Thoughts for Young Men, part 1

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of exhortation for young men?

The Bible highlights the need for young men to be exhorted due to their unique vulnerabilities and spiritual needs. The Apostle Paul instructed Titus to particularly exhort young men to be sober-minded (Titus 2:6). J.C. Ryle notes that young men are often careless about their spiritual state and are heavily influenced by sin and the world. Therefore, exhortation serves to guide them back to a serious consideration of their souls and the importance of genuine faith in Christ. Given their propensity for folly and danger, timely exhortation is essential for their spiritual health and well-being.

Q: How do we know that the soul is important for young men?

The soul is eternally significant, as it will live on forever, making its state vital for every individual, especially young men. Young men often overlook the eternal significance of their souls in pursuit of worldly pleasures, yet they must understand that their souls are immortal (Matthew 10:28). J.C. Ryle stresses that while the body may perish, the state of the soul dictates eternal destiny. Young men are called to recognize their need for salvation and the urgency of turning to Christ while they are still in their youth. Emphasizing the importance of the soul helps them prioritize spiritual matters over temporal concerns, reminding them that neglecting their soul leads to dire eternal consequences.

Q: Why is humility important for young men according to the Bible?

Humility is crucial as it counters pride, which leads to destruction and shields young men from spiritual dangers. Pride is described as the root of many sins and is particularly prevalent in the hearts of young men. Ryle warns that pride leads to a lack of receptiveness to God's truth and advice, which can ultimately lead to spiritual ruin (Proverbs 16:18). In contrast, humility opens the door to wisdom and grace. The Bible encourages young men to recognize their limitations and actively seek knowledge from older, wiser individuals (Proverbs 12:15, 1 Peter 5:5). This humble stance is essential not just for personal growth, but for maintaining a right relationship with God, as He gives grace to the humble.

Q: What are some dangers facing young men mentioned in the Bible?

Young men face dangers such as pride, love of pleasure, and thoughtlessness, which can lead to spiritual demise. Scripture highlights various dangers that young men encounter, including the overwhelming temptation of pride and fleeting pleasures (2 Timothy 3:4). J.C. Ryle points out that young men must be cautious of letting their passions rule their decisions, which can lead them further away from God and into sin. The danger of being thoughtless, or failing to consider the consequences of their actions, can result in eternal regret (Proverbs 14:15). Each of these dangers requires vigilance and a proactive approach to seek God and wisdom, enabling them to resist these potent threats.

Thoughts for Young Men by John Charles Ryle I send forth this little book for the special benefit of young men. When the Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his duty as a minister, he mentioned young men as a group requiring peculiar attention. After speaking of older men and older women and young women, he adds this pithy advice. Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded. Titus 2, 6.

I am going to follow the Apostle's advice. I propose to offer a few words of timely and friendly exhortation to young men. I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most distinct recollection of the joys and the sorrows, the hopes and the fears, the temptations and the difficulties, the mistaken judgments and the misplaced affections, the errors and the aspirations, which surround and accompany a young man's life. If I can only say something to keep some young man in the right way and preserve him from faults and sins which may damage his well-being both for time and eternity, I shall be very thankful.

There are four things which I propose to do. First, I will mention some general reasons why young men need exhorting. Second, I will notice some special dangers against which young men need to be warned. Third, I will give some general counsels which I will entreat young men to receive. Fourth, I will set down some special rules of conduct which I strongly advise young men to follow. On each of these four points, I have something to say, and I pray to God that what I say may do good to your soul, dear reader.

Chapter One. Reasons for Exhorting Young Men.

In the first place, what are the general reasons why young men particularly need exhortation? Let me seek to mention several of them in order.

1. For one thing, there is the painful fact that there are few young men anywhere who seem to have any genuine religion. I speak without respect of persons. I say it of all. High or low, rich or poor, gentle or simple, learned or unlearned, in town or in country, it makes no difference. I tremble to observe how few men are led by the Spirit, how few are in that narrow way which leads to life, how few are setting their affections upon things above, how few are taking up the cross and following Christ. I say it with all sorrow, but I believe, as in God's sight, I am saying nothing more than the truth.

Young man, You are one of the large and most important group in the population of your country. But where and in what condition is your never-dying soul? Sadly, whatever way we turn for an answer, the report will be one and the same. Let us ask any faithful minister of the gospel and note what he will tell us. How many unmarried young people can he calculate who come to the Lord's Supper? Who are the most negligent about using the means of grace? The most irregular about Sunday services? The most difficult to draw to weekly studies and prayer meetings? The most inattentive under preaching at all times? Which part of his congregation fills him with most anxiety? Who are the Rubens for whom he has the deepest searchings of heart? See Judges 5.16. Who in his flock are the hardest to manage? Who require the most frequent warnings and rebukes? Who occasion in him the greatest fear for their souls and seem most hopeless? depend on it. His answer will always be the young men.

Let us ask the parents in any church throughout your country and see what they will generally say. Who in their families give them most pain and trouble? Who need the most watchfulness and most often disturb and disappoint them? Who are the first to be led away from what is right, and the last to remember cautions and good advice? Who are the most difficult to keep in order and bounds? Who most frequently break out into open sin, disgrace the family name, make their friends unhappy, embitter the old age of their relatives, and bring down gray hairs with sorrow to the grave?

depend upon it, the answer will generally be the young men. Let us ask the judges and police officers and note what they will reply. Who frequent the bars and taverns the most? Who are the greatest Sabbath breakers? Who make up riotous mobs and rebellious meetings? who are most often hauled in for drunkenness, for disturbances of the peace, fighting, stealing, assaults, and the like, who fill the jails and the penitentiaries, who are the class which requires the most incessant watching and looking after,

depend on it. They will at once point to the same section. They will say, the young men,

Let us turn to the wealthy and denote the report we shall receive from them. In one family, the sons are always wasting time, health, and money in the selfish pursuit of pleasure. In another, the sons will follow no particular profession but fritter away the most precious years of their life in doing nothing. In another, they take up a profession as a mere game, but pay no attention to its duties. In another, they are always forming wrong alliances, gambling, getting into debt, associating with bad companions, keeping their friends in a constant fever of anxiety.

