The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-28

sympathies. and comforts. Christ meant to lead
us there; to see, hear, know for ourselves. 1.-THE
Father himself lOveth you 81 am the way is
the oriental way of saying Il am in the way,
come with me-" II am seeking the truth, join
me. / am living the life, follow me-" Life can
not be nourished on facts, traditions, opinions,
but only by the truths which to-day come direct
ly from God. Each must go directly to God,
ommun with the voice within, interrogate the
divine instincts. the sacred intuitions.
This is the first condition of the new life. God
has many things to say, the inspiration Is
perpetual; the revelation is continuous. His
tory, too, is full Of voices. 1t shows US the
movement OF eternal righteousness; how nations
rise and fall through moral causes; that Though
ministers of justice and power fail, justice and
power do not fail" Humanity feeds this higher
life. The pity of men for suffering, the sympa-
thy which runs from heart to heart, the aifec-
ton of the home, the assertions of friendship,
the depths of forgiveness, these are but the I'M
coverings of the heart of God. Nature is a
source of life. From her we learn of awful
forces that move on mighty business; of fire
and hail, ice and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling
His word;' of depths in the divine nature, into
which human thought may not penetrate; of
love and care for little things; a Providence
which impartially feeds the raven and the child,
forgetting none and favoring none. Art, too,
feeds life. Lcngfellow told Mary Anderson to
let no day go by without reading a beautiful
poem, hearing a beautiful song, looking at a
beautiful picture. And art has always nourished
a full and varied life. To live completely, we
must go as Christ did. to the source, God: must
mingle with humanity, must read history, must
know nature.
This is the idea of life which inspires our work
and worship. 1t is good to live. Life is worth
the living. 1t is a good world; not old and worn
out, but new and just beginning its higher devel-
opment, and to-day is the best day of life. One
may wake up, and think Of each question as an
open one. The world belongs to God; the great
essentials-air, light, and water-cannOt be alien
ated. Old abuses are dying out. Evil paints its
face. that it may deceive a little longer. Il be
held a new heaven and a new earth" How cas-
lily we forget the disagreeable things of the last
year. A good man cannot remember that he ever
had any trouble. Even sorrow fades away in a
glor1tied memory, and pains become pearls, No
one has ever been able to seriously harm the
world or interfere with its order. There is room
for all; food for all; work for all. Each newborn
child steps upon the stage clothed with author
ity. He has come to his own. God loves the
strong beat of the heart, the aSsertive will, the
generous impulse, the artists creations, the
laugh and leap Of boys, the young man rejoicing
iu his youth, the mother playing with her child.
young lovers, students that keep watch by night,
wise men that follow stars, poets that know the
'.secret of a weeds plain heart, business stretch
ing out its iron arms. God loves life: thesong-life
of Burns; the hero-wOrshiping Carlyle; the
white-souled Emerson, the nature worshiping
Wordsworth: Dickens, who SympathiZed with
men, and saw the heart of them; Lamb, gentle
and laughing. God loves children, all children,
from the babe of Bethlehem to that of the low
est. And sinners, from Mary of Magdala to
the woman of the town. Now. it is thiSidea of the
Christian life, and of the relation of love of God
toward it, that this church is built to represent,
and exists to carry out. Building it has been
but the putting of brick and wood around an
idea. Life precedes organization. Before the
body is the soul. Around this idea the walls of
our church have risen. We have sought to make
it cheerful. simple, burdening no one beyond
ability. We have sought to build it quietly,
without sound of hammer" 1t is to be a meet
i,rhor1Ca q Il9gn whore r1apn1p moot Np moot
with each other like the handful of Jerusalem,
so strangely assorted, of court lady, army officer.
wayside beggar and forgiven sinner
We do not know each others
opinions, PHILOSOPHERS, beliefs, but we
agree to live the life of Christ, and let God settle
the differences. It is a place for worship. We
come burdened with care, with forbodings, sor-
rows. We sing and pray and talk. Here will
come the merchant, tired of talking about val
ues; the teacher, the artisan, the young man
pressing his way into the crowded business or
profession; young women choosing the better
part. 1t must be to all such a place of life. 1t
must inspire t~oloftier ideals, urge to nobler mo
tves. disclose wiser methods. 1t must be a place
of weekly renewal Of sy1npathies and affections,
as a guard against the deadening influences of
the world on its material side. 1t is a building
not too good for daily use; for use in the prac-
teal business of life. We have written over it,
THE gates of it shall not be shut by day" Time
was when the church was the town meeting
house; when the cannon that protected the vii
ldSt was ulOhllbG QpDh liC bOBOl ~ NltCu SNthONl
meetings were held in it. In East Montpelier,
to-day, the election is held in the church. We
of indianapolis are forced to enter the chute and
vote in a saloon. Surely voting in a church was
better. So we have built this for use; for
everything that helps men. 1t is the home of
our children, who are to grow up to think of it
as a joyful place. There, if lost. We will seek
them, not Borrowing, but knowing that they Will
be about their Fathers business. 1t is the home
of the stranger, the young man in the store. or
office or shop: the business man stopping here
over Sunday. We have built it for AL sorts
and conditions of men" 1t is our house of work
as we'll as our home. Here we have business to
do-our Fathers business. We are to bring life
to others. This is one thing | notice as go
about the streets: how few of the people l meet
show in their faces that they enjoy life. Each
one seems to have missed something of that iull-
ness where each faculty takes its place in the
economy of God and does the thing it was meant
to do, singing as it works. TIL children grow
up ignorant, are early put to work, become mere
money-making machines, or machines for others
to make money out of. They know little
of the laws of health, Of thought, of or
der, of courtesy. They get into
difficulties, strike against the laws. and fall back
bruised. wondering what it all means. l know
that they do not mean to do wrong; they are as
sheep without a shepherd. l think of the many
boys and girls who begin life's work without lifeIs
strength. They are compelled to labor on the
lowest planes. They have no practical knowl
edge, and the doors of opportunity are closed be-
cause they do not know the right word.
There is a dreariness in the life of the average
man and woman: monOtonous, full Of thankless
DAYS. They toll and toll. a toll that reaps no
end but endless toll and never-ending woe"
When they stop working they are too tired to
read; too tired forest. They go to the saloon, or
gossip. No bright, cheerful places are open to
them. I think of the young men in this city who
came here to make their fortunes. They get
small salaries: can just get along. They are in
cheap boarding houses. They have no friends,
and soon cease going to church. They miss the
country air; are shut up hours in dark Offices or
dusty factories. When evening comes there is no
where to go. How many nights l have sat in
billiard saloons. because in all the great city of
Chicago / knew no one outside of business.
They have good purposes, generous and right
impulses, but no friend to say Come"
/ am familiar with the life of the poor in this