The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-23
AT PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
Rcv. Oscar G. McCulloch Speaks on the Fatal
ism of General Charles Gordon.

evening, The Fataism or General Charles TOR
DON" He said the death of General Gordon at
Khartoum suggested consideration of his char
acter. especially his religious convictions. He
was unique man; survival of sthe old Scotch
Covenanters and of Cromwelrs Ironsides. He
has been likened to Sir Launcelot, to
Bayard, to Cromwell, to -Havelock, to
Balfour of Burley, to Livingstone. These
points in his life it will be well
to remember: He was born Jan. %, 1888; gradu
in 1852; was before Sevastopol in the black
winter of 1855; was in China, General of the
Ever Victorious Army" in the TAPPING rebel
lion in 1862. In 1871 to 1874. he was Governor
general of the Equator, and in 1877 to 1880, he
was Governor general of the Soudan, his mission
being to put down the slave trade. In 1883 the
troubles began in the Soudan region, and the
Mahdi, the False Prophet, began his march north
ward. Gordon was again sent out as British
plenipotentiary to the Soudan, in 1884
His mission at this time was to quiet the Sou
dan and rescue the Egyptian garrisons, number
ing about thirty thousand. His purpose was to
restore the government of the country to the
native chiefs. His work was one of reconcilia-
ton. 1t was one of peace, but the throwing of
the British forces under General Graham into
the country ,precipitated conflict with the
Mahdi. Gordon was shut up in Khartoum, and
died Of a stab in the back by a treacherous
Arab. Of his religious character Archibald
Forbes says: His high nature is made more
chivalrous by his fervent piety; his absolute
trust IN God carries him through the sternest
difficulties, because he is alone in no solitude,
he is depressed in no extremity"
1t was his intense conviction that his life lay
absolutely within the control of God. He was
accustomed to say that he was but an instru-
menr or tool which God used to accomplish
certain purpose and that when God was through
with him he would lay him aside. This was no
idle word no figure of rhetoric. The idea DOM
mated his life. When he was lying in front Of
Seyastopol Russian bullet passed within an
inch of his head. His only comment was They
is large and pointed" In China his
only weapon was light cane which, in
the eyes of the rebels, became magicians wand.
When in Abyssinia, King John threatened to kill
him. He answered: IF you will kill me you
viii do me the greatest service, for you will do
what my religion forbids me to do for myself. l
value my life as naughtand should only exchange
much WEAKNESS for perfect peace" Death met
him in the line of duty. He had already sent
Colonel Stewart away from Khartoum because
Of the hOpelessness of the situation. To such a
man death was a very little thing; not thing to
be courted-to be avoided if possible, but not to
be feared. He sought for no reward and died
soldiers death.
Here then, crops out that conviction of all
heroic nations and heroic men that life work is
done under the direction of divine Providence
"a controlling will 1t is men of strong con-
viction, with their lives and Gods will bound up
together, that have taken possession of the
world. The great war of the ages is between be-
lief and unbelief In the blood there must be
iron, in the mind a conviction deep as the uni
verse, if one is to stand ones ground. tsgain
and again in history, nations, small in MURDERS
but strong in the belief of their mission. have
issued from their homes, and have overrun the
world. The shepherds of the Dorian hills de-
scended into Greece and took possession of the
Peloponnessus. The Persian, who had been
taught that he was soldier of Ormuzd, the god
of light destroyed the worn-out civilization of
the Euphrates valley.
ION two days it steads to run from thy grave
The appointed and the unappointed day;
On the first neither balm nor physician can save,
Nor thee on the second the universe slay.
The Mohammedan rushed into battle with the
leaf. At the battle of Leuthen the soldiers of
Frederick the Great marched past him singing:
Grant Thou with zeal and skill this day do
What me to do it behooves; what Thou
Command st me to;
Grant Thou | do it sharp at point of moment ft
When do it grant me good success In it."
SO all heroic men have had this same convic-
tion Are there not twelve hours in dayan
said Christ. IF any man walk in the day he
stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world Mine hour is not yet come" 1t is as
if Christ had said 1.-THE time allotted to me by
my Father is not yet done. While it lasts no
man can harm me. The path of duty is the
way of safety. l am here come from God, on
His business, under His direction, i'll His care. I
am to go about His work secure in the thought
that the total of my life belongs to Him just
now my work is to comfort the sisters of Lazarus;
whether they kill me or not is not my concern"
This same thought appears in Luther IF
had business i'll Leipzig would ride into Leip
zig though is rained Duke Georges for nine days
running" 1t is in John Calvin, in John Knox,
in Cromwell and his Ironsides, in the Puritan
ana Pilgrim, in John Brown of Ossawattcmie.
Each man says II am sent; am here to say
word, to do certain work; nothing can harm
me while l am on that work" Such faith
rests on the solid ground of nature. Each thing
in nature has its place and it's work. It
is weaving the eternal garment of God The
coral insect in the deep sea is building a CONT
nent. The sea weed is absorbing the silver, the
is pulverizing the ground; each is working with
God. Man, too, has his place and use in nature
His is laying the basis of civilization, telling
forests, draining marshes, raising wheat
bringing order ont of confusion. He is
Gods soldier on His errands. He should have
no anxiety for his life. The influence of this in
our lives gives steadiness to the work, firmness
to the purpose. You sleep at night on the cars
trusting the engineer; you sleep IN your bed
trusting Him whose eye never slumbers. Your
life and His work are bound up together. This
gives dignity to life-makes the most of small
life. Man. can not be all the while quar-
reling about wages. The true man
asks, ''Give me work" Tho wages of
going on and not to die" The danger is
that like Septimius FELTON,, the one anxiety of
mind will be TO take care of his life. What with
courts and laws, and police and constsbles very
little of self-defense is left to q man. He is
afraid. and goes about buying and selling 1t is
a better thought, this of Gordons, that every
man is on a mission sent of God and that as
long as he is on His errand nothing can harm
him. Then death, when it comes, will be like
soldiers death.
OLD AND NEW ISRAEL.