Regrettably, rank and title and wealth and education do not prevent these things. Anxious fathers and heartbroken mothers and sorrowing sisters could tell sad tales about them if the truth were known.

many a family with everything this world can give, numbers among its relations, some name that is never named, or only named with regret and shame, some son, some brother, some cousin, some nephew, who must have his own way, and is thus a grief to all who know him. There is seldom a rich family which does not have some thorn in its side, some blot in its page of happiness, some constant source of pain and anxiety, and often, far too often, is not this the true cause, the young men?

What shall we say to these things? which stare us in the face facts which meet us on every side facts which cannot be denied how dreadful this is how dreadful the thought that every time I meet a young man I meet one who is in all probability an enemy of God traveling in the broadway which leads to destruction unfit for heaven

Surely, with such facts before me, you will not wonder that I exhort you as I do. Indeed, you must admit that there is a rightful cause for my concern.

2. For another thing, death and judgment are facing young men, even as others, and they nearly all seem to forget it. Young man, it is appointed unto you once to die, Hebrews 9, 27. And however strong and healthy you may be now, the day of your death is perhaps very near. I see sickness in young people as well as old. I bury youthful corpses as well as aged. I read the names of persons no older than you in every graveyard. I learn from books that, except for infancy and old age, more died between 13 and 23 than at any other season of life. And yet you live as if you were sure, at present, not to die at all. Are you thinking you will attend to these things tomorrow? Remember the words of wise King Solomon. Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27, 1.

Serious things tomorrow, said a heathen to one who warned him of coming danger, but his tomorrow never came. Tomorrow is the devil's day, but today is God's. Satan cares not how spiritual your intentions may be and how holy your resolutions, so long as they are fixed for tomorrow. Oh, give no place to the devil in this matter. Tell him, no, Satan, it shall be today. Today.

All men do not live to be patriarchs like Isaac and Jacob. Many children died before their fathers. David had to mourn the death of his two finest sons. Job lost all ten of his children in one day. Your fate may be like one of theirs, and when death summons, it will be vain to talk of tomorrow. You must go at once.

Are you thinking you will have a convenient season to consider these things someday in the future? So thought Felix and the Athenians, to whom Paul preached. But it never came. See Acts 17, 32-34. Acts 24, 24-27. Hell is paved with such fancy and foolish notions. Better make sure work while you can. Leave nothing unsettled that is eternal. Run no risk when your soul is at stake. Believe me, the salvation of a soul is no easy matter.

All need a great salvation, whether young or old. All need to be born again. All need to be washed in Christ's blood. All need to be sanctified by the Spirit. Happy is that man who does not leave these things uncertain, but never rests till he has the witness of the Spirit within him, that he is a child of God.

Young man, your time is short. Your days are but a span long, a shadow, a vapor, a tale that is soon told. Your bodies are not brass. Even the young man, says Isaiah, shall utterly fall. Isaiah 40, 30. Your health may be taken from you in a moment. It only takes a fall, a fever, an inflammation, a broken blood vessel, and the worm would soon feed upon you. There is but a step between you and death. This night, your soul might be required of you. You are fast going the way of all the earth. You will soon be gone. Your life is all uncertainty. Your judgment are perfectly sure.

You too must hear the archangel's trumpet and go forth to stand before the great white throne. You too must obey the summons which Jerome says was always ringing in his ears. Arise, you dead, and come to judgment. Surely I come quickly, is the language of the Judge himself, Revelation 22, 20.

I cannot, dare not, will not, let you alone. Oh, that you would lay to heart the words of the Preacher. Rejoice, oh young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Ecclesiastes 11.9

Astonishing that with such an appointment any man can be careless and unconcerned. Surely none are so foolish as those who are content to live unprepared to die. Surely the unbelief of men is the most amazing thing in the world. Well, may the clearest prophecy in the Bible begin with these words, Who has believed our report? Isaiah 53, 1. Well, may the Lord Jesus say, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? Luke 18, 8.

Young man, I fear lest this be the report of you in the courts above. He will not believe. I fear lest you be hurried out of the world and awaken to find out too late that death and judgment are realities. I fear all this, and therefore I exhort you. 3. For another thing, what young men will be in all probability depends upon what they are now, and yet they seem so easily to forget this. Youth is the seed time of full age, the molding season in the little space of human life, the turning point in the history of man's mind. By the shoot, we judge of the tree. By the blossom, we judge of the fruit. By the spring, we judge of the harvest. By the morning, we judge of the day. And by the character of the young man, we may generally judge what he will be when he grows up.

Young man, do not be deceived. Do not think you can willfully serve yourself and your pleasures in the beginning of life and then go and serve God with ease at the end. Do not think you can live with Esau and then die with Jacob. It is a mockery to deal with God and your soul in such a fashion. It is an awful mockery to suppose you can give the flower of your strength to the world and the devil and then put off the King of Kings with the scraps and leftovers of your hearts. the wreck and remnant of your powers.

It is an awful mockery, and you may find it to your horror that the thing in fact cannot be done. I venture to say you are counting on a late repentance. You do not know what you are doing. You are reckoning without God. Repentance and faith are the gifts of God, and gifts that He often withholds, when they have been long offered in vain. I grant you that true repentance is never too late, but I warn you at the same time, late repentance is seldom true. I grant you, one penitent thief was converted in his last hours, that no man might despair. But I warn you, only one was converted, that no man might presume.

