Chapter 59—The Influence of Associates
In our institutions, where many are laboring together, the influence
of association is very great. It is natural to seek companionship. Ev-
eryone will find companions or make them. And just in proportion to
the strength of the friendship, will be the amount of influence which
friends will exert over one another for good or for evil. All will have
associates, and will influence and be influenced in their turn.
The link is a mysterious one which binds human hearts together, so
that the feelings, tastes, and principles of two individuals are closely
blended. One catches the spirit, and copies the ways and acts, of the
other. As wax retains the figure of the seal, so the mind retains the
impression produced by intercourse and association. The influence
may be unconscious, yet it is no less powerful.
If the youth could be persuaded to associate with the pure, the
thoughtful, and the amiable, the effect would be most salutary. If
choice is made of companions who fear the Lord, the influence will
lead to truth, to duty, and to holiness. A truly Christian life is a power
for good. But, on the other hand, those who associate with men and
women of questionable morals, of bad principles and practices, will
soon be walking in the same path. The tendencies of the natural heart
are downward. He who associates with the skeptic will soon become
skeptical; he who chooses the companionship of the vile will most
assuredly become vile. To walk in the counsel of the ungodly is the
first step toward standing in the way of sinners and sitting in the seat
of the scornful.
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Let all who would form a right character choose associates who are
of a serious, thoughtful turn of mind and who are religiously inclined.
Those who have counted the cost and wish to build for eternity must
put good material into their building. If they accept of rotten timbers, if
they are content with deficiencies of character, the building is doomed
to ruin. Let all take heed how they build. The storm of temptation
will sweep over the building, and unless it is firmly and faithfully
constructed it will not stand the test.
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