Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-11-27
ANNAPOLIS. MD MONDAY. NOVEMBER 27. 1899.
MEMORIAL SERVICES.
THE PULPIT FURNITURE
Dedicated at The Presbyterian
Church-Bequesf of Ensign
Joseph c. Breckinridge
Sermon on


"YOUNG CHRISTIAN MANHOOD" :"
A large congregation, composed not
only Of its own members. but OF the
members of various other churches in
the city. filed the Presbyterian Church
of this city yesterday morning at the
memorial services to the late Ensign JOS
| eph Cabell Breckinridge. u. S. NJ. who
was washed overheard from the torpedo
boat Gushing" near Havana, February
nth. 1898. and whose bequest TO this
church. the new pulpit furniture, was
dedicated at this service.
After the opening service and Scrip
ture lesson and service Of praise. the
pastor, Rev. George S. Bell, read ex-
tracts from biography Of Ensign Breck-
inridge. written by the president OF Laiay-
cite College, relative of the young man.
who had been an earnest Christian and a
faithful member OF the Presbyterian
Church Of Annapolis. The pastor offered
dedicatory prayer. in which he said:
30. Lord. cur God. thou who dwellest
in city not made with hands. eternal in
| the heave ms, we adore thee this morning
| for this gift. We come with grateful
hearts for many souls who have left these
sacred walls and gone home to glory.
/ We come Tor one who led Christian
| life, for one who loved his church. Thou
wi bless the ffering we make; the sa-
| cred desk. where thy servant shall stand
| and offer thy truth from time to time,
! man starding between man and thee.
| We pray for baptism of the Holy Ghost,
a baptism Of prayer. We ask thee to
accept the table on which shall be placed
the elements of the holy sacrament. AS
we gather around it may we be impress
ed with the holy spirit. o. God wilt
thou accept these offerings. the gift Of
thy humble servant who has gone before
US. We pray that all here, especially the
youth, may take example of that one
I who lost his life in the service of his
country. but whose life was great sue
cess, and whose death crowned his life. :"
| Mr.. Bell chose for the text for his SER
mon the fourteenth chapter OF the Epistle
| to the Romans, and seventh verse =
"None of us liveth unto himself and no
| man dieth unto himself" The pastor
said in part
"Man has no authority over his life,
and no control over his death. Life is
Gods gift. 1t is given as a trust, and
man is the trustee. Man was ushered
| into existence and will be ushered out,
and the astute philosopher knows no
more than the prosaic man. Out OF
darkness we came, and into darkness we
60. The spirit OF God hath me, and the
breath OF God hath given me light. and
| in His hand is the life OF all men,.
"True life may be explained in one
word-manliness. What is it? II we
| could 60 TO Socrates of old and ask him
what is manliness. he would say the
great difficulty with men is ignorance.
| there fore learning is manliness; if we
were TO 60 to his pupil, Epictetus, and
| ask him what is manliness, he would say
| man is full Of passion, therefore self con-
| troll is manliness. Emerson would tell
US self-relianoe; Thomas Carlysle would
/ tell us men are too self conscious, and
| need to become unconscious of self by
burying themselves in work.
"If we take these four elements
knowledge, self-control. seli-reliance and
elf-unconsciousness, how short they
reach into this life to unfold into the
eternal. What is manlinessl God s
image, not physical image, but His image
mentally and morally. Young Christian
manhood is what Christ looks for. He
began His church with young men. Ex-
cept Nicodemus and Joseph, of Arama-
thea, His disciples were all young men.
! Old men are set in their ways; old men
| dislike new doctrines. In young men
the soil is ready to receive the seed. the
young men with readiness take impress
sions. 1t is the young men for which
there is most hope; the old men once set
in their ways and ideas are not ready to
take new impressions.
THE text means the young man in
| the spring when seed can be sown, not
| the old man in autumn when frcsts have
come upon him. Young men need to
be instillsd with moral courage that will
cause them to do right. though all be
| against them. We have the name and
| life of Joseph Cabell Breckinridge in all
our minds today. In my early pastorate
heard many speak in praise Of him, the
/ manly leader Of that manly band who
did not forget the church of their fathers.
and came out Sabbath after Sabbath to
attend service at this church. Young
Breckinridge united with the church in
early youth. He had Presbyterian an
cestry of which all might be proud. The
name of his grandfather, Rev. Robert ].
Breckinridge, was a household word
throughout the country. His name means
much to the..church today, although he
has been dead more than quarter of a
century.
"A story is told of Rev. Robert J
Breckinridge, who in 1864. in the excite
ment Of war times, was preaching in
Baltimore. and was invited ito deliver a
sermon before the United States Senate al
Washington. Naturally a stirring war
sermon was expected. Instead ofthis he
chose for bis text St. Paurs words to
Timothy, This is faithful saying. and
worthy Of all acceptation, Jesus Christ
came into the world to save Sinners He
l showed the fearlessness for which he was
characteristic, and preached to sinners
Of high degree as well as those of low
degree. saying to one and then another.
lit Is worthy Of your acceptation.' Turn
ing to the President, Abraham Lincoln,
who was among his hearers. he said,
and Mr.. President, it is worthy Of your
aeceptation.' This young man could
look back 10 such an ancestry. He had
been drilled in truth and bis mind i'm
preQnated with the Christian doctrines OF
4 p,ti. and cafechism. He was slow IN