such diffi- 
 culties, and sent him a challenge. This the 
 good man declined, because, as he said, it was 
 contrary to his duty to God, to his country, 
 and to himself. But this only irritated the 
 hot-headed, foolish young man the more, and 
 he resolved, at all hazards, that a duel should 
 be fought. Accordingly, on some public oc- 
 casion, he deliberately approached the marshal 
 and spat in his face. For a moment the old 
 soldier was excited, and before he had time 
 for reflection, he found his hand clenching the 
 hilt of his sword. The cloud, however, im- 
 
230 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 mediately passed away. Pausing, lie meekly 
 replied, " Young man, could I wash your 
 blood from my conscience as easily as I can 
 wipe my face, I should make you pay for this 
 act of temerity with your life." 
 
 Magnanimous man ! His name would have 
 been honorable had he never worn a title. It 
 reminds us of our own beloved "Washington. 
 You know how serenely he lifted up his head, 
 amidst all the storms and agitations of the 
 Ee volution. He was rarely known to be 
 angry in the whole course of his life. 
 
 Go, then, my young friends, and learn this 
 noble lesson everywhere. Learn it of Moses, 
 whose meekness in the midst of provocations 
 constitutes the brightest trait in his character. 
 Learn it of Daniel, who, though surrounded 
 by mistrust and suspicion, maintained a serene 
 and cheerful trust in God. Above all, learn 
 it of Christ, who, when he was reviled, reviled 
 not again, and when he suffered threatened 
 not. Learn it you must, if you would honor 
 God and do good to men, or be happy your- 
 selves. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 
 
 EDUCATION, it has been often and justly said, 
 is to the mind what sculpture is to a block of 
 marble, No illustration could be more intelli- 
 gible and appropriate. The figure, and veins, 
 and colors, lie in the marble, but it requires the 
 skill of the artist to bring them fully and prop- 
 erly out. Equally necessary is culture to de- 
 velope the latent energies of the soul. Neither 
 the marble nor the mind will exhibit the qual- 
 ities which inherently exist in it, if left to lie 
 in its native and un wrought state. 
 
 There are points, however, in which the 
 analogy, beautiful and instructive as it is, 
 ceases to hold good. The marble may be 
 wrought equally well at all seasons, but there 
 is only one favorable season for the improve- 
 ment of the mind. This is the work of youth, 
 
232 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 and not of gray hairs. If men are ever to be- 
 come distinguished in any branch of science, 
 or any useful and honorable calling, the foun- 
 dation must generally be laid in early life. 
 The exceptions are so few as to weigh nothing 
 against an established rule. It is in the morn- 
 ing of one's days that the mind is expansive, 
 the heart impressible, the memory retentive, 
 and that habits of application are easily formed. 
 This is the golden period, when the seeds of fu- 
 ture eminence must be sowed. A life, the bright 
 and cheerful part of which is spent in idleness 
 and folly, is almost sure to end in ignorance 
 and misery. 
 
 My theme is, the cultivation of the mind, 
 and I have no fear of overstating its impor- 
 tance. It relates to the enlargement of the 
 scope of thought, memory and reflection, or in 
 other words, to the investing of man with his 
 own appropriate dignity and worth. We call 
 the process by which it is done, education, but 
 by this, we mean not so much the giving of 
 lessons as the learning of them not the pour- 
 ing in but the drawing out. Instruction is 
 often useful and in some cases perhaps indis- 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 233 
 
 pensable. But the highest idea of education 
 is to teach a youth to put forth his own ener- 
 gies and develope his inherent capabilities. 
 
 Two points claim attention the ADVANTA- 
 GES of knowledge and the MEANS of acquiring 
 it. 
 
 Among these advantages may be reckoned 
 the enjoyment it affords. You have heard again 
 and again, that the hill of science is steep and 
 rugged, so that no one ever reaches the sum- 
 mit without toil. This is true, but it should 
 not be a discouragement. Man, we are all 
 aware, is so constituted as to find his present 
 happiness in the exercise of those powers with 
 which God has endowed him. Drones, physi- 
 cal or mental, know not what real pleasure is. 
 It is only by labor, labor of the mind, or labor 
 of the hands, or both united, that we can attain 
 to the dignity of which we are capable. We 
 must exert ourselves or lead a low, dreary, un- 
 happy life. 
 
 Be not disheartened because the Temple to 
 which you aspire, stands on an eminence and 
 can be reached only by effort. The very 
 struggle to get there will prove its own reward. 
 
234 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Think what pure enjoyment must arise from 
 so cultivating the mind, that it shall be able 
 to know something of itself, of the laws of the 
 universe, and especially of God and Jesus 
 Christ whom he has sent. This will be a rich 
 recompense for every pain endured, and every 
 trial borne. The happiness enjoyed by an in- 
 telligent American citizen, acquainted with 
 himself, his country, the world, and the Saviour, 
 must be immeasurably superior to that of the 
 drowsy Hottentot or the narrow-minded sav- 
 age. 
 
 There is no earthly gratification like that to 
 be derived from mental improvement. To be 
 perpetually out in the world, employed in 
 agricultural, mechanical, or mercantile pursuits, 
 is impossible ; and were it possible, it would 
 be undesirable. Man has something to do on 
 earth besides to eat and drink, and marry, and 
 build a house, and die. Life has seasons when 
 the business of the field, the shop, and the 
 counter is interrupted seasons of relaxation, 
 of sickness, and of old age. At such times, 
 how dreary existence must prove if the mind 
 lias been neglected. But let a man have a 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 235 
 
 disposition for study and improvement, with 
 valuable books and stores of knowledge, and 
 time will scarcely ever hang heavy on his 
 hands. Look around and tell me, who are the 
 young that seem to have most rational enjoy- 
 ment from day to day ? "Who are they that 
 are most wisely laying up in store against the 
 time when health may fail, and friends disap- 
 pear, and riches take wings and fly away. 
 "Who are they that are best qualifying them- 
 selves to meet the exigencies, bear the infirmi- 
 ties, and endure the loneliness of old age. If 
 you would be thoroughly equipped for the un- 
 avoidable scenes and allotments of life, you 
 must have resources within yourselves. 
 
 But, again, a love of knowledge is a security 
 against vicious indulgences. It would, I readily 
 admit, 'be going too far to say, that high men- 
 tal cultivation is never associated with intem- 
 perance and profaneness and dishonesty. The 
 opposite of this has sometimes been found to 
 be the fact. But it is safe to affirm, and the 
 history of young men will bear me out in the 
 affirmation, that a love of study is generally an 
 effectual preservative from low vices. There 
 
236 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 is something in the cultivation and improve- 
 ment of the intellectual faculties, adapted in 
 its very nature to take a person off from the 
 practice of vulgar transgressions. The reason 
 is, he has other and better sources of amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 This is a point which will justify and recom- 
 pense careful inquiry. When did you ever 
 hear of a boy at school, distinguished for dili- 
 gence and success, who gave his teachers trou- 
 ble and disturbed his companions by petty 
 mischief. Are the young men in college who 
 break the laws, and make it necessary for their 
 parents to call them home, generally at the 
 head of their class ? Do we find apprentices 
 and clerks who love books and are fond of 
 mental improvement, losing time by dissipa- 
 tion or extracting money from the owner's 
 chest? That some such cases may occur, is 
 perhaps a fact, but that they are not common, 
 is well known. 
 
 Induce a young man to love books, and you 
 build a wall between him and the theatre, and 
 the dram-shop, or the gaming-table. His va- 
 cant hours are now occupied, and this of itself 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 237 
 
 goes far to secure him from the haunts of open 
 and shameless iniquity. There is provision 
 here for him to gratify his social feelings, and 
 this puts up a bar to the corrupting influ- 
 ences of bad company. It is easy for one that 
 is given to reading and reflection, to spend his 
 evenings comfortably by his own fireside, and 
 in the quiet of his own bed-chamber. What 
 enchantment has wine, or cards, or dancing, 
 or boisterous joy, for a mind like his? You 
 could scarcely make him more fully wretched 
 than by dooming him to waste hour after hour 
 in listening to the songs of the drunkard, or 
 joining in the carousals of the profane, 
 
 Next and only next to religion itself, is the 
 security offered you, my young friends, by the 
 love of knowledge. Learn to expand your 
 minds and cultivate your taste by conversing 
 with the good and great of past generations ; 
 and you will find that those pleasures of sin 
 which are but for a season, are losing their 
 power to ensnare you. Form the habit of 
 employing your moments of leisure in perusing 
 valuable books, and especially the Bible, and I 
 almost dare promise that you will never be 
 
238 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 found drinking with, the drunken, or breaking 
 the Sabbath, with the ungodly. This is forti- 
 fying yourselves internally against external 
 foes. 
 
 Let me name another advantage in the ac- 
 quisition of knowledge. It Jits men for the great 
 duties of life. 
 
 That a cultivated mind gives its possessor 
 immense superiority over the uncultivated, 
 needs no proof. Let me ask why some one 
 individual in a town, village, or neighborhood 
 has such weight of character and influence? 
 Why is he consulted on all important occa- 
 sions, and put forward in every business that 
 requires capacity ? Why is he chosen as the 
 arbiter of so many disputes, the executor of so 
 many wills, the guardian of so many orphan 
 children ? Much of this respect may be paid 
 him for the piety, the probity, and the unsul- 
 lied integrity of his character ; but who does 
 not know that mere goodness, separated from 
 intelligence, never qualifies a man to transact 
 important business ? 
 
 There is no reason why even menial occupa- 
 tions should be dissociated from mental im- 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 239 
 
 provement. The ploughman is worthy of re- 
 spect, but that ploughman might become a 
 man of science, and understand the nature of 
 soils, and learn how to make two blades of 
 grass grow where only one grew before. The 
 individual, who, spade in hand, digs the canal 
 and throws up the embankment for a railroad, 
 ought to be treated with regard ; but that very 
 individual might perhaps fit himself for the 
 higher work of engineering, and thus lay out 
 the road on which he now toils. The person 
 who manages the spindle and weaves the cloth 
 we wear, is to be prized ; but that same person 
 might, it is probable, rise to understand the 
 nature of the machinery he works, and super- 
 intend its erection. This would be adding to 
 the domain of matter, the higher and nobler 
 domain of mind. The hands that stir and the 
 feet that move are thus brought under the con- 
 trol of the more exalted, though at the same 
 time more quiet and feeble eye. Thought and 
 intelligence come in, not to supersede, but to 
 elevate simple physical efforts. 
 
 The two questions asked by one of our most 
 distinguished presidents, were first, is he hon- 
 
240 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 est? and secondly, is lie capable? Never 
 should one of these questions in your case be 
 answered in the affirmative, while the other 
 must be answered in the negative what you 
 have, will not at all compensate for what you 
 have not. Dream not then of being anything 
 more than hewers of wood and drawers of 
 water, without study and improvement. The 
 average of intelligence is advancing on every 
 side, and if you would not be left ignobly be- 
 hind in the hotly contested race, you must rise 
 and quit yourselves like men. 
 
 Let me only add, these advantages of knowl- 
 edge are especially felt in this free land. 
 
 "Whatever the value of mental cultivation in 
 other and less favored countries, it is sure here 
 to command a high price. No blighting shad- 
 ow of either church or state despotism falls 
 upon the face of these broad fields. With us, 
 the Bible is an open book, and thought is un- 
 trammelled, and speech submits to no shackles, 
 and everything holds out incentives to enter- 
 prise and effort. The humblest youth among 
 us, may by the blessing of God, work his way 
 to the most exalted positions. Only exert 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 241 
 
 yourselves, and there is nothing to shut you 
 out from the Pulpit, the Bar, the Legislative 
 Assembly and the Presidential chair. 
 
 How different in this respect from the rest 
 of the world! At this very moment, three 
 fourths of even Christendom itself lie bleeding 
 in the dust, under the iron heel of kingly and 
 priestly despotism. Of what avail is it that 
 here one and there another feels the burden of 
 his condition and sighs for the coming of a 
 day of deliverance. Every movement for free- 
 dom, seems thus far, only to strengthen and 
 tighten the chains which bind the nations, body 
 and soul, to the car of despotic power. But, 
 blessed be God, there is one land, where tyr- 
 anny never has, and we fondly trust, never 
 will be able to set up her throne. Through 
 the length and breadth of these United States, 
 mind is disenthralled, and the wisest and best 
 may hope to gain the prize. 
 
 But it is time to pass from the advantages 
 of knowledge to the MEANS of acquiring it. 
 These are many, and I may specify conversation 
 as one of them. 
 
 It is surprising what an amount of useful in- 
 16 
 
242 THE SPKING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 formation, a person may thus gain, without 
 going a step out of his way. Only be willing 
 to admit that you are not as wise as some oth- 
 ers, and be ever ready to gain knowledge, and 
 you will be astonished at the rapidity of your 
 own acquisitions. Ruth's gleaning among the 
 sheaves of Boaz did not prove more profitable 
 than yours will be, if you are equally faithful. 
 Count, as you would gold, the society of men 
 of large experience, of sound judgment and of 
 close observation, and your minds will be en- 
 riched by the overflowings of theirs. A single 
 hour, thus spent, will often make impressions 
 which will last a lifetime. 
 
 As iron sharpeneth iron, so does a man the 
 countenance of his friend. Here you not only 
 get the information you need, but you get it 
 sent home to the feelings and the heart by the 
 looks, the tone, and the gestures of another. 
 If anything is obscure, you can ask for further 
 illustration if anything is misapprehended, 
 you can have it satisfied. A double benefit is 
 secured in this way ; for instead of impoverish- 
 ing the man on whom you thus draw, you are 
 constantly increasing his resources. By im- 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 243 
 
 parting from his fuller treasures, lie not only 
 blesses you, but lie takes the readiest way the 
 more to enrich himself. 
 
 Nor is it necessary, in order to learn from 
 others, that they should be more intelligent 
 than yourselves. It is very safe to say, that 
 there are subjects, on which the most ignorant 
 men know more than you do, and can com- 
 municate what it would be well for you to se- 
 cure. Sir Walter Scott has somewhere told 
 us, that the most stupid groom that ever took 
 care of his horse, could give him ideas which 
 he highly prized. This remark may seem ex- 
 travagant, but you will find it to be literally 
 true. A very intellectual clergyman once de- 
 clared that he got much valuable information 
 from the crew of a vessel, in which he was 
 often a passenger. It is only necessary for 
 you to keep your eyes and ears open, and you 
 will be learning continually and from every- 
 body. 
 
 Reading too will afford you a valuable op- 
 portunity for mental improvement. Books of 
 biography, history, and science, lie in your 
 way, and for a few shillings you can keep 
 
244 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 yourselves well supplied. There is no good 
 reason, why any young man should be igno- 
 rant of the world within him, or the world 
 around him. Without any very great outlay 
 of either time or money, he can garner up 
 stores of knowledge of incomparably more 
 worth than houses or fields. Let his heart be 
 engaged in it, and he will find that his loose 
 pennies, and his unoccupied hours will fully 
 suffice. It is possible for the most diligent 
 day-laborer, thus to become an intelligent, well- 
 informed man. The niceties of grammar, and 
 language, he may not have at command ; but 
 you cannot spend thirty minutes in his com- 
 pany, without finding that in strong, rugged 
 thought, and sound practical sense, he is thor- 
 oughly educated. 
 
