The Way of Safety

Pacific Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Apr 19, 1877

FromThe Signs of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 16.

The Way of Safety.

DEAR grandma is one of those who “being dead yet speaketh.” The lessons she taught us are still fresh in our memories; and I am sure I am not the only one of our household who, in a moment of trial or perplexity, has glanced up at her portrait, and mentally exclaimed, “Oh, that those lips had language!”

Grandma was not a preacher, or a lecturer—much less a censurer or reprover; but she was that most agreeable of teachers to childhood and youth, a story-teller. Yet, let no one suppose that she soiled her venerable lips, and poisoned our innocent ears by tales of fairy lore or ingenious romance, as pernicious as they are false. Not so; the stories we listened to with so much delight were all true, and all from the capacious store-house of her own memory. Nay, more—they each had a point and moral, and were usually produced as illustrations of whatever lessons she at the time was desirous of impressing on our docile minds.

Grandma’s narratives were always called forth by coincidences which, striking correspondent chords in her memory, awoke a train of facts in unison with the subject under consideration, and gave a clear and definite exemplification of a hitherto but dimly understood theory, thus frequently instilling knowledge and impressing truths by a judicious use of commonplace occurrences, which books and sermons had alike failed to effect. I shall now endeavor to transfer to paper some of her stories; and, if I can relate them with only half the grace, feeling, and pathos with which they fell from her lips, I shall be rewarded with as much attention as she always received from her audience.

We had returned from the church one Sabbath afternoon, and, as usual, hastened to grandma to communicate as much as we had retained of the sermon. The text was that solemn parental injunction, “My son, when sinners entice thee, consent thou not;” and our pastor had made it the ground-work of a powerful exhortation—to the young especially—to beware of the many temptations, and snares, and allurements which they should meet in their onward path; and warned them of the consequences of yielding to the seductive influences by which they should be surrounded.

“That reminds me of a young man whom I knew before any of you were born,” observed grandma, when we had reported as much as we could recollect of the discourse. “You have heard me speak of Jacob Wise?” she said, addressing my father.

“Yes, mother,” he replied, “please to tell the children about him. I am sure your account of his experience will be a very suitable appendage to our afternoon sermon.”

“O yes, grandma, please do!” we exclaimed; and, drawing our seats around her, we prepared for what we knew would be a treat. The good old lady did not require to be urged, but, after pausing a moment to arrange her ideas, commenced as follows:—

“Jacob Wise was the son of a near neighbor when I was a happy wife in my Western home. His father was a plain, practical man, respected for his uprightness, good sense and piety; and he brought up his son in his own sound principles, at the same time giving him all the education that was within his reach.

“When Jacob was about fourteen years of age, he was sent to Louisville for the benefit of a year’s instruction in a large school there, his father thinking that he would, at the end of that time, have gained sufficient knowledge and experience to fit him for whatever part Providence should assign him in life’s great drama.

“There were, also, other sons and daughters around his father’s hearth. It therefore appeared expedient that Jacob should be permitted to foster the talent he had early displayed for the active pursuits of the commercial world.”

“In his intercourse with his school-mates he gained his first insight into that society in which he was destined to find himself when launched on life’s broad sea; and there, within the narrow bounds of that juvenile circle, he had full scope for the exercise of all the prudence, patience, and fortitude that he had learned from his right-minded father.

“But I cannot recall much of his early experience. The first circumstances of any note, that I remember, which particularly marked his character, occurred at the time of his first practical acquaintance with business.

“While in Louisville, he received much attention from the family of a wealthy man who kept a large store in the city; and when, at the close of his scholastic term, he was offered a place behind the counter of his friend, his father made no difficulty in permitting him to accept of it.

“Mr. Rankin was a smooth, bland, good-tempered man, and in his intercourse with the world maintained a fair and honest character. But Jacob had not been many weeks in intimate connection with him before he discovered that his dealings were not all conducted with scrupulous adherence to divine law; neither was a conscientious regard to his neighbor’s interests a very deep-seated principle. This caused him much concern; and a feeling of nervous disquiet took possession of the hitherto happy boy with respect to the most honorable course for him to pursue between his duty to his master and his own strict integrity.

“But he was not left long in doubt. One day a carriage drove to the door, and a richly dressed lady, alighting, entered the store, and, approaching the counter where fancy articles were displayed, asked to be shown some children’s necklaces. Jacob, who attended to that department, was proceeding to wait on her, when Mr. Rankin came forward smiling, and with the ease and courtesy for which he was remarkable took the lad’s place, and spread before the lady an assortment of glittering trinkets which, judging from her gay appearance, he knew would please her eye. An animated dialogue ensued between the facetious store-keeper and his fair customer respecting the style and value of the various articles under view, in course of which the lady was made to believe that this elegant display had been imported with great cost and difficulty from the manufacturing cities of Europe, and, in consequence of the immense and rapid demand for them, the obliging trader had been satisfied with moderate profit, and was now willing to dispose of the remainder of the stock at fabulously low prices.

