The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-28

Rev. Lemuel Moss, Of Bloomington, at
the First Baptist Church.
Rev. Moses Alley, of Lake Mills, Wis, Fills
Mr.. Reeds Pulpit at the First
Presbyterian Church.
"THV WILL BE DONE"
Sermon of Rev. LemueI Moss, at the First
Baptist Church.

Baptist Church.
Rev. DR.. Lemuel Moss, president of the State
University, occupied the pulpit at the First
Baptist Church yesterday morning and evening
The text of the morning was taken from the
tenth verso of the sixth chapter of Matthew
''Thy will be done,' and its tenor was to show
that all the forces of the universe were manifes-
tations of Gods energy and Gods will
'Drhy will be done" is one of the petitions of
the Lords prayer the climax of all those petit
tons that have to do directly with God. This
petition accomplished, all petitions are fulfilled
Gods name is gloriicd Gods kingdom is estab-
lished through the accomplishment of his will in
earth as it is in heaven All benefits and bless
ings to man are accomplished through the com
plete accomplishment of Gods will, and in no
other way.
This petition is the burden of the universe
the groanng and travall1ng of all creatures is
for the accomplishment Of Gods will This is
the polestar Of AL existence; this it is to which
all things point. The yearnings Of all intel-
gent existences will be satisfied and only salts
fed, when Gods will is done. This is the point
of the universe, the one fundamental force that
unites and anmates all things; that makes the
perfection of all things possible. So we may
say it is the longing the desire of the universe
Of God. l saw that desire III the faces of this
congregation this morning l could see the
Spirit come up in the petition My Lord, Thy
will be done" 'Thy will be done is the energy
of the Godhead in action it is the personality of
the divine being in his efficiency.
The material universe is an expression OF Gods
will These physical forces are manifestations
universe. Scientists are wiser than they know
when they talk about the correlation of forces
that all these various energies are simply phases
of one force. They are right, but they do not so
far enough There is hut one force in this uni
verse, and that is Gods will We shall find by
and by that there is no other If it were not for
science would have no conception of force.
am myself the center and seat and source of
energy. And this force goes out it finds it
self hindered and hampcred by energies or forces
which are akin to that which is within myself.
1t has sometimes been said that Newton dis
covered gravtatiOn. He did not. 1t has never
been discovered. The energy itself no mans eye
hath seen or known. No human eye ever saw
electricity, human eye ever saw the spirit
that animates the eye through which that spirit
looks
Win is the source of law, Of power of move
ment of all orderly arrangement; and the uni
verse rests upon the will of God When you
think about the laws Of matter life and health
about those laws whose observance is the condi
ton of our wellbeing ana our prosperity, IT goes
further with you than the diagrams of the scien-
tic teacher and tells you that all physical force
and law are simply revelations Of the law of
God.
If we could only comprehend the real facts Of
our existence, surrounded by these occurrences
of Divine force, we should know that it
is in God that we live, and move and are
This very energy that quickens ana sustalns us
is simply tho same manifestation of our God.
This energy is blending together all particles Of
matter that are in His limitless universe and
there is not point but is peryaded by this in
Anepne and keeps this universe together. There
is no place where God is not IN the energy of
the universe is the legislation of the Almighty
manifested lie would only need to cease to
think of the world to annihilate it, 1t is the
continuity of His care that keeps us from de
struction-our Father whose thought for us is
ineessant and whose every thought is love. The
will of God is the standard Of virtue 1t is not
only the source of all life, not only does the ma
tarial universe rest upon it, but the spiritual.
As an atom of dust is manifestation of the
divine will and divine presence, 50 the Hottest
intelligence and the Hottest holiness is accom-
plished with that will, but is in harmony with it,
There is but one law CT beng in the universe
IT is ali bound into one By this all-pervading
spirit force Of Gods law.
The prayer of the arehangel that burns before
the great throne Of Jehovah is our praFer-'Thy
will he done In the very crisis Of Chlists
agony the same prayer was lifted mp by our
Hayior. 1t is the one aspiration of the universe
from Jesus Christ to the lowest ereature-'|Thy
will be done" Some writers have tried
to find other laws to base their
though nature was anything else but mani
festation Of Gods law.
We can think what we please about God, but
all our foolish speeulations and theories fail to
touch him. He is immutable and never, no mat
ter what we may think, does He change All
the stability OF the universe is in the unehange-
ableness Of Jehovah. 1t is the in the
moral as in the physical world. You go into the
woods at this spring season and you find violet
1t is the same flower it was last year 1t has
been the same, unchanged unchanging year
after year, century after century, millennial
after miennial. 1t is simple and significant
figure of the oonstancy of God. This little sym
Dol assures us of the unehaugeableness of God
The will of God is the guarantee of the free
dom of man-rational freedom. 1t is the only
thing that makes mans freedom possible.
Without it you could not calculate for twenty
four hours upon the stability of any force in
nature or in morals. With it the great abiding
force in the universe is that which man soweth
that shall he also reap 1t is because Gods will
is the controlling power of the universe that
man knows what he can depend upon and what
conditions he has to adjust himself to- He
Knows when bridge will bear a certain weight,
and when it will not. He knows thatGo stands
guard over His own laws and His delicate and
infinite wisdom is an abiding and infinite
strength Man is given to know that violations
of natural laws lead to death and that moral
pollution will lead to death also. God stands
guard over His laws, and will not allow them to
be violated with inpunity. The wages of sin is
death.
Take away the sovereignty of the Almighty
and you reduce the world TO chaos. No man
could calculate upon anything. So far there
boing any conflict there is no conflict the SOW
ereignty of Goa is the freedom of man
THY will be done" This prayer is pledge
as all prayers are pledges It is pledge on our
part that we will do all we to bring it about.
We give ourselves so far as we can so that the
prayer Of the universe will become its song of
praise.