The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-31
REV. N. W. REEDS LAST DAY.
Unusual Demonstration Of Regard for
the Retiring Pastor.
The Morning and Evening Seryices-A Con-
cert of Sacred Song-Seyen Years of
Work Sketched
THE MORNING SERVICE.
Beautiful and Impressive Scenes at the First
PRESBYTERIAN Church

THE mOhNiNG SEtSNIOEs
-e----
Beautiful and Impressive Scenes at the First
Presbyterian Church.
The morning service of the last day of Rev
Myron W. Reeds ministry, at the First Presby-
terrain Church. brought larger audience than
that church, large as it is could hold Not only
were all the usual seating accommodations filed
and chairs and benches, that were placed in the
aisles and about the altar, but even the steps of
the pulpit, and after that, hundreds, unable to
obtain even standing room, were turned away.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masons,
OF which order Mr. Reed is a member, showed
respect to their departing brother by attending
in body to the number of hundred and
twenty, while, perhaps, forty more of the mem
bers were in the audience, attended by their
wives. 1t was q bright day without the church
was bright and cheerful within, yet the audience
was more quiet and subdued than has ever hap
peued in that church before The ladies of the
congregation had decorated the pulpit and the
organ. Upon the latter was an arch Of ever
green, upon which was the word ''Mizpah.' Be
fore the altar was a cross of barley wreathed
with pansies, to the right and left of which were
ferns, Gala lilies, azaias and other beautiful
plants and flowers.
Mr. Reed took as his text Micah g. viii "He
bath Showed thee, o man, what is good; and
syhat doth the Lord require of thee but to do
Justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy Cod" Mr.. Reed said
that it is claimed for the Christian
religion that it is for the whole world, and
brings good news for every creature. 1t then fol
lows that religion is thing to be apprehended
by the common people, for the majority of the
Of fl.a lOY,lH and
must be within the reach of children, for
majority of the people of the world are children.
The disciples were told to preach this religion to
the uncultivated not to wait for schools to make
the mind ready, but to take the Testament and
move along-to preach it to Sandwich Islanders.
to people in Greenland, to people who had not
learned to eat with a fork To civilize people
rs to make them civil The gospel does that
<hing-that preached it would make all the
ISLANDS Of the sea Friendly isles, and all the
oceans Pacific
A man looks at the churches, reads their creeds
and examines their forms of governments 1t
takes him good while to complete this eXami-
nation, and when it is done he is not clear as to
his preference, There is so much to be said for
and against any one of them. Thinking upon
these things is not religious thought; a decision
reached in this matter does not set man for
ward.
The summer is ending. the harvest is ripe
The heads Of wheat are beginning to she'll The
farmer goes to the State fair and looks at the
Teapers He compares the latest harvesters with
the oldfashioned kinds; listens to the exhibitors
declaring the merits of this machine and that.
He gets confused and does not know which to
choose. Meantime the wheat is going into the
ground; in due time it has gone 1t Is clear that
a cradle, or even sickle in action, in the hand
of that man in season, in time of harvest. is
better than the best harvester if it come too
date. No bread can be made out of the machine
Instead of taking time to consider the relative
merits of churches and confessions of faith, why
mot first decide to be Christian and become
one. The sight and knowledge of a Christian
brings conviction. The committing of a thing to
melnory brings no conviction Aaron Burr was
can expert theologian. He was the grandson of
jonathan Edwards He could talk skllfully on
all the knotty questions in discussion in his time.
He had attained what Sandwich Islandernever
could attain-a system Of theology. He had the
mind for it, He lacked what every Sandwich
Islander may have--religion, the right conduct of
life He had no heart for that He hated mercy:
Ihe did injustice; he walked proudly he slew his
brother
Religion is made out Of plain duties, plain
teven to children Cease to do evil; learn TO do
we'll Let him that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity. The sayings of Christ are
dissertations, and the listener has that within
which echoes them. Not every one that saith
unto me Lord, Lore, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth the will Of my
Father" The keeping of the commandments at
first is nothing more than mere morality, but
Mt last it is religion. The action grows into
feeling, Set yourself to do right. At
the point of failure there is an in
coming Of strength; it is strength not
our own Man delivered from great peril was
never taught to say thank God That excama-
tiOn is not the result of reasoning. 1t is the
voice of the man who feels hand hold of him
The honest man who does not quickly go on to
be religious man, to thank God for counsel and
for help in being honest, is not honest with
Hmself for who has made him to differ from
the failing wretch at his side9 Who has made
duty seem such a worthy thing to US that we
undertake to do it2
This kind of religion is within tho reach of all
It has been proven there is not one exception
THE sufficient proof of health of body and mind
and soul is to feel we'll The kingdom of heaven
is within you. Take hold of this subject of re-
Ilg1on by that which is nearest you-your duty.
Look into your conscience and see what is fit to
be done. There is the path; it is narrow, but it
rs straight and it rests on the rock
Following the sermon a communion service
was held, in which an unusually large number
participated and the service was of marked i'm
pressiveness.