The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-03

to treasure. to fields We hear much Of the tar
iff in these days. Is were well If we had a duty
upon men; if there were better appreciation
and higher idea of citizenship, OF fatherhood
and motherhood, of manhood among our fellows,
and of the fact that not treasure, not in fields.
not in millions of population lie the strength and
glory of the city or of the nation, but in the in
situations and powers therein which sanctify
treasure and fields which seize populations and
mold them in honesty, and liberty, and justice,
and hedge them in with righteous and noble
legislation, and through these train them into
heroism into philanthropy, into patriotism, into
Christian living. Let the gates be thrown wide
open, and let there be across our Western front
Ter still the unbroken tread of the Thousand men
a day. toward the possession of yonder territory.
But, If there is not with them the incubation Of
truth and virtue; il with them we do not send
the church, and the school, and the Bible, and
the Sabbath, we but ripen with their strength
strength which shall break the Nation. Treas
upon the camels back. Give the camel food,
impart vitality within, give him blood. and mus
Gle, and bone, and snew, and then there shall
be strength to hold the treasure and the popu-
lation Cities exist for men, not men for cities.
The citizen is greater than the capital Govern
ment is never an end, but a means to an end.
How men mistake! They imagine that city Or
CARNATIONS and ballot-boxes are ali for their
personal aggrandizement. If there may be
cheer and hurrah, and public demonstration,
and the counting of figures in men, in extent of
territory, in wealth, they think there is progress
and triumph. Taxes are not for individual
wealth, but for the development of men, Do
your common schools make better ctizens2 Are
the influences of your city influences towards
honesty. and integrity aud truth? Is there to
the ballot-box an increasing procession of integ-
rity, and purity, and simplcitya The city grows
as institutions of charity, and learning and
righteousness increase. The homes for the
friendless the hospitals the institutions for the
these are the measures of city's growth. Emf
nently that which will seize the young, and nur-
ture, and clothe and train them, all those things
are the realizing of the objects of your city lfe
the seeking of the ordination of your political
life. And not as we enlarge our territory, not
as we multiply the number OF our voters and our
but as we ordain from our common
schools better citizenship, we write across the
hearts of our youth more clearly the precepts Of
the word of God; as we carry and preserve
boundaries the integrity, the solemnity Of our
Sabbath; as we insist upon the protection and
purity of our protestant Christianity do we or
dain for our government, city and national, the
true end of its existence
And as in government, so in religious and
ecclesiastical life. we sometimes mistake.
Here, too, man is greater than the
temple. Churches oft-times exist only for them
selves. Their whole mission seems to be the
subscribing of their own interests, the preserv
ing of their own individuality, the nurturing Of
that which is past in their history and their
They have something to hold
to nurture. to keep, in pride, and they become
timid conservative, neither approving nor disap-
proving, limiting themselves within little, mar
row lines; folding their arms in selfrighteous
and imagining that In their sing
ing OF hymns, in their periodical presence and
service they have subserved the best interests of
their existence The church does not exist for
itself; it exists for man. The idea of the church
is that it shall develop man, that it resurrects
conscience, that it beauties the life, that it
graves strength and majesty upon the character.
And let church walls perish, and let church pull
pits crumble, and their communions be scat
tered, If they do not become as fountains from
which there shall flow forth streams of refresh
ing and benedictions.
Such thought is opportune to-day. With :.
sacrifice and zeal worthy OF all praise this spa
cious and beautiful church has been erected and
this large and enthusiastic congregation gathered
and compaeted. I rejoice In your Joy. / am
proud of the faith and consecrated energy of
my brother, your pastor, whose triumphs In
other fields gave assurance OF this signal success.
am proud of you who from such discouraglng
have SO quickly leaped into effective
and promising organization. rejoice that there
have been the prayers and fraternity, and liber
atty, and Presbyterian loyalty to erect in this
city another Presbyterian church so large, so
graceful and unique. You have performed an
honorable and wonderful thing in Zion to day,
which doubt not has already won you the pride
and applause of your brethren, and guarantees
a place and honor second to none among the re-
ligious influences of your community May the
spirit of concord prevail. May the glory of the
Shekinah abide Peace be within her walls and
within her palace And this will GER
tainly % so long as you distinctly recognize and
devoutly use according TO its ordination all this
beauty and adaptedness. Man was not made for
this church, but this church was made for the
man. Still here il is true that in this place is
one greater than the temple.
This church has no right to exist, save as it
makes and develops manhood. All this money
is a waste of treasure, and all this speaking a
waste OF energy, save as there shall come out or
these pews and go out of these homes better
men. nobler hearts, more Christ-like lives.
How often do we see churches thus nursing
themselves in complacency, and ease! How
often souls, through all the stages of their
Christian profession must still eat pap
from the ecclesiastical spoon, and have no
conception of a church, save they shall be
handled upon its knees, and no conception of a
ministry service, save as there shall go out
to them affiliations of pleasure, and unusual and
unnatural excitement. The church of Christ is
to make men. The mission of its organization
is to train humanity, that they may be honest
men, that they may be pure men, that they may
be kind in their homes, considerable in their
friendships, pure in their thoughts and purposes,
holy in their worship and their service. Do you
not remember that when Philip came to the en-
him the truth; and when the eunuch professed
his faith and was baptized have you noticed the
significance of the record, that the eunuch saw
him no more. and he went on his way rejoicing
that his work was done? The enuch saw the
use of that which he had received and going
on his way rejoicing he saw Philip no more
The truth was with him, and the truth was to
be his teacher and his friend. And 80 men are
to grow. They are to see Philip no more. They
are to let the past minister to and be the past,
and rejoicing in the accumulation of knowledge,
rejoicing in the increased incentive to truth and
Co go their way rejoicing. in
carnating the truth into activity, molding that
which they have received into the daily acts of
their experience aud their lives. breaking up
the wisdom, that it may become flesh and bone
to them and to the results of their living.
And we have here the test, also, of all social
life Here, too, the man is greater than the
temple. The true end of life is ones self--not
in the low and selfish sense, but in the true con-
ception of his origin and destiny. Mans chief