The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-28

ing soldiers were outside the house. Yet
here Abimelech and his army come up, they
surround this temple, and they capture
it without the loss of single man on the part of
Abimelech although suppose some of the old
Israeltish heroes told Abimelech; You are
only going up there to be cut to pieces" Yet
you are wiling to testify to-day that by no other
mode-certainly not by ordinary modes-could
that temnle so easily, so thoroughly have been
taken. Fathers and mothers. brethren and sis
tiers in Jesus Christ, what the church most wants
to learn. this day. is that any plan is right is
lawful is best, which helps to overthrow the
temple of sin, and capture this world for God.
We are very apt TO stick to the old modes of at
tack. We put on the old style coat of mail. We
come up with the sharp, keen, glittering steel
spear of argument. expecting in that way to take
the castle; but they have thousand spears
where we have ten. And so the castle of sin
stands Oh, my friends we will never capture
this world for God by any keen saber of sarcasm,
by any elitterng lances of rhetoric. by any sap
ping and mining of profound disquisition, by
any gunpowdery explosions of indignation. by
sharp shootings of wit, by howitzers of mental
strength made to swing she'll five miles, by cav
airy horses gorgeously capar.soned paving the
air. In vain all the attempts the part of these
ecclesiastical foot soldiers, light horsemen, and
grenaders.
My friends, propose, this morning differ
ent style of tactics. Let each go TO the
forest of Gods promise and invitation, and hew
down branch, and put it on his shoulder, and
let Us all come around these obstinate iniquties,
and then. with this pile, kinded by the fires OF
a holy zeal and the flames of consecrated life.
we will burn them out. What steel cannot do,
fire may And /, this morning announce my
self in favor of any plan of religious attack that
succeeds-any plan of religious attack, however
radical, however odd, however unpopular, how
ever hostile to all the conventionaities of church
and state. If one style of prayer does not do
the work, let Us try another style. If the church
music of to-day does not get the victory, then
let us make the assault with backwoods
chorus If a prayer meeting at half-past in
the evening does not succeed, let us have one as
early in the morning as when the angel found
wrestling Jacob too much for him. If sermon
with the three authorized heads does not do the
work, then let US have a sermon with twenty
heads. or no head ao all. We want more heart
in our song, more heart in our preaching. Oh
for less of Abimeech's sword and more of
Abimelech's conhagration! have often heard
There is fountain filled with blood"
Sung artistically by four birds perched on their
Sunday roost in the gallery, until l thought of
Jenny Lind, and Nilsson. and Sontag, and all
other warblers; but there came not one tear to
my eye not one master emotion to my heart.
But night l went down TO the African
Methodist meeting house in Philadelphia, and
at the close of the service black woman in the
midst of the audience, began to sing that hymn,
and a Il the audience joined in and we were
fioated some three or four miles nearer heaven
than have ever been since l saw with my
own eyes that fountain filled with blood'-red,
agonzing. sacriicial, redemptive, and l heard
the crimson plash of the wave as we all won't
down under it:
For sinners plunged beneath that food
Lose all their guilty stains"
Oh, my friends. the gospel is not syllogsm;
it Is not casuistry; it is not polemics; or the
science of squabble 1t is blood red fact; it is
warm hearted invitation: it is leaping bounding.
flying good news; it is efflorescent with all light:
r,,ha oil - -
with all sweet shade. have seen the sun rise
on Mount Washington. and from the Tip-top
House, but there WIS no beauty in that compared
with the day-spring from high when Christ
gives light to soul. l have heard Parepa sing,
but there was no music in that compared with
the voice of Christ when he said: 'Thy sins are
forgiven thee; 60 in peace" Good news! Let
every one cut down branch of this tree OF life
and wave it. Let him thrown it down and kindle
it. Let all the way from Mount Zalmon to
Shechem be filled with the tossing Joy. Good
news! This bonfire of the gospel shall consume
the last temple of sin, and will illumine the sky
with al.ocaiyptic JOY, that Jesus Christ came
into the world to save sinners. Any new plan
that makes man quit his sin. and that postrates
wrong, / am much in favor of as though all
the doctors, and the bishops and the archbishops.
and the synods, and the academica gownsmen OF
Christianity sanctioned it. The temple of
Berth must come down. and do not care how
it comes.
THE POWER OF EXAMPLE.
Still further. l learn from this subject the
power of example If Abimelech had set down
on the grass, and told his men to 60 and get the
boughs, and GO out to the battle they would
never have gone at all, or if they had 1t would
have been without any spirit or effective result;
bat when Abimeecn goes with his own ak and
hews down branch, and with Abimelechs arm
puts it on Abnelech's shoulder, and marches
Oh, then, my text says. all the people did the
same How natura. that was. What made
Garibaldi and Stonewall Jackson the most mag
netic commanders of this century, They always
rode ahead. Oh, the overcoming power of ex-
ample Here is a father on the wrong road; all
his boys go on the wrong road. Here is father
who enlsts for Christ; his children enlist-I saw
in some of the picture galleries of Europe, that
before many of the great works of the masters
the old masters-there would be sometimes
four or FIVE artists taking copies of the pictures
These copies they going to carry with them
perhaps to distant lands; and | have thought:
that sour life and character are masterpiece,
and it is being copied long after you are gone
it Will bloom or blast in the homes of those who
knew YOU and be a Gorcon or a Madonna.
Look out what you say. Look out what you
do. Eternity will hear the echo. The best
sermon ever preached is holy life. The best
you want others to serve God, serve Him your
self. If you. want others to shoulder their
duty shoulder yours. Where Abimeech
goes his troops go. Abraham begat
Isaac and Isaac begat JACOB
The father good, it was easy
enough for the son and grandson to be good.
Ahaziah beeat Joash. and Joash begat Zero
boan. The father bad. it was easy enough for
the son and grandson to be bad. Oh, start out
for heaven to-day. and your family will come
after you, and your business associates will
come after you. and social friends will join you
With one branch of the tree of life for baton,
marshal just as many as you can gather Oh,
a bad example
I saw near the beach, a wrerkers machine.
1t cylinder with some holes at the side,
made for the thrusting in of some long poles
with strong leverage; and when there is vessel
In trouble or going TO pieces out in the offing,
the wreckers shoot rope out to the suffering
men. They grasp it, and the wreckers turn the
cylinder, and those who shpwrecked
saved. So at your feet, to-day, there is influ-
a trannN6nnc of