 Never plead want of leisure for the neglect 
 of mental cultivation. What, pray, is time 
 given you for, but that you may enrich your 
 minds with stores of knowledge, and thus rise 
 to the true dignity of rational and immortal 
 beings ? Learn to gather up the fragments of 
 life that nothing be lost. In addition to this, 
 remember that you have one whole day in 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 245 
 
 every seven, to be devoted expressly to the 
 great work of intellectual and spiritual im- 
 provement. Never say, that you lack oppor- 
 tunity for reading and study. With an entire 
 day every week, allotted to this very purpose, 
 and such books at hand as are suitable for peru- 
 sal, there is nothing to hinder you from making 
 great progress in mental development. This 
 will be so emphatically if you make the Bible 
 your chosen volume. A wise and good man 
 has said, that there is more real sublimity, 
 more pure morality, more true history, and 
 more genuine eloquence here than in all other 
 books. Eead the Scriptures if you would ever 
 attain to the dignity of intelligent, divinely 
 illuminated men. 
 
 Much, however, let me add, depends on the 
 manner of reading. To skim over the mere 
 surface of volume after volume, without paus- 
 ing to think and examine, is adapted to weaken 
 rather than strengthen the mind. Genuine 
 mental vigor was never acquired in this way. 
 Take time to understand, to compare, to make 
 observations, and lay up. You had better be 
 half a year in thoroughly mastering the con- 
 
246 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 tents of a good book, than to be a weekly cus- 
 tomer at some library, whose numerous works 
 you turn over, without comprehending or re- 
 membering them. Those are not usually the 
 best things that float on the surface of the 
 ocean. Pearls have to be dived for. They 
 are taken up from the very bottom. 
 
 But, above all, frequent and deep reflection is 
 a happy method of cultivating the mind. 
 
 You must accustom yourselves to ponder ' 
 what you hear and what you see, and your 
 profiting will appear. Without such a habit, 
 though you should become in some sense 
 learned, you can never be really intelligent 
 and capable. Eemember, it is not after all so 
 much what a man knows, as it is his ability to 
 apply that knowledge to practical purposes, 
 that fits him to be useful in the world. To be 
 a mere book-worm or a kind of walking-libra- 
 ry, is not enough. There is such a thing as 
 taking the thoughts, which you gather from 
 friends and from volumes, and making them 
 your own by a sort of mental amalgamation, 
 and happy is the youth who is able to do so. 
 This will enable him to stand on the shoulders 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 247 
 
 of others, while yet he stands there in his own 
 native strength. 
 
 It is easy to see the application of these re- 
 marks to a thousand recurring cases. Here is 
 a student with the annals of the world before 
 him, exhibiting every possible view of human 
 nature, and every conceivable variety of hu- 
 man character; here is a diligent reader of 
 the lives of his fellow-men, affording the most 
 valuable instruction on every point, and re- 
 vealing a Scylla here and a Charybdis there ; 
 here is a skilful mechanic engaged in a work 
 which calls into constant employment the sci- 
 ence of figures and numbers ; here too is an 
 industrious farmer, daily moving about among 
 the most striking illustrations of Divine power 
 and goodness; but they have no habits of re- 
 flection, no spirit of inquiry, no disposition to 
 observe. This reduces their occupation from 
 all that is elevated and soul-ennobling, to a 
 species of mere physical drudgery. These 
 men would be different men, if they could be 
 brought to think and reason. 
 
 None of you are aware, until you make the 
 effort, of what you are really capable. Some 
 
248 THE SPRING-TIME OP LIFE. 
 
 years ago, there lived in England an humble 
 shoemaker, whose heart God had touched with 
 pity for the heathen world. Unaided and 
 alone he commenced the great work of self-im- 
 provement. As he toiled from day to day on 
 his lowly seat, he had books and dictionaries 
 around him, and often in his little garden 
 would he be seen standing motionless for an 
 hour at a time. Ah, who can tell what mighty 
 impulses were beginning to move upon that 
 consecrated mind. Before he left his country 
 for India, he could read the Bible in four dif- 
 ferent languages, and he lived to be a blessing 
 to thousands. Such was Carey the missionary ; 
 and multitudes might go and do likewise. 
 
 These are simple means, open to you all, and 
 yet they are sufficient to secure the great end 
 proposed. Adopt some such suggestions and 
 act upon them steadily and perseveringly, and 
 there is nothing to hinder your daily improve- 
 ment. Amid all the changes and uncertainties 
 of life, you may constantly advance in mental 
 vigor and moral worth. Ignorant, uninformed 
 men you will not be, unless you doom your- 
 selves to such disgrace. Keep your eyes and 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 249 
 
 ears open. Kemember that knowledge is the 
 food of the mind. Be resolved, God helping you, 
 that you will not live in the world as so many 
 negligently do to their own unspeakable loss. 
 
 Let me exhort you then, beloved youth, in 
 understanding be men. 
 
 Knowledge is within your reach. The crown 
 is a tempting one; and pretend not that there 
 is anything in your circumstances to hinder 
 you from winning and wearing it. Spurn the 
 unworthy thought. What if your pursuits are 
 all of the class called industrial ? There is no 
 reason to be found in this fact, why the mind 
 should not all the while become deeper and 
 clearer and fuller, like a river on its way to the 
 ocean. 
 
 Examples of success are before you. Think 
 of the more than one thousand competitors, 
 among the working classes of Scotland, for the 
 three prizes on the great subject of Sabbath sanc- 
 tification. These, like yourselves, were laboring 
 men. Week after week found them at the 
 loom, the mill, and the anvil. Several of those 
 essays have been published, and they have 
 been read too by multitudes in various parts 
 
250 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 of Christendom. For soundness of views, force 
 of language, and conclusiveness of reasoning, 
 I scarcely know any treatises on the subject 
 more worthy of perusal. This shows what 
 can be done by men in the laboring walks of 
 life. But we need not go out of our own coun- 
 try for illustrations of the same fact. It is de- 
 lightful to know that some of the best and 
 most useful members of Congress we have ever 
 had, went to that august assembly from the 
 corn-field, and the shoemaker's shop. Nay I 
 may come nearer home. Some years ago, 
 New Jersey had an able and useful man in the 
 Senate of the United States, who at twenty- 
 one years of age, scarcely knew his letters. 
 The path is open. None need despair. 
 
 But suppose no such bright prospect awaits 
 you. Suppose you should never ride upon 
 the high places of the earth. Suppose you 
 live and die plain, untitled men. Is it nothing 
 for yourselves, nothing for your friends, noth- 
 ing for your country, and nothing for your 
 God, that you should be intelligent? There 
 could not be a grander mistake. Mind is a 
 spark from the great Sun of the universe, and 
 
MENTAL IMPROVEMENT. 251 
 
 should be cherished for its own sake, as well 
 as for its genial influence on others. 
 
 Be emulous then of constant self-improve- 
 ment. Let the Sabbath be always to you a 
 day of study and reflection. Be familiar with 
 the Holy Scriptures. Eead the history of past 
 generations. Acquaint yourselves with the 
 lives of the worthy dead. Seek the companion- 
 ship of wise and good men. Especially walk 
 with God as did Enoch. Lean upon the bosom 
 of the Saviour as did John. Thus will your 
 minds be expanded with the noblest thoughts, 
 and when you pass from the present world, 
 you will enter upon a career of improvement, 
 which shall never end. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 
 
 SAID Hannah More to a female friend, who 
 was watching by her dying bed, "I love you 
 fervently, and it will be pleasant to you twen- 
 ty years hence, to remember that I told you 
 so in my last moments." This was a tender 
 and touching remark. But for aught we can 
 know to the contrary, the venerable woman 
 might have spoken to her sympathizing com- 
 panion, of twenty centuries to come with the 
 same propriety as of twenty years. 
 
 That faculty of the mind which we call 
 memory, and by which the ideas of past ob- 
 jects are so retained as never to lose their 
 impression, is one of the noblest of human 
 endowments. Without the ability of thus 
 keeping what we gain, and using acquisitions 
 already made as helps to further acquisitions, 
 there could scarcely be any such thing as men- 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 2,33 
 
 tal improvement. This is the basis of all edu- 
 cation, the ground-work of all real progress. 
 "What we need is the power of treasuring up 
 facts, reasonings, and conclusions once possess- 
 ed, as a means of further advancement, and a 
 nucleus around which other accumulations 
 shall gather. Were it not for the existence 
 of such a faculty, the effort to gain knowledge 
 would be as fruitless, as pouring water into a 
 sieve. 
 
 It is not pretended that memory has any 
 such power as to be able at will to exhibit all 
 its treasures ready for use. This is not the 
 prerogative of man, or perhaps of any other 
 created being. What we mean is that mental 
 impressions are in themselves so indelible, as 
 to be capable of reproduction, by concurring 
 circumstances, in all their freshness and force. 
 This is the aspect of the matter which I deem 
 of most practical importance. It tells every 
 young man that the whole future must take 
 its complexion from the present, and that his 
 state hereafter will be nothing else than his 
 state now, carried forward uninterruptedly and 
 interminably. 
 
254 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 1. What light is afforded us, on this subject, 
 by the nature of the mind itself? 
 
 By mind I here intend simply that intellec- 
 tual or intelligent power in man, by which he 
 considers, reflects, reasons, and judges. But 
 does not this imply memory, and memory in 
 exercise ? Human life is a chain made up of 
 links, thus curiously fastened together and 
 constituting an indivisible whole. One im- 
 pression runs always into another, and to live 
 forever is but to think forever, and remember 
 forever. This faculty of recollection and asso- 
 ciation seems, so far as we can determine, to 
 be inseparable from rationality and accounta- 
 bility. Everything must be remembered that 
 has had any influence in giving shape to char- 
 acter. Ahab will never forget his interview 
 with the Prophet, in the garden of Naboth. 
 Paul will always retain a vivid recollection of 
 his visit to Damascus. 
 
 Hence it is, that life past, present, and fu- 
 ture, is only so many portions of the same 
 indivisible thing. That great mystery of man, 
 which, for want of a better name, we call con- 
 scious existence, has a beginning and a pro- 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 255 
 
 gress, but it can never have a termination. 
 Started once on its high career, it must keep 
 on unless arrested by the fiat of its Author. 
 The vessel once afloat can never slacken her 
 sail, but must pass out of the river of time into 
 the ocean of eternity. This is the law of one's 
 mental existence. The mind advances from 
 stage to stage, without ever breaking the 
 thread of its being, or losing what it has 
 gained. 
 
 But can we conceive of a perfect identity, in 
 the midst of such changes as these, without 
 memory ? Take from man the power of recol- 
 lecting what is past, and you bring him down 
 from his high estate, and reduce him to a con- 
 dition little above that of the fowls of the air, 
 or the beasts of the field. It is his distinct, 
 peculiar prerogative to possess self-conscious- 
 ness a knowledge of his own feelings the 
 faculty of retrospection. The ox, by a sort of 
 natural instinct, may "know his owner, and 
 the ass his master's crib;" but that kind of 
 recollection, which consists in pondering the 
 scenes of one's earlier days, and renewing to 
 himself the impression of by-gone events, is 
 
256 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 peculiar to man. It belongs solely to him to 
 take cognizance of the beatings of his own 
 heart, the impulses of his own soul, the fore- 
 sh ado wings of his own destiny. Without this, 
 he could not be an intelligent, responsible, 
 moral agent. Without it, he could not be a 
 man. 
 
 It is memory that so connects life here and 
 life hereafter, as to render it really one life. 
 Whatever changes take place, they are merely 
 relative and circumstantial. When the child 
 becomes a man, he is found to have brought 
 his early recollections with him ; when the man 
 puts on gray hairs, he retains the impressions 
 of the years that are past ; and when the same 
 man passes into the world of spirits, he takes 
 with him the remembrance of what occurred 
 on earth. There is no break in his being no 
 sundering it into "fragments. The body may 
 change again and again, as it passes from in- 
 fancy to old age, but still remain the very 
 same body, and so it appears to be with the 
 mind. In every alteration, there is identity 
 of being and perpetual enlargement. One set 
 of impressions conies in to add to the tide of 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 257 
 
 another, until in eternity existence itself be- 
 comes one vast, comprehensive, overpowering 
 memory. 
 
 A temporary oblivion, however entire, proves 
 nothing against the general permanence of men- 
 tal impressions. How often is it the case, that 
 at some unexpected moment, and by means 
 which no one can explain, we recall the images 
 of things for a long time apparently gone from 
 us ? The idea had once existed in the mind, 
 and nothing was requisite but the moving of 
 some invisible chord to bring it fully to life 
 again. Nor does it militate against our theory, 
 that the memory often becomes weakened by 
 sickness or old age. This is very true, but 
 how do we know that it is the mind, in such 
 cases, which fails, or only the organs by means 
 of which the mind "now operates? These in- 
 stances seem to be proof of the failure of the 
 outer, and not of the inner man. 
 
 All that we know of the nature of mind leads 
 us to conclude that, what is once written on it 
 can never be effaced. For a long season to- 
 gether, words and phrases and detached sen- 
 tences may so disappear, as to become nearly 
 17 
 
258 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 or quite illegible. But sooner or later a flood 
 of light will be poured on those faded letters, 
 clear as that which shone on the Jewish breast- 
 plate. 
 
 2. It is important to inquire, how well-ascer- 
 tained facts bear upon the point before us? 
 
 You have already seen that mind could nob 
 be what it is, or act as it does, were not mem- 
 ory one of its essential attributes. Thus much 
 is clear. But the question arises, Is there any- 
 thing in the incidents of real life, which tends 
 to confirm our reasonings in relation to this 
 matter ? And I answer, Yes, there are thou- 
 sands of fully authenticated cases, which go to 
 show that every mental impression, once exist- 
 ing, may be revived again. If loss there be, 
 it is not a perpetual loss. Like a letter written 
 with invisible ink, under favorable circum- 
 stances every sentence may be brought dis- 
 tinctly out. 
 
 Something may be learned on this subject, 
 from the phenomena of sleep. "When you 
 stand by the couch of a friend, at the hour of 
 midnight, it seems to you, at first view, as if 
 his intellect was actually extinct. You see no 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 259 
 
 motion, you hear no speech, you perceive no 
 trace of thought. So far as consciousness of 
 passing events, or intellectual activity is con- 
 cerned, he lies like a clod, or at most, a mere 
 breathing lump of clay. Where is the mind, 
 the reflection, the memory now ? But let that 
 friend be aroused, and all he ever knew is fresh 
 before him, and thought moves on with all its 
 previous power. This seems to solve the prob- 
 lem. So may the sick man, the insane man, 
 the superannuated man, the dead man, awake 
 to a full realization of whatever had gone before. 
 That the mind actually retains what it re- 
 ceives and keeps what it gets, there is abundant 
 reason to believe. It would be easy to occupy 
 hours in citing cases, described by writers on 
 mental and moral science, all favoring this 
 conclusion. Something occurs to quicken rec- 
 ollection, and then scenes and events are 
 called up, which had apparently all faded 
 away. To set the machine in motion, so to 
 speak, it is sufficient often, that there should 
 be an attack of fever, a season of nervous ex- 
 citement, or a feeling of sudden danger. Now 
 it is that all the past comes pouring down upon 
 
260 THE STRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 the present. Under such circumstances, the 
 individual really seems to live more in a single 
 half-hour, than he had in weeks, or even 
 months before. 
 