“To all this, which he knew to be utterly and shamelessly false, Jacob listened with equal grief and astonishment, and it was with difficulty he restrained his honest indignation as he saw one after another of the tinsel gewgaws transferred to the unsophisticated customer at prices which were five times their value, while she was duped with the flattering persuasion that she was receiving unequaled bargains.

“All doubts as to the unlawfulness of his remaining another hour under the roof where this swindling transaction had taken place, were immediately removed from the mind of the upright youth; and when Mr. Rankin returned after having obsequiously attended the lady to her carriage, and placed the parcel containing her purchases by her side, he was met by Jacob, who, with an air of grave rebuke rarely assumed by lads of his years, informed him that from what he had seen of his method of conducting business he thought it quite impossible they could agree together; he was, therefore, resolved to return without delay to his father’s house, and he was glad that the terms upon which he had entered the establishment left him free to do so.

“The firm and fearless bearing of the boy awed the man of unjust practices, who neither attempted to vindicate his own meanness nor to oppose the departure of his right-minded assistant; and Jacob returned to the old homestead again, his character more permanently formed by the ordeal through which he had passed.”

“But do you think, grandma,” inquired Henry, “that Jacob would have acted so independently if he had had no home to return to?”

“Yes, dear, I think he would,” was the prompt reply. “He had learned to obey the commands of God and to believe his promises. He knew that the injunction, ‘Come out from among them,’ was followed by the assurance, ‘I will receive you,’ and such was his trust in his Heavenly Father’s Word that no thought for his future provision would have interfered with the performance of what he deemed to be his duty.”

“Well, grandma,” said Henry, to whom this explanation was quite satisfactory, “please to go on, and forgive the interruption.”

“Oh, don’t hesitate to interrupt me, dear,” she mildly said, “whenever you want to ask a useful question.” She then resumed her narrative.

“Jacob remained at home for the next three years, making himself quite useful in teaching his young brothers and sisters, besides affording his father much assistance in the management of his affairs. In the meantime his own education was advancing, and every attainment that could facilitate his interest when on the commercial stage was sedulously cultivated. Nor was he without receiving many offers of clerkship in the neighboring cities, whither his good report had traveled; but a cousin of his father, who was a merchant of some eminence in New Orleans, had proposed to take him into his counting-house in a confidential capacity when he should reach a more mature age, and for this important post he was qualifying himself.

“Accordingly, when he had completed his eighteenth year, a summons from his kinsman withdrew him once more from the genial atmosphere of home. This time his departure was a more serious affair than it had been when, a few years before, he left for school in Louisville. Now he was going to a large and populous city, where fashion and vice walked hand in hand, and where snares and pitfalls were spread for the simple and unwary, with scarcely a finger-mark cautioning them to beware. All the neighborhood was moved with sympathy for the youth who was about to be placed upon this scene of trial; and the last Sabbath of his attendance at our rural church the good pastor made the occasion of an eloquent and affectionate admonition from the text which was presented to your consideration to-day.

“Our friend’s journey to the great maritime city of the South was not without incident. Mr. Wise accompanied his son to Louisville, and, after the necessary preliminary arrangements, went with him on board the boat that was to bear him down the lordly inland waters. His parting advice and benediction were then given, and, reminding him of the subject of his pastor’s last sermon, he wound up by giving him, as the motto of his life, the imperative charge, ‘Come out from among them.’ Then, as he desired to return home by daylight, and the boat was not to start for a couple of hours, he once more committed his son to the care and guidance of Heaven, and left him with a calm trust that he would keep the way of safety.”

“After a safe and pleasant trip on board the ‘Southern Belle,’ our young friend arrived in New Orleans.”

“He was much pleased with his new situation, and he found his relative a man of the most honorable and praiseworthy nature, and the place he held in his employment being near himself removed him from the evil influences under which young clerks so frequently suffer. Accommodations were procured for him in a first-class boarding-house, where none but persons of the best standing were admitted. And, whether owing to his attractions of mind or person, the sterling worth of his character, or the independent position of his family, or perhaps all these combined, he soon found himself an object of marked interest and attention to all with whom he came in contact.

“Naturally of a social disposition, and disposed to look at everything in the most favorable light, Jacob saw not in the cheerful company amidst which he was unavoidably thrown any of those vicious traits and habits whose contaminations he had been cautioned to shun; and, without partaking of the mirthful spirit by which the unwary are enticed into scenes of pleasurable folly, he did not deny himself the innocent recreations which an easy intercourse with those of perfectly moral tastes and feelings afforded.”

“And now to the unsophisticated youth life presented the fairest aspect. His religious duties were carefully attended to, and in the faithful discharge of his business engagements no one could be more punctiliously correct, while in the society of those whose spirits appeared to assimilate to his own he devoted those evening hours that could sometimes be spared from sterner pursuits. But it was not long before the hidden thorns of the flowers that strewed his path began to make themselves felt, nor was it without pain that conscience awoke him from the repose in which he had been lulling himself.”

