The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-19
AN AGED PREACHERS SERMONS.


AN AGED PREACHERS SERMONS.
The Services Held Yesterday Morning and
Last Evening by Rev. VIM Herr.
Rev. William Herr d. D., of Dayton, o., con-
Quoted the services yesterday forenoon at Merid-
ian-street NJ. E. Church, the audience being a
large one for a mid summer Sunday, and the
sermon interesting-none the less interesting,
perhaps, from the fact that the minister is man
more than eighty years old, though seemingly
about fve-and sixty and mentally and physic-
ally of wonderful vigor for patriarch of four
score