 As an illustration of this idea, let me refer 
 to the sensations of a drowning man, as de- 
 scribed by himself. From the moment exer- 
 tion ceased, though the senses were all be- 
 numbed, the activity of the mind was excited 
 to a degree which defies the power of language 
 to express. Thought succeeded thought, the 
 review of one event followed that of another 
 with inconceivable rapidity. All the scenes 
 of his past life seemed crowded into a single 
 group, and yet each so stood out in its individ- 
 uality, that he could not help deciding on its 
 character. It was really nothing more nor less 
 than a sort of sitting in judgment on himself. 
 And this whole scene was compressed into the 
 narrow limits of two minutes that being the 
 precise time he was in the water. What a fact 
 have we here ! No wonder we find the person 
 himself asking, Have we not in this occurrence 
 an indication of that almost infinite power of 
 memory, which we shall feel after death ? 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 261 
 
 To me there is a world of instruction in a 
 single reliable account like this. It gives us a 
 whole chapter on the imperishable nature of 
 mental impressions, and helps us to understand 
 something more of the yet unexplained prob- 
 lems of our own existence. Who can tell the 
 effect on the mind of the coming of the last 
 messenger, or the blowing of the final trump ? 
 Is it possible to imagine how vividly all the 
 emotions and events of the present life may 
 reappear, when this corruptible shall have put 
 on incorruption ? 
 
 The case of Dives is exactly in point. Here 
 is a person, who, after wasting life in self-in- 
 dulgence and sumptuous fare, has just reached 
 the eternal world and commenced his existence 
 there. Time with him has become eternity. 
 But mark, there is no break in the continuity 
 of his being, no cessation of thought, no pause 
 in the working of memory. Let his prayer for 
 a drop of water and his anxiety for the five 
 brethren left behind, tell how his mind is em- 
 ployed. Every past transaction now comes up 
 again. The purple and fine linen, the loaded 
 table, and the neglected beggar are all recol- 
 
2G2 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 lected, and each adds bitterness to his cup of 
 woe. 
 
 This involves, if I mistake not, the great 
 principles on which the final judgment is to 
 be conducted. Each in that grand assize, must 
 give account of himself to God, that "every 
 one may receive according to the things he 
 hath done, whether good or bad." How par- 
 ticular and specific! But this, and many simi- 
 lar declarations, can never prove true, unless 
 the mind shall then and there recall all its by- 
 gone feelings and exercises. Memory is no 
 less necessary on the part of man, than is rec- 
 titude on the part of God. In no other way 
 can the reckoning be such, that every individ- 
 ual shall be either acquitted or condemned out 
 of his own mouth. The whole life long will 
 then come up for review. This is the point at 
 which we stop between the past and the future, 
 and from which we shall proceed never to 
 pause again forever. 
 
 Now, my young friends, should not such 
 thoughts as these be often revolved in your 
 minds? That within you which we call life 
 intellectual, immortal life never rises into 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 263 
 
 higher value than when we thus contemplate 
 its separate portions as constituting one whole. 
 It is the same conscious, reflecting being to- 
 day as yesterday, and in another world as in 
 this. There is a process going forward, as it 
 respects yourselves, far more wonderful than 
 that by which multitudes have the features 
 of their face transferred to the polished plate. 
 That merely gives the lineaments of the ex- 
 ternal man, and gives them on a perishable 
 substance ; but in the case before us, the im- 
 pression is upon mind, undying mind, and 
 when once fairly taken can never wear out. 
 
 Will you not stop then, and ask yourselves 
 what kind of pictures you are now sitting for ? 
 Suppose that every sin you commit should pro- 
 duce a visible mark on your forehead, not to 
 be concealed from either friend or foe, and 
 which must always tell of crime and igno- 
 miny. The mark would seem as dreadful as 
 that upon doomed Cain. But are you not 
 aware that a polluted thought harbored, a bad 
 habit formed, a malignant passion indulged, 
 will produce a scar on the soul, which all the 
 ointmentd of the apothecary can never remove? 
 
264 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Once do wrong, and a blot is made which 
 nothing but the blood of Christ can ever wash 
 away. Adhere to you it must in life, in death, 
 and in eternity. Every act is opening a foun- 
 tain, which will send forth its streams of bless- 
 ing or cursing, over the whole field of your 
 existence. 
 
 Listen to a simple tale. " The nails are gone 
 but the marks are there," said a weeping child 
 to a father who had promised to drive a nail 
 into a post for every wrong act his son did, 
 and to pull one out for every right act. At 
 length such was the good conduct of the boy, 
 that the last nail was extracted. But to the 
 surprise of the father, who congratulated him 
 upon the fact, the child cried out with tears, 
 " Yes-'! the nails are gone, but the- marks are 
 there still." Ah, the overwhelming power of 
 memory! Give me pain, give me poverty, 
 give me loss of friends, give me anything in 
 the long catalogue of human ills, sooner than 
 make conscience my tormentor. 
 
 Have you seen some idle boy cutting his 
 name into the bark of a tender tree ? Little 
 does he think, as letter after letter is formed, 
 
MENTAL IMPRESSIONS INDELIBLE. 265 
 
 how they will all live, and grow and stand 
 more distinctly out, as year upon year adds to 
 the size of the tree. Every incision of the 
 knife remains and becomes increasingly legi- 
 ble as time elapses. What an emblem of the 
 power which memory will give to those acts 
 in which thousands of youth now thoughtlessly 
 indulge ! The bad deed once perpetrated, 
 looks worse and worse as weeks and months 
 pass away. Forgotten it will never be. It is 
 certain to reappear and tell its tale of sadness 
 over and over again, in the chamber of disease, 
 on the dying bed, and in the ages of eternity. 
 The evil cannot be got rid of. No human ex- 
 pedient can chase the guilt away. 
 
 "What an argument have we here for living 
 according to the requirements of the gospel ! 
 Cherish those virtuous feelings which come 
 from the Spirit and the cross of Christ, and 
 what remains to you of the present life will be 
 soothed with peace and gilded with hope ; and 
 when you pass into eternity, it will be to be 
 followed with reminiscences, which shall fill 
 all the future with the effulgence of Paradise 
 itself. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 
 
 -N 
 
 WE sometimes see a manly youth. With, 
 no affectation of gravity, no assumption of 
 what belongs to age and experience, and no 
 obtruding of his opinions upon others, there is 
 yet a considerateness, a self-respect, and an 
 independence, highly pleasing in themselves, 
 and giving rich promise of future usefulness 
 and honor. This is what we wish to meet with 
 in early life. 
 
 The topic is worthy of your regard. It car- 
 ries with it the idea that there are services for 
 you to perform, advantages for you to improve, 
 and excellencies for you to gain. To be men, 
 honest and faithful men, true to your Maker, 
 to your own destiny, and to the land in which 
 your lot is cast, is the noblest purpose you 
 can form the highest achievement you can 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 267 
 
 make. This it is important for you to realize 
 at the outset. Life is in all cases and of neces- 
 sity burdened with weighty responsibilities; 
 and, happy is the youth who braces himself to 
 meet and bear them manfully. 
 
 Gladly would I aid you in acquiring such 
 a character. The last words of David the 
 man after God's own heart, the sweet singer 
 of Israel, and the renowned leader of her ar- 
 mies, to Solomon then in the bloom of youth, 
 but soon to be advanced to the throne of his 
 honored father were : " Be strong and show thy- 
 self a man." Such is my exhortation to you. 
 
 But what is it to be MANLY IN YOUTH? 
 
 To reach any such excellence, you must re- 
 member your own high origin. An unrivalled 
 dignity was stamped upon the race at the be- 
 ginning. The Author of all things is repre- 
 sented as pausing in his creative work and 
 saying, with a sort of majestic emphasis, "Let 
 us make man in our image, and after our like- 
 ness." It is useful to trace back our lineage, 
 step by step, until we arrive at the first record, 
 and there we find it written, as in letters of 
 light, " Adam was the son of God." 
 
268 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Man has an imperishable value impressed 
 upon his very being by the hand of God him- 
 self. No other creature ever so called forth 
 the divine regard. Each successive portion 
 of the world was pronounced good, as it rose 
 into existence; but when God had made man 
 a partaker of his own nature, and in a high 
 and peculiar sense for his own glory, he sur- 
 veyed the whole with infinite satisfaction, and 
 declared it to be very good. This completed 
 the work of creation. The Most High had 
 now a vicegerent on earth. The world had a 
 visible head. And even the apostasy, so 
 dreadful in its nature, and drawing after it 
 such tremendous consequences, did not wholly 
 turn away from man all tokens of his Maker's 
 regard. Though ruined, the race was not for- 
 gotten. It was man, out of the whole range 
 of universal being, whose nature Christ as- 
 sumed, for whose redemption he shed his 
 blood on the cross, for whose regeneration he 
 sent the Holy Ghost, and for whose eternal 
 blessedness he has gone to prepare mansions. 
 What a view does this give us of the real dig- 
 nity of man ! 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 269 
 
 Consider how men may, with God's blessing, 
 improve and elevate themselves. No other crea- 
 ture on earth is capable of such advancement. 
 In no other case is the difference so great, as 
 between man blinded by sin, the victim of his 
 own evil passions, and sunk in vice ; and man 
 reclaimed by the Gospel, irradiated by science, 
 and ennobled by virtue. Though most help- 
 less when he comes into the world, and more 
 perverse in his nature than anything else that 
 God has made, he is nevertheless capable of 
 constant progress in everything which consti- 
 tutes mental and moral dignity, until he reach- 
 es an eminence, perhaps, scarcely inferior to 
 that of a seraph. Let the light of truth shine 
 into his mind, and the love of God be shed 
 abroad in his heart, and you can hardly con- 
 ceive what a man may be, and what a man 
 may do. Though still a child of the dust, he 
 is an heir of immortality. Though a resident 
 of earth, his " conversation is in heaven." 
 
 Think for a moment of the contrast between 
 an intelligent Christian man, and a poor votary 
 of sin. Their opportunities, we will suppose, 
 have been the same, their natural capacities 
 
270 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 the same, and they have had the same calls 
 made upon them for effort. You look at one, 
 as he stands up among his fellows, and find 
 his countenance radiant with knowledge, his 
 bosom filled with hope, and his whole aspect 
 and demeanor indicating a dignity, a calmness, 
 and a self-possession, such as he has derived 
 from the society of good men, the study of the 
 Bible, and an habitual trust in God's mercy. 
 But what is the appearance of the other ? His 
 mind has never been expanded by the pros- 
 pects which the Gospel unfolds, nor have his 
 affections been sanctified by communion with 
 the blessed Spirit. There is a littleness, an 
 earthliness, a debasement upon his entire char- 
 acter, which tells you but too truly that he 
 has been walking in the way of his heart, and 
 in the sight of his eyes, and is filled with his 
 own devices. Man is an elevated being when, 
 moved by the grace of God, he " seeks for glo- 
 ry and honor and eternal life." But he is a 
 degraded wretch, when he sinks into ignorance 
 and wallows in crime. 
 
 And this work of elevation is one to which 
 he must put his own hands. Friends may 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 271 
 
 combine to bring him forward in the world, 
 heaven may pour its choicest blessings upon 
 his head, and every facility may be afforded 
 him, on the right hand and on the left, but it 
 is all in vain, unless he be willing to help him- 
 self. He must put forth his own powers, or he 
 will be good for nothing, for either time or 
 eternity. On no other or easier condition can 
 he expect to rise to eminence in his calling, 
 secure the confidence of his fellow-men, or lay 
 up a treasure in heaven. 
 
 We have in this country no hereditary offi- 
 ces, honors, or emoluments ; and perhaps in 
 no part of the world does property change 
 hands so frequently and with such rapidity. 
 Parents ride in their coach to-day, and their 
 children sweep the streets to-morrow. Hence 
 it comes to pass that almost all real men men 
 of force of character men who command re- 
 spect men who do good in the world are self- 
 made men. "We see this everywhere. Visit 
 the capitol of the nation, and gauge the intel- 
 lect, the influence, the genuine worth of sena- 
 tors and representatives; or walk through 
 your own streets and take an inventory of the 
 
272 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 standing of the citizens, and tell me if such is 
 not the fact ! 
 
 Spurn the thought, then, of trying to live 
 upon the respectability of those who have 
 gone before you. This is what a good bishop 
 used to call a "shabby gentility." I pity the 
 young man who has not self-reliance enough 
 to stand erect and say, by the blessing of God 
 I intend to be indebted to no one for a name 
 and a reputation in the world. He must do 
 this or sink into insignificance. 
 
 Turn now to man as society requires him to be, 
 and as he must be to fill his proper place. No 
 one can insulate himself and stand alone. 
 Man came from God ; but he is to live on 
 earth, as the place where he is to pass his pro- 
 bation, the field which he is to cultivate, the 
 theatre on which he is to act. His preparation 
 for the world to come consists very much in 
 properly discharging his duties for this world. 
 He is a social being, and cannot, if he would, 
 either live or die to himself. God has bound 
 each to others as parent, son, friend, and mem- 
 ber of the community; and hence arise rela- 
 tions which every one is under obligations to 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 273 
 
 cherish, and services which he must by no 
 means fail to render. To shut one's self in 
 his own cell, is to live in a dark and useless 
 sphere. 
 
 Neither great talents nor high attainments 
 are necessary. It is possible to be a good citi- 
 zen and a good Christian without any such 
 distinction. There is among us too greedy a 
 scramble for headship, both in church and 
 state ; too eager a desire to " ride upon the 
 high places of the earth." " Everything or 
 nothing," seems to be the motto of the multi- 
 tude. This arises partly from the open door 
 which in our favored land is set before men of 
 every rank and grade, and partly from the 
 amazing stimulus supplied by the very nature 
 of our free institutions. But the struggle is 
 pressed too far. It is idle to suppose that 
 every lawyer in the country can be a Mans- 
 field, every merchant a Thornton, every phi- 
 losopher a Bacon, every mechanic a Whitney, 
 or every divine an Edwards. Nor need they 
 be. It is not eminent men we want so much 
 as good men, men that will "eat their own 
 bread," and discharge noiselessly their duty; 
 18 
 
274 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 men wlio will pay their debts, love their fami- 
 lies, and obey their God. Peaceful, industri- 
 ous, order-loving citizens are the most useful. 
 
 Talent is too much idolized among us, and 
 station too much coveted. You may admire 
 as much as you please the wide and deep river 
 which moves majestically forward towards the 
 ocean, bearing on its bosom the wealth of states 
 and kingdoms, and giving life to commerce, 
 agriculture, and all the useful arts. This sight 
 is a sublime one. But you must not overlook 
 the thousand rivulets from the mountain's side, 
 not only combining their resources to form this 
 noble stream, but marking their own silent 
 progress with a health, a fertility and a beauty, 
 which but for them would never be seen. 
 What if they be so narrow that you can step 
 over them ? What if they be so shallow that 
 you can wade through them? They are no 
 less essential to the prosperity of the country, 
 as you learn by tracing those lines of living 
 green which their course draws over our fields 
 and meadows, than are those rivers that have 
 worn for themselves channels through the 
 everlasting hills. If both are necessary, the 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 275 
 
 smaller ones are not the least so. The brook, 
 in its place, is as useful as the river. 
 