See Luke 23, 39-43. I grant you, it is written, Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God by Him. Hebrews 7, 25. But I warn you, it is also written by the same Spirit, because I have called and you refused, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your terror comes. Proverbs 1, 24 and 26. Believe me, you will find it no easy matter to turn to God just when you please. It is a true saying of good Archbishop Layton. The way of sin is downhill. A man cannot stop whenever he wishes. Holy desires and serious convictions are not like the servants of the centurion, ready to come and go at your desire. Rather, they are like the unicorn in Job. They will not obey your voice nor attend at your bidding. It was said of Hannibal, a famous general of old, when he could have taken the city of Rome, which he warred against, he would not. And finally, when he would, he could not. Beware, lest the same kind of event happen to you in the matter of eternal life.

Why do I say all this? I say it because of the force of habit. I say it because experience tells me that people's hearts are seldom changed if they are not changed when young. Seldom indeed are men converted when they are old. Habits have long roots. Sin, once allowed to nestle in your bosom, will not be turned out at your bidding. Custom becomes second nature, and its chains are threefold cords, not easily broken. Well does the prophet declare, can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil. Jeremiah 13, 23.

Habits are like stones rolling downhill. The further they roll, the faster and more uncontrollable is their course. Habits, like trees, are strengthened by age. A boy may bend an oak when it is a sapling. A hundred men cannot root it up when it is a full-grown tree. A child can wade over the river Thames at its fountainhead. The largest ship in the world can float in it when it gets near the sea. So it is with habits. The older they are, the stronger they grow. The longer they have held possession of the soul, the harder they will be to cast out. They grow with our growth and strengthen with our strength.

Habit is the nurse of sin. Every fresh act of sin lessens fear and remorse, hardens our heart, blunts the edge of our conscience, and increases our evil inclination. Young man, you may imagine I am laying too much stress on this point. If you have seen old men, as I have done, on the brink of the grave, without any feeling, seared, callous, dead, cold, hard as the nether millstone, you would not think so. Believe me, you cannot stand still in the affairs of your souls. Habits of good or evil are daily strengthened in your hearts. Every day you are either getting nearer to God or further off. Every year that you continue unrepentant and unconverted, the wall of division between you and heaven becomes higher and thicker and the gulf to be crossed deeper and broader. Oh, I urge you, dread the hardening effect of constant lingering in sin. Now is the accepted time. See that your flight be not in the winter of your days. If you seek not the Lord when young, the strength of habit is such that you will probably never seek Him at all. It is this I fear, and therefore I exhort you.

4. For another thing, the devil uses special diligence to destroy the souls of young men, and yet they seem not to know it. Satan knows well that you will make up the next generation, and therefore he employs every craft quickly and early to make you his own. I would not have you ignorant of his devices. You are those on whom he displays all his choicest temptations. He spreads his net with the most watchful carefulness to entangle your hearts. He baits his traps with the sweetest morsels to get you into his power. He displays his merchandise before your eyes with his utmost ingenuity in order to make you buy his sugared poisons and eat his accursed dainties. You are the grand object of his attack. May the Lord rebuke him and deliver you out of his hands.

Young man, beware of being taken by his snares. He will try to throw dust in your eyes and prevent you from seeing anything in its true colors. He would willingly make you think evil good and good evil. He will paint and mask and dress up sin in order to make you fall in love with it. He will deform and misrepresent and caricature true religion in order to make you take a dislike to it. He will exalt the pleasures of wickedness, but he will hide from you the sting He will lift up before your eyes the cross and its painfulness, but He will keep out of sight the eternal crown. He will promise you everything as He did to Christ if you will only serve Him. He will even help you to wear a form of religion if you will only neglect the power. He will tell you at the beginning of your lives, it is too soon to serve God. He will tell you at the end, it is too late. Oh, be not deceived. How little you know of the danger you are in from this dreadful enemy, and it is this very ignorance which makes me afraid.

You are like a blind man, walking in the midst of holes and pitfalls. You do not see the perils which are around you on every side. Your enemy is mighty. He is called the Prince of this world, John 14 30. He opposed our Lord Jesus Christ all through His ministry. He tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and so brought sin and death into the world. He tempted even David, the man after God's own heart, and caused his latter days to be full of sorrow. He tempted even Peter, the chosen apostle, and persuaded him to deny his Lord. Surely his intense hatred must not be ignored.

Your enemy is restless. He never sleeps. He is always going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5.8. He is ever going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it. Job 1.7. Job 2.2. You may be careless about your soul, he is not. He wants it to make it miserable like himself and will have it if he can. Surely his intense hatred must not be ignored.

And your enemy is cunning. For many thousands of years he has been reading one book and that book is the heart of man. He ought to know it well, and he does know it, all its weakness, all its deceitfulness, all its folly. And he has a store of temptations, such as are most likely to do it harm. Never will you go to the place where he will not find you. Go into towns, he will be there. Go into a wilderness, he will be there also. Sit among drunkards and party-goers, and he will be there to help you. Listen to preaching, and he will be there to distract you. Surely such intense hatred must not be ignored.

Young man, this enemy is working hard for your destruction, however little you may think it. You are the prize for which he is especially contending. He foresees that you must either be a blessing or a curse in your day, and he is trying hard to gain an early entrance into your hearts, in order that you may help further his kingdom in the end. Well does he understand that to spoil the bud is the surest way to ruin the flower. Oh, that your eyes were opened like those of Elisha's servant in Dothan, 2 Kings 6, 15-17. Oh, that you did but see what Satan is scheming against your peace.

I must warn you. I must exhort you. Whether you will hear or not, I cannot, dare not, leave you alone.

5. For another thing, young men need exhorting. Because of the sorrow, it will save them to begin serving God now. Sin is the mother of all sorrow, and no sort of sin appears to give a man so much misery and pain as the sins of his youth. The foolish acts he did, the time he wasted, the mistakes he made, the bad company he kept, the harm he did himself, both body and soul, the chances of happiness he threw away, the opportunities for usefulness he neglected, all these things that often embitter the conscience of an old man. throw a gloom on the evening of his days and fill the latter hours of his life with self-reproach and shame.

