Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-12-06
AISERMON

Gatdgy.
AiSERMON
PREACHED AT THE PgEsB'S cHuRcH, or KNOXVILLE o.
! NOV. Esd. Ib13 ...-
BY REV. d. L. HICKOK-PASTOR.
subjscs-''The Moral Young MAN and
! His Lack"
TExr-"what lack l yet i'-Aan XIX: 90
This is the question of young man WIN
wss anxious to know what lie must do in or.
der that he might have eternal life. So far Nc
| The law wis concerned, he felt that he had
done all he could to secure the end and Dur.
pose OF bis being. The Commandments, nc.
cording To his estimat" of them. he had kept
from bis youth up. He had lived moral and
upright life. He had kept hims, If pure in SO.
ciety. He had been kind and obligng 10 his
| neighbours He had honurpd and respected his
parents. He bud been honest in all his deal
ings with men. He had been n man of truth
and integrity. Yet lie was painfully conscious
that something was lacking. He was not sal
tsficd with his prospects for eternal life He
had been doing great many good things, rx.
pecting to be rewarded for il in the world To
| come; yet he felt that after all it was not
quite right with him-tbat he had not vet
made his calling and election sure. Mark
says, Jesus beholdng him, loved him" Here
WAS AN interesting case, that called forth The
love and sympathy OF The "Son Of Man" Ii
was II casr, too, that has touched all our
hearts. Who has even read this account with.
out having his heart dram out in loving SYM
paihy with this earnest conscientious Young
man, who is SO anxious TO know what he
must do Ia be saved Jesus loved him-ev.
erybodv who hus ever heard about him. has
loved him. He has elcitrd the love and SYM
palhy OF The Bible reader in every age of the
world. And to-day, all who are engaged in
our Sabbath schools throughout the land will
look on this young man again with sympa.
thetc hearts. Like Jesus, III bebolding him,
they will love him. They will study his case
with exceeding interest. Three inquiries will
bring the matter fully before us
LIST. Why did Jesus love him? Why has he
ever been Of such interest 10 the Bible student 7
I'd. What was his lack? Sd. How was he
made 10 know il? Ist. Why is his case so iul
of interest. WHY did Jesus love him. Why
has everybody loved him? What is th, re
about this case that has stirred the heart from
the beginning? There are various reasons
Tor this He was young man. Christ had II
peculiar interest in the young. He has made
them many, aud blessed promises "They
that seek me carly shall find me-" Gods
covenant ever included the children. The
promise is 10 you and your children" "to
thee and thy seed" Christ loved the young
He took children up In his arms and blessed
them. SO il has been with the world 2, neral
ly; il has ever had peculiar regard .or the
young. The hope of the community, the
church and the world is in the young people
the yOmng men. They are not only Ihe
hope, but the pride of the nation. The hearts
of the fathers are ever turned towards the
children. The very fact of being youth-a
young man, secures the kindly beating ot
many warm hearts. We love our young men.
Anything that concerns them, will always he
Il matter of general interest. Ii one ot them
is cut off by death, we draw AN extra sigh,
and say, so young, with such bright hopes
and prospects before him - If they are afflict-
ed by disease. il consumption reddens their
check or weakens their step, if any accident
happens to them that tends in any way 10 in
teri, re with their future usefulness and pros
periIy, the fact that they are young men makes
it seem all the more sad. II any fall with bad
habits; ii the young lad gets TO smoking, and
drinking, aud swearing; if the beardlrss lips
become iuul with Oaths and obsenity; il
the fresh, blooming cheeks become bloated
and burned with whisky; If the fair features
become coarse with early drpravity aud the
young and healthy blood becomes vile with
the ichor of sensuality and vice, how dOuhly
saddened are we. A boy druDkardl A drink
ing young mani A young heart stained and
blnckened with lmpurty How terrible the
| thought
Yoath is the spring-time of Ilfe We all
the Gold, shivering blasts of winteri Its balmy
quickening breath is AN inspiration to our
souls lis voice, that awakes the sleeping
earth and bids its buried treasures To come
FORTH thrills like the trump of the resurrection
moru. In The spring, the earth becomes new
born. Its youth is renewed. The mountains
| lay aside their white locks and lift up their
| heads crowned with the green garlands OF
youth. The valleys throw of the mask of age
and death, and smile again with luxurianI
| harvests. q; We love the spring-sO we love
youth. We love itsiwarmlh, its freshness, ii.
vitality! We not only love the young. but W,
1--we to be young We want our own youth Il
he renewed like the eagles. We want To bt
born INTO new freshness every year like the
earth. Age is keptyoung by loving the young
by caring for the young, by insiructing and
helping the young BY very instinct, age
| looks lovingly and kindly upon The youth
By our very constitution. youth receives the
counsel, sympathy and prayers OF age. The
fact that a man is young man secures the in
trrest and favor Of men. Christ looks kindly
| upon the young, and so do men, generally
Hence the universal interest in the young
man of the lesson. .r.. ,.ar
But he was not only a young mamie was
moral young man. Does not this fact won
dertully help to kindle our interest in him
| How the heart Of the father IS kindled with
pfide when he can feel that his boy is an hon
/ est lHu. IluW tnt yOuhe
men that are n0ted for sterling honesty. A boy
that you can trust cannot be weighed for gold
He is more precious than rubes. boy o
uuqnestiOned integrity and veracity is nj Ia
stand in the presence OF kings, for he Is by
character among the highest nobility OF ma
ture; he is peer TO the proudest of natures no
blemen. Honesty is the crowning virture o
the natural heart. An honest boyl How tn
words kindle the very blood in our veins
What would a father give in exchange fo
euch boys What would i profit him If h'
should gain the whole world IL was at th'
expense of honesty and integrity in hi
children ? Yet. do not fathers sometimes
teach their sons dishonesty Do they mo-
sometimes, by rrecept and example. bring
them up TO fraud and double dealingf The
great want of our country is honest men--meu
OF uprightness and integrity of character
Dishonesty Is the dark stain Of our polilica
escuicheon. The nation suffers for the wan. O
men In her cornsels whom she can trust. Hel
Legislative halls need 70 echo 10 the tread o