 So we say of man. It is not the great im- 
 porter alone, whose enterprise is emptying into 
 our laps the luxuries of other climes ; or the 
 eloquent orator, who sways the feelings of pop- 
 ular assemblies as with a magic wand ; or the 
 large manufacturer, who forms the elegant fab- 
 rics with which our wives and daughters are 
 adorned ; or the cunning inventor, at whose 
 beck all nature stands obedient, that we are to 
 value. If these men are good and true in 
 other respects, they deserve our regard. But 
 is there no praise of well-doing due to the man 
 who toils on his grounds from the early dawn 
 till the evening shades, or to the humble arti- 
 san who breaks your slumbers by the din of 
 his busy industry, or even to the day -laborer, 
 who patiently works that he may make the 
 home of his wife and his little ones happy? 
 If men lead quiet and peaceable lives, in god- 
 liness and honesty, they merit esteem, irrespec- 
 tive of their rank and fortune. No matter 
 what the exterior, the mind, the heart, the life 
 is the man. 
 
276 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Oar country calls aloud for such men as 
 these. Of restive, talkative, self-commending 
 citizens, who Have nothing to do but to take 
 care of the public welfare, we have enough 
 and more than enough. Of youth who take 
 liberties, and push themselves forward, and 
 have no reverence for age or office, we have 
 enough and more than enough. But we need 
 a great increase of such men as can stay at 
 home, and read the Bible, and train up their 
 children in the fear of God. The land calls 
 for modest, quiet, sober-minded youth, who 
 think it no disparagement to themselves to 
 rise up before the ancient, and treat gray hairs 
 with respect. 
 
 Can we take these views of man, so noble in 
 his origin as coming from the hand of God, and 
 forming the connecting link between heaven 
 and earth ; endued with such capacities for im- 
 provement that he may, with the Divine bless- 
 ing, elevate himself almost to an angel's sphere ; 
 and so associated with others, that he is bound 
 to be good, and do good for their sake as well 
 as his own ; and not be sensible of his real, 
 inherent greatness ? Oh ! to be a man in the 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 277 
 
 proper, distinctive, ennobling sense of the term, 
 is honor enough for any human being. He 
 does not need office, or wealth, or external 
 distinctions. Station and power could be of 
 no real use to him. All these are but appen- 
 dages of his allotment in the world, and are as 
 distinct from the man himself, as he is from 
 the house he lives in, or the coat he wears. 
 
 Now, how may each of you BE SUCH A MAN ? 
 
 In order to gain a prize like this you must 
 be "men in understanding" God has blessed 
 you with intellectual faculties capable of vast 
 improvement. These you are to cultivate with 
 the most assiduous care. Never forget that 
 mind is your very best possession, and that so 
 to train it by study, by observation, and by re- 
 flection, that its various powers may be prop- 
 erly developed, and suitable preparation thus 
 be made for the duties before you, is a point 
 of very great importance. Every young man 
 is wanting to himself as well as wanting to his 
 God who does not act upon the truth of this 
 remark. The more his mental faculties are 
 enlarged provided only that his conscience 
 and his heart be not neglected the better will 
 
278 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 he find himself furnished unto every good 
 work. 
 
 You need internal, independent resources. 
 Men cannot always be engaged in buying and 
 selling and getting gain. There are intervals 
 when they are necessarily thrown back upon 
 themselves, and if happy at all they must be 
 so in the state of their own minds, the work- 
 ing of their own thoughts. Besides, many a 
 man anticipates the day when he will be let 
 loose from the drudgery of business. He hopes 
 to have at least a few quiet years towards the 
 end of his pilgrimage, when it shall be no 
 longer necessary for him to mingle in the bus- 
 tle of the world. But how is he to be fitted 
 for this ? Nobody in the world is generally 
 more wretched than a retired man without 
 mental resources. He had better toil on till 
 the grave covers him. 
 
 The means of improvement are within your 
 reach. None of you are so poor or so busy as 
 not to be able to purchase enough of books 
 and find enough of time for reading, to secure 
 very important acquisitions. If your hearts 
 are set upon gaining knowledge, you will 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. '279 
 
 make advancement. The excellent Dr. Scott 
 commenced his education, after the toils of the 
 day were over, by the light of the kitchen-fire. 
 John Newton studied Geometry in Africa, by 
 drawing his figures in the sand. A resolute 
 purpose is almost sure to accomplish wonders. 
 
 Employ the hours of the Sabbath in improv- 
 ing yourselves as rational, accountable beings. 
 Here you have one whole day out of seven 
 one full year out of seven, and ten years out 
 of seventy given you for this express purpose. 
 What an opportunity for each of you to carry 
 on the great work of education. If you do 
 not become intelligent, the fault is all your own. 
 
 Pardon me if I commend to you the pul- 
 pit as a valuable source of instruction. In- 
 duce a young man to secure for himself a seat 
 in some one church, and attend regularly upon 
 an evangelical ministry, and I venture to af- 
 firm you will soon see the effect of it, in an 
 enlargement of his mind, a refinement of his 
 manners, and a general self-respect and fitness 
 for duty, which otherwise he would never at- 
 tain. Tell me not that church-going is expen- 
 sive. The money which ought to be thus 
 
280 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 laid out, will generally be spent for rides of 
 pleasure, for tavern bills, for theatrical or other 
 amusements. 
 
 Especially qualify yourselves for some par- 
 ticular calling. It was often said by Madame 
 de Stael, who had filled the world with her 
 fame as a woman and an author, " What I 
 value myself most upon, is that I have no less 
 than seventeen different trades, by any one of 
 which I could earn my living, if it were neces- 
 sary." This is true nobility. Cherish this feel- 
 ing, and it will give you a sense of indepen- 
 dence and of conscious dignity, which no re- 
 finement of manners, and no trappings of 
 fortune can ever bestow. 
 
 Again, be open and decided Christians. 
 
 You cannot but feel, that man is a poor, de- 
 pendent creature, in need of mercy which God 
 only can bestow, and exposed to sorrows which 
 God only can relieve. It is but mockery of 
 yourselves to try to think otherwise. You 
 must be conscious that you want some one to 
 speak peace to you, when your eyelids are 
 heavy with pain, and your cheeks are covered 
 with tears, " and all the daughters of music are 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 281 
 
 brought low." Giddy friends are miserable 
 comforters now. You must betake yourselves 
 to that glorious Gospel, which in the absence 
 of all other help, can point you to the star of 
 hope, and tell you of the blood which cleanseth 
 from all sin. 
 
 Eeligion, be assured, is no inefficient ele- 
 ment in the formation of character. On the 
 contrary, nothing takes so strong a hold on 
 the heart, nothing reaches so fully down to the 
 deepest motives of conduct, nothing exerts so 
 potent an influence in shaping the course and 
 fixing the state of man. Its seat is the inmost 
 heart, where law and conscience meet, and 
 where the presence of the " Shekinah" is felt. 
 The inner chamber of the soul is the spot 
 which it chooses for itself, and there, intro- 
 ducing God #s the speaker, and human being 
 and blessedness as the topic, it supplies incen- 
 tives for all that is noble in purpose and ele- 
 vated in deportment as nothing else can. But 
 then it must be the true religion, cordially em- 
 braced and faithfully practised. "If the light 
 that is in you be darkness, how great is that 
 darkness I" 
 
282 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 It is not placing your name at the foot of a 
 carefully constructed creed, or going ever so 
 often through the mere forms of devotion, or 
 becoming fired with zeal for some particular 
 phase of Christianity, to the neglect of its hid- 
 den life and its sanctifying power, that can 
 avail. To go thus far and no farther, will 
 only narrow the mind and corrupt the heart. 
 This kind of religion will be sure to render 
 you morose and repulsive. But be such Chris- 
 tians as was Boyle, or Hale, or Wilberforce, or 
 be such Christians as can be found by thou- 
 sands in every part of the land, and you will 
 be the better for it, for this life and the life to 
 come. 
 
 On this point I speak earnestly, for I feel 
 deeply. Adopt the religion of the Bible that 
 religion which exalts God on the throne of the 
 universe, and lays man low in the dust at his 
 footstool that religion which brings the real- 
 ities of eternity near, and yet does not overlook 
 the concerns of time that religion which be- 
 gins with a deep and heartfelt conviction of 
 the evil of sin, and ends with a crown of right- 
 eousness that religion which is afraid of of- 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 283 
 
 fending God, and is afraid of nothing else 
 that religion which led the daughter of the im- 
 mortal Knox, when told by King James that 
 he would pardon her husband if she would 
 persuade him to submit, to lift up her apron 
 and say, "I'd rather have his head here" that 
 religion which struck out the first spark of real 
 freedom in England that religion which put 
 the high praises of God into the mouths of the 
 Puritans, and nerved their arms for victory 
 that religion, in short, which teaches all men 
 to do justly, and love mercy, and walk hum- 
 bly with God; and whatever else it accom- 
 plishes for you, be sure it will never invest 
 you with feeble and undecided traits of char- 
 acter. 
 
 Decide this question by all past and present 
 history. Where is it on this broad earth that 
 man rises nearest to his true position as a ra- 
 tional, immortal being, and all the sweet char- 
 ities of home and domestic life are most fully 
 tasted, and character and property and life are 
 best secured? It is where the word of God is 
 read, and the facts of the fall of Adam and the 
 redemption by Christ are received, and the 
 
284 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 doctrines of a final judgment and an eternal 
 heaven and hell are believed. These things 
 constitute the stamina of a fair reputation. 
 
 You can be infidels if you will, and scoff at 
 the new birth, and a -life of faith on the Son 
 of God, and the consolations of the Gospel ; 
 but if you do, you will never be men. There 
 is always some radical defect in such a charac- 
 ter. Intelligence of a certain sort there may 
 be, and a general morality of a vague kind 
 there may be, but as for open, cordial, noble 
 manliness, it is not and cannot be there. 
 
 Then crown all, by living a virtuous life. 
 
 This you will do if your hearts are right with 
 God. It is just as much a law of grace, that a 
 good conversation will accompany a good con- 
 science, as it is a law of nature that good fruit 
 will be produced by a good tree. These things 
 always go together. If a man is unkind in his 
 family, churlish in his intercourse with his 
 neighbors, and deceitful in his dealings with 
 the world, you need not tell me what he is in 
 the church. A false profession may be made ; 
 but no one ever yet had the mind which was 
 in Christ Jesus without being rendered better 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 285 
 
 in all the relations and duties of life. Unbri- 
 dled passions are not the product of good prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 Suffer me to press this thought upon your 
 attention. Once get right in your views of 
 God and his truth, and you will not fail to be 
 honest, upright men, whose word will always 
 inform others what you mean and what you 
 intend to do, and whose whole deportment 
 will be fair and consistent. I know you are 
 under no obligations to say all you think to 
 anybody and everybody. This no one has a 
 right to demand. But mark ; there is a wide 
 difference between wearing your heart outside 
 of you, to be gazed at and commented on by 
 every passer-by, and wearing a false heart 
 within, which no one can respect, and in which 
 no one can confide. Eesolve above all things 
 to be sincere, straight-forward men. Be con- 
 tent to plough the ground, or plane a board, or 
 make a shoe, if Providence allot you such 
 work. But be true, be honest, be faithful. A 
 gilded equipage can do but little, for a real, 
 sincere, ingenuous man. 
 
 Eesist the beginnings of evil. Young men 
 
286 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 once started in the wrong direction, know not 
 where to stop. Led on from smaller to greater 
 indulgences, they gradually lose their sense of 
 shame, their tenderness of conscience, and their 
 fear of God ; until to meet the cost of some for- 
 bidden pleasure, they take a step which breaks 
 the heart of parents, forfeits the confidence of 
 friends, and consigns them to public contempt. 
 In seeking to extricate themselves from one 
 evil they rush into a greater. Instances of 
 this sort occur everywhere. 
 
 Nor is the worst yet told. Multitudes are 
 infatuated enough to call all this manliness. 
 They break loose from the restraints of the pa- 
 ternal roof, cast off the shackles of early dis- 
 cipline, and yield to the clamors of debased 
 appetites they despise the counsels of experi- 
 ence, put on the swaggering airs of a desperado, 
 and talk as if liberty meant licentiousness 
 they wipe off the kiss imprinted upon their 
 cheek at the last parting by a tender sister, 
 forget the advice of a venerable father, and 
 trample under foot the tears of a fond mother 
 they give up the Bible, forsake the house of 
 God, and violate the sanctity of the Sabbath ; 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 287 
 
 in a word, they use the profane oath, pass 
 around the merry glass, and affect to have no 
 dread of damnation ; and then have the hardi- 
 hood to turn round and pretend that this is 
 liberty, that this is independence, that this is 
 acting manfully. 
 
 My young friends, I have used plain lan- 
 guage ; and how could I do otherwise ? I feel 
 that I have been speaking for parents, some of 
 whom are far away, it may be, gone to a better 
 world. I feel that I have spoken in behalf of 
 those whose kindred you are to espouse, and 
 whose offices you are to fill. Nay more. I 
 feel that I have been discharging my duty as 
 a minister of Christ, and I must be faithful. 
 
 Learn then to set a high value on your own 
 being. God himself has magnified you, by 
 giving you an intellectual nature by endow- 
 ing you with capacities for improvement 
 by conferring upon you the attribute of im- 
 mortality ; and above all, by sending his Son 
 from heaven to die on your behalf. Will 
 you tread all these lofty advantages in the 
 dust? Can you consent to be anything less 
 than men ? 
 
288 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Many never become men in this sense of the 
 word. They attain to the years, the stature, 
 the estate of manhood, bat there is no genuine 
 manliness, no elevation of feeling, no proper 
 sense of self-respect, no magnifying of their 
 own existence. They need guardians all their 
 life long. The same frivolity, the same fickle- 
 ness, the same inconsiderateness, the same want 
 of self-reliance which marked their conduct at 
 fifteen, marks it at twenty -five or thirty. This 
 you must avoid, and with the passing away of 
 the period of your pupilage, put on the firm- 
 ness and energy of men. 
 
 Act always according to your own better 
 judgment. I know that there is a strong, na- 
 tive propensity in man to pursue a downward 
 course; but there is a counteracting power 
 within call it conscience, or call it the secret 
 impulses of the Spirit which urges him to do 
 right. I know that the voice of temptation, 
 chiming in with his own sinful propensities, 
 invites him the wrong way; but, blessed be 
 God, there is another voice which is sure si- 
 lently and solemnly to command him in an- 
 other direction. I know that if he follow the 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 289 
 
 light of truth, a sensation of the purest pleasure 
 will spring up in his bosom; but if he fall 
 prostrate before his baser passions, he will 
 plant thorns in his pillow which cannot be 
 extracted. 
 
 It is well for you to lay your account with 
 trials. They are necessary to make men. Sol- 
 diers are not formed on the parade-ground, but 
 in the battle-field. Generals do not acquire 
 their reputation on re view- days, but while 
 leading on their hosts to the fatal charge. Al- - 
 most all valuable men are made so by difficul- 
 ties. Think it not strange if the young lawyer 
 has to wait for his clients. Deem it no marvel 
 if the young physician sees the messenger from 
 the sick-bed ride by his own door. Eegard it 
 not as a surprising thing, that the young mer- 
 chant cannot go on, at once, as his father did. 
 Impatience is one of the evils of the land. Our 
 youth will not wait. They try. to be men too 
 soon. 
 