Some men could tell you of the untimely loss of health brought on by youthful sins. Disease wracks their limbs with pain and life is almost a weariness. Their muscular strength is so wasted that a grasshopper seems a burden. Their eye has become prematurely dim and their natural force abated. The sun of their health has gone down, while it is yet day, and they mourn to see their flesh and body consumed. Ecclesiastes 12, 1 and following. Believe me, this is a bitter cup to drink.

Others could give you sad accounts of the consequences of idleness. They threw away the golden opportunity for learning. They would not get wisdom at the time when their minds were most able to receive it and their memories most ready to retain it. And now, it is too late. They no longer have the leisure time to sit down and learn. They no longer have the same power, even if they had the leisure. Lost time can never be redeemed. This, too, is a bitter cup to drink.

Others could tell you of grievous mistakes in judgment from which they suffer all their lives long. They would have their own way. They would not take advice. They formed some alliance which has been altogether destructive to their happiness. They chose a profession for which they were entirely unsuited, and they see it all now, but tragically their eyes are only open when the mistake cannot be retrieved. Oh, this is also a bitter cup to drink.

Young man, young man, I wish you did but know the comfort of a conscience not burdened with a long list of youthful sins. These are the wounds that pierce the spirit. This is the iron that enters into the soul. Be merciful to yourself. Seek the Lord early and so you will be spared many a bitter tear.

This is the truth that Job seems to have felt. He says, for you write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. Job 13, 26. So also his friend Zophar, speaking of the wicked, says, His bones are full of the sins of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust. Job 20.11. David also seems to have felt it. He says to the Lord, Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Psalm 25.7. Biza, the great Swiss reformer, felt it so strongly that he named it in his will as a special mercy that he had been called out from the world by the grace of God at the age of 16.

Go and ask believers now, and I think many of them will tell you much the same. Oh, that I could live my younger days over again, he will most probably say. Oh, that I had spent the beginning of my life in a better fashion. Oh, that I had not laid the foundation of evil habits so strongly in the springtime of my life.

Young man, I want to save you all this sorrow if I can. Hell itself is truth, known too late. Be wise, in time. What youth sows, old age must reap. Give not the most precious season of your life to that which will not comfort you in your latter days. Sow to yourself rather in righteousness. Break up your fallow ground. Sow not among thorns.

Sin may go easily from your hand, or run smoothly off your tongue now, but depend upon it. You and sin will meet again before too long, however little you may like it. Old wounds will often ache, and give pain long after they are healed, and only a scar remains, so may you find it with your sins. The footprints of animals have been found on the surface of rocks, that were once wet sand, thousands of years after the animal that made them has perished and passed away, so also it may be with your sins.

Experience, says the proverb, keeps the dear school, but fools will learn in no other. I want you to escape the misery of learning in that school. I want you to avoid the wretchedness that youthful sins are sure to produce. This is the last reason why I exhort you.

Chapter 2 Dangers Facing Young Men

In the second place, there are some special dangers against which young men need to be warned. One special danger to young men is the sin of pride. I know well that all souls are in fearful danger, old or young, it matters not. All have a race to run, a battle to fight, a sinful heart to mortify, a world to overcome, a body to keep under control, a devil to resist. And we may well say, who is sufficient for these things? But still, every age and condition has its own peculiar snares and temptations, and it is good to know them. He that is forewarned is forearmed. If I can only persuade you to be on your guard against the dangers I am going to name, I am sure I shall do your souls an essential service.

Pride is the oldest sin in the world. Indeed, it was before the world. Satan and his angels fell by pride. They were not satisfied with their first estate. Thus pride stocked hell with its first inhabitants. Pride cast Adam out of paradise. He was not content with the place God assigned him. He tried to raise himself and fell. Thus sin, sorrow, and death entered into this world by pride.

Pride sits in all our hearts by nature. We are born proud. Pride makes us rest satisfied with ourselves, thinking we are good enough as we are. It closes our ears against all advice, refuses the gospel of Christ, and turns everyone to his own way.

But pride never reigns anywhere so powerfully as in the heart of a young man. How common it is to see young men, headstrong, high-minded, and impatient of counsel. How often they are rude and uncourteous to all who are around them, thinking they are not valued and honored as they deserve to be. How often they will not stop to listen to a hint from an older person. They think they know everything. They are full of conceit of their own wisdom. They regard elderly people and especially their relatives to be stupid and dull and slow. They imagine that they need no teaching or instruction themselves. They understand all things. It makes them almost angry to be spoken to. Like young horses, they cannot bear the least control. They must be independent and have their own way. They seem to think, like those whom Job mentioned, we are the people, and wisdom shall die with us. Job 12, 2.

And this is all pride. Such an one was Rehoboam, who despised the counsel of the old experienced men who stood before his father Solomon, and hearkened to the advice of the young men of his own generation. He lived to reap the consequences of his folly, see 1 Kings 12. Sadly, there are many like him.

Such an one was the prodigal son in the parable, who must have the portion of his inheritance now and set out for himself. He could not submit to live quietly under his father's roof, but must go into a far country and be his own master. Like the little child who will leave its mother's hand and walk alone, he soon smarted for his foolishness. He finally became wiser when he was forced to eat husks with the swine, Luke 15, 11-19. But sadly, there are many like him.

Young man, I beseech you earnestly, beware of pride. Two things are said to be very rare sights in the world. One is a young man, humble, and the other is an old man, content. I fear this saying is only too true. Be not proud of your own abilities, your own strength, your own knowledge, your own appearance, your own cleverness. Be not proud of yourself and your talents of any kind. It all comes from not knowing yourself and the world.

The older you grow and the more you see, the less reason you will find for being proud. Ignorance and inexperience are the pedestal of pride. Once let the pedestal be removed and pride will soon come tumbling down. Remember how often scripture sets before us the excellence of a humble spirit. How strongly we are warned not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Romans 12, 3. How plainly we are told if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing, yet, as he ought to know. 1 Corinthians 8, 12. How strict is the command, put on humbleness of mind. Colossians 3, 12. And again, be clothed with humility. 1 Peter 5, 5.

