[There is nothing urged with greater confidence to deter young - persons from a religious course, or to draw them back again to the world, than example. They are told from time to time what such and such persons do ; and can this be wrong ? But whoever they are who are proposed to us for examples, we have only one question to ask; Did they regulate their con- duct according to the revealed will of God ? and was it the one labour of their lives to walk as Christ walked? If this was not the case, it signifies not who they were, or what they did : " their way was their folly ; " and instead of taking them as examples to follow, we should rather regard them as monu- ments to warn us against impending ruin. If the number and respectability of the persons be urged, let us remember, that to " walk according to the course of this world, is to walk according to the prince of the power of the air, the spii'it that now worketh in the children of disobedience." " Christ died to deliver us from this present evil world:" we must therefore leave the broad road that leadeth to destruc- tion, and walk in " the narrow way that leadeth unto life." True it is, that " if we do well unto ourselves (in advancing our own temporal interests), men will speak good of us"^:" but it is of little consequence what men speak or think: nothing will be of any lasting benefit to us, but the approba- tion of our God^]
2. Cleave to Him who alone is able to redeem our
souls —
[If man cannot redeem his brother from temporal death, much less can he the soul from spiritual and eternal death : the price required for that is more than all the creatures in earth or heaven are able to pay*. But Christ has paid the mighty ransom : with his own " precious blood," he has re- deemed us from sin and Satan, from death and hell. Seek him then, and you are richer than ten thousand worlds could make you. In him you have " durable riches, and righteous- ness." Go to him, and he will give you " gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich." After him your desires cannot be too ardent; your expectations from him cannot be too en- larged ; your dependence on him cannot be too entire and confident. On that side you need not fear excess. And if the world deride your way as folly, regard it not: they will soon alter their sentiments : the moment they enter into the eternal world, they will know infallibly who were wise and who were fools : and when they meet you at the judgment- seat of Christ, they will say, " We fools counted their life madness :" their reproaches then will be turned upon them- selves, and their one subject of lamentation will be, that they
r ver. 18. 8 1 Cor. iv. 3, 4. * ver. 7—9.