Rev. Archibald Alexander’s 20 Counsels to Young Men & Women:
- Good Principles: Resolve to form your lives upon some certain principles, and to regulate your actions by fixed rules.
- Useful Knowledge: While you are young, avail yourselves of every opportunity of acquiring useful knowledge.
- Good Habits: Be careful to form good habits.
- Good Company: Be particular and select in the company which you keep, and the friendships which you form.
- A Good Reputation: Endeavour to acquire and maintain a good reputation.
- Economy: Manage your worldly concerns with economy and discretion.
- Christian Consistency: Aim at consistency in your Christian character.
- Contentment: Be contented with the station and circumstances in which Providence has placed you.
- The Social Virtues: Let your interactions with men be marked by a strict and conscientious regard to truth, honour, justice, kindness, and courtesy.
- Philanthropy: Live not merely for yourselves, but also for the good of others.
- Relative Duties: Be faithful and conscientious in the discharge of all duties which arise out of the relations which you sustain to others.
- Temptations: Exercise incessant vigilance against the dangers and temptations by which you are surrounded, and by which you will certainly be assailed.
- Honorable Speech: Govern your tongue.
- A Good Conscience: Keep a good conscience.
- Peace: Cultivate peace.
- Fortitude: Learn to bear affliction with fortitude and resignation.
- Value of Time: Set a high value upon your time.
- Genuine Piety: Cherish and diligently cultivate genuine piety.
- Prayer: Seek divine direction and aid by incessant fervent prayer.
- Preparation for Death: Make immediate preparation for death.
Read the entire epistle (posted by Log College Press) here.
