The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-06
SERVICES OF THE SABBATH.
Rev. MIR. Haines breaches His First Ser
mon at the First Presbyterian.
Chancellor Sims, of Syracuse University, at
an-Street-Special Easter Services
at Other Places of Worship
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Rev. Matthew l.. Haynes breaches on the
Relations of Pastor and People.
Rev. Matthew l.. Haynes, pastor elect of the
First Presbyterian Church, occupied the pulpit
to which he has been called, morning and even
ing yesterday. Mr.. Haynes is about five feet
eight inches high, with full brown beard, high
wellshaped forehead. lie is thirty five years
old. of slender figure and slightly bald. His
voice, while not possessing any marked oratoric-
al excellence, is full and clear, and easily heard
in any part of the large audience-rooTn of the
church, which yesterday, at both services, was
well filed He is apparently man Of genial
sunny disposition, one who shakes hands in a
wholesome, ready and effective manner. The
impression made at the morning service was an
exceedingly favorable one, the general verdict
of the congregation being that he would fill all
requirements. Introducing himself to the con-
gregation, he said
In the providence of God, through your
unanimous action and your generous trust, am
called Christian brethren and friends, to enter
into the responsible and sacred relation to you
of pastor This has necessitated on my
part the breaking away from similar relation
ship to another flock of Christs great fold. /
need not conceal from you the fact that the ex
perience through which have just passed, the
severlng of the tender ties of associations hal
lowed by upwards of half score of years in
fellowship in Christian life and work, has been
a source of serious thought, as well as Of heart
pain. Standing here this morning, and looking
into your welcoming faces, realizing, in part, ia
imagination what wo may be to each other in
days to come am impelled to ask myself,
what is your mission heres Certainly, if one
hopes to make full proof of his ministry he
needs to have clear conception of its nature to
begin with. A large element back of st. Paus
success was that he knew what he was about
He had a particular mark, and he pressed
toward it. He did not fight as a man beating
the air. Every blow WAS we'll aimed every
shot was center.
When Margaret Fuller held her brilliant con-
versational gatherings in New England some
two score years ago. and the minds of many
in that transcendental era were in a state of
ferment and expectancy, the questions she pro
posed for discussion were, What are we born to
DO? How can we do it?7 You have called me-
you say, to do here the work of an ambassador
OF Jesus Christ. A mutual understanding is de-
sirable to start upon. AS the most direct Way of
reaching mutual understanding open and read
in your presence my commission.
He then announced as his text Matthew IS;
Goth verse:
Teaching them to observe all things whatso-
ever / have commanded you" The credentials
OF every true minister are here in the passage of
which these words ere part. Here is set forth
the foundation upon which we stand and the
take. In these solemn injunctions, given shortly
before Chiist's ascension, the Son of God LAID the
foundation of kingdom shat was to be univer-
sal in extent and eternal in duration. go ye,"
he says, into all all the world and make dis
ciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost" That is to bring them into the
kingdom of the Messiah and enroll them among
the loyal subjects of the triune God Here is
what the enrolled are to be taught: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever l have
commanded you"
The final grand aim of the Christian ministry
and of the Christian of the Sabbath, of the
Scriptures, OF all the means of grace is to rescue
men and bring them up into Christ. The pur-
pose OF the whole machinery of the church is to
manufacture men Of the Christian pattern. In
one OF the great cathedrals of city of Europe
is a ulpit of marble, of exquisite beauty. 1t is
built out from huge column of the nave.
Around the base of that pulpit carved deep in
the costly stone, are these words: Teaching
them TO observe all things whatsoever / have
commanded YOU" They are words that
dation of every Christian pulpit,
to emphasize the fundamentals The
instrument is the truth revealed or sanctioned
by Christ; the method is to teach them to OBJ
serve. The church is q school, the preacher
primarily teacher, a doctor in the first sense of
the word, delegated to labor in the word and in
doctrine
Some men SILVER when they hear the term
doctrine They are nervously afraid of what
they call doctrinal preaching. Perhaps they
have had inflicted upon them theological specu-
lations sapless philosophizings which bore
that label. The brand was mlsnomer Met
aphysical specuations are not Bible doctrines.
The eternal verities of revelation concerning
God and man. heaven and he'll, sin and redemp-
ton, are the doctrines to which ministers are to
give heed, and in which believers are to be
grounded if they hope to adorn the doctrine of
God, their Savior, in all things. At the very
rn,,n Ha4ia nf -
you hold-political commercial social, religious
Your doctrine is what you believe to be true
Bible doctrine is what God reveals as true,
Your doctrine determines your thinking your
thinking gives shape and quality to your actions,
your actions repeated solidify into habits,
your habits crystalline into character
and character destiny. Therefore
a solemn responsibility rests upon us
ministers if We expect to be workinen whose faces
are never to crimson in shame that we should
hold fast the appointed instrument-the faithful
word-that we may be able by sound doctrine to
exhort and convince Teach whatsoever have
commanded YOU We are not called upon to
write a new Bible or to invent a theology: only
to preach the word. The pulpit is not to be a
bureau of general information; the sermon is
not to be a chapter from the latest cyclopedia
In the realm of literature, of philosophy
or political economy, OF science,
the opinions of a minister may be of value. That
depends In the realm of special divine revea
ton where, through prophets and apostles, ana,
lastof all, through His Son, God speaks to man
the teachings thus given are of different
stamp They possess authority. The minister
is bound to know his place and to keep in it. If
a man breaches beyond what he sees, breaches
what he supposes imagnes, he is going outside
of his commission. He is specializing, and in
doubtful securities More than this, read. IF
any man shall add unto these things fthe words
of the prophecy of this book, God Shall add
unto him the plaques that are written in this
book Have you any doubt as to whether some
Christians are not now suffering from these
threatened plaques because they have added to
the word of God the traditions of men and the
vain conceits of shallow philosophy
The scope of pulpit teaching is not narrow
This book of books, in its range of disclosure,
sweeps in the eternities behind and before. II
lifts the curtain and permits man to gaze upon