The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-24
THE SEEN AND UNSEEN.
Rev. Reuben Andrus's Sermon at the
Tabernacle Church.
Dedication of the Sixth Christian Church
Rev. Isaac Errett's COnsecrating Address
Elder Lynch's Baptismal Service.
THE MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL.
The Points in DR.. Reuben Andrus's Mornin

The Points in DIR. Reuben Andrus's Morning
Sermon the Tabernacle.
Rev. Reuben Audrus, D. D. filed the pulpit
of the Tabernacle Presby terrain Church, yester-
day morning, taking for his text Ii Corinth-
ians, iv, Is:
''While we look not at the things which are
seen, but the things which are not seen; for the
things which are seen are TEMPORAL, and the
things which are not seen are eternal"
This text may be tittingly paraphrased as the
true interpretation, viz: Material and spiritual
things. The material is known by the senses
it is the outside world. 1t includes the
thought emotion, desire, energy and purpose
that are at the foundation of earthly affairs.
The spiritual Is generieaIly the opposite to
the material-it is the incorporeal the mental.
When some people are thinking of the spiritual,
they think only of heaven as It's locations d
place away off, indefinitely removed. rms
theory is congenial with the belief that the earth
Is not hitting abode for the spiritual, Otne I
admit its existence here merely rms Is surely
the lowest view that We can nave nav Oh , Cne
ings of our race to this: What shall we
have for food and drink3 1t is a mere
concession to our physical wants. The cOnelu-
sion of this theory is inevitabe-that evil must
exist and that moral wrong is necessity 10
human life. Others refer the spiritual TO reig-
ion exclusively. Among these the profess
sional evangeists, who take the spiritual ouu OF
the realm OF real being, and use it only as a con
dluOn-a heart state. In our evangelical creeds
the spiritual is only another expression for sin
cere faith in Christ The material ana spiritual
are conjoined in all things in which we have any
lnterest-in our business, our homes and our
surrOundngs-a gross side and fine side. They
one to the other very much as we employ
them All human industry is at the same time
an example and proof of this. The greater pro
duct and the cheap product is found III developed
energy, in advancing thought, in all that we
mean by civilization and enlightenment. ON a
large scale, therefore, this industry means re-
generation of the inferior races. Don't you see
that they are coming up. that they are getting
nearer to God2~ This does not come through ma
terial energy, but through the spiritual, when
is behind it. The people are becoming bet
ter and nobler. The world is becoming
what may be his environments man is esti-
mated according TO his character and what ne
dOes. Railroads from gulf to lake look material
enough, but they tie together the New Orleans
merchant and the Chicago merchant, ana while
they have a community of interests there can
be no rebellion. the result of the building or
these roads is unity and good will, and these are
the spiritual elements based on the material
Again, look at that man who Is WORKING IN the
streets His personal appearance is repellant.
His work seems so mental, so low, tnat
certainly it is but material. But that mans la
Dor has some spiritual development. He takes
the dollar that he earns each day and buys neces-
stiles for his family, and fills their souls with joy
and peace, and that is spiritual The material
is on the street hut the spiritual Is at home.
All our homes have this double aspect. Perhaps
we think TOO much OF our dress and furniture
and Ornamentation, but the spiritual SHE IS
found in mutual love, consideration and Sacrl-
flee. 1t comes out jim Jhea constant carefulness
of the whole family-in their unselfishness and
loving devotion to some bereaved one. 1 can
catch but glimpses of these noble things
our benevolent institutions, churches, our
schools on all sides of us-the spiritual is about
so all phases of honest labor have their spirit
ual side. Christian brothers. why can we not
tear aside the veil Why can we not be so placed
that can look above the materian Let us
get beyond our immediate environment and see
God in the spiritual, just beyond. The question
of the scene and the unseen is not a hard one,
We can determine it by our own experience. But
he who cultivates virtue and honor, who Is
| nN iN-nlVr h1tu al
highest spirituality. All men are spiritual In
exact proportion as they are working for the
benefit of their fellow-men. 1t is not the man
who is most on his knees who is the most spirit
ual, but he who goes out and lifts men up; he
who prays and works at the same time. Let us
have four characters to illustrate the whole sub
jeet. They shall be four brothers. The first is
spendthrift, who has all the luXuries and vices
of life, and when his fortune Is gone he has moth
ing TO show for it but broken constitution
and bad character. His brother Is
very close and stingy. He boards his
money and his only ambition is to become rich.
The third is q wise economist, who manages
shrewdy. He helps along Industrious and de-
serving men, He helps charities and benevo-
lence, He is making large advances and is get
ting spiritual.
The fourth brother takes still higher stand.
He, too, is a worker-au economist-but he helps
his fellow men. He removes obstacles and
opens channels for society. He lives in his
brotherhood his best existence is the welfare of
others-and the heaven in store for him
surely be no better than his earth. This is the
GROWING possibility of human life The duty of
to-day Is to see more OF the unseen.
There Is as much divinity on the
earth as in the sky. know this
spiritual is with us and here. Jesus is here why
not him here2 We are apt to think so much
of the heaven that shall come to when
dead, that we do not stop to think of the heaven
that is around us SO, Christian brothers, may
God help to see the spiritual in the midst of
the materials; and may we see, above our en-
vlronment all those things which are no0ler and
higher.