New-York tribune., 1882-04-24
TALKS IN THE PULPIT
LESSONS FOR DOUBTING CHRISTIANS.
The Rer. Dr. Iarkhurst at me Madtsoa Square Trebyr,n

The He' Dr. fuTAur' At ne Tadt'o" Square fres,ylrta,
The Rev. DR.. Charles II. Parkhurst preached
20 large congregation yesterday morning at the Mad
ison Square Presbyterian Church. Madison Square ana
Twenty-fourh-st. The text taken from ST. Jobr
Xxx, 27 "Then saith He TO Thomas Reach hither tby
finger md behold My hands, and nither thy hsnd
and thrust 1t into Ny side. and be not faithess butb
hevng And Thomas answered and said unto Him N,
Redeemer and my God"
No mans experience, said the preacher in beconin2
Christian IS exactly like the next mans experience D
ing Christian Is fundamentally OF course beleyno %,
the Lord Jesus Christ bu the mental process along which
into that belief will vary with the Individual
No man is in this respect a law to any other man, Wa
have been good deal harmed, OF u.s. by reading
! the story OF what certain men have been through
In becoming converted; and then have argued, ia
this way. that cannot become Christians TN We hava
been through the same experience Christianity no.
level down the differences between people. Men that
are unlike before they become Christians VIII probably
be still more unlike after, Just the brighter the sun.
light the marked the differences between the OBJ
jects that stand in the sunlight
Our temperaments, mental bents and predispor
tions among others, ndestruotble. saDcthcstiOn
does not dsplace hem and the very process Of
version took from them shape and direction, and the
more thorough our conversion the perfectly VIII
our individuality and personal idiocyncrasy be
stamped upon that conversion Now these mental bents
and sometimes harder. Christianity sometimes alos,
runs with the grain OF mans natural tempe rament;
and the mental grain Of other men IL cut directly
athwart. Some minds run along the track Of
Divine revelation without friction. They have
no difficulties There minds constituted other
WISE that DO not readily the rhythm Of the holy
word. Their thoughts continually getting ont Of
bent. Thomass mind was such The only way
in which be Of any help to such people Is bya
treatment Of the utmost generosity and tenderness
Chrss tenderness to Thomas AL that saved Thomas
Some men doubt, because they wicked, but be-
their minds made not readily 70 accom-
modate themselves to the things put before them 20 be-
neve Such will not bear pushing II is as dishonest 70
make ourselves orthodox than as II u 10
make ourselves out less orthodox than Doubt.
do injury to themselves by pushing themselves, and
do injury to them by pushing them Oh. And so tho
Lord both dealt In perfect geuteness with
Thomas and let him have all the time to
cover from his doubts that he needed and wanted
lie did leave him alone with his doubts. Doubts
a safe thing to be left alone wIth ous doubts O
any other kind. Doubts have an enormous protective
energy ThOmass character IL intcre ting Study
with the exception Of Peter and John there Is no one q
the Disciple whose temperament d Ia Scripture portrayed
with sucn fulness and dehueness. We can pretty wei
say him that he had no mental courage Moral coaf.
he may well have had but in mental courage he was
deficient
There was 10 bravery in his thinking 10 daring.
venture IN il; Hence he was always sec.ns things IL
their sombre aspecs II was not because JhoLa,
was wicked that ho doubted but IL vas part of his IN
telectual build To do Thomas justice. it n
necessary to notice his loyalty to the truth fn
as ne knew IL 70 be truth, and how true Do
was TO his Lord in the chaTactern which lie apphendad
Him. as when he sad Let Us 90 that We may die With
! HIM" Now there have been many drru-Nory things
SAID about Thomas. Now, here address amy n You that
are i'm condition ~ doubt cUiulDg Whtl are the e'f
ueut essentials OI Christianity want To ask yoa Il
tltt hin fft4f 4f e.
| wiling 20 die for Thomas ~as willing - die iof Ms
| Lord although lie only hall knew HIM Thomas "as
fearfuly slow believer but he was terribly iest %
! lever so far he believed at al. There Nas
| not a grain of indlferentism IN his composition
II you are I'm any COULTER il If for you clearly 70
understand that there classes of douber- one
class We NAV call conservative dOuDters. Ihey believe
with AL their might what they believe, out t1ey laT
sf tor apprcnendlns eaeiy anything Whlch iss q
| an angle with their natural bent of thinking, and are
rather hindcred from believing new things W the Id
| tensity with which they believe old ones
The other dcubters are the radical douoters "ho aou
everything because they are without the intensity ahd
stamina needed for the Learty elef q al! ihns mere
latter Will succumD 10 treatment except such as
competent to reach and brace up the Whoe moral NJ
| ture Of man, aud Knit the Lures o. LIS l1annVvu
again into natural compaciness, aAl gu
its nerves into normal agility, S so 0Ipslts puItnIs
zest into his dscefnneuts and rrish mo ns apPenem
of persons and things This was the KIND o doaoet
had from the dead il not III him. IL the mUOd
| he was in. TO believe anything Of the kind "a
There is IN immense amount OF honest skepucsn Dlt
honest skeptlcsm Is the least tni3s IN u. MVid " 4
anxious about, though we must be very prudent sn9
|
| his ekepucisn bluntly lie sailed under no false
| colors. lie did not pretend 10 hold orthe
dox views that he did not hold. 1t is worth nueh
al. times to know who the bcegers ana VINO aGe
the unbeevers the strength Of Christianity Is neased
not the numbers Of those who profess faith ~ Cnr
bat b sOidiy the conviction OF those who have
| faith in Him Another thing to be remarked IL me
Story that Thomas I'D not become excluded from mo
H. ac c,p ie thsf Peter lad some vigorous
thoughts this subject and that the tender J9hn
greyed tic douDtcrs stubbornness, bu1 IL worked
no schlsnI.
This should put our guard against dealing 100
IA y with udcIy now, for lnndcIty now an " cIl as
then may honest and II IL Is honest acr1mOuy an
hardly DO The best means OF recovering II %
"A better faith The coming OF Thomas 10 uat
sunday evening conference and putting hinseh ~ the
way oi having nis views altered Is noteworthy IL -
lesson dshon est dOGbtors OF all places and times
skeptca and prUfesses To DC honestly So let ln
put himself the closest possible connection WIZ
religions things Talk with those who claim Christianity
has hei ped them il Holy Ghost Is said 10 he any
where working with power, 20 vi ere the work Is being
carried BE willing 10 be cOnS inced OF Jesus Cbss
and lei linn take His OWL way Oi COnNlbCns YOU ahu
remenb that it has been the experience OI al n'h ~
triumphant ain that the best Way 10 uud CIl'' Is s~h
! VIII re- lip cam hl us.