The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-07

OF the glorious prophets. Think of the patriot
warriors and toiling apostles; and of the many
confessors who lifted up their radiant aud en-
raptured faces in the agoniziug fame. You
may think of the hermits, who, from the guilt
and turmoil of life, went into the solitudes of
the Wilderness; of missionaries. like Adoniram
~Judson, and Henry Martin and Coleridge Patter-
son; of reformers, like Savonarola. and Huss,
and Luther, and Wesley, and Whitefeld; of wise
rulers, like Alfred, and St. Louis, and Washing
ton, and Lincoln, and Garfield; of religious wri-
tiers, like Thomas attempts, and Baxter, and
Bunyan, and Jeremy Taylor; of those who, like
John Howard. have brought deliverance TO the
captive, and. like William Lloyd
Garrison, have helped to loosen the letters
Oberlin and Adolph MonoG and Felix Smith; or
true poets, whether sweet and holy, like George
Herbert and Cowper ndsLongfelow, or grand
and mighty, like Dante and Milton. What
monuments of these? These are a few of the rep
resentative names of those who have reflected
the glory of their master, Christ, and walk with
Him in white robes, for they are whorthy.
My brethren, if you would comfort your
hearts, strengthen your good resolutions, retain
that high estimate of human nature, which is so
often threatened with destruction when We look
on the sickening exhibition of moral revolt and
disorder on every side, then, | pray you, make
yourselves acquainted with the story of Chris
tlans such as these. Next to the gospels and the
eplstles of the New Testament. in such lives you
will find the antidote against the degeneracy of
worldly and evil days. From earth's darkness
lift your eyes to the light of these great exam
pies. When evil, and baseness, and frivolity are
being thrust upon US from all sides, when men
take it as a sign of genius to degrade and depre-
clate, to impute and pollute, amidst all this chat
tering and roaring of worldly life, amidst the
dreams of trivial fiction. amidst humiliating
gossip and Improbable oratory, amidst place
hunting and gold hunting; If we desire to pos
sess our souls in peace and nobleness, let US
dwell, first, on the suffering life of Christ, and
naYf on HI h1nccnH " ~ N nf fhnun yuha hnuh
followed Him, each bearing his own cross.
Let me point out two of the many ways in
which it seems to me that the contemplation of
these examples may be useful and blessed to us.
In laying down the laws of observation. the
great philosopher of the 'Novum Organum" de.
scribes what he calls 1.-The prerogative of in
stances" Among the instances, he speaks of
those things whose quality is of the purest exal-
tation and of the fullest vigor. Now the saints
of God furnish us just such pre-emi-
nent instances OF pure and possible human
goodness. In Scripture, in history,
IN experience. in consciousness, God has
taught US that certain things are good and GER
tain things are evil When God was made man
and dwelt among us, in the life of our Lord and
master Jesus Christ, God translated for US his
revelation into the plainest of human language.
Christ was the word of God, and Christs saints
show US the acceptance of His word as the reality
Of His power. They show US how, through faith
In Christ, and by the spirit of Christ, and be-
cause of prayer to God through Christ, men
weak as we, and tempted in all points like as we
are, yet did gloriously and conspicuously tri-
umph over sin, the flesh and the devil; and
therefore made manifest to US that we can do
the same. They have proved to us that even in
such a world as this, and in the most evil
days, it is possible, it is perfectly possible, 1t
is within the reach of every one of us, to be
good, and pure, and true, by the help of God.
because by the help of God they were so; and
that with no greater strength than we could
obtain. They refute the excuse of our feeble
nncC thau ont " tha lilo of py,p irahi1ifu II
needs, for instance, but little experience of life;
nay, it needs but to look no further than into
our own hearts, to assure US that most men are
predominantly selfish. Self is an ali but univer-
sal idol; selfshness is, for millions, the law of
existence. Men jostle each other and struggle
for the best places and trample ~savagely OF one
another. Yet it is possible to become, thou
sands have become, perfectly, beautifully unset
fish; caring honestly for the happiness of others
far more than for their own; or rather, let us
say, finding their own best happiness in making
others happy. st. Macarius lived in a desert, IN
a little community of solitaries. One day there
was brought to him that most tempting and ex-
quisite of all luxuries in the desert, a
bunch of purple grapes, with the bloom and mist
of their delicio us ripeness upon them. Macarius
hated the thought OF taking them. He preferred
that another should enjoy the boon, and he
handed it to one of the brethren. The same
motive was strong in him, and he gave it to
another. Again this other preferred the enjoy
mept of a companion TO his own. And so, in the
tDSDIutc uuStlllSlD6SS Ol llldD Jllll6 COn10unlCV.
the tempting grapes, which would have been so
cool and refreshing in the burning desert, were
handed from one to another and not one was
able to keep them; and at last they were handed
back to Macarius untasted. Unselfshness, YOU
see, had become as absolutely the law of that
little community as selfshness is the law of the
common world. The high desire that others NAV
be blessed savors of heaven.
Again, consider pride. 1t is so common that
it seems to be as strong in the meanest AS in
the greatest. We see it, and its weak satellites.
conceit and vanity, in the very looks of men.
And never was the tendency stronger than now
to be self asserting, to be fain to say to every
one else, Il am just as good as you;" to resist
with fierce bitterness the notion that thew should
call this man as good as |. Pride is a protean
spirit, and it takes many forms-envy, hatred.
backbiting, spurious liberty, false independence.
And yet it is quite possible, too, for man, proud
man, to become humble, submissive, meek, not
to seek great things for himself; to take. as
Christ taught US, the lowest place; to think
others better than ourselves. St. Thomas, by
far the greatest man of his age, of princely birth
and ancient lineage, a most consummate theo-
Logan, the friend of popes and kings,
was yet In position but a humble monk.
He chose that position by preference.
voluntarily taking the lowest place. One day at
Bologna a stranger arriving asked the prior for
some one to help him to carry a basket of pro-
visions. Tell the first brother you meet" said
the prior. st. Thomas was walking in medita-
ton in the cloister of the monastry. Not know
ing him the stranger said, Your prior bids you
follow me-" Without a word the great teacher.
the 'angel DOCTOR" as his admirers called him,
the greatest man of ali his time, bowed his head,
took the basket and set forth. He was suffering
from a lameness which made him unable to
keep up with the stranger, who turned round
and severely rebuked him for being a lazy
and good -for-nothing person. ST. Thomas
bore the unjust reproach and answered never
a word. do you know whom you are treat
ing in this rude way?" asked the indie-
nant citizens of Bologna, who had wit
messed the scene. This is brother Thomas
Aquinas." Brother Thomas, said the stranger,
and Immediately throwing himself upon his
knees with tears and sobs began to beg for for
giveness. mo; l should beg forgiveness for not
being so active as I ought to have been" said St.
Thomas. Thus, humility, so rare in little men,
was the chief characteristic of this truly great