The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-28
A SERMON TO THE SOLDIERS
The Sermon of Myron w. Reed to
the Members of the G. A. II.
The Exemplary Friendship of David and
Jonathan-The MOraIizing and the De-
grading Effects of War.

H. Thomas post was given to large audi
ence at the First Presby teran Church yesterday
morning, the members OF the post attending in
body The full text OF the sermon is as follows:
81 am distressed for thee my brother iona
than; very pleasant hast thou been unto me:
Inv love TO wonderful. passing the love
of women Second Samuel; l, 90.
1t is not certain that the hero of the play or
atory will win the love of the reader. He Is the
central characteristic others stand about him.
He is put forward as the parsonage. All eyes
are OF necessity upon him. Neverthelessit may
hammer that the hearts of men Will pass the ehler
TO take up clansman.
People differ as to Hamlet Tney
admire nim- hn, may DC WONDER a. nm flni
lng-and that is a quick instinctivh-as regards
Horatio. The frank. brave, loyal heart wins
and wins at once.
The fact seems to he that men and women who
have a missiou-men who arc called TO the
front-are not the most agreeable persons We
would not care to tent with Oliver Cromwell
Our War Secretary Stanton was not man to
drop In on In the evening. It seems In a hostile
earth there is good deal OF rough work to he
George Eliot says that 10 Will not do TO CT oss
the threshold Of "a retormer. Admire him from
q distance, The gentler l0vabler qualities
may unfit a man and so lose him call
to some kinds of work. If there is most of
rnfians to he broken up you do not go In
upon them with Il handful OF Volets and the
voice of the hute. The value set upon an instru-
ment depends upon its fitness for the work in
hand. The timber you want depends upon what
you want II for. 1t may be, as in old times, that
a will hunt the woods all day
for a crooked stick. He wants snath
Tor his scythe a,n passes by n str"Sn Tnr
q natural crook. Generally, nevertheless, we do
not say that croOkedness in tree is better than
straiRhtness. So think We may see how God,
in old times, called certain men, Jacob. for in
stance. 1t is impossible. believe, to love the
character of Jacob. But he had thrift He was
tough, persistent, worldly-wise-a better man
TO found lOng-lived nation than his
brother Esau. Esau was good fell
to the morrow. He was hunter,
An old inhabitant told me that In the early
settlement or his town he took notice or the
equipment of emigrants. If one came with a
fiddle and gun he advised hin to move on. IL
one came with an axe and pillow he told him to
move in. There ia something in 1t. We can very
well see that a man may be loved of men and
loved of God, and still not be of the material to
build state upon. hunter looks as we'll as
a shepherd and dairymen, hut he needs more
land. Palestine is not big enough for a nation of
hunters. Hunting is not the best business
for state to engage in. The plodding energy,
the Ben. Franklin thrift and the quiet habits of
life of Jacob got him his call, think, against
his brilliant dashing, generous, sportloving
We honor the Plymouth Pilgrims, but person
ally am glad that 1t has happened to us to live
with their less-riGld children. Rough. angular
at the bottom toms of the 'o''b building,
30 1t seems God goes among and selects
the timber He needs for staff or an arrow or
nail. The king of the Huns was called properly
the scOurge of God. He used that SnOtted cord
TO whip Rone. He selected him for thar pnr-
pose, as a sehoulmas ter in the old DAYS would on
his way to school cut stick to fog the children
of disObedence. Aud then, when the task was
done, it may be God flung away that king Of the
Ing used that stick thrown it out
The canoe man comes to rapid too swift for "A
paddle, and he lands aud cuts pole. When the
rapid Is passed he tOsses 1t over and resumes the
paddle. Tue pole Is selected Tor emergency
Il may we'll he that man is too amiable for
some purposes.
Sherman SAY iva n al nd can't rp-
fine it," He made success of il. 1 can think
OF another General who tried to refine it, He
liked TO see soldiers fed and clothed, and he
hated to see men blown away on tue
breath of great guns. He was removed.
1t isn't the question do we love the man, but viii
the man do the wOrEf Suppose IL the day of the
draft riot III New York. what kind of man
will you send there to stop its Abraham Lin
coin pardoned deseFters. "Great heart" WAS
full of mercy. People love his memory because
OF his mercy. But pardoning deserlers is not the
way to keep an army whole in front of the enemy
man may be generous to be just.
In world where there Is crime somebody must
have the heart to punish. Tue official hangman
OF London wears a mask. He is not a popular
man at fairs and public assemblies in general.
Nevertheless he is a necessary man.
As understand II, God in calling a man, as
David, Or Cyrus or Napoleon, nuts no full APP
probation on the man as a man, hut as an tDstru
ment Cor the work in hand Ii that old soldier
Gyms is in heaven this morning, It Ia in one
dienoe, not TO the SPECIAL call he re-
ceived 10 work earth, bnt TO the other one
with which we are all familiar, "to renenJ and
come home" Calls of God TO do this and that
expire when this and that are done. Men in
shrouds have no official rank.
The first book OF Samuel is graphic picture
of some old days. It's u carnivOrous, bloody
time. Life seems to be a hattie and u sleep.
They not satisfied with killing their
enemies, hut they cut their heads OF, and hung
their bodies the outer walls. forgiveness
seems to have been almost unknown. Sherman's
march to the sea WAS gentle Pilgrims progress
as compared with Saul's raid on the Amalekites
There amnesty discussion in those
daV6. ana there WAS no exchange of
prisoners. Samuel. servant of the Lord
merely took the president OF the Amalekite
cOnfederacy and said to him ''as thy sword hath
made women childess, so shall thy mother be
childless among women" "And Samuel hewed
battle pictures. David is the rising young man
OF the time. The women are singing, ''Saul
hath slain his thousands and David his ten thou
sands" IL Is not pleasant song for King Saul
to hear.
That from that time forward Saul should have
eye on David Is most natural. iona.
than is the kings son, Ia heir apparent to
the throne is loved of his father, loved and hon
Ored Of the people. with most brilliant record
friends-troops Of them-is to be expected That
everybody should seem to be his friends, we ex-
poet also. He had everything to give. Kings
sons have no lack OF lackeys. Friendship ID so
fine thing that counterfeits are numerous and
well executed. Prince Hal, when he comes to
the throne, has occasion to shake
He tells the old fat knight and boon compan.
ion Falstaff to 20 to his prayers. live eleanly
ana not come near MN. In the New Testament
there is "A picture of people who come around
the risen, reigning Christ on his Judgment
throne and to Him, we have eaten and
drank In thy presence and thou hast taught In
our streets. They can't say that he has eaten or
drank in their house. When He was on earth, "A
man ofsOrrOws, they didn't know Him. Ho
wasn't IN their set. When He has come TO be
king they flock around Him, ard He does not
know them, I suppose that men who, IN the
old days In Gaena, would not have loaned
Grant quarter, went to Washington
and made him q visit, hoping that he had good
memory of faces and poor memory of facts So
Lincoln was thronged upon by people who once
made HIM pay his board In advance,
When friendship is from kings son and heir
apparent to the man who is supplanting him.
don't think we need TO test IL. 1t Ia manIfestly
the genuine article. We read that Jonathan de-
lighted in David. He loved him as
his own soul. There is no feel.
ing in 1t, no self-intarest Ia It,
The kingdom OF Israel was TO be established. The
boy that kept his fathers sheep on The hills was