The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-05


| ones individuality--all these are praseworthy.
| There is place for them in society, but where
| these become superior they are the exatation OF
| the inferior A constable may not push judge
| from his place. The mind is made with its chief
justice and higher counselors, and these sub
ordinate appettes rise to the top and GUST truth,
/ fidelity, honesty and purity.
| If our Master had spoken in the language of
modern days he would have said the flesh is the
man. Paul does not hesitate. He strikes out
| on that subject and speaks of the man of the
| flesh and the conflict there is with him and the
man of the spirit And then he gives his ac-
count of what the flesh man is. You will find it
| in the book of Galatians. Mr.. Beecher had
| some difficulty in finding the place and re-
marked: "a mans Bible is like his house. He
knows where to go for every room in it have
strange Bible here. and cannot find my way
| half as well as In my OWE
| Paul says: Brethren, ye have. been called
| unto liberty; only use not liberty fora occasion
TO the flesh, but by love serve one another. For
all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
| thou shalt love thy neiehbor thyself-for
the flesh luststh against the spirit
and the spirit against the flesh"
| That is this under man of appetite
and passion-this animal man. 1.-THE flesh lust
| eth against the spirit" We need no common
| tator here; we all know what that is. This con-
| hct goes on in every man. When this conflict
ceases then there is death. "But if We be led by
| the spirit We are not under the law. Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these"
| the body man as you may yet see them-the
| predominance Of the lower qualities. But the
fruit of the spirit is love- JOY peace long suffer
ing. gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tenn
| perance against such there is no law" They 90
so, not because the law requires it, but because
il is good it tastes good, it is food for the SOUL
| This is what the Bible means when it says you
must be born again. You must come up out of
this lower state into that in which you are under
| control of those supernal moral qualities.
These inferior and animal tendencies are to be
| watched to the last Except a man is lifted up
out of this animal condition, and goes up into
as in the kingdom of God and is not in the king
| dom with the higher inteliigences
| Mr.. Beecher said. far be it from him to ridi-
| Guile any effort to induce men to lead better
| life Men stimulated by song eXultation, the
magnetic conditions of great crowds, are made
| to feel that they are great sinners. They be-
/ lseve they have broken Gods law. They don't
know exactly how, but they think that His law
| is like delicate crockery-that in some way they
have got into it and cracked it. A throng of
fears and uncertainties comes to them. Then
! a stream of hope to them,
and then they say they are converted.
And sometimes they are and sometimes they
are not Instead of selfishness and greed. over
reaching and undermining; instead of grasping
avarice and lusts is this man true and faithful,
honest and gentle2 Can lean on himg Has he
| gone into the church as Noah went into the ark,
merely as a matter Of self preservation or is
that conversion radical thing that rips up the
appetites and passions, and says you are to lead
a different life2 If you have been converted the
| signs of it are that you living by tine top of
| the brain, and not by the bottom of it. When
men laugh at religion they are laughing at the
coun terfeit of It, Men live like modified animals
| generally, and if man is converted he will show
| that change has taken place. When man
has been living by his animalism and ceases to
make that any thing but his servant. that is a
/ change You don't go into the interior to see.
Looking from the outside there is difference
that you can see. Many think religious life is
praying good deal, talking q good DEAL and
great deal more than that, and the man
/ who ridicues it is either profoundly
| ignorant or profoundly skeptical. We have the
inventory here. The true spirit. is it CatechismY
| No. Dogma2 No. The definition Of faith got
by hearth No; 1 don't read it So The true
spirit is regularity in church-going and ecclesi-
astical obedlencel It may be, but it doesn't say
it. The true spirit is love. joy, peace long suf
fering, gentleness, goodness, faith" Is there
anything purer and sweeter, from the sub-base
to the highest tones than love- The love of child
rem to parents, of husband to wife; of love to
| frieuds-the purified and ennobling love that
| makes heroes of men; that loves not because it
| is loved in return, but like the fountain, flows
out day and night musically. It is the summer
of the soul, and pours itself out of its own full
ness. 1t endures to the very borders of life, and
| goes on beyond life itself. There are no pearls,
no rubies, beautiful as these fruits OF the
spiritual life. If you get to heaven, you will be
very joyful there. Many Of you will do well to
be joyful here, because you may never
get there. Is there anything that the world
more desires than joy. Such is the necessity
for 1t that men to get it drink as the swine out
| of the puddle half mud and half water. They
| are as boys around some grand cathedral max
ing discordant din, while high up above them
| chime of bells rings out exquisite melody.
| They enjoy themselves Yes, that's it;
| they enjoy-themselves But they do
not enjoy their higher selves. ''Love.
| JOY, and peace'-not somnolency, not merely
the absence of disturbance but that supreme
| harmony of the soul in which there is no con-
| fct between the upper and lower man. walked
| once along the summit of Mount Washington,
| high above all the world. Alone and in the
| exaltation of that atmosphere, it seemed to me
| there were no cities, no conflicts or strfes. /
walked in the high places of my soul and
had peace which passed all understanding, for
| God was with me.
| Now, it is good for men to hold themselves in
! communion with the Divine Spirit, to have that
| peace and satisfaction which come from the har-
rnony of the soul. Religion that is merely way
to save yourself from hell is not worth having;
but to exals yourself into higher and nobler
manhood is worth having
| had the misfortune to lose my mother when
| three years DID, and my second mother, who
brought me up, or rather saw me brought up,
was saintlike womar-one of the most con-
/ Scientious and earnest Christians l ever knew.
She was pure but cold, like stalactite as have
seen them in cave. l never went to her with
any little troubles when child. was afraid
she would preach to me- never wanted to see
her if had done anything wrong She would
! do more than preach. / have seen her praying
| in her chamber, and though knew I too
| was included in her prayer, I ran
! as if it was ghost. She never
made any demonstrations Of loYe. But Aunt
| Chandler-not that she was any blood relation
| to her arms l ran whenever l was bruised, and
| she always had the medicament / ran to her
with all my troubles, and had home with her.
| She is in my thought even to-day, as the very
| impersonation of goodness. There are good
| many such persons outside the church. and there
| is room for good many more inside of it.
| Faith is nothing but sanctified imagination A
| man who has no Imagination is like house that
| has no windows There are many men who