The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1881-04-02
MANS NATURE.
Rev. MyrOn w. Reed Concludes That
Man Is the Worst OF all Animals.
But With HE Faults and Failings
Directs Him to Safe Refuge.

| OlroCL5 Hin 10 Sa1o R6fugG.
The First Presbyterian Church was filled
as usual. Sunday morning last, with a large
and attentive audience. Rev. Alyron w
| Reed preached as follows;
Text-Mark XIV, 81: HE saved Others. Himse,,
He can not save"
What Is the nature of man?
see man DO good action
Some act that was self-denial
sacrifice and love in it-and say thas Is the
habit OF men. They are disinterested Creatures.
But find that have been hasty in conclusion.
see see st man 90 mean action and glory in it, and
say That men are selfish and mean That will
not do, some men are mean and some are not.
tently noble. ~
His life is not of one color The life of David
Is true picture of mans life. He spares his
enemy, but he puts his friend in the front of the
Dalte. III Is dlfhcuIt to form an opinion of the
character OF one man. You know him i'm the
days OF peace, and you believe in him; but in the
days of war he falls to pieces. We are disap-
poh ted both ways, The nobeness of man floats
out In an unexpected manner. Who of the pas
sengers Will behave well on the wreck? who of
the soldiers will be steady in the battle? who viii
be brave in time of pestilence, nothing but ex
pertinent Will decide. In the great fire both
Kinds OF man appear, After the battle some men
come to role the dead, and some to bury them
and to take up tenderly the wounded
Here then, Is what acts like an angel and here
is what acts like a devil.
Joan of Arc is of the same race as her murder
The son of Israel on the cross looks down ON the
children of Israel. Nearly all who are in sight
are either glad or indifferent at his death.
Reuben, Spokesman OF the brethren In Egypt
says, we be Sons OF one man." But there Is little
Likeness In the characters OF the twelve.
an original one, and demands an individual
study, training and teaching. and special work
Now Ia the creatures below man il is only nee
4 a a win
understood Is enough. From one YOU learn all.
80 OF a grain OF wheat, kernel of corn. One
eagle Is like another; his habits the habits of
his kind,
All living things untouched by man fulfill the
curse use their gifts, do what they were sent to
do, obey perfectly the law.
Having studied the life of one wolf. none OF his
brethren VIII dlsappoint you. They live accord
ing to their nature One dove interprets ali doves
But WHEN YOU COME TO MAN
there is an evident lawIessness. He does dot full
MI his curse use his gifts, do what he was sent to
do-obey the law He is unnatural The mur
der OF Abel is an awful discord-the new earth SO
soon wet with blood. So II any one now inQuires
Wnat Is the nature OF man, shall have to answer
that he has two natures-one earthly, sensual.
that is orderly, lawful; one that fears God and
one that hides from Him. The word nature as
used in the Bible means now one, now the other
something the nature that God gave man, and
SELF Ava ''''''
one of the sins of the last times ST. Paul de-
fines to be without natural affection Here
Paul means by nature original nature. and
when he says by nature. we fulfill the desire of
the flesh; he means our men made second nature
The original nature fallen.
So it Is that In a universe of order and law.
man is the solitary exception. He is the one out
law refuses his errand. takes the gifts of God,
and peryerts them. The hare and the rabbit do
their errand The bee builds according to the
pattern SHOWN him in the Mount
The ant walks in the path appointed. The foxes
fhR dc nf r1a a,.
and the eyes of all wait upon God. There is no
sin or shame In the earth till you come to man
ne sp1ils the u unity and some way through his
nature has infected his dog and his cattle. and
the whole creation Is by sympathy in pain to-
gether. Pain and fear have come The mouse Is
afraid of man.
I'm truly sorry mans dominion
Has broken natures social union,
And justities that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
AS me, thy poor earthborn companion
And fellow-mOrtal,"
Inc fall OF man is 10 ME no mere ancient dogma
OF the Church-it lis a vivid fact He is out of |
tune-spoils the music. Seed time and harvest |
do fail but fails aud fails utterly. You |
can not read to-days report OF what he is doing |
with the satisfaction you find in the work of the
Over broad stretches OF country man Is killing |
his brother, and preparing to kill him, now and |
then indeed, torturing him.
cisely what he has been told not to do-omittinp |
the things commanded, and there is no health In |
him.
When a wolf is wounded or helpless from any |
cause, the pack turn TO and devour him. No |
apology Is necessary. That is the best they can |
no skill in surgery and they do the most merci-
ful thing possible. That is well done |
TOR Tor r,,S wolf i. But the cossaek Journey.
pursued by wolves is seen to lash his horses: and
when that is in vain he tosses over one child and
then another and another and then his wife and |
SO gains the city walls and goes in through the |
gates. That isn't brutal. There is no brute but |
what will do better than that Even an alliga. |
torlwill watch over and fight for its unprotected
children.
The Cossack has not only fallen, but he has |
fallen clear through. He does not stop on a level
with brute life but drops below all life.
Now, If tell this story anywhere at any time |
There will be one judgment, the Cossack will be /
condemned; the meanest man in |
action, when he Is spectator, .can judge the
not In action to drop below the level of obli-
CATION or even wolf.
HE OUGHT TO LIvEAND ACT
to his place in the scale of life. He is
by creation and gift and opportunity at the top
Let him conform TO the order-be faithful in |
his building pee a beaver.
He is in high place; the heaven Is In a low
)ne. Let man live level with his gifts. Then it
IS pleasant to see Him; then His story touches all
hearts.
What II it were the story of the Advance" and
he search for Sir John Franklin? the story of
Elisha Kane? You have heard of the long vigil
10 faithfully kept the long months without
sun, the ice crunching the ship as the white
bear crunches his prey the hunger, the cold,
he delirium, the mutiny
One day he heard from the deserters who had
planned before desertion TO murder him. that
hey were out on the ice, starving and freezing,
md ne called for volunteers, and they took the
hedges and went out and found them and after
ifty-six hours brought them back to the ship and
% food and fire, and so to life; and there was no
more mutiny on board the Advance He broke
heir hearts-thawed them as June thaws ice.
High the song
should be that hymns The noble part he played,
lick is himself yet minstering aid
For all around him; by a mighty will
living defiant of the wants that KILL
5ecause his death would seal his comrades tate;
,heering with ceaseless and inventive skill
Those Polar winters, dark and desolate;
Equal to every trial. every fate,
lie stands Till spring, tardy with relief
Unlocks the icy gate,
Ind the pale prisoners thread the world once
more,
70 the steep cliffs OF Greenland's pastoral shore
Bearing their dying chief!
Now, here is something that pleases Here is
life lived like man. Here is a parable of saliva
ion. He saved others. Himself he could not
The feast they were dying of killed him. But
hey were saved from worse thing than the
east. The mutinous spirit was clean gone out of
hat but there is better thing than killing an
nemy-make a friend of him.
rhe rainbow Is a sign OF II.
There Is such a satisfaction in seeing man do
his errand himself into the doing it as if To
hat end he was bOrn
The most unconscious obedience to the law in
nature is what pleases you.
Except corn of wheat fall into the ground
ind die 1t abideth alone. but II it die il brinpeth
orth much fruit" Any, even q faint, copy of