-(Abridged) BY H. W. PARSONS

A warning, especially to the young professing to be saved

Dear Friends:-A little over four years ago I gave up struggling against the Spirit of God, and accepted Christ as my personal Saviour. It was indeed the happiest day of my life, and everything looked bright to me. With a new purpose in life, my heart's desire was to live a clean-cut life for Christ, who paid such a great price that my sins might be blotted out and that I might be redeemed.

I became a member of the Christian Endeavor Society, and for a year or so lived as I believed a Christian should, up to the light I had, careful in all I did that my influence be for God. As long as this was my purpose God blessed me, and used me in some measure in blessing to others.

Gradually came the desire to associate with certain of my friends in High School, and in order to become popular with them I began going to places where they went, and indulging in the things they did. This led me to the dance hall, which had its fascination. The theater also-had such charms for me that I even resorted to dishonest methods in order to get money to attend. Every Saturday found me with the fellows in the first row of seats. I was also captivated by the lure of the movies.

Sunday evening I would attend the young people's meeting, and usually took part, as I was pledged to do. I also read my Bible, and prayed. Wednesday night I would go to prayer meeting, after that go to the moving picture gallery. One New Year's eve, in company with three other young people from our church, we attended a watch night service at the City Mission. We were watching the old year out and the new year in, after which, I am ashamed to say, we went home with one of the party, and played cards until two o'clock.

Let me say from my heart, that in the midst of it all, an awful unrest was in my life, which I cannot describe. I would come home from the movies, a party, or a dance, tired out; I would take my Bible, pick out a short Psalm, go through a form of prayer, asking God to forgive my mistakes during the day, then lie down for the night, sad, disheartened, under the deepest conviction, realizing full well the way I was living was far from right in the sight of God, but rather a double life.

After one year spent in the pleasures of the world, I had so lost interest in Christian work that my name did not appear on the Christian Endeavor topic card. I lost my fellowship with God, and His people. The joy of salvation had left me. I became indifferent to spiritual things. There was no concern in my life about the eternal welfare of others. My rapid decline was due to the fact that worldly amusements had crowded out my hungering desire for God's Word. When I read my Bible I could not get anything out of it, for it seemed dry and uninteresting. Yet, praise God, all the time the Word was doing its work in my life, for it brought me under deep conviction.

In the presence of my friends, I was jolly and full of jokes. From my outward appearance they were led to think I was happy. Oh, how misleading! My inner life was nothing but unrest, discontent, and remorse. This proved to me that the half-hearted, worldly Christian is of all people most miserable.

Shortly after this, two Evangelists began meetings in our city. I made every excuse to keep from going, but had to go on Sunday. God's Spirit came in deep convicting power. I saw myself in the light of God, that the life I had been living for two years was a reproach to the cause of Christ and a stumbling-block to my worldly friends. Oh, the struggle I went through! Fully did I realize I had sinned openly, and nothing but a public confession would give me peace. I believe God means just what He says in Prov. 28:13, also 1 John 1:9.

Praise God, one night, before eight hundred people in the West Presbyterian church, I pulled myself to my feet and openly confessed my sins, saying I had lived a double life, but with the grace and help of God I would never be seen at the theater, or on a dance floor, or at the moving picture gallery again.

Friends, when you come to a clean-cut separation you will not have to worry about giving up your friends. They will give you up. At this time I was president of the senior class in high school. The news of the stand I had taken and the public confession I had made spread like wild-fire among all the students, as I had been one of the leaders in all the amusements and pleasures of school-life. The next morning, when I went to school I was greeted with many unkind remarks, and) was sneered at by some. Some laughed and made fun of me, others would pass by and not notice me. The fellows and girls said, "Give him six weeks, and he will be back with the bunch." They gave me the name of being one of Davis' "convicts," called me "goody-goody, Sunday School boy;" and said that I had gone crazy on religion.

This step caused me to lose about sixty out of eighty-two of my class-mates as friends; yet I praise God I made that decision, for at once a change came into my life. Immediately came back the joy I had experienced about two years before, for God had forgiven my sins. The moment I made my confession and met my part of 1 John 1:9, God fulfilled His part.

At the time of graduation, about three months later, the class day exercises were held at the Tabernacle Methodist church; the testator who was presenting the members of the class with a small token, called me forward on the platform and presented me with a small tin engine and said with a loud voice, so all could hear, "It is the desire of the class of 1908 that during the coming years our president be able to get the power"-meant, of course, as a slur upon my Christian life and the stand I had taken, for all knew the change in my life.

The crowd was in an uproar of laughter, and I was dazed for a moment. The blow struck to my heart with tremendous force. I hardly knew what to do or say; this was one of the severest tests of my life. I sank back into my chair, bowed my head in my hands and prayed, "O God, for Jesus' sake, give me the power." Thus an apparent defeat was turned into the greatest victory of my life.

I became more determined than ever to live out and out for Christ at any cost. With a burning desire to see souls saved, I started out to do the will of my Lord. He gave me the greatest joy, in answering my prayer, by using me to win a soul for Him. This was the beginning of my life of real service. All praise is due Him for the many young men and women I have been privileged to lead to Him since.

Dear friends, His grace has been sufficient. God will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able, but will with the temptation, make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13).
Let me give you some of the reasons, drawn from Scripture, why a Christian should be separate from the world and its ways.

Jesus said, "The works" of the world "are evil" (John 7:7). This being so, "let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19). A true follower of Christ cannot go in the world's ways, for Jesus said, "Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:27). "If any man will serve Me, let him, follow Me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be; if any man serve Me, him will my Father honor" (John 12:26).

"No man can serve two masters:for he will either hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt. 6:24). "He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad" (Matt. 12:30). Do not deceive yourself; "Not everyone that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).

We are plainly commanded to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not into the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away" (Prov. 4:14,15).

Again, the Christian is admonished, "Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers:for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? … Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,… and I will receive you, and be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:14-18).

Marvel not, Christian, if the world hates you:ye know that it hated Christ before it hated you; and this is His command, "Love not the world, neither the things of the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Jesus prayed not that we should be taken out of the world, but that we should be kept from its evil, for we are not of the world, even as He was not of the world (John 17:15,16).

Keep in mind these good precepts:

"Do nothing you would not like to be doing when Jesus comes."

"Say nothing you would not like to be saying when Jesus comes."

"Go to no place you would not like to be found when Jesus comes."