 Difficulties borne manfully, teach the aspi- 
 rant after wealth and honor, perseverance. 
 They administer caution. They lead him to 
 feel the need of laying a good foundation for 
 19 
 
290 THE SPRING-TIME OF L1FK. 
 
 time to come. They make him humble. They 
 show him that the way of man is not in him- 
 self. They admonish him that the race is not 
 always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. 
 They impel him to say, "If the Lord will, I 
 shall live, and do this or that !" 
 
 Much is demanded at your hands. The land 
 of your fathers' sepulchres calls upon you to 
 stand fast by her true interests, and to see to 
 it that no evil befalls her, which your good 
 character and honest zeal can avert. This 
 world of ours, "groaning and travailing in 
 pain until now," over the effects of the grand 
 apostasy, stretches out her imploring hands, 
 and asks you to help forward the day of her 
 deliverance and of "the manifestation of the 
 sons of God." Above all, the God who made 
 you, stoops from his throne in heaven, and 
 beckons you so to fight the good fight that 
 you may receive the crown, which "the Lord, 
 the righteous judge, will give you at that day." 
 can you, will you, dare you be anything but 
 men? 
 
 It shall be well with such an one. Let him 
 lose all outward comforts, houses and lands, 
 
MANLINESS IN YOUTH. 291 
 
 trade and business, and be stripped of friends, 
 forsaken by the smiles of fortune, and have a 
 dark cloud come over his whole horizon ; no 
 matter, he is a man still. Nothing is gone but 
 the adornments of the outside. He has parted 
 with nothing which he cannot spare. The man 
 is left, with a mind as clear, and a purpose as 
 firm, and a heart as true, as when days were 
 bright and friends numerous, and applause 
 loud. Daniel in the den of lions, is the very 
 Daniel who interpreted the king's dream. Paul 
 in his workshop, is the same Paul who ad- 
 dressed the court of the Areopagus. A good 
 man in the hour of the deepest gloom, is just 
 what he was when the candle of the Lord 
 shone upon his tabernacle. You trusted Him 
 then, you can trust Him now. He was faith- 
 ful then, He is faithful still. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 
 
 MY object in this chapter is to hold up the 
 Scriptures, as a book for your daily study and 
 meditation. There is no volume on earth like 
 the volume of inspiration. Lay up these 
 words of heavenly wisdom in your hearts, 
 bind them as frontlets between your eyes, and 
 all will be safe for time and eternity. Noth- 
 ing can harm you so long as you take the 
 Bible as a " light to your feet and a lamp to 
 your path." 
 
 I may surely claim your earnest attention, 
 while I converse with you about the book of 
 God. You will not turn away when I ap- 
 proach you with such a message. The Bible, 
 the blessed Bible, as a volume for youth, is 
 my theme, and a theme worthy of an angel's 
 pen. You need such a revelation to enlighten 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 293 
 
 your understanding, and sanctify your heart. 
 Let me enumerate a few of those features of 
 the Bible which should commend it to your 
 regard. 
 
 I. It is inspired its thoughts are the thoughts 
 of God, and its words were chosen ly the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 No man, young or old, will ever read the 
 Bible aright, while he denies its true origin. 
 The secret of its power lies in the fact that it 
 is divine. While, in form and appearance, 
 the book is like other books, it bears upon its 
 pages the imprimatur of the celestial world. 
 Its every chapter and verse is a communica- 
 tion from God. 
 
 I cannot at present enter upon an ex- 
 tended argument to prove the Divinity of the 
 Scriptures. The merest outline of evidence 
 must suffice. Look at the miracles which attest 
 its claims miracles wrought in open clay, 
 and in the presence of thousands of credible 
 and competent witnesses. Eecall a multitude 
 of prophecies which have been fulfilled and 
 are fulfilling to this hour. Think how the 
 laws of Nature have been suspended, and the 
 
294 THE SPRING-TIME OP LIFE. 
 
 events of ages controlled to certify its char- 
 acter. Then open the book itself, and mark 
 the purity of its sentiments, the splendor of 
 its diction, and the agreement of its parts. If 
 you consider these points carefully, you can- 
 not fail to be convinced that the Bible is really 
 and truly the book of God. 
 
 But there is another source of proof, still 
 more satisfactory to the mass of Scripture 
 readers; I refer to what is called internal 
 evidence. Thousands who are not in circum- 
 stances to master the argument derived from 
 miracles and prophecy, are yet perfectly con- 
 vinced that the Bible is the word of God. 
 Their proof is that of the shepherd boy, who 
 said of the sun, " I see its light, and I feel its 
 heat." They know where the Scriptures 
 originated, by the unmistakable influence 
 exerted in the reading of them upon their 
 own hearts. This is the argument of expe- 
 rience, and it has mighty power with well- 
 disposed minds. Here is a resting-place, from 
 which none of the batteries of infidelity can 
 frighten the humble believer. "I told him," 
 said an unlettered Christian, recently, of his 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 295 
 
 conversation with a Socialist lecturer "I told 
 him that I was not scholar enough to argue 
 with him on science, yet I knew, by my own 
 experience, that the Bible was true, and that 
 he might as well try to persuade me that what 
 I eat is not food, as that what I read in the 
 Scriptures is not inspired." 
 
 Remember then, beloved youth, when you 
 read the Bible, that you are holding intercourse 
 with God himself. These thoughts, these 
 precepts, these doctrines, are his. Everything 
 about the Book, its history and its devotions, 
 its statutes and its ordinances, its threatenings 
 and its promises, indicate its Divine origin. 
 It needs no harbinger to introduce it to men, 
 no herald to announce its approach. The 
 light which beams through its pages is light 
 from the eternal throne, and the truth which 
 it utters is truth coming from the Shekinah. 
 Its voice is like that which our first parents 
 heard in the midst of the trees of the garden. 
 God himself is talking with you when you 
 open these leaves and read these words. 
 
 2. This book is remarkable for its age, and 
 its supernatural preservation. 
 
296 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 If we have a spark of veneration for an- 
 tiquity, our veneration must be excited by a 
 sight of the Bible. It is the oldest writing 
 extant. Its pages look down upon us, not 
 from the pyramids of Egypt, but from the 
 rock of Horeb, the land of Uz, and the banks 
 of the Jordan. It speaks to us from Ararat, 
 from Carmel, and from Olivet. This book 
 has outlived everything contemporary with it. 
 Babylon has been overthrown, Troy has been 
 sacked, Jerusalem destroyed, but the Divine 
 Scriptures remain unharmed and unchanged. 
 The library of Ptolemy Philadelphus has per- 
 ished, but the history of the bondage in Egypt 
 remains. We may liken it to a monument 
 standing in solitary grandeur on the wide 
 wastes of time, inscribed from base to summit 
 with evidences of its origin, 
 
 With the Bible in our hands, we seem to 
 stand by the very cradle of the world, and see 
 it advancing from infancy to manhood. From 
 it we learn the origin of nations and empires. 
 Portions of it were composed when there were 
 no other writings in existence, and it informs 
 us of things which, but for its chapters, could 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 297 
 
 never have been known. The grand themes 
 of this wonderful volume are the original in- 
 nocence, the sad apostasy, and the final re- 
 demption of the race. These are the sum of 
 the book, and on these the inspired penmen 
 delight to dwell. But there is an infinite 
 variety of thought to fill up this compendious 
 outline thoughts enkindled by fire from the 
 altar of God. No other work is so full, so 
 complete, so suggestive. There is a wonder- 
 ful power of condensation here. 
 
 The Bible tells us about Eden, about the 
 tree of knowledge, about the ark, and about 
 the Eed Sea. It has chapters on the wilder- 
 ness of Sinai, and the conquest of Canaan. 
 As we turn over its leaves, we read of the 
 dispersion of nations, the planting of countries, 
 and the promise of a Saviour. Laws are here 
 recorded as old as the world, and statutes are 
 given coeval with the race. Its writers were 
 a score and a half in number shepherds, 
 kings, seers, priests and fishermen. Begin- 
 ning with the first man, this one volume 
 brings the history of the human family down 
 through the long period of forty centuries, in 
 
298 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 unbroken succession. Not a page has ever 
 been omitted not a paragraph has been 
 erased. 
 
 "We may almost say of the Bible, as of its 
 author, it has life in itself. Kings have set 
 themselves, and rulers taken counsel against it 
 in vain. To use the beautiful thoughts of an- 
 other, " If compelled sometimes to prophesy 
 in sackcloth and be slain in the streets, it is 
 sure like the witnesses in prophetic vision, to 
 stand upon its feet again. If committed to the 
 flames, it will come out like the three Hebrew 
 children, without so much as the smell of fire 
 upon it. Even if entombed in the grave, it 
 will, without fail, like Him of whose mission 
 it treats, rise again on the third, the appointed 
 day." Fear not, my young friends, that the 
 Scriptures will ever be put down by force or 
 fraud. No weapon of wit, or scorn, or cruelty 
 formed against them can prosper. 
 
 3. There is an inimitable beauty and sublimity 
 in the very style of the Bible. 
 
 This is a matter which cannot fail to arrest 
 the attention of every man of taste and refine- 
 ment. No room for discrepancy of opinion 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 299 
 
 exists here. The language of the Bible, its 
 sweet imagery, its kind entreaties, its grand 
 conceptions, its bold appeals, and its touching 
 pathos, can never be sufficiently admired. It 
 unites in the most perfect degree both the ten- 
 der and the terrible, the mild and the majestic. 
 In these respects, all the sages and orators of 
 antiquity are left in the background. We 
 must turn to the writings of shepherds, fisher- 
 men and tent-makers, for the highest and pu- 
 rest specimens of genuine eloquence. Let 
 me refer you to a very few passages as ex- 
 amples. 
 
 Are you looking, beloved youth, for some- 
 thing tender in incident, and spirit-stirring in 
 plot, and exquisite in narrative ? We have it 
 in the Bible. Bead the story of Joseph and 
 his brethren, of David and Goliath, of Daniel 
 in the den of lions, of Naomi and Euth, and of 
 the prodigal and his father. It is impossible 
 to conceive of anything more impressive. No 
 unsophisticated mind can weary in perusing 
 tales so artless, events so pleasantly put to- 
 gether, instruction given so unpretendingly. 
 These histories will never wear out. As long 
 
300 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 t 
 
 as the human heart retains any freshness and 
 life, it will be interested with the coat of many 
 colors, the sling and the stone, the prayers 
 thrice a day, the gleaning after the reapers, 
 and the fatted calf. It is a bad sign when such 
 incidents lose their power. 
 
 Or is it the grand and majestic that you 
 would contemplate ? We have it in these sa- 
 cred pages. What can equal the psalmist's 
 description of the Most High, when he repre- 
 sents him as " riding upon a cherub and flying 
 upon the wings of the wind." Habakkuk 
 tells us, the Holy One stood and measured the 
 earth, he beheld and drove asunder the na- 
 tions, the everlasting mountains were scat- 
 tered, the perpetual hills did bow." Paul cries 
 out almost as if already in heaven, " death, 
 where is thy sting, O grave where is thy vic- 
 tory I" This is genuine sublimity, the sublim- 
 ity not of language merely, but of emotion, 
 conception and thought. Compared with the 
 loftiest flights of uninspired genius, it towers 
 like a mighty mountain above the adjoining 
 hills. 
 
 If you are in search of fine writing, you will 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 3Q1 
 
 not search in vain, if you have the Pentateuch, 
 the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Eevelation 
 to study. There is more true beauty in the 
 story of the governor of Egypt making him- 
 self known to his brethren, or in the book 
 of Euth, than in any work of fiction the world 
 has ever seen. Where is there such a song as 
 the Canticles, or such condensed maxims as 
 the Proverbs, or such a description as the 
 scene at Sinai, or such a parable as the rich 
 man and Lazarus, or such a representation as 
 that of the angel swearing that there shall be 
 time no longer ? . These things interest the 
 peasant as well as the philosopher. The child 
 of ten years delights in them no less than the 
 ripe scholar. 
 
 My young friends, would you acquire an 
 effective style of speaking or writing, learn to 
 draw from these wells of good Anglo-Saxon. 
 Become familiar with the oracles of God. 
 Everything here is ornate and tasteful, while 
 at the same time, everything is strong and vig- 
 orous. The lawyer should study the Bible, 
 and so should the statesman, as well as the 
 preacher of the Gospel. It should be studied 
 
302 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 by the boy in his efforts at letter- writing, and 
 by the young man preparing to win the honors 
 of college. As to style simply, it ought to be 
 regarded as a model. 
 
 4. This is the book which tells us how sin- 
 ners may secure the favor of an offended Qod. 
 
 Here we learn, what without it we could 
 never know, whence we came and whither we 
 are going. It informs us what man was by 
 creation, what he has become by sin, and what 
 he must be made by grace. No sooner did our 
 first parents apostatize from God, than they 
 were told of One who should in due time ap- 
 pear as a deliverer. Immediately after the 
 fall, the whole race was placed under a dispen- 
 sation of mercy. God began at once to reveal 
 himself to men, in the person of a Mediator, 
 through whom their restoration was to be 
 effected. 
 
 The Bible leaves us in no doubt as to the 
 fact, that we are all sinners in the sight of God. 
 Its teachings on the subject of man's total de- 
 pravity, are too clear to be misunderstood, and 
 too explicit to be explained away. You may 
 find the sad tale told in one form or other by 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 393 
 
 patriarchs, by prophets, by apostles, and by 
 Christ himself. With equal distinctness is the 
 declaration made, that, without a new birth, 
 no one can see the kingdom of heaven. And 
 blessed be God, the Bible does not leave us 
 enveloped in. darkness as to the way of salva- 
 tion. It points us to the atonement of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, as opening a way for the sin- 
 ner's reconciliation with his Maker. And it 
 reveals to us the wonder-working grace of the 
 Spirit to change the heart. The remedy is 
 fully adequate to the disease. We have only 
 to look to "the Lamb of God, which taketh 
 away the sin of the world," that we may not 
 perish, but have eternal life. 
 
 Surely you cannot be indifferent as to the 
 relations in which you stand to your Maker. 
 The inquiry will arise in your minds in the 
 lonely walk, during the sleepless hours of 
 night, and while standing by the bed of a 
 dying friend, " Wherewith shall I come before 
 the Lord, or bow myself before the Most 
 High God ?" You must wish to know how 
 poor guilty sinners, as you feel yourselves to 
 be, can be pardoned and saved. Go then, 
 
304 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 study the 51st Psalm ponder the conversa- 
 tion of Christ with Nicodemus read how the 
 father welcomed home the returning prodigal 
 hear with what tenderness the Spirit and 
 the bride say "Come." These are topics 
 which, let the proud and the skeptical and 
 the ungodly think as they will, are full of % 
 deep and commanding interest. King Alfred, 
 amidst fkme and power and prosperity, con- 
 fessed that he needed pardon for sin, and hope 
 in death, and a home in the eternal world. 
 These are wants which the Bible alone sup- 
 plies. 
 
 Beloved youth, you need not be in uncer- 
 tainty as to the question of your future wel- 
 fare. That Bible which you have in your 
 hands, has guided millions upon millions, as 
 vile as yourselves, to the mansions of eternal 
 rest. In instances without number, it has dis- 
 pelled the darkness of the coffin, the grave, 
 and corruption. And what more could you 
 wish for ? If you are polluted, this holy book 
 speaks of a cleansing fountain ; if guilty, it 
 points to a curse-removing sacrifice ; and if 
 fearful, it utters words of assurance. Its 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 3Q5 
 
 grand excellence is, that it makes plain the 
 path to heaven. 
 
