Appeal for Our Students
39
studied His own profit, convenience, and pleasure, the world would
have been left to perish in its sin and corruption.
A strange indifference in reference to the salvation of souls seems
to have taken possession of many professed Christians. Sinners may
be perishing all around them, and they have no particular burden in
the matter. Will Christ say to these indifferent ones, “Well done, good
and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”? The joy of
Christ consists in seeing souls redeemed through the sacrifice He has
made for them.
Young men and women who are not under home influences need
some one to look after them, and to manifest some interest for them;
and those who do this are supplying a great lack, and are as verily
doing a work for God and the salvation of souls as the minister in
the pulpit. This work of disinterested benevolence in laboring for
the good of the youth is no more than God requires of every one of
us. How earnestly should the experienced Christian work to prevent
the formation of those habits that indelibly mar the character. Let
the followers of Christ make the word of God attractive to the youth.
Let your own characters, softened and subdued by the beauties of
holiness, be a daily, hourly sermon to the youth. Manifest no spirit
of grumbling; but win them to holiness of life and obedience to God.
Some professors, by their sourness, repel the young. The hearts of
youth are now like impressible wax, and you may lead them to admire
the Christian character; but in a few years the wax may become granite.
I call upon the professed Christians of Battle Creek as a church and
as individuals, take up your God-given responsibilities. Walk with God
yourselves; and exert an influence over the young which shall preserve
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them from falling under the manifold temptations made attractive to
seduce the young of this generation. Satan is getting the start of God’s
professed people. They seem to be asleep to the dangers of the young,
and the ruin that threatens them. Satan exultingly displays his victories
gained over the youth; and those who profess to be soldiers of the
cross allow him to take his victims from under the very rooftree, and
appear wonderfully reconciled.
The cases of many are looked upon as hopeless by those who did
not reach out a helping hand to save them. Some of these might have
been saved; and even now, if proper interest was manifested in them,
they could be reached. What have any of us that we did not receive?