Sadly, this is a garment of which many seem not to have so much as a scrap. Think of the great example our Lord Jesus Christ leaves us in this respect. He washed the feet of his disciples, saying, You should do as I have done to you. John 13, 15 It is written, Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. 2 Corinthians 8, 9 And again, he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself. Philippians 2, 7 and 8.

Surely to be proud is to be more like the devil and fallen Adam than like Christ. Surely it can never be ignoble and dishonoring to be like him. Think of the wisest man that ever lived, I mean, of course, Solomon. See how he speaks of himself as a little child, as one who knew not how to go out or come in or manage for himself. 1 Kings 3, 7 and 8.

That was a very different spirit from his brother Absalom's, who thought himself equal to anything. Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and every one who has any suit or cause would come to me, then I would give him justice. 2 Samuel 15.4. That was a very different spirit from his brother, Adonijah, who exalted himself, saying, I will be king, 1 Kings 1 5.

Humility was the beginning of Solomon's wisdom. He writes it down as his own experience. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26, 12.

Young man, lay to heart these scriptures just quoted. Do not be too confident in your own judgment. Cease to be sure that you are always right and others always wrong. Be distrustful of your own opinion when you find it contrary to that of older men than yourself, and especially to that of your own parents. Age gives experience and therefore deserves respect.

It is a mark of Elihu's wisdom in the book of Job that he waited till Job had spoken because they were older than himself. Job 32, 4. And afterwards he said, I am young in years and you are very old, therefore I was afraid and dared not declare my opinion to you. I said, age should speak and multitude of years should teach wisdom. Job 32.6 and 7.

Modesty and silence are beautiful graces in young people. Never be ashamed of being a learner. Jesus was one at 12 years of age when he was found in the temple. He was sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. Luke 2, 46.

The wisest man would tell you they are always learners, and are humbled to find, after all, how little they really know. The great Sir Isaac Newton used to say that he felt himself no better than a little child who had picked up a few precious stones on the shore of the Sea of Knowledge.

Young men, if you would be wise, if you would be happy, remember this warning I give, beware of pride.

2. Another danger to young men is the love of pleasure. Youth is the time when our passions are the strongest, and like unruly children, cry most loudly for indulgence. Youth is the time when we have generally most health and strength. Death seems far away, and to enjoy ourselves in this life seems everything. Youth is the time when most people have few earthly cares or anxieties to take up their attention. And all these things help to make young men think of nothing so much as pleasure. I serve lusts and pleasures. That is the true answer many a young man should give if asked. Whose servant are you?

Young man, time would fail me if I were to tell you all the fruits this love of pleasure produces, and all the ways in which it may do you harm. Why should I speak of partying, feasting, drinking, gambling, theater-going, dancing, and the like? Few are to be found who do not know something of these things by bitter experience, and these are only examples.

all things that give a feeling of excitement for the moment all things that drown thought and keep the mind in a constant whirl all things that please the senses and gratify the flesh these are the sort of things that have mighty power at your time of life and they owe their power to the love of pleasure Be on your guard. Be not like those of whom Paul speaks. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. 2 Timothy 3.

Remember what I say, if you would cleave to earthly pleasures, these are the things which murder souls. There is no surer way to get a seared conscience and a hard, impenitent heart than to give way to the desires of the flesh and mind. It seems to be nothing at first, but its impact is in the long run.

Consider what Peter says, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. 1 Peter 2.11 They destroy the soul's peace, break down its strength, lead it into hard captivity, make it a slave. Consider what Paul says, put to death your members which are on the earth. Colossians 3, 5. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. Galatians 5, 24. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection. 1 Corinthians 9.27

Once the body was a perfect mansion of the soul, now it is all corrupt and disordered, and needs constant watching. It is a burden to the soul, not a help meet, a hindrance, not an assistance. It may become a useful servant, but it is always a bad master.

Consider again the words of Paul, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13, 14. These, says Leighton, are the words, the very reading of which so wrought with Augustine, from what a vile and immoral young man he turned and became a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

Young man, I wish this might be the case with you. Remember, again, if you will cleave to earthly pleasures, they are all unsatisfying, empty, and vain. Like the locusts of the vision in Revelation, they seem to have crowns on their heads, but like the same locusts, you will find they have stings, real stings, in their tails.

All is not gold that glitters. All is not good that tastes sweet. All is not real pleasure that pleases for a time. Go and take your fill of earthly pleasures if you will. You will never find your heart satisfied with them. There will always be a voice within crying like the horse leech in Proverbs 30 15. Give, give. There is an empty place there, which nothing but God can fill.

You will find, as Solomon did by experience, that earthly pleasures are but a vain show. Vanity and vexation of spirit, whited sepulchres, fair to look at on the outside, full of ashes and corruption within. Better be wise in time. Better write poison on all earthly pleasures. The most lawful of them must be used with moderation. All of them are soul-destroying if you give them your heart. And here I will not shrink from warning you and all young men to remember the seventh commandment, to beware of adultery and fornication, of all impurity of every kind. I fear there is often a lack of plain speaking on this part of God's law, but when I see how prophets and apostles have dealt with this subject, when I observe the open way in which the reformers of our own church denounce it, when I see the number of young men who walk in the footsteps of Reuben and Hophni and Phineas and Amnon, I for one cannot with a good conscience hold my peace.

I doubt whether the world is any better for the excessive silence which prevails upon this commandment. For my own part, I feel it would be false and unscriptural delicacy in addressing young men not to speak of that which is preeminently the young man's sin.

