American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-05-28
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH
lCorrespondence Of the American Telegsaph.]
Sermon 70 Young Men, dy Rev. s. A. Roszel.
ALEXANDRIA. VA. MAY 26.f fl8,

Sermon 70 Young Men, ly Rev. s. A. Roszel.
.u"8 tssa Ky .F.Y ~ ggt55 40 ah r4t VI ..S. /.
NJ ALEXANDRIA, Va, May 26, 1851.
Pursuant to previous noticega sermon, ad-
dressed particularly to young men, was preached
by the Rev. $. A. Roszel, on Sunday morning
last, yesterday, to q large and attentive audi
tory 6a Maa 7ann naat aa
The solemn service Of the hour was COM
menced by the preacher reading very impress
siyely the hymn, " Eh4 a0l a".'-M 77,a
Beneath our feet, and Ger our head,
th Isequal warning given;
IL Beneath us lie the countless dead
Above us is the heayen"
This having been sung by q large and capable
choir with thrilling effect, the preacher, in his
own peculiarly solemn and deliberate manner,
said, I" Let--us pray" ]" and commencing with
When all thy mercies, oh, my God!'' and re-
counting many of the most prominent mercies
conferred upon mankind, which mercies, he
represented, were even more numerous than
the breaths we breathe, he continued somewhat
as follows "Our being still on the earth is
owing to no strength of our own; for many,
whose prospects for long life have been greater
than we had right to indulge in, are now re-
posing in the silent tomb, yet we are spared,
and yet we know of nothing emitting us to the
favor or forbearance of the Almighty Once
more we are in Gods holy temple, and once
more are permitted to offer up q sincere obla-
ton of Thanksgiving and praise. Lord! we
will bless and praise thee, and laud thy holy
name, because thou hast not, as yet, removed
the light of thy countenance from us; we
have not yet lost every desire to serve thee, nor
are we yet destitute of that anchor-like hope Of
q far more exceeding and eternal weight Of
glory Have mercy upon US, 0 Lord, we be-
seech thee; forgive our many misdeeds, and
enable US to exclaim Abba Father We feel
how little we have done compared to what we
might have done in working out our own sal
vation, and furthering the cause Of Christi
anity. Let us from this time determine to
change our lives, and, rs professors of the reli-
gion of Christ, resolve to spress toward the
mark Oh for a holy aspiration on the part of
thy church, for the holiness that will enable us
to do right. Let thy blessing rest upon the
unregenerate portion of this congregation, and
let impressions be made here, this day, that
shall enure to the peace, comfort, Joy, present
and future welfare of the people take away
all formality from the church: still be- her
| strong tower and bulwark, and let thy blessing
and thy smile rest upon her.7A #sraHT
/" Let thy benediction be upon our highly ia
vored country, and upon all those in authority ;
destroy every evil machination tending to dis
ishly, rashly, and peryersely throw away those
blessings and privileges that have 80 long con-
stituted US agreat, happy, prosperous, re-
nowned and united people; watch over and pro-
tect the traveller by land or by sea; be hus-
| band to the widow, father to the orphan, O
friend to the bereayed, and a present help in
time of trouble to the distressed and afflicted
let the fulness of the Gentiles come, and all
acknowledge Christ, from the least even unto
the greatest let thy spirit be with us-hear
US and answer us for the sake and through the
merits of Him who has taught US when wepray
to say, 'Our Father &c. 1.s. #,t.1a .Er
Prayer being concluded, the preacher read,
for the first lesson, from Ec. II c., Remember
now thy Creator in the day of thy youth y and
for the second, from Luke, 1S c., (Pharisee and
Publican.) The intermediate hymn, commenc-
ing with "Come to Calyary's holy mountain, ~
was then sung by the choir, when the preacher
took for his text the 9th verse of the 10th
Psalm, "Wherewithal shall young man cleanse
his way" >#. ."
Having taken his text the preacher referred
to the words "rather than," and ga needle 5
eye," contained in the l4th and 25th verses of
the second morning lesson, as read from Luke,
ch. 18. The first, he said, should have been
translated NOT, so as to read "and not the
other,' while the last had no reference to 4" o
| needle" rs commonly understood, but to Ger.
tain small gates, called "a needles eye," in the
wall encompassing Jerusalem, which were mere
| ly designed for pedestrians to ego through
Thus promising, and intimating his purpose to
continue the discourse on next Sunday evening,
he entered upon the discussion of his text
" "Wherewithal shall young man cleanse his
way" The first thought that strikes us said
the preacher, is, that there should be singing
out Of q particular class, the interrogatory not
being generical, as if their interests and well
fare were alone contemplated. The question is
propounded to "a young man," though the
general scope and design of the Scriptures is
evidently to meliorate the condition of I" all
the world" That was the object designed to
be effected in the self-constituted mission of
Christ; yet the appeal is made to the youag,
ere the multtudinous and onerous concerns of
mortality engross their attention and vitiate
their tastes-ere the stern and rugged scenes
of life have arisen to blunt their sensibilities
and pervert their minds--and ere they have en-
gagged with the busy herd and teeming multi
tude to do evil now their destiny is in their
own hands--ifow their eternity influencing task
is to be undertaken--now the great arena of
human existence is, for veal or for wo, to be
entered upon; every man who is lost is the
fabricator of his own destiny-digs the pit of
his own destruction here and now, every one
of us,is "treasuring up wrath against the day
Of wrath" or preparing for ga JOY that is un-
speakable." .. e .u
"Mau is his own true origin of evil"
The address is to the "young man." Why
the young man, rather than to the middle-aged
and aged? There are divers reasons why so
many addresses are made to the young. 1t is
said, Rejoice young man, in thy youth, "
&C.; but recollect-recollect, that for all these
things God will bring thee unto Judgment" F."
Again, "My son, give me thy heart;" with
Good master, what shall do to be saved ?"
Such are some of the exhortations made to, and
appeals by, the young, and many are the con-
siderations why the exhortations should be
needed, and the appeals ELECTED: as the isolated
and constitutional formation Of the young