The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-19
A SPIRITUAL CHURCH.
The Tendencies Of the Times Toward the I'm
spiritualizing of the Christian Religion

spiritualizing OF the Christian Religion.
Rev. DIR. Marine, of Central avenue Church,
preached yesterday upon the tendencies that are
unspiritualizing religion, which he denominated
ritualism, intsllectualism, and humanitarianism.
Ee said
The tendency toward ritualism does not, at this
time, belong to any particular church. 1t is a
thing that is found great deal more widely than
where you find the cruci6x and the wax candles;
a tendency to turn religion into a mere sensuous
thlng-a thing of senSuous enjoyment. 1t
might be done by means of architecture and
drapery, oratory and music, crowds and sensa-
tloaal services, in which the pleasure of the
aesh is mistaken for the JOY of God; where rnu-
for the divine appreciation, and the baptism of
the Holy Spirit; and this sensuous pleasure that
comes stealing over man, and that thrills his
very being while under the spell and charm of
the grace of God. Now, this religious
ness is a feeble thing; there is no strength
nor fibre in it. 1t avoids hardship
and dangers and conflicts. 1t prefers pleasure
bic feelings to right thinking and right acting;
1t is wholly unreliable an imposing structure it
may be, but built upon the sand; great demon
stration, which may be called by many mag.
nifcent victory, but which, in fact, is the pre-
cursor of defeat; life emblazoned where spiritual
death reigns supreme: mere sentimentalism
that passes down into the grossest forms of sen
sualism-.R low plane-an inclined plane, in
clined toward worldiness, where men early
backslde, where men go coasting down from
the summit OF some gotten-up revival to the
dead level Of sensuality.
The tendency toward intellectualsm is doing
much TO unsDiritualize the church; and closely
allied 20 this is the tendency toward humani-
tarianism The natural man must be pleased,
not Inundated nor disturbed but pleased; hence
you must talk to him about spiritual things in
very intellectual way. Spiritual things are
foolishness to him, but he is pleased with the
very intellectual and poetic way that you
tax tai or write or sing about these
pleased with himself personally and
with you incidentally and seyerally If it is
understood that you are going to draw the old
gospel bow on him at a venture, you will very
soon be without target. because he has reached
that intellectual altitude where he is not to be
wounded or have his conscience disturbed in the
house of God, but he is to be entertained and
pleased, or he will not be there And in just so
far as we cater to this lmperious demand OF this
blind man, just so far as we substitute esthetics
for the gospel and poetry for this Bible, do we
unspiritualize Christianity
Again, there is to-day great and popular de-
mand for practical religion, and certainly the
world stands in great need OF this precious boon.
But there are at least three common fallacies
about practical religion The first is that with
many practical religion is msnomer; it is call
ing something else by the sacred name of
religion it is calling. that which is only humani
tartan, which has its origin simply d id
ion; calling that which is common
more or less to all religions to all humanties,
and even to paganism, Christianity par excel
lence And the other fallacy is in supposing
that there is any practical religion separate and
apart from the experimental. This is not only
fallacy but 1t is heresy. 1t is, in my iudg-
ment the heresy of the times. In approaching
the subject of experimental religion, | will say
that, doubtless, God approaches each individual
through the channel of his individuality; hence,
the deep things of Christian experience are in
expression as varied as the forms Of the kaleido-
scope-each individual touch gives rise to divers
lty. The whole great scheme of salvation be-
comes to US just what we realize in conscious ex-
perience Only this, and nothing more To some
there may be blended forms of splendor of which
others never dream. Our knowledge of impor-
tant facts may be very imperfect; our views
narrow and colored by prejudice Moreover,
we may be wanting in power of synthetic com
prehenSiyenesS. Our many infirmities of
mental power and habit will exert
a powerful influence, and condition largely
our conceptions of the true. the beautiful and
the good. The seed of the Sewer falls into the
soil of what we are, with life and power to
transform US into what we ought to be. And
now are we the sons Of God, but it doth not ap-
pear what we shall be-" We will read Gods
word and will feed upon it, pray and get happy,
and work till Jesus comes, and then go to heaven
and find out how little we ever knew of the plan
Of salvation.
We talk Of telling our experience. We can
tell it to God, but not to man To Him we tell of
it. and He will bear away just what His soul
measure permits. Great natures may be full,
little natures may be full, and yet vast differ
ence between them, determined by the size and
shape of the vessel. Let US make no cast iron
RULES for the glorious work of the spirit, but sub
NIT to Him and give Him the right of way to
our churches, and He will see to it that His work
reaches the best possible results and is crowned
at last with the greatest possible glory.
Give way to the Holy Ghost There
are two terms employed in Scripture to
express the essential nature of God: They are
love and light. They are inseparable; wherever
God is, light must stream and love glow. All
the beauty that streams forth from the Divine
presence in the human soul is but the radiation
OF Gods own glorious nature. The purest radi-
ating medium let's out the most glory Love is
the fulfilling of the law Love and law are
sometimes held up as antagonisms, in the econo-
my of grace. Sinai and Calvary are the express
sions of two great opposing principles. One is
always surrounded with darkness, tempest and
thunder, while mellow glories fall round the
other We turn away from Slnais thunder
with quaking heart to fix our eyes on Calvary's
cross, and sing, Free from the law, 0 happy
condition" But we are mistaken. There is as
much love behind the blackness and the tempest
as upon the mount where it was expressed in
blood. Calvary was Shrouded In blacknesS when
Jesus died. So, mid the darkness of the mount
of fire we may behold the shadow of the cross,
and we are not free from the law We only
get on the right side Of the law when we accept
Christ We are saved by law as much as we
are by gospel The gospel makes us free from
the law of sin and death, but not from our OBJ
legations to the law of God. God did not make
trial of the law possible saving power and
then upon its failure substitute love. Both are
essentials in the great plan of salvation.
The law of sin and death is destruc-
tive. The law of life in Christ Jesus is recon
structive The natural man with all his cul-
ture. and social and political prominen CO. is on
the road to destruction, and ali his philanthropy
and so-called practical religion cannot save
him from the pit. He must be recon
structed and the love of God must be shed
abroad in his soul by the Holy Ghost, and with
out this he is incapable of practical religion.