The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-20
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT.
Rev. A. Fl. Carriers Farewell Sermon to
His Congregation Yesterday.
Evangelist Munhal Denounces Sunday Camp
Meetings as a Dissertation of the Sab
bath-Central Christian Church.
THE CHURCH's MISSION.

Presbyterian Church yesterday morning, to
hear the farewell sermon of the pastor, Rev. A.
H. Carrier who, having dissolved his pastoral
relations with his congregation, will sail in few
days for Europe where he goes for study and re-
creation. The following is the full tex. of Mr.
Carriers sermon:
Till all in the unity of the faith and OF the
knowledge of the Son of God unto perfect man; unto
the of the stature of the funess OF Christ
-Ephesians iv, 10.
This is Pauls ideal of the aim of church and
ministry. 1t is to make men OF full stature
perfect men in unity Of faith and unity OF knowl-
edge AS mo prophecy is of private interpreta-
ton, no church is for private aims The gospel
Of Jesus Christ makes no provision for personal
ambitions. Its purpose is to bring men out of
the selfshness that makes them plgmles into the
stature of the fullness of Christ. What is any
religion good for that does not make right think
ing and right-acting menl A reconstructed man
hood is the supreme attainment Of human life.
The bloom of life is not physical beauty that
so easily arrests the eye. 1t is moral beauty,
spiritual beauty-lkeness to Jesus Christ. The
church which does not attain this purpose
misses the mark. The church which prepares
men effectually for both worlds is by that token
making its calling and election sure.
| wish in familiar way to go over the ground
which, as pastor, have endeavored to traverse
First, you will bear me out in saying, that
have tried to preach Christ as aredeemer, Christ
the crucfed. have not failed to assert contln-
ualy his divinity and his expiatorv life and
death. have said with continual repetition:
There is none other name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved" If 1t
were my latest breath should wish still to say
to any asking the question: What must do to
be savedi" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved" That is the radiating
center of my theology. You may play all
changes you please upon that theme if you keep
that air running through the music You may
turn the kaleidoscope much as you will in
either direction if you have the shining facts Of
the atonement as its contents. You will have
endless combinations, all different. but all har-
monious and beautiful. Gospel truths have no
more sameness than has nature in its endless
charm. Given certain forms and colorS and you
have the wealth of beauty in the world around
YOU. Do not call the truth as 1t is III Jesus dry
theme. 1t is instinct with life 1t touches
life at every point. You say, no two facts ever
occur just alike in every minute particular.
Thus. life is full of incident and variety. And
so the religion of Jesus Christ is full of incident
and variety: for IL is presented to us, not as an
abstract truth but as drawn out in living char
actess" Each story Of real life is a romance in
itself. And each instance of applied christianity
faith in daily life-has its special interest,
rising often into peculiar charm.
! have, therefore endeavored to emphasize the
fact that faith rests not in certain words of con-
fession that Christ is not merely a name to con-
jure by, but that He gave himself for men that
He might redeem them from all iniquity, and
purify unto Himself peculiar people Jealous of
good works. In Himself he gives the model of
His intended work. He lures to heaven and
leads the way" He makes heaven possible by
the redemption through his blood, and shows in
His divine humanity what it is to carry heaven
about in ones OWE person. He is Gods repre-
sentative, but He is also the consummate flower
of our race. 1t is in this latter view that the
text presents Him. l want to dwell upon that
THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIES GERM
OF course, there can be no manhood without
first the germ Of life-without birth and child
hood. And there can be no Christian manhood
without the second birth. But conceding that,
turn to the idea next, of this new life developed
to its full results. However much you admire
an infant, no parent among you would wish to
have child forever baby. Paul recognizes
the purpose of the church and ministry to be the
development of those who have experienced the
new birth into such high manhood God in
tended for thenl-"rill we all come in the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto perfect man, unto the measure OF
the stature Of the fullness of Christ" The
question, therefore, now confronts us, What is
this2 Let us know what it is
might answer, the variety of it is as endless
the quality Of 1t is high. For Christ illus
trated life at so many points. ana IN such rep
resentative way, that could hardly tell where
DeSln ana Wnele TO ledVe OH. IL you
want points of argument, | might men
ton in the manlness of Christ these two
things-tenderneSs and strength. There is some
thing indeed divine in the way He blends the two
in the way that He makes thus new ideal A
mans courage-a woman's tears-these, as some
thing incompatible have been the common
place terms to show the difference between the
sexes Savages sing defiant death songs while
their savage captors torture them, and this is
thought by them the height of manliness; a tear
Or groaE would be a disgrace. Stoicism tried to
get rid of the play of the emotions, to any large
extent, as unworthy of fully perfected man.
But Jesus did no such thing. He united, and
thaught that it was the highest manlinsss to
unite, on fit occasions. mans courage with the
tenderness OF tears. Jesus wept. The highest
style of man is not the one who gets rid of his
feelings, but who has them developed to the
finest and fittest exercise. You will see this re
fnement IN Chrlsts nature. You see there the
combination and compatibility of strength and
tenderness Have you not seen In strong ma
lures often an element of womanly gentleness?
Perfect humanity should have masculine strength
and feminine sweetness. And Christ in fact
embodied both Therefore it is our fit aim
to possess aud unite the two. Developed Chris
tianity should make strong tender, and
tender women strong You see it in such ma
lures as John Howard's-in such as Florence
Meaningless. The strong man goes to the sick
bed like gentle nurse The tender woman
goes to the battle field like reSolute hero. True
religion refnes out coarseness and puts in pity
and sweetness. True religion adds to softness
of manners a virtuous strength, for if you study
life and history you will see that softnesS of
manners has often been allied TO cruelty of SEN
timert. Selfishness is often fastidiouslv refined
Volnptuous elegance is often exceedingly heart
less. Napoleon once gratified an elegant woman's
selfish whim, who wished TO see a battle, by
ordering a wholly useless SKirmlsh in which
many men were killed. Florence Nightingale
goes to the Crimea TO take up tendcrly the shat
tered bodies of men TO heal them. The sanitary
and Christian commissions followed in the red
footsteps Of battle to alleviate the terrible work
of the hard fought field.
Christianity has not yet avaed to do
away with ali the frightful evils
that are curses of the race; but
where it can, it does the healing work, it, some
timss with a surgeons sharpness, yet with a
Christly impulse 10 save. To novice the
surgeons work at the tents i'll the rear might
seem not unlike, except in a certain deliberate
ness of method, the slashing OF swords at the
front; but to one knowing all the case it means