“Among the many charming sojourners at the establishment in which he had taken up his abode, was the family of a wealthy planter, who had come to the city for the winter. Mr. and Mrs. De Veaux were a lively and fashionable couple, and their children partook of the gay and careless temperament of their parents. Isabel, the eldest, was now in her sixteenth year, and the faultless beauty of her face and figure was only equaled by the soft and child-like sweetness of her disposition. She had been brought up without much restriction or control, and now that she was entering the vortex of society, being gay, spirited, and witty, she flung herself into the enjoyments of fashionable pleasure with all the zest of the newly emancipated.”

“The winter glided along with its witching gaieties, and, though the young Christian was never tempted to join the giddy multitude in their unlawful pastimes, yet his views were more lax than they had been. With the hope of his presence having a restraining effect upon the fair being who had touched the tenderest chords of his nature, he suffered himself to be led into scenes such as sober conscience could not approve as friendly to the interests of religion.”

“At length, however, the alarm came that was to disturb his security. A sermon was announced, in the church to which he belonged, to be preached by a highly celebrated divine before the members of the ‘Young Men’s Christian Association.’ Jacob, of course, attended, and heard with startled interest the minister deliver, as his text, the admonition which the pious pastor of his country home had made the subject of the last discourse he had heard from him: ‘My son, when sinners entice thee consent thou not.’

“The young man of irreproachable life had no idea that this exhortation could be applied to his case; so careful had he ever been in eschewing the evil, that ‘sinners’ were granted no opportunity of enticing him. Nevertheless, to many of the young men present, who were not so cautious, he hoped the discourse would prove salutary, and settled himself to listen to the brilliant orator, without any other anticipation than that of an intellectual treat. But his self-complacency did not last long. To that class of youth of which he was a member did the preacher address his warmest and most urgent appeals. He exposed the subtle veil woven by the ‘prince of this world’ over the consciences of those who hated vice, under screen of which he led them into the pleasures of earth, and, without requiring them to commit one apparent sin, seduced their hearts from God, from holiness, and from heaven.”

“Painfully solemn were the feelings with which Jacob retired at the close of the service. The film had passed from his eyes, and he saw that while his outward walk had been strictly correct, his heart had wandered from its true allegiance.”},{

“Upon reaching home, the usual sounds of music and dancing, accompanied by gay voices and laughter, issued from the well-lit parlors; but the sickening sensations that ran through his frame, at the thought of time thus wasted, and creatures fashioned in their Maker’s image perverting their fine intelligences, showed the change that had been effected in his views within the last hour. With a quick step he ascended to his chamber, and to a late hour sad and prayerful musings over the unhappy position in which he found himself occupied his mind.

“That Isabel must be given up, with all her attractions, was now inevitable; and lone and cheerless did his future appear, unillumined by her bright glance and smile. Life, with all the high aspirations of youth, dwindled into nothingness before him; and, casting himself upon his knees and throwing forth his hands, he groaned for help to enable him to bear the blow which had descended on his hopes.”

“With Jacob Wise to know his duty was to do it; and, having felt the evil of intimate association with light and giddy worldlings, he determined to procure some more retired abode, where no similar temptation should waylay him. Accordingly, on the following morning, he waited on his pastor, and, after stating the circumstances in which he was placed, entreated assistance toward obtaining board in some private family connected with the church. The reverend gentleman sympathized with his young friend, and, after a few minutes’ consideration, mentioned a pious couple of his charge, whose only son had lately gone from home, and into whose vacant room he thought it likely Jacob might be admitted. He kindly added, that he would himself call upon them during the day and make the inquiry, promising to let the young man know the result.”

“It was as he hoped. Mrs. Bennet, when she heard the case, was glad to be able to supply a home to the prudent youth, feeling satisfied that one so exemplary would be a choice accession to her little circle; and the arrangement being made, and Jacob duly advised of it, no other difficulty now remained but his parting with her whose power over his youthful heart had been so dangerously exercised.”

“Jacob returned home at the usual hour in the evening; and, having communicated to the hostess his intention of leaving on the following morning, he proceeded to the ladies’ parlor in quest of Isabel.”

“He found her seated at the piano, and a long conversation ensued, in which opinions and sentiments entirely opposite were maintained by each. On subjects of vital importance they were disagreed. Their souls had no affinity. And finally they, whose hearts had received their first tender impressions from each other, with an apparent calmness inconsistent with their inward feelings, separated, to meet no more.”

Grandma paused, and for several minutes no one seemed disposed to speak. Each of us was looking into his own heart’s recesses to see if there were grace enough there to bear as conquerors through such trials as might be in store for us. The silence was broken by Henry, inquiring the sequel of the young Christian’s career.

“Well,” said grandma, “the rest of his life was marked by a consistent adherence to the principles of his youth. He visited his parents every summer; and continued to gladden their hearts by the purity and simplicity of his life, making it evident that they who devote themselves to the service of God can be preserved from evil, though surrounded by the temptations of a rich and crowded city.”

“When he had been six or seven years in New Orleans, he was taken into partnership by his kinsman and employer; and shortly after he married the pious daughter of his pastor, whose sweet companionship gently irradiated his after course.”

“It is a long time since I have had an opportunity of hearing of Jacob Wise; but I dare say, if still living, he is an example of moral dignity, truth, and uprightness, and an honor to the church of which he has been, from childhood, a steady and consistent member.”