The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-31
THE BAPTISTS IN COUNCIL
Beginning of the Annual State Con-
vention with Large Attendance.
The inaugural Sermon by Rev. S. A. Nor
throp, of Fort Wayne-The Other Exer-
cises and Programme for To-Day.

The opening meeting of the Indiana Baptist
State Convention was held last evening at the
First Baptist Church, the session to continue
until and including Friday afternoon. Two
hundred delegates and a large audience were
present The number of delegates to be present
to-day and during The session is expected to he
between 400 and 500. After prayer by Rev. s.
A. NOrthrop, of Fort Wayne, the opening hymn,
composed by Rev. G.. H. Elgin, editor of the IN
diana Baptist was sung The scripture lesson
second Corinthians, fifth chapter-was then
read by Rev. j. K. Wheeler, of Terre Hautc.
The president of the association. Mr. j. A..
Closer, of this city, made brief address. Dur
ing the year l22 have become life members of
Anls convention, and its financial condition is
1irst-class, being out of debt and with. provision
made for the future by increased life member
ship.
HE THAT wINNETH SOULS is WISE.
Rev. s. A. Northrop. of Fort Wayne, then
preached the sermon of the evening, taking as
his text Proverbs, ii, 3O-"He that winneth
souls is WISE" He said the text is one of those
familiar proverbs, erystaIized in a few short
words, like maxms in law, seed thoughts in lit
erature, axioms in philosophy and pOstulata in
mathematics. 1t is one of the diamond gems of
inspiration. Methnks. the winning Christ with
his fishers of men, stands upon the shore of the
hemisphere of light 60 draw all men unto him. -
"From the wild ocean
OF the worlds sea of sim"
On the styglan shore, black and waste, of that
other hemisphere strands the "prince of dark
ness" with his legions of subtle messengers. Be-
tween these two great hemispheres of light and
darkness. on the narrow straits of a troubled
sea, Is q vast throng OF moving millions. Put
all worlds, known and unknown, the sun
which has flooded the earth with light for ages,
in the one scale and the immortal soul in the
hA nj
ontweighs the material. He who made the soul
knew its worth, and gave his only begotuon Son
for it. The redemptive price paid, mot with
corruptible things as silver and gold" was "the
precious blood of Christ" the highest gift and
: the brightest glory heaven could afford. To win
the sonl, then, because of its lnestimablc value,
should be the animating principle underlying all
the work of the Christian.
On the Inauguration day of the kingdom of
heaven, JesuR from the shores of that historic
sea, called Simon and Andrew, brothers, James
and John, brothers, and said, "Follow me, and
will make you fishers of men," and to Simon,
"Henceforth thou shalt catch men," Thus we
have two pairs of brothers, the very nucleus of
the apostolic fraternity-a type of the universal
brotherhood, called 10 catch men. In Luke,
Jesus says: ''rhe of man is come to seek
and to save that which lost" The Father
sent His Son on this mission, and Christ sends us
In winning souls we should not make our own
characters self-centerng Ours is to point them
right away from self to Christ as personal
savior. Fishers of men should keep themselves
out OF sight II they wish "good catch"
pastor spent his vacation in Scotland, and CON
cluded one day to fish for front. He bought the
hest tackle and other appliances, went to a
stream, t0iled all day and got nothing At sun
set he sped little ragged urchin with a COM
mon pole and line, hauling the trout out of the
water with the most marvellous rapldity.
Amazed, he asked the secret of his sueerss with
so cheap an outfit, whilst he with expensive
tackle caught nothing The hoy replied: "The
hshll ma catch as lang as ye dinna keep Your
sell DOT Of sieht."
If we expeet to enter the very same urn of the
soul, and so take Jesus in, we must be Christian
confidence men. You can get hold of no indi-
vidual, unless by actions you can prove that
you are his friend. Sanctifed affection is a win
ming grace indeed, but because of IT'S simplicity
i5 is not exercised. The magnetic social Chris
tian will do more in turning the many 70 right
eousness" than the most int ellectual. The world
wants to-day more heart than brains; it wants
sympathy. not slckly sentmentality that piles
roses and flowers upon the baskets of our dead
-post-moftem love-but scatters them in the
pathway of the living their perfume giving
heart, life and hope. What power over human
1Uy Is the friendly greeting, the warm grasp with
your heart right in yonr hand; the kind word,
the tender inquiry, the friendly CALI the salute
and nod of recognition TO the passer-by on the
other side; a CHEEKY good-mornGg in pews,
church, store, shop and street to all classes, rich
or poor, high or low, anywhere. everywhere.
Believe me, friends, we shall never move
others Christward till we first move ourselves.
Jesus intensely anxious about the losh
that the world said. "He hath devil" and of
Paul, "Thon art beside thyself!" Indeed, the
few in our churches have 10 be crazy because
the majority are so apatbetic with heart tenn
peratnre down to zero. An Anime traveller
after facing the binding snnw-storm and freCz-
ing blast OF night, feeling that fatal drowsness
coming over him, almest ready to perish in
despair struck heap ~ his pathway. He
stopped to touch 1t, and found it TO DO "a human
body half buried beneath the snow. The next
moment our haf-frozen traveller had taken a
brother in his arms. and rubbing his hands,
chest and brow, now breathing upon the stiff,
cold lips his own warm breath ana pressing the
silent heart to the beating pulses of his own
generous bosom.
Somebody says: "If we would win the world
to Christ, we must take men one by one" No
hA had in nfnh f1,af hnTf In bon.
slew every one his man." Preaching Jesus be-
fore crowded audience is inspiring, but 1t is
face to face work that reaches the heart. With
every revolution or the earth npon Its axis,
$1,000 souls move into the unseen world but
they must be led into the Kingdom of Emmanuel
one by one, Jesus mnst needs 20 through Sa-
maria, walking its seorchng sands for hours, 70
win just one single soul, and at Jacobs well he
finds his audience OF one. Said an ancient
father: Were the highest heaven my pulpit,
and all the angels. with the numherless host of
the unredeemed my audience, and eternity my
day. Jesus always should be my text. SOUS are
TO be won through the GATEWAY of Speech
and the best way 10 preach sin
ners to Christ is to preach Christ to sinners ."
RedemptI means just what it did when the
warm blood ran down the anivering side. Man
in all his SORROWS and sins s just the same as
when they shook ther heads and Knocked:
"Others he saved, himself he cannot save"
Those mighty sonlwiHnlng principles, like their
autbor, are 1.-THE same, Yesterday, to-day and
forever" No new Christ, no new doctrines hence
no new theology" The old gospel won IT'S way
TO the hearts of men in Chrisi's aud Peters and
Panl's time, 1t wins now! Preaching side issues
dragging into the sacred desk irrelevant subjects
making it the media for advertising false issues
and the very men who create them, repls rather
than attracts. Never has the name of any French
skeptie, German materlalisJ or American intidel
passed these llps In the presence of any living
audience. BY Coils graca they never will! The
name of that person who basphemed my Savior
and my God either from book, press or rostrum
shall never be uttered by me in pulpit
or prayer-rOom. 1t is nonsense 40 ex-
haust ourselves in striking at gnats with
the club of Hercules" Bad men and bad prn-
clples will work themselves cut of existence if
we let theIa alone. History reaifrms my poSi-
ton, hence do not speak at random. Apollo
getic preaching and "a boistering up the cross nv
system of negations never conviets of sin
The gospel of affirmation always awakens
thought and concern. Says Goethe to O frit nd
off yOu have CONTIGUOUS will listen, bnt keep
your dOuhts to yourself; and Daniel Webster