 5. The Bible is replete- with consolation for 
 the weary and heavy laden.- 
 
 You are aware that an inheritance of grief 
 is just as sure to mortals, as the laws of Nature 
 are inviolable. " Man is born to trouble as 
 the sparks fly upward." Some parts of this 
 pilgrimage seem more bright and cheerful 
 than others; but, make what concession we 
 will, life is a warfare, and earth a vale of tears. 
 No long experience is necessary to convince 
 us that our very comforts contain the elements 
 of sorrow. The dearest delights we here en- 
 joy only expose us the more to disappoint- 
 ment, and open avenues to the entrance of 
 pain. This is the hard tenure by which we 
 hold all earthly good. 
 
 Suffer me to remind you, that you cannot 
 escape the endurance of evil. Affliction will 
 come it will come from your own mistakes, 
 it will come from the friends you love, and it 
 will come from the hand of God. But where 
 will you flee for refuge when the world is all 
 hung in mourning? In this lovely and buoy- 
 20 
 
306 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 ant portion of life " you resemble birds," says 
 one, " which build their nests in the sweet 
 months of spring, while the foliage spreads its 
 protection around them. Soon, however, cold 
 winter comes, and the leaves drop off, and the 
 little habitation has nothing left but the bare 
 sticks and straw." How true to the life is a 
 picture like this ! It reminds us of the change 
 which often passes upon the joyous and merry- 
 hearted, when sickness approaches, and old age 
 reaches out its palsied hand. Everything in 
 us and about us serves to impress the lesson, 
 
 " Too low they build, who build beneath the stars." 
 
 Yes, let me assure you, trials you must 
 meet, as a part of your allotment. But open 
 the Bible, and read, "Whom the Lord loveth 
 he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom 
 he receiveth." Look in upon the experience 
 of the saints, and see how it is, that through 
 much tribulation they enter the kingdom of 
 heaven. Think of the great cloud of witnesses 
 who, like their Divine Master, have been 
 "made perfect through suffering.' 1 Hear it 
 said, for your encouragement, "When thou 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 307 
 
 passest through the waters I will be with thee, 
 and through the rivers, they shall not over- 
 flow thee." 
 
 Is not the Bible the best book for mourners? 
 Its language is, "As one whom his mother 
 comforteth, so will I comfort you." Think of 
 this, beloved youth, when your fond hopes 
 are dashed to the ground, and pain seizes upon 
 you, and friends are far off. Is there any 
 other resource for an hour like this ? " Bring 
 me a book," said the great Sir "Walter Scott in 
 his last hours. "What book?" inquired his 
 son-in-law Lockhart. "Can you ask?" re- 
 plied the dying man; "there is no book but 
 the Bible." True, there is no book fora dying 
 hour but the Bible. 
 
 Now, beloved youth, let me ask, will you 
 carefully and prayerfully study the Bible ? I 
 cannot tell you how much my heart is set 
 upon securing this one great object. Take 
 this blessed volume, press it daily to your 
 bosoms, make it the man of your counsel, and 
 I dare promise that it will guide you safely 
 amid all the rocks and shoals which obstruct 
 your voyage. Here is to be found that wis- 
 
308 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 dom which has length of days in her right 
 hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. 
 The ways which this Holy Book discloses, " are 
 ways of pleasantness, 7 ' and all the paths 
 which it reveals " are peace." Never shall I 
 despair of any one of you, whatever the perils 
 of the post you occupy, if you will take the 
 Bible with you, and often stop to ask counsel 
 of the Most High. This will prove a safer 
 defence than munitions of rocks. With such 
 a book for a companion, I shall expect to see 
 you lifting up your heads manfully, and 
 pressing forward in the high road of duty. 
 
 What can I say to enhance the value of 
 God's book in your eyes ? Let me beg you 
 to carry it with you to your apprenticeship, 
 keep it in your bedroom as a clerk, and 
 place it among your choicest volumes as a 
 student. One thing I dare promise every 
 young man, the oftener and the longer you 
 read the Bible, the more will you love to read 
 it. Its pages will be sweeter to you at forty 
 than at twenty, and at seventy than at fifty. 
 The consolations it offers, the promises it gives, 
 the prospects it unfolds, and the glories it re- 
 
THE BIBLE THE YOUNG MAN'S BOOK. 3Q9 
 
 veals, will increase in richness and fulness to 
 the very end. The last chapter read to you 
 before you go to your heavenly home, will 
 seem most delightful of all. 
 
 Never shall I forget what emotions it awa- 
 kened in my bosom, a few months ago, to hear 
 an aged minister say, " My sight is so gone 
 that I shall never be able to read another 
 chapter in the Holy Bible." That venerable 
 saint has since been taken to his rest, but what 
 would he not have given, during the few days 
 which then remained to him, for the privilege 
 of searching again those precious pages which 
 had so often soothed and cheered his heart in 
 the land of his pilgrimage. With equal in- 
 terest did I listen a few days since to a 
 young lady, while the cold sweat of death was 
 upon her brow, as she recommended, in tones 
 of almost angel sweetness, to her companions 
 in study, the daily and devout reading of the 
 Holy Bible. It was pleasant to see early life, 
 in this case, like advanced age in the other, 
 testifying to the value of the word of God. 
 Wilberforce, a little before his death, said to a 
 pious friend, "Bead the Bible read the Bible 
 
310 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 let no religious book take its place. It has 
 been my hourly study." Books about religion 
 may be useful, but they are no substitute for 
 the simple truths of the Bible. 
 
 Let me close with one recommendation, and 
 I make it to every youth who reads these 
 pages it is, that you never suffer a day ojf 
 your lives to pass without reading at least a 
 chapter of the Bible. Do this while living 
 quietly in your father's house ; do it when 
 forced out into the world to breast its diffi- 
 culties and struggle with its storms. Keep the 
 blessed Bible by your side, and let its precious 
 doctrines and precepts dwell in you richly in 
 all wisdom. I shall expect you thus to be- 
 come useful and honorable men, as well as 
 sincere and devout Christians. Under the 
 guidance of this Divine light, you will walk 
 safely in the way. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 CHRIST AN EXAMPLE TO YOUNG MEN. 
 
 THERE is one safe model character. No al- 
 lowance need be made for him, whose early life 
 I deem it my high privilege now to portray. 
 Of the blessed Jesus, who was born of a wo- 
 man, and had his dwelling among men, it may 
 with truth be affirmed, that he never betrayed 
 a bad temper, never spoke an idle word, and 
 never did a wrong act. From the first, his 
 character was a perfect character, and his life 
 was a perfect life. In the tenderness of infan- 
 cy, in the bloom of youth, in the maturity of 
 riper years, "he did no sin, neither was guile 
 found in his mouth." 
 
 How beautiful is such a picture ! We love 
 to be assured that the life of the Son of God on 
 earth was no less complete as a pattern, than 
 his death on the cross was complete as a sacri- 
 fice. All in detail is not given that we per- 
 
312 THE SPRING-TIME OP LIFE. 
 
 haps could have wished; but enough is re- 
 vealed to show that his conduct as a youth is 
 worthy of universal imitation. So much was 
 he like all men in the trials he was called to 
 bear, and in the duties he was appointed to 
 perform, that you may well be invited to walk 
 in his steps. Be what the Saviour was, and 
 you will be all that fond parents and kind 
 friends could desire. No higher object can 
 awaken your aspirations. 
 
 1. Eeflect upon the perfect FITNESS of Christ 
 to be an example for the young. This is a 
 point, which I am persuaded, none of us pon- 
 der as we should. "We are too much in the 
 habit of thinking of the Son of God, as a being 
 so entirely of a different order and another 
 world, that he can scarcely enter experimen- 
 tally into our feelings, or have any effective 
 sympathy with us in our sorrows. It is hard 
 to get a full impression of his oneness with the 
 children of men, and the interest which he thus 
 takes in our welfare. But this is a mistake no 
 less prejudicial to ourselves, than it is deroga- 
 tory to the glory of his name, as Mediator. 
 Let me set you right here. 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 313 
 
 That spotless character which I now present 
 to you, is the character of one in your very na- 
 ture. The real humanity of him whom all the 
 angels of God worship, you scarcely need be 
 told, is as fundamental an article of the Chris- 
 tian's creed, as is his proper divinity. "Whatever 
 apparent contrariety there is between them, you 
 must put the two characters together ; Maker, 
 and Elder Brother ; existing from eternity, yet 
 born in the days of Herod the king ; the Word 
 made flesh and dwelling among us. It would 
 no less effectually undermine the religion of 
 the gospel, and take away the foundation of 
 the sinner's hope, to show that Jesus was not 
 truly and in fact a man, than it would to 
 show that he was not truly and in fact God. 
 There may be a difficulty in conceiving of him 
 in both lights at one and the same moment. 
 How He, who was to be called the Son of the 
 Highest, and to whom the Lord God was to 
 give the throne of David, and who was to 
 reign over the house of Jacob forever, could 
 also be the babe of Bethlehem, the boy in the 
 temple, and the young man of Nazareth, we 
 
314 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 cannot tell. Suffice it to say that "thus it is 
 written." The Bible reveals it as a fact. 
 
 Call the statement mysterious, if you please, 
 that the infant in the manger should be the 
 Creator of the world, and that the child that 
 asked questions of the doctors should be 
 " the Wisdom of God," and that the man 
 Christ Jesus should be "the Lord our right- 
 eousness" it is no more mysterious than the 
 union of your own soul and body, and no more 
 difficult of comprehension. 
 
 I make no attempt, in holding up to you this 
 bright example, to explain the doctrine of a 
 two-fold nature in the one person of Christ. 
 Sufficient is it for all useful purposes, that it is 
 revealed as a truth, which we are to receive, 
 and wherein we are to stand ; and that we can 
 see the connection of this precious truth with 
 everything that is vital in experience, and 
 everything that is correct in deportment. As 
 God, Jesus made the world, searches the heart, 
 is present where two or three meet in his name, 
 governs the universe, will raise the dead, and 
 conduct the final judgment; while as man he 
 rested by the well of Samaria, wept at the 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 315 
 
 grave of Lazarus, washed the disciples' feet, 
 and ate of the broiled fish and honey-comb. 
 You must hold fast here, as to life itself. 
 Never forget that Jesus is your kinsman, as 
 well as your Judge. As really was he a child 
 in his mother's arms, and as really did he grow 
 up in the home of his parents, and as really did 
 he buffet the temptations of life, as any other 
 of the sons of men. In this way alone could 
 he have become a perfect example for your 
 imitation. 
 
 I present to you also, the character of one, 
 who subjected himself to your condition. Not 
 in appearance merely, but in deed and in truth, 
 did Christ take upon him the infirmities, and 
 bear the sorrows of a son of Adam. So far as 
 respects susceptibilities, mental and physical, 
 he was "made like unto his brethren;" sub- 
 sisting as they do, and feeling both joy and 
 grief as they feel them. In all these re- 
 spects he was as you are. His body, like 
 yours, needed food, clothing and sleep; his 
 hands, like yours, could be hardened with 
 toil ; his flesh, like yours, might be lacerated 
 with stripes, and his mind, like yours, could 
 
316 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 be harassed and perplexed. If you have strug- 
 gles, so had He. If you need encouragement, 
 so did he. Satan could tempt him. His ene- 
 mies could give him trouble. The soldiers 
 could crucify him. His Father's countenance 
 could fill him with joy. He could be animated 
 by hope. 
 
 So far as the discharge of duty, and endu- 
 rance of sufferings, and exposure to hardships, 
 and conflict with temptations were involved, 
 the condition to which Christ stooped, differed 
 in no essential particular from that of mere 
 men. Though he could bear his burden bet- 
 ter, for he could bear it without impatience, 
 without unbelief, without repining, this by no 
 means proves that he felt it the less, or shed 
 any fewer tears on its account. 
 
 Take away sin, and its accompanying dread 
 of the future, and the Saviour's condition was 
 as is yours. With this exception, you have 
 not a difficulty which did not press with equal 
 weight upon him, nor a sorrow to which his 
 heart was not equally exposed. His feelings 
 could be hurt by ill-treatment as easily as 
 yours, and he could weep over the neglect of 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 317 
 
 professed friends as sincerely as you. Is your 
 path rough? Christ's was still more so. Are 
 you sometimes distressed ? So was he. The 
 fears which agitate your bosom, his was not a 
 stranger to, and the hopes which may gild 
 your closing hour, are hopes which shed their 
 influence on his death. How fitted to be an 
 example ! 
 
 Again, Jesus was once of the very age which 
 you have now reached. The thirty years 
 which he spent on earth before entering on 
 the work of his public ministry, included the 
 period of childhood and youth. There was a 
 reason for this. If it was a season of compara- 
 tive obscurity, it was not a lost season. It 
 gave him a fuller experience of human life in 
 its early gladness and grief, and it enabled him 
 to furnish a pattern for those who most ur- 
 gently need it. What he felt of pain and 
 weakness as a child, and what he knew of care 
 and labor as a youth, serve to render his ex- 
 ample the more useful. 
 
 It was not as an aged man, bending under 
 the infirmities of years, that Jesus was seen 
 crossing the hills and traversing the valleys of 
 
318 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Judea. He was seen in Nazareth, not as one 
 whose head is covered with the frosts of many 
 winters, but as a child by his mother's side, as 
 a boy in his father's shop, and as a youth at 
 his allotted work. His time of life was just 
 that which we contemplate with the deepest 
 interest. 
 
 Can you think with indifference of the fact, 
 that Jesus once stood, in age, exactly where 
 you now stand ? The precise number of weeks, 
 and months, and years which have gone over 
 your heads, went over his also. Your circum- 
 stances at this critical period, he cannot over- 
 look ; he remembers his own at the same peri- 
 od of life. 
 
 2. Let me name some of those VIRTUES, 
 which the example of Christ inculcates for the 
 young. A wide field opens here, inviting our 
 entrance, and promising richly to reward our 
 examination. The character of Jesus was one 
 grand constellation of excellencies, embracing 
 everything pure, and true, and lovely, and of 
 good report. It is adapted to all men, and all 
 countries, and all climes. I can dwell only on 
 a few items. 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 310 
 
 Christ was distinguished for the improvement 
 he made in the morning of life. His youth 
 was not wasted in indolence, or lost in self-in- 
 dulgence, or frittered away in things of no 
 profit. None of the hours of the holy child 
 Jesus were misspent, none were misappropri- 
 ated. It is the explicit testimony of the in- 
 spired oracles, that he increased "in wisdom, 
 and stature, and in favor with God and man." 
 As he grew in years, he grew in knowledge. 
 Having a true body and a reasonable soul, 
 these could be expanded and developed as are 
 the bodies and souls of other children and 
 youth. The word of God no doubt was his 
 study, and we may well conclude that he med- 
 itated therein day and night. He loved the 
 appointed services of God's house. Its pray- 
 ers and its praises were his delight. 
 
 However destitute Christ may have been of 
 such literary advantages as are now justly 
 prized, of one thing we are assured, he was 
 blessed with the assiduous attentions of a wise 
 and good mother a mother who had received 
 her child as a special gift of God, and who re- 
 garded him with mingled tenderness and ven- 
 
320 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 eration. Never did woman, before or since 7 
 perform so delightful a task. Can you con- 
 ceive of anything more touching? Mary is 
 sitting with the holy child Jesus by her side, 
 and they read together out of the book of the 
 law. Her heart overflows with tenderness, 
 and his heart overflows with gratitude. Every 
 day she witnesses his improvement, and every 
 day he repays her care by his tender attentions. 
 
