Training for a Calling.
By Joseph Clarke
"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." That which a person thinks about, and upon which the affections are placed, he will naturally talk about. And his thoughts and conversation go to influence his deeds. These three things—thoughts, words, and acts—make up his life, either good or evil. A man by reading infidel publications, and associating with infidels, becomes such himself. And another, by reading the Bible and studying its principles, and associating with good men, will learn to delight in holy things and be influenced to a life of devotion. A youth placed in a military school learns the science of war, and it becomes a pleasing occupation. The sailor, by constantly following the sea, becomes inured to its perils, learns to love the romance of a home on the waves, and looks with indifference and even dislike upon the quiet life of the landsman. He delights in seeing foreign lands and roaming from country to country. So it is that the mind is trained to act its part in the drama of life. There is power in the movements of a disciplined mind. A year ago a prominent cattle dealer, through a mistaken move, lost his all. But, being of a plucky nature, he only asked a little time and credit, and already we hear that he has nearly recovered his fortune, through diligent, careful work and management. Men of the world train their minds for earnest, successful work. They study day and night to compass their ends, and gather in the dollars. They are thoroughly versed in the current price lists; the rise and fall of this or that article in the leading markets of the world are carefully considered. Constant practice renders them adepts in their various lines of business. With the sailor or the soldier a proper training of the mental and physical powers is indispensable to success, if he aspire to promotion, and the issue is often one of life or death. A failure in a single instance to perform duty wisely may result in fatal disaster. So in the various avocations of life, failure to act intelligently often ends in bankruptcy and poverty. How necessary then, even for this life, to thoroughly prepare for the conflict that awaits us—to settle upon a suitable calling, and then fulfill its requirements with skill and integrity. But how much more important to be skilled in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. How can the young best be trained, both for this life and the next? is a momentous question. How few wise fathers and mothers. How few make it a point to study the traits of each child, and suit their training to the great end to be obtained. In this connection how important is self-control. Perfect control of the will, the reason, the judgment, and the affections is not gained in a day or in a year; it is the work of a life-time—a greater work than the preparation for any merely secular calling. But it is indispensable to a religious life to not only gain but to maintain self-control under all circumstances, in calm or in storm, in prosperity or in adversity. A holy life must have its seat in the heart. Some good man once said that the heart of man before his conversion is the worst part of him, and after his conversion it is the best part. He might have said that it is all there is of man either before or after he becomes a Christian. The words and acts of life are but the outward manifestation of what is going on within; the heart is the workshop, and the outward life is the work turned out of the shop and put to practical use. Then the preparation of the heart for the grand calling to the service of God should be the leading object of life. Proper training for a practical Christian life should be our first educational aim. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," and the necessary things of this life will be added.