The breach of the seventh commandment is the sin above all others that, as Hosea says, takes away the heart. Hosea 4, 11. It is the sin that leaves deeper scars upon the soul than any sin that a man can commit. It is a sin that slays its thousands in every age and has overthrown not a few of the saints of God in time past. Lot and Samson and David are fearful proofs. It is the sin that man dares to smile at and smooths over under the names of entertainment, weakness, and wildness. But it is the sin that the devil peculiarly rejoices over, for he is the unclean spirit. And it is the sin that God peculiarly abhors, and it declares He will judge. Hebrews 13, 4.

Young man, I urge you, flee sexual immorality, 1 Corinthians 6, 18, if you love life. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience, Ephesians 5, 6. Flee the occasions of it, the company of those who might draw you into it, the places where you might be tempted to it. Read what our Lord says about it in Matthew 5, 28. Be like holy Job, make a covenant with your eyes, Job 31, 1. Flee talking of it. It is one of the things that ought not so much as to be named. You cannot handle power and not be defiled. Flee the thoughts of it. Resist them. Mortify them. Pray against them. Make any sacrifice rather than give way. Imagination is the hotbed where this sin is too often hatched. Guard your thoughts. and there is little fear about your deeds. Consider the caution I have been giving. If you forget all else, do not let this be forgotten.

Three. Another real danger to young men is thoughtlessness and lack of consideration. Lack of thought is one simple reason why thousands of souls are cast away forever. Men will not consider, will not look forward, will not look around them, will not reflect on the end of their present course and the sure consequences of their present ways, and awake, at last, to find they are damned for lack. Young man, none are in more danger of this than you are. You know little of the perils around you, and so you are heedless how you walk. You hate the trouble of sober, quiet thinking, and so you form wrong decisions and run your heads into sorrow.

Young Esau must have his brother's pottage and sell his birthright. He never thought how much he should one day want it. Genesis 25, 27-34 Young Simeon and Levi must avenge their sister Dinah and slay the Shechemites. They never considered how much trouble and anxiety they might bring on their father Jacob and his house, Genesis 34. Job seems to have been especially afraid of this fraughtlessness among his children. It is written that when they had a feast, and the days of their feasting were gone about, Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Job 1 5

Believe me, this world is not a world in which we can do well without thinking, and least of all do well in the matter of our souls. Don't think, whispers Satan. He knows that an unconverted heart is like a dishonest businessman's books. It will not bear close inspection. Consider your ways, says the Word of God. Stop and think. Consider and be wise.

Well, says the Spanish proverb, hurry comes from the devil. Just as men marry in haste and then repent at leisure, so they make mistakes about their souls in a minute and then suffer for it for years. Just as a bad servant does wrong and then says, I never gave it a thought, so young men run into sin and then say, I did not think about it. It did not look like sin.

Not look like sin. What would you expect? Sin will not come to you saying, I am sin. It would do little harm if it did. Sin always seems good and pleasant and desirable at the time of commission. Oh, get wisdom, get discretion, remember the words of Solomon, ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established, Proverbs 4, 26.

It is a wise saying of Lord Bacon, do nothing rashly, wait a little, that you make an end the sooner. Some, I dare say, will object that I am asking what is unreasonable, that youth is not the time of life when people ought to be serious and thoughtful. I answer there is little danger of there being too much so in the present day. Foolish talking, and justing, and joking, and excessive merriment are only too common.

Doubtless there is a time for all things, but to be always light and trifling is anything but wise. What says the wisest of men? It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men. and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Ecclesiastes 7, 2-4

Matthew Henry tells the story of a great statesman in Queen Elizabeth's time who retired from public life in his latter days and gave himself up to serious thought. His former lively companions came to visit him and told him he was becoming melancholy. No, he replied. I am serious, for all are serious round about me. God is serious in observing us. Christ is serious in interceding for us. The Spirit is serious in striving with us. The truths of God are serious. Our spiritual enemies are serious in their endeavors to ruin us. Poor lost sinners are serious in hell. And why then should not you and I be serious too?

Oh, young man, learn to be thoughtful. Learn to consider what you are doing and where you are going. Make time for calm reflection. Commune with your own heart and be still. Remember my caution. Do not be lost merely for the lack of thought.

4. Another danger to young men is a scornful contempt of religion. This also is one of your special dangers. I always observe that none pay so little outward respect to religion as young men. None attend so poorly on means of grace. None take so little part in our services when they are present at them. Use Bibles and prayer books so little. Sing so little. Listen to preaching so little. None are so generally absent at prayer meetings and Bible studies. And all such weekday helps to the soul.

Young men seem to think they do not need these things. They may be good for women and old men, but not for them. They appear ashamed of seeming to care about their souls. One would almost think they reckoned it a disgrace to go to heaven at all. And this is contempt of religion.

It is the same spirit which caused the young people of Bethel to mock the godly Elisha, 2 Kings 2.23. And of this spirit I say to you, young man, be aware. If it is worthwhile to have a religion, it is worthwhile to be in earnest about it. Contempt of holy things is the high road to infidelity. Once let a man begin to make a jest and joke of any part of Christianity, and I am never surprised to hear that he has turned out a downright unbeliever.

Young man, have you really made up your minds to this? Have you squarely looked into the gulf which stands before you if you persist in despising religion? Call to mind the words of David. The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Psalm 14, 1. The fool, and none but the fool. He has said it, but he has never proved it.

Remember, if ever there was a book which has been proved true from beginning to end by every kind of evidence, that book is the Bible. It has defied the attacks of all enemies and fault finders. The word of the Lord is indeed tried. Psalm 1830. It has been tried in every way, and the more it has been tried, the more evidently has it been shown to be the very handiwork of God Himself.

What will you believe if you do not believe the Bible? There is no choice but to believe something ridiculous and absurd. Depend on it. No man is so grossly credulous as the man who denies the Bible to be the Word of God. And if it be the word of God, take heed that you despise it not.

Men may tell you there are difficulties in the Bible, things hard to be understood. It would not be God's book if there were not, and what if there are? You do not despise medicines because you cannot explain all that your doctor does by them. But whatever man may say, the things needful to salvation are as clear as daylight. Be very sure of this.