 I am well aware that this is treading upon 
 ground where the imagination must not be 
 suffered to run wild. We must not lose sight 
 of the fact, that Jesus was "the mighty God," 
 as well as the babe of Bethlehem ; that he was 
 not only the boy twelve years of age hearing 
 and asking questions, but was possessed of all 
 the attributes of Deity. This point has, I trust, 
 been sufficiently guarded. The Godhead must 
 not be forgotten, while we are contemplating 
 his manhood. Still, to get the full benefit of 
 his example, we should consider it in all the 
 aspects presented in the holy Scriptures. 
 
 Jesus too was dutiful to his parents. 
 
 This is one of the loveliest features in the pic- 
 ture before us. The sacred writers are careful 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 321 
 
 to say, that lie was subject to Joseph and Mary, 
 consulting their wishes, submitting to their au- 
 thority, and obeying -their commands. Never 
 did he give them one moment's pain by impa- 
 tience or forgetfulness, or want of respect. 
 Never did he fail to satisfy all their just ex- 
 pectations. It is the concurrent testimony of 
 all early Church history, that Jesus learned the 
 trade which his reputed father practised, and 
 thus cheerfully contributed to the comfort and 
 maintenance of the family of which he was a 
 member. He did not suffer his parents to toil 
 while he trifled, or to wear themselves out, 
 while he ate the bread of idleness. Such a 
 sight is always sad, and we may be assured, it 
 was not witnessed in the household of which 
 the holy child Jesus was an inmate. 
 
 I love to think of Christ as an obedient, du- 
 tiful son, the son of poor parents, taught be- 
 times to labor with his hands, and by the 
 cheerfulness of his spirit, and the correctness 
 of his deportment, filling the lowly dwelling 
 in which they lived, with light and joy and 
 peace. How different this from the conduct 
 of many an idle, restless, wayward child, dis- 
 21 
 
322 THE SPRING. TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 turbing 'the serenity of his father's fireside, 
 and piercing his mother's heart with bitter 
 sorrows! Such an one, whatever his talents 
 or advantages, has not the mind that was in 
 Christ. 
 
 Eeflect, my young friends, upon the conduct 
 of the Son of God, if ever tempted to swerve 
 from the commands of him that begat you, and 
 to disregard the entreaties of her that bare 
 you. In turning a deaf ear to their requisi- 
 tions, you will most assuredly wrong your own 
 souls. Jesus delighted to honor his parents, 
 and so must you, if " your days are to be long 
 upon the land that the Lord your God giveth 
 you." Alas, how little is that son like Christ, 
 who is careless whether he make home happy 
 or miserable! Whatever beauty of counte- 
 nance, comeliness of person, or brightness of 
 talent he possesses, he bears no resemblance 
 to the holy child Jesus. 
 
 Again, besides being diligent and dutiful, 
 Christ was truly and eminently pious. Love 
 to God ruled his heart, not only controlling 
 every inward emotion, but finding expression 
 in all suitable outward acts. How cordially 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 323 
 
 did he join the public worship of God's house, 
 and go up with the multitude that kept 
 holy day. With what pleasure did he unite 
 in the daily devotions of the holy family at 
 Nazareth! Such was his delight in prayer 
 that we find him engaged in this sacred em- 
 ployment late in the evening, a great while 
 before day, and even during the entire night. 
 With him there was no forgetfulness, no indif- 
 ference, no declension. Wherever he was at 
 the well of Samaria, in the house of Martha, 
 or dining with the Pharisee he evinced the 
 same devout state of mind. His zeal knew 
 no abatement, his faith no inconstancy, and 
 his peace no interruption. 
 
 Yet there was nothing ascetic, nothing un- 
 social, in the piety of the Saviour. We have 
 good reason to conclude that he was as far 
 removed from austerity and seclusion on the 
 one hand, as he was from worldly conform- 
 ity on the other. An air of mingled cheer- 
 fulness and sobriety seems usually to have sat 
 on his brow. As he could ^eep with those 
 that weep, so he could rejoice with those that 
 rejoice. Never did he live a day without 
 
324 THE SPRING-TIME OP LIFE. 
 
 spiritual and heartfelt communion with. God, 
 and never without some act of tender and con- 
 siderate benevolence. 
 
 Take the conduct of the blessed Saviour for 
 thirty-three years together, and what an ex- 
 ample does it furnish of sincere and elevated 
 piety ! How serious is his frame of spirit, and 
 yet how pleasant ! How devotional, and yet 
 how cheerful! How steadfast, and yet how 
 mild ! How courageous, and yet how conde- 
 scending ! At all times and under all circum- 
 stances, he was just what every child, every 
 youth, and every man should be. 
 
 Now, what can I do better than to urge y6u, 
 my young friends, to take the holy child Jesus 
 as a pattern, and walk in his steps ? Do this, 
 and you will never grieve a father's or a 
 mother's heart. Do this, and you will never 
 make a brother or a sister blush. Do this, 
 and you will never disappoint the hopes of the 
 church of God. Do this, and you will not 
 fail to be a blessing to the world. You will be 
 all that the wisest benevolence could desire, i 
 in temper and deportment, you are like the 
 youthful Saviour. 
 
CHRIST AN EXAMPLE. 325 
 
 Bear with me while I press this suggestion. 
 Other names are worthy of respect and love, 
 but here is a name which stands out single and 
 alone. What, beloved youth, is Joseph, or 
 Josiah, or John, compared with the holy child 
 Jesus. They were dutiful, but they sometimes 
 gave way to ill feelings and temper. They 
 were pious, but their hearts sometimes wander- 
 ed from God. They were examples of good- 
 ness, yet it would not always be safe to follow 
 them. But here there is no defect, no draw- 
 back, no alloy. I. wish the youngest of you 
 to remember that there was a person in the 
 world of your very age who never had an ill 
 feeling, never uttered a wicked word, and 
 never did a wrong act. Think what a life the 
 blessed Saviour ' lived, at the same season 
 through which you are now passing. Learn 
 to contemplate him as he lies in the manger, 
 or rests on his mother's bosom, or enters the 
 carpenter's shop, or puts questions in the tem- 
 ple, with adoration and love. If he be your 
 Eedeemer, he is at the same time your exam- 
 ple, and you are to walk in his steps. 
 
 This is a topic which none can exhaust. 
 
326 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 Gladly would I fix the minds of every one who 
 reads these pages upon such a pattern of suc- 
 cessful diligence, unwavering dutifulness, and 
 Scriptural piety, as is here brought before us. 
 In Jesus there was no inattention to duty, no 
 impatience of restraint, no forgetfulness of 
 God. Think how he felt and acted, if ever 
 you are tempted to dislike study, neglect your 
 parents, or give up the duties of devotion. It 
 is not thus that the holy child Jesus waxed 
 strong in spirit, and was filled with wisdom. 
 
 Especially look to him in^ every hour of sad- 
 ness. Do you feel yourselves poor, and in 
 danger of being neglected ? Go, make your 
 trouble known to one who had the cup of 
 sorrow put' to his lips from the birth. Are 
 you sometimes terrified at a life of toil and 
 labor ? Go, and refresh your spirits by a sight 
 of what is doing in the carpenter's shop at 
 Nazareth. Does a life of serious piety now 
 and then seem impracticable? Go, gather 
 strength and courage from Him who delighted 
 in nothing like communion with his Heavenly 
 Father. There is no reason why you should 
 feint or be disheartened. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 
 
 WE are brought to the last of a series of 
 chapters, which I trust you have not read in 
 vain. In our progress, a wide range has been 
 taken, and a variety of topics, some of them 
 not often publicly discussed, has come under 
 review. I have had high authority for enfor- 
 cing, with all earnestness, the precepts of the 
 second table of the law; but you need not 
 be told that there is such a thing as sustaining 
 a fair reputation, according to the world's esti- 
 mate, of which the fear and love of God con- 
 stitute no part. This is the point in relation 
 to which my tenderest solicitudes are awak- 
 ened, and I cannot bring these chapters to a 
 close, without enjoining it upon your serious 
 and immediate attention. Make the Almighty 
 your friend, and you will never be ashamed 
 or confounded. 
 
328 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 To fear God, and keep his commandments, 
 is the whole duty, and I may add the whole 
 happiness of man. This "has promise of the 
 life that now is, and of that which is to come." 
 It is " the conclusion of the whole matter." 
 Eeligion, pure and undefiled religion, as it is 
 "before God even the Father, is the perfection 
 of human character and attainment. It is 
 adapted to man's nature, and it is indispensable 
 to his welfare. 
 
 1. Eeligion is adapted to man's nature. 
 
 What is religion ? We speak of it as love 
 to God, as repentance for sin, as faith in Christ, 
 as a reception of the doctrines of the Bible, 
 and as obedience to the divine < commands. 
 All these are included in the comprehensive 
 word. Such a religion, growing out of the 
 very relations which man sustains to his Ma- 
 ker, not as a creature merely, but as a sinner, 
 and having for its object his restoration to holi- 
 ness and happiness, must be suited to his nature. 
 
 This will appear, if you consider how strong- 
 ly it addresses itself to his rational faculties. 
 Taken as a collection of revealed truths, noth- 
 ing is so fitted to give elevation and expansion 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 329 
 
 to the mind, and to call its powers into the 
 most vigorous exercise. Eeligion presents to 
 one's consideration the most stupendous facts 
 and events of which he can form a conception. 
 The creation of the world, the special provi- 
 dence of God, the apostasy of the race, the re- 
 demption by Christ, the immortality of the 
 soul, the resurrection of the dead, and the final 
 judgment, are the grand themes on which he 
 is daily called to meditate. Can there be any 
 source of mental and moral grandeur, com- 
 parable with these ? Is there any ^ other class 
 of subjects, that takes such hold of the think- 
 ing faculties, and raises them so high? In this 
 way, true piety always gives increased strength 
 and perspicuity to the workings of the intellect. 
 So far as respects clear, consistent thoughts of 
 God, of human accountability, of the awards 
 of a future world, religion not only " lifts the 
 poor from the dunghill," but it sets him above 
 the " kings and nobles of the earth." What a 
 spring did it give to the mental faculties of the 
 Dairyman's Daughter, and the Shepherd of 
 Salisbury Plain 1 It forms the very best school 
 of intellectual elevation. 
 
330 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 The mind will be feeble, as the result of one 
 of its own unchanging laws, so long as it is 
 exercised solely with little things. To enlarge 
 the scope of one's thoughts, he must learn to 
 break away from the dull routine of every-day 
 duty, and bring his powers into vigorous con- 
 tact with things intrinsically grand and great. 
 A new spring is given to his intellectual facul- 
 ties, the moment he begins to take the dimen- 
 sions of lofty and ennobling truths. His whole 
 inner man now finds itself addressed by an ad- 
 equate object, and at once girds up its energies 
 for the task of swimming in waters where there 
 is no bottom. 
 
 Rely upon it, my young friends, there is 
 everything in scriptural, vital religion to widen 
 the scope and stimulate the movements of the 
 human understanding. All the lessons it gives 
 us about the deep and awful depravity of man, 
 his accountability to God for every feeling of 
 his heart and every act of his life, his entire 
 destitution of anything good in the sight of 
 God, his dependence on the blood of Christ for 
 pardon, and on the Spirit of Christ for sanctifi- 
 cation. and the need he has of help from above 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 331 
 
 in every step of his journey towards heaven, are 
 adapted, beyond anything and everything else, 
 to awaken thought, elicit inquiry, and prompt 
 to effort. If the gospel bows down the loftiness 
 of man and lays his haughtiness low, that God 
 alone may be exalted, it does this, not by 
 darkening his understanding, but by renewing 
 his heart; not by cramping the workings of his 
 intellect, but by changing the character of his 
 affections. So true is it that the very tendency 
 of real, spiritual religion is to unfold and call 
 out all the mental energies, that no one can go 
 through that conviction of sin and renuncia- 
 tion of self, and trust in the atonement, which 
 the Scriptures denominate " passing from death 
 to life," without being made by it a more think- 
 ing, reflecting, intellectual being than he was 
 before. As to the mass of the community, the 
 effect of genuine conversion in moving and ex- 
 panding the mind is surprising indeed. In no 
 other schools are lessons given which make so 
 powerful an impression, or secure such mental 
 development. 
 
 Never fear that any one will become men- 
 tally imbecile, by having his attention rightly 
 
332 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 directed to the subject of religion. To utter 
 such a sentiment is a gross slander, as the lives 
 of Hale, and Boyle, and Newton, and Owen, 
 and Edwards, and Davies, and Chalmers, and 
 a thousand other almost equally honored 
 names, clearly testify. It is not the study of 
 a self-existent God, a Deity incarnate, a throne 
 of judgment, and a world of retribution, that 
 bedwarfs the mind. It is not such a convic- 
 tion of sin as led Luther to cry out from the 
 very depths of his soul, "Oh! my sin! my 
 sin 1" it is not such a view of Christ on the 
 cross as broke the cords which bound so fast 
 the burden of Bunyan's Pilgrim; nor is it 
 such an undoubting assurance of the love of 
 God as lessened the death-struggle of the he- 
 roic Martyn, that can ever weaken the power 
 of the mind. The thing is impossible. To 
 pretend so is to exhibit the grossest ignorance. 
 But this is not all. 
 
 Religion is something more than a mental 
 exercise, it is suited to man's moral susceptibili- 
 ties. We have a heart as well as an intellect, 
 and our affections need to be regulated, even 
 more than our understanding to be expanded, 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 333 
 
 Here it is, that the apostasy especially wrought 
 its evil, and here it is that redemption espe- 
 cially applies its remedy. The Bible exhibits 
 to us the attributes of God, not merely to ex- 
 cite emotions of awe, and grandeur, and mag- 
 nificence, but to awaken love, and admiration, 
 and confidence. It reveals a Saviour dying on 
 the cross, not only to engage the attention, but 
 to produce an abiding influence on the heart. 
 It speaks of sin, and pardon, and heaven, and 
 hell, not simply to stir the intellectual powers, 
 but to take a fast and energetic hold on the 
 conscience. The God it makes known, is the 
 God in whom we are to put our trust as a 
 Father. The Kedeemer it reveals is the .Re- 
 deemer who offers to shelter us from the Di- 
 vine wrath. The bliss it proclaims, and the 
 woe it threatens, is bliss for us to seek, and 
 woe for us to shun. 
 
 Yes, beloved youth, that religion which is 
 recommended to you, is something without 
 which your moral and spiritual nature can 
 never have a right development. In becom- 
 ing good men, you will not only gain a wider 
 comprehension, and a sounder judgment, and 
 
334 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 a higher range of intellect, but you will gain, 
 what you far more emphatically need, a better 
 state of religious feeling. No one, try what 
 experiments he please, can succeed in persuad- 
 ing himself that he is not a transgressor, and 
 does not require an atonement. To attempt 
 this is to practise an imposition upon himself. 
 Hence, the great doctrine of salvation by the 
 blood of the cross, though adapted to give 
 breadth and compass to the understanding, is 
 still more directly adapted to give peace and 
 tranquillity to the conscience. If it is an in- 
 strument of expansion to the mind, it is the 
 very panacea for the ills of the heart. 
 
