The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-07
GOODNESS is PROFITABLE.
Rev. DR.. Jeffery's Sunday Night Discourse at
the First Baptist Church.

Rev. Reuben Jeffrey, D.. D., at the First Bap-
tist Church, last night, repeated, by request,
his sermon of two weeks ago. He took as his
text 1 Timothy iv, 8: Goodness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that
now is, and of that which Is to come"
He announced that he was preaching the last
of a series of sermons from this text-that with
out assuming the realty of any theory of life,
whether present or future, every man had to
live under some theory. He said that he had
shown, in the first place, that, regardless of the
future life, a godly life secured a better condi-
ton Of existence here than any other form. 1t
had a better effect on character, and secures a
man better environments. In the second SER
mon he had preached upon the relation of athe-
ism to the doctrine of a future life, in which he
had endeavored to show that, even if it were
true that there was no personal God, it did not
follow that there was no hereafter, because
if it was possible for US to exist in
this world, would it be impossible to live in
another without Him? 'In the next discourse I
said the deistical theory of a future life, which
presumes the existence of a personal God. and
probability of a future existence. and the per
manency of the law of retribution, under which
every man will suffer or enjoy hereafter accord
ing as he has lived here, subject to the light of
nature; that if this theory be true, the Christian
would suffer no disadvantage, but would inherit
a better state hereafter than under q character
formed by any other theory.
'To-night L propose to discourse upon Chris
tianlty and its relations to the future life. | do
not attempt to prove the doctrine of Christianity
nor the truth OF the representations of the Bible
concerning it. | recognize the fact, simply. that
there are multitudes Of men who believe in that
kind of future life, and to them it has the effect
or a reality. lnasmuch as the other theories are
but coniectural, we will suppose that there
is no basis in fact even for the Christian theory,
And yet with this allowance it remains true,
Notwithstanding. that the mar who believes in
it will find the influence Of that belief giving
higher development of form to the culture of
his present character. In the first place, let us
consider what the Christian theory of a future
life is as set forth in Revelation. First, it reveals
the immortality of humanity. All other notions
are conceived of disembodied existence or exist
ence apart from material organization. But the
Scriptures teach that we shall have bodies and
that those bodies. though subjected to a won
drous change, will have an identity with the
body here, so that We shall live in eternity as
human beings.
Now this, of itself, has it's influence in the
formation Of character, because all our present
experiences are connected with the body, and
when we add to this fact the conception that the
body is to be & pure and ennobled one, delivered
from corruption and g~lorifed, and made like
unto the Son of God. the conviction comes home
to the believer that he must keep his body holy.
and not make it the instrument of unrighteous-
ness. We add to that that the Scriptures repre-
sent man existing in the totality of his nature,
while entering upon a condition that will be en-
HANGING in its capacities for enjoyment; first, by
reason of the deliyerance that he will experience
from the drawbacks Of his present physical or
ganization. Here he carries about with him a
body of sin and death, adapted more to be the
vehicle of sinful thought and affection than to
be holy. And that body that we shall
have hereafter will be fitted to be-
come the vehicle of holy affections
and with higher spiritual and intellectual en-
dowments. There we shall not be sick; there
we shall net be restrained or limited in our fac
ulties and our opportunities of gaining knowl-
edge solving the mysteries of the universe.
Let US pause, then, and ask: Suppose that a
! man believes this, how such q conviction must