People never reject the Bible because they cannot understand it. They understand it only too well. They understand that it condemns their own behavior. They understand that it witnesses against their own sins and summons them to judgment. They try to believe it is false and useless because they do not like to admit it is true. A bad life, said the celebrated Lord Rochester, laying his hand on the Bible, a bad life is the only grand objection to this book. Men question the truth of Christianity, says Salt, because they hate the practice of it.

Young men, when did God ever fail to keep his word? Never. What he has said, he has always done, and what he has spoken, he has always made good. Did he fail to keep his word at the flood? No. Did he fail with Sodom and Gomorrah? No. Did he fail with unbelieving Jerusalem? No. Has he failed with the Jews up to this very hour? No, he has never failed to fulfill his word.

Take care, lest you be found among those by whom God's word is despised. Never laugh at religion. Never make a jest of sacred things. Never mock those who are serious and in earnest about their souls. The time may come when you will count those happy whom you laughed at a time when your laughter will be turned into sorrow and your mockery into heaviness.

5. Another danger to young men is the fear of others' opinions. The fear of man does indeed bring a snare. Proverbs 29.25 It is terrible to observe the power which it has over most minds, and especially over the minds of the young. Few seem to have any opinions of their own or to think for themselves. Like dead fish, they go with the stream and tide. What others think right, they think right. And what others call wrong, they call wrong too. There are not many original thinkers in the world. Most men are like sheep. They follow a leader. If it was the fashion of the day to be Roman Catholics, they would be Roman Catholics. If to be Islamic, they would be Islamic. They dread the idea of going against the current of the times. In a word, the opinion of the day becomes their religion, their creed, their Bible, and their God.

The thought, what will my friends say or think of me? Knits many a good inclination in the bud. The fear of being looked upon, laughed at, ridiculed, prevents many a good habit from being taken up. There are Bibles that would be read this very day if the owners dared. They know they ought to read them, but they are afraid. What will people say? There are knees that would be bent in prayer this very night, but the fear of man forbids it. What would my wife, my brother, my friend, my companion say if they saw me praying? Oh, what wretched slavery this is, and yet how common. I feared the people, said Saul to Samuel, and so he transgressed the commandment of the Lord. 1 Samuel 15.24 I am afraid of the Jews," said Zedekiah, the graceless king of Judah, and so he disobeyed the advice which Jeremiah gave him. Jeremiah 38, 19. Herod was afraid of what his guests would think of him, so he did that which made him exceedingly sorry. He beheaded John the Baptist, Mark 6, 17-28. Pilate feared offending the Jews, so he did that which he knew in his conscience was unjust. He delivered up Jesus to be crucified. If this is not slavery, tell me what is.

Young man, I want you to be free from this bondage. I want you to care nothing for man's opinion when the path of duty is clear. Believe me, it is a great thing to be able to say no. Here was good King Jehoshaphat's weak point. He was too easy and soft in his dealings with Ahab, and thus came many of his troubles. Learn to say no. Let not the fear of seeming ill-natured bring you unable to resist. When sinners entice you, be able to say decidedly, I will not consent. Proverbs 1 10.

Consider how unreasonable this fear of man is, how short-lived is man's enmity, and how little harm he can do you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. Isaiah 51, 12 and 13. And how thankless is this fear! None will really think better of you for it. The world always respects those most who act boldly for God. Oh, break these bonds and cast these chains from you. Never be ashamed of letting men see that you want to go to heaven. Then get no disgrace to show yourself to be a servant of God. Never be afraid of doing what is right. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus. Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10, 28. Only try to please God, and He can soon make others pleased with you. When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16, 7.

Young man, be of good courage. Care not for what the world says or thinks. You will not be with the world always. Can man save your soul? No. Will man be your judge in the great and dreadful day of account? No. Can man give you a good conscience in life? A good hope in death? A good answer in the morning of resurrection? No. No. No. Man can do nothing of the sort.

Then fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings, for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. Isaiah 51, 7 and 8.

Call to your mind the saying of good Colonel Gardiner, I fear God, and therefore I have none else to fear. Go, and be like Him.

Such are the warnings I give you. Lay them to heart. They are worth thinking over. I am much mistaken if they are not greatly needed. The Lord grant they may not have been given you in vain.

Chapter 3 general counsels to young men. In the third place, I wish to give some general counsels to young men. One, for one thing, try to get a clear view of the evil of sin.

Young man, if you only knew what sin is and what sin has done, you would not think it strange that I exhort you as I do. You do not see it in its true colors. Your eyes are naturally blind to its guilt and danger, and therefore you cannot understand what makes me so anxious about you.

Oh, let not the devil succeed in persuading you that sin is but a small, insignificant matter. Think for a moment what the Bible says about sin. How it dwells naturally in the heart of every man and woman alive. Ecclesiastes 7.20, Romans 3.23. How it defiles our thoughts, words, and actions continually. Genesis 6.5, Matthew 15.19. How it renders us all guilty and abominable in the sight of a holy God. Isaiah 64 6 Habakkuk 1 13 How it leaves us utterly without hope of salvation if we look to ourselves. Psalm 143 2 Romans 3 20 how its fruit in this world is shame and its wages in the world to come, death. Romans 6, 21 and 23.

Think calmly of all this. I tell you this day, it is not more sad to be dying of cancer and not to know it than it is to be a living man and not to know this.

Think, what an awful change sin has worked on all our natures. Man is no longer what he was when God formed him out of the dust of the ground. He came out of God's hand upright and sinless. Ecclesiastes 7.29. In the day of his creation, he was like everything else, very good. Genesis 1.31.

And what is man now? A fallen creature, a ruin, a being that shows the marks of corruption all over. His heart, like Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 4, degraded and earthly, looking down and not up. His affections, like a household in disorder, calling no man master, all extravagance and confusion. His understanding, like a lamp flickering in the socket, impotent to guide him, not knowing good from evil. His will, like a rudderless ship, tossed to and fro by every desire, and consistent only in choosing any way rather than God.