 Let any candid man read the account of the 
 creation, the temptation and fall, the institution 
 of sacrifices, the promises of a Saviour, the in- 
 carnation of the Son of God, his death in the 
 room of sinners, the intercession which he is 
 making at the right hand of the Father, the 
 invitations of mercy sent abroad in his name, 
 and the glory hereafter to be revealed, and 
 compare all this with what he feels in his own 
 bosom and sees in the world around him, and 
 . whatever else he may think or say, he cannot 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 335 
 
 avoid the conclusion, that there is that in the 
 religion of the Bible, which meets the necessi- 
 ties of the heart as nothing besides ever did, or 
 ever can. It fills the great want of the human 
 bosom. Without it one can never be what he 
 should be, or do what he ought to do, or enjoy 
 what he might enjoy. 
 
 This is a blessing of which no one can be 
 destitute, and still hope to rise to the dignity 
 of true happiness. " Every reflecting man," 
 says a distinguished writer, " when thinking 
 of his situation in the world, will often ask, 
 "With what can I be satisfied ? I look at the 
 opulent, and see Ahab pining away for a gar- 
 den of herbs, and the rich fool dying while his 
 barn was building, and Dives begging for a 
 drop of water. I think of the wise, and see 
 Ahithophel hanging himself, and Aaron mak- 
 ing a golden calf, and Solomon besotted by his 
 idolatrous wives. I turn to men of worldly 
 pleasure, and see that such pleasure is nothing 
 else than the bed into which Satan casts the 
 Esaus, and the Absaloms of the day. I con- 
 template honor, and see in the far-famed 
 Westminster Abbey, that the mightiest dead 
 
336 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 have nothing left them but a boasting epitaph. 
 I must die. I must meet God. I must go into 
 eternity, and how can things like these suit my 
 ease ?" It can never be. To dream of happi- 
 ness from objects so vain and evanescent, is to 
 spend money "for that which is not bread." 
 
 May we not say then, that religion is adapted 
 to man's nature, intellectual and moral ? Why 
 else has he such a capacity for mental enlarge- 
 ment, and such susceptibility to the influence 
 of hope and fear ? Why else does he feel such 
 an irrepressible longing after immortality? 
 Why else is the entire world, in which he 
 lives, unable to carry one drop of real conso- 
 lation to his lips? Why else is he so poor, so 
 dependent, so unable to provide for himself? 
 These simple facts tell us, as with angel elo- 
 quence, what he is, and what he needs. But, 
 
 2. Eeligion is necessary to man's welfare. 
 
 Certainly it gives the best possible promise of 
 worldly prosperity. No one can take a readier 
 way to establish himself in the respect and con- 
 fidence of good men, and to gather around him 
 the means of true enjoyment, than cordially to 
 believe the doctrines, and faithfully practise 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 337 
 
 the precepts of Christianity. The slightest 
 consideration of the subject shows us that it 
 must be so. Do the principles of the Bible 
 ever lead to waste and prodigality ? The mis- 
 spent Sabbath, the dram-shop, and the gaming- 
 table often eat up the substance of a man, but 
 prayer and church-going never do. Will piety 
 carry discord and turmoil into the domestic 
 circle ? Many a husband has reduced his fam- 
 ily to rags and wretchedness, by visiting the 
 evening club and the halls of merriment, but 
 never by the worship and love of God. Will 
 one's health be undermined by submitting to 
 the rules of the gospel? Excessive worldly 
 care brings multitudes to an untimely grave, 
 but never does a well-balanced Christian tem- 
 per shorten a man's days. 
 
 There can be no ground for hesitancy on this 
 subject. If " the way of transgressors is hard," 
 if "the gall of bitterness" is connected with 
 "the bonds of iniquity/' and if "the curse of 
 the Lord is in the house of the wicked," we 
 cannot expect to see either individuals or fam- 
 ilies permanently flourish, if God is forgotten, 
 and the Bible neglected, and the sanctuary for- 
 22 
 
338 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 saken. I would not have you influenced by 
 mere mercenary motives ; but there is a natu- 
 ral and obvious connection between true piety 
 and temporal success, and it cannot be wrong 
 to show this connection. Eight feelings to- 
 wards God are almost sure to produce those 
 habits of industry and economy which sur- 
 round men with comfort and competency. 
 These are New Testament as well as Old Tes- 
 tament blessings ; and it may be said in our 
 day, as emphatically as it ever could be, " for- 
 sake not "Wisdom, and she shall preserve thee, 
 love her, and she shall keep thee, exalt her, 
 and she shall promote thee; she shall bring 
 thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her." 
 If the prosperity you desire implies a compe- 
 tency of earthly good, a well-regulated home, 
 and a peaceful frame of mind, love to God, and 
 faith in Christ, and trust in the promises are in 
 their very nature calculated to secure all these 
 blessings. You do not often find miserable 
 destitution among people who read the Scrip- 
 tures, and keep up morning and evening prayer, 
 and attend church regularly, and commune 
 with God, 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 339 
 
 Do you still doubt? then ask the fathers, 
 and they will teach you, and the elders, and 
 they will tell you. Their testimony is that of 
 men who have been young but now are old, 
 and it all goes to show that the righteous are 
 not forsaken, nor does his seed beg bread. In 
 regard to this great matter, there can be no 
 dispute. Heaven and earth unite in enforcing 
 the injunction : Take fast hold of true Eeligion ; 
 "let her not go, keep her, for she is thy life." 
 No other friend will prove so careful of your 
 welfare. She will lodge with you at night, toil 
 with you by day, make her abode with you in 
 the city, travel with you in the wilderness, 
 and sail with you on the ocean. You will find 
 her presence on the stone where Jacob lay 
 down to sleep, in the den where Daniel was 
 surrounded by the hungry lions, by the pillar 
 where Hannah moved her lips in silent suppli- 
 cation, in the prison where Paul and Silas sang 
 praises, and on the hill-side where the Man of 
 Sorrows poured out his heart to God. She has 
 written her name on many a cottage hearth, 
 and many an opening cave, and many a dun- 
 geon floor. Her business is to make men hap- 
 
340 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 pier as well as holier. Better that a vessel 
 should be at sea without a rudder, than a 
 young man in the world without piety. If 
 the hour ever comes, when he is ready to re- 
 solve not to seek the Lord, he may expect in 
 turn that God will cast him off forever. 
 
 It is of immense importance that all this 
 should be well and thoroughly understood. 
 Thousands look upon religion as valuable be- 
 cause it is connected with a safe and peaceful 
 death, but see nothing to endear it to them as 
 a means of good for this world. This is one 
 of the greatest mistakes into which the un- 
 thinking multitude can fall. True piety is a 
 rich present blessing. Its influence is felt 
 beneficially upon all one's associations and 
 connections in life. Let it universally prevail, 
 and " our sons will be as plants grown up in 
 their youth, and our daughters as corner- 
 stones, polished after the similitude of a pal- 
 ace." 
 
 There are, however, dark hours in every life, 
 and this leads me to add that religion is the 
 only sure support in trouble. Come sooner or 
 later, the evil day most assuredly will. Disap- 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 341 
 
 pointment, misfortune, unkindness, and incon- 
 stancy all will crowd around your pathway, as 
 you make your journey through, this vale of 
 tears. At any moment, health may decay, 
 friends prove treacherous, and a cloud black 
 as midnight overshadow your prospects. Be- 
 sides, there are troubles of the heart, which no 
 human medicine can cure, and trials of the 
 spirit, which no music has power to charm. 
 What shall such a child of sorrow do, when 
 his gourd withers, and the sun beats on his 
 naked head? It is not the boisterous song, 
 or the merry dance, or the flowing bowl, that 
 can cheer the mind in an hour like this. Ah ! 
 said Sir John Mason, all things forsake me in 
 my affliction, but my God, my Bible, and my 
 prayers. It is only "to the upright" that 
 ft there arises light in darkness." 
 
 Dr. Chalmers tells a story, which ought to 
 convey a salutary lesson. A person in deep 
 melancholy once went to an eminent physician 
 to ask his advice ; and what think you was the 
 answer he received ? He was gravely told, as 
 the best remedy in his case, to attend the per- 
 formances of a celebrated stage-player. This 
 
342 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 was the only balm which the learned medical 
 man knew for a wounded spirit. But it turned 
 out, to the discredit of his prescription, that the 
 patient was this very actor himself, and that 
 while he was, night after night, exciting the 
 applause of a crowded theatre, his own heart 
 was cold and cheerless as the grave. What a 
 spectacle ! This poor man, went to kindle a 
 rapture in which he could not participate, and 
 to stand a dejected mourner in the midst of the 
 tumultuous joy which his own voice had awak- 
 ened. "Would that every pleasure-loving youth 
 would remember this lesson ! It teaches us in 
 terms not to be gainsayed, that the heart may 
 be torn with anguish, while forced smiles seem 
 to irradiate the countenance. 
 
 Hume professed to be a happy man, how 
 sincerely it is not very difficult to determine. 
 You have all heard with what foolish and in- 
 decent jesting he passed the hours of the last 
 night he was permitted to live. This was 
 done, no doubt, to keep up the impression that 
 his principles sustained him to the very end. 
 But the heart has its own testimony to give on 
 such subjects, and there are times in every 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 343 
 
 man's life, when its voice will be heard. This 
 man, after much pains and labor, succeeded 
 partially in making an infidel of his own moth- 
 er ; but when he was absent from home, she fell 
 sick, and was filled with mental anguish. In 
 this emergency she wrote to her son, begging 
 him to come back, or send her by letter the 
 requisite consolations. Hume received the tid- 
 ings with great sorrow, and set out at once ; 
 but before he arrived the mother was in eter- 
 nity. Infidelity fails in the hour of sadness. 
 
 You must allow me to be specific here. We 
 are all aware that it is no uncommon thing for 
 the gayest flower to droop and die, just as it 
 begins to send forth its sweetest fragrance. 
 Yonder is an ardent, noble-minded young 
 man, who at the very outset of his career, has 
 been disappointed in the object on which he 
 had most fully set his heart; and what can 
 comfort him now ? Here is a lovely female, 
 through whose fresh joys the ploughshare of 
 desolation has been ruthlessly driven, and now 
 the hectic spot is coming out on her cheek. 
 In the next dwelling is a young mother, who 
 refuses to be comforted, because the babe she 
 
344 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 loved so well, and for a little while pressed so 
 warmly to lier bosom is torn from her embrace, 
 and put in its coffin. Now tell me what kind 
 of cordials you would administer in cases like 
 these ? Could you do better than commend 
 such sad ones to the friendship of Him, who 
 breaks not the bruised reed, nor quenches the 
 smoking flax. 
 
 Is there not something, cruel, I had almost 
 said inlmman, in sending these children of 
 grief to look for consolation on the briery and 
 thorny fields of the world? Eely upon it, no 
 comforts but those that come from the cross, no 
 music but that made by the harp of the Son of 
 David, can relieve maladies like these. But 
 blessed be God, 
 
 " Earth has no sorrows which heaven cannot cure." 
 
 Even the valley of the shadow of death is 
 often lighted up by the presence of the Saviour. 
 This is an event which may overtake you, 
 while the pulse of youth is still throbbing full 
 and strong in your veins, or it may be deferred 
 until old age has made its unmistakable marks 
 on your brow. But be its advent when it will, 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 345 
 
 it must prove the crisis of your being, and con- 
 sign you to eternal joys or eternal sorrows. In 
 view of that awful hour, what is there to cheer 
 the soul, but a well-established belief in the gos- 
 pel of Christ, and a cordial reliance on the 
 blood of the cross. No one, rest assured, is 
 carried by angels to Abraham's bosom, merely 
 because of his amiable dispositions, or his free- 
 dom from open and disreputable vices. There 
 must be a renewal of the heart unto righteous- 
 ness, or the crown of glory that fadeth not 
 away, can never be worn. 
 
 Tell me then, is not religion necessary to 
 human welfare ? Look at man in prosperity 
 and adversity, in health and in sickness, in life 
 and in death, and say, does he not need just 
 such a guide as the Bible, just such a refuge 
 as Jesus, just such a father as God ? Under 
 all these circumstances, he must learn to cast 
 anchor within the veil, if he would be secure 
 from the storm. When God is relied upon, 
 and Christ is trusted in, and the Scriptures are 
 loved, there can be "no enchantment against 
 Jacob," nor " divination against Israel." 
 
 My young friends, if you admit the truth of 
 
346 THE SPRING. TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 what lias been said, and admit it I know you 
 do, then we shall expect you to stand up, in 
 all companies, and on all occasions, open, bold, 
 and manly advocates of the gospel. As far as 
 in you lies, never suffer the book which brings 
 such blessings to our world to be treated with 
 contempt. Be understood everywhere as 
 taking sides fearlessly and without flinching 
 with the Sabbath, the Christian ministry, and 
 the church of God. Less than this you cannot 
 do, without proving treacherous to the best in- 
 terests of your fellow-men. Less than this you 
 cannot do, without causing a dark cloud to 
 overspread the face of your own heavens. Less 
 than this you cannot do, without being dere- 
 lict in your duty to God. Be not like Esau, 
 "who for one morsel of meat sold his birth- 
 right." You are passing through your SPKING- 
 TIME ; be careful so to spend it, that you may 
 have a pleasant summer, an abundant autumn, 
 and a cheerful winter. 
 
 Become truly and personally religious in 
 early life. This you need for the expansion 
 of your minds, and the rectification of your 
 hearts, as a help to success, and a support un- 
 
RELIGION THE PRINCIPAL THING. 347 
 
 der disappointment. Nothing is so essential to 
 your welfare, as an experimental faith in Christ, 
 and a daily subjection to his laws. Be good 
 men and true men, of a sound creed and a holy 
 life, men who fear God and keep his command- 
 ments, and it will be well with you for both 
 earth and heaven. Your lot, I need not tell 
 you, is cast upon eventful times. The world 
 is probably on the eve of great changes. Be- 
 fore the frosts of winter shall have whitened 
 your heads, immense revolutions will occur in 
 the state of society. 0, be prepared to stand 
 in your lot, and perform your part faithfully. 
 In the times which try men's souls, nothing 
 will answer like a steady, cheerful trust in 
 God. See to it that all is right here, and all 
 will be right everywhere. This is firm foot- 
 ing. Here is solid rock. 
 
 Only be right with God, and come joy or 
 come sorrow, the issue will be safe. No fear 
 for you, if you but make it your earnest morn- 
 ing and evening prayer, that you may be led 
 in the way of peace and truth, by the blessed 
 Spirit. Under such teachings your feet shall 
 not stumble, nor will you ever wander from 
 
348 THE SPRING-TIME OF LIFE. 
 
 the way. Should disease invade your body, 
 and death lay its icy hand upon you in early 
 life, you may lift up your eyes, and say as did 
 a dear friend of mine, "Blessed Saviour, I am 
 near my home. Satan has tried to disturb me, 
 but I have examined the ground of my hope, 
 and find that I am on a rock. Yes, I feel that 
 I am on a rock." 
 
 These pages have cost me thought, and la- 
 bor, and prayer ; but I ask no richer reward 
 than to be the instrument in the hand of God, 
 of helping you to become useful men and true 
 Christians. " The Lord bless you and keep 
 you. The Lord make his face to shine upon 
 you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift 
 up his countenance upon you, and give you 
 peace." 
 
 THE END. 
 
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