Alas, what a wreck is man, compared to what he might have been. Well, may we understand such figures being used as blindness, deafness, disease, sleep, death, when the spirit has to give us a picture of man as he is, and man as he is, remember? was made so by sin. Think, too, what it has cost to make atonement for sin and to provide a pardon and forgiveness for sinners. God's own Son must come into the world and take upon Him our nature in order to pay the price for our redemption and deliver us from the curse of a broken law. He who was in the beginning with the Father, and by whom all things were made, must suffer for sin, but just for the unjust, must die the death of a malefactor, before the way to heaven can be laid open to any soul.

See the Lord Jesus Christ despised and rejected of men, scourged, mocked, and insulted. Behold Him bleeding on the cross of Calvary. Hear Him crying in agony, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27, 46. Mark how the sun was darkened and the rocks torn apart at the sight. And then consider, young man, what must be the evil and guilt of sin.

Think also what sin has done already upon the earth. Think how it cast Adam and Eve out of Eden, brought the flood upon the old world, caused fire to come down on Sodom and Gomorrah, drowned Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, destroyed the seven wicked nations of Canaan, scattered the twelve tribes of Israel over the face of the globe. Sin alone did all this.

Think, moreover, of all the misery and sorrow that sin has caused and is causing at this very day. Pain, disease and death, strifes, quarrels and divisions, envy, jealousy and malice, deceit, fraud and cheating, violence, oppression and robbery, selfishness, unkindness and ingratitude, all these are the fruits of sin. Sin is the parent of them all. Indeed, it is sin that has so marred and spoiled the face of God's creation.

Young man, consider these things and you will not wonder that we warn you as we do. Surely if you did but think of them, you would break off with sin forever. Will you play with poison? Will you frolic with hell? Will you take fire in your hand? Will you harbor your deadliest enemy in your bosom? Will you go on living as if it did not matter at all whether your own sins were forgiven or not? Whether sin had dominion over you or you over sin? Oh, awake to a sense of sins, sinfulness, and danger. Remember the words of Solomon. Fools, none but fools, mock at sin. Proverbs 14, 9.

Hear then my request that I make of you this day. Pray that God would teach you the real evil of sin. If you would have your soul saved, arise now and pray.

2. For another thing, seek to become acquainted with our Lord Jesus Christ. This is indeed the principal thing in religion. This is the cornerstone of Christianity. Till you know this, my warnings and advice will be useless, and your endeavors, whatever they may be, will be in vain. A watch without a mainspring is not more unserviceable than is religion without Christ.

But let me not be misunderstood. It is not the mere knowing Christ's name that I mean. It is the knowing His mercy, grace, and power. The knowing Him not by the hearing of the ear, but by the experience of your heart. I want you to know Him by faith. I want you, as Paul says, to know the power of His resurrection, being conformed to His death. Philippians 3.10 I want you to be able to say of Him, He is my peace and my strength, my life and my consolation, my physician and my shepherd, my Savior and my God.

Why do I make such a point of this? I do it because in Christ alone all fullness dwells. Colossians 1, 19. because in him alone there is full supply of all that we require for the necessities of our souls. Of ourselves we are all poor, empty creatures, empty of righteousness and of peace, empty of strength and comfort, empty of courage and patience, empty of power to stand or go on or make progress in this evil world. It is in Christ alone that all these things are to be found, grace, peace, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It is just in proportion as we live upon Him that we are strong Christians. It is only when self is nothing and Christ is all our confidence. It is then only that we shall do great exploits. See Daniel 11.32. Then only are we armed for the battle of life and shall overcome. Then only are we prepared for the journey of life and shall get forward.

To live on Christ, to draw all from Christ, to do all in the strength of Christ, to be ever looking unto Christ. This is the true secret of spiritual prosperity. I can do all things, says Paul, through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians 4, 13.

Young man, I set before you Jesus Christ this day as the treasury of your souls, and I invite you to begin by going to Him if you would so run as to obtain. Let this be your first step. Go to Christ. Do you want to consult friends? He is the best friend. A friend that sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18, 24. Do you feel unworthy because of your sins? Fear not. His blood cleanses from all sin. He says, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1, 18.

Do you feel weak and unable to follow Him? Fear not. He will give you power to become sons of God. He will give you the Holy Spirit to dwell in you and seal you for His own. A new heart will He give you and a new spirit will He put within you. Are you troubled or beset with peculiar infirmities? Fear not. There is no evil spirit that Jesus cannot cast out. There is no disease of soul that he cannot heal. Do you feel doubts and fears? Cast them aside. Come unto me, he says. Him that comes, I will by no means cast out. John 6, 37.

He knows well the heart of a young man. He knows your trials and your temptations, your difficulties and your foes. In the days of his flesh, he was, like yourself, a young man at Nazareth. He knows by experience a young man's mind. He can be touched with the feeling of your infirmities, for he suffered himself being tempted. Surely you will be without excuse if you turn away from such a savior and friend as this.

Hear the request I make of you this day. If you love life, seek to become acquainted with Jesus Christ.

3. For another thing, never forget that nothing is so important as your soul. Your soul is eternal. It will live forever. The world and all that it contains shall pass away. Firm, solid, beautiful, well-ordered as it is, the world shall come to an end. The earth and the works that are in it shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3.10.

Thoughts for Young Men, part 1

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the importance of exhortation for young men?

How do we know that the soul is important for young men?

Why is humility important for young men according to the Bible?

What are some dangers facing young men mentioned in the Bible?

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Thoughts for Young Men, part 1

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the importance of exhortation for young men?

How do we know that the soul is important for young men?

Why is humility important for young men according to the Bible?

What are some dangers facing young men mentioned in the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

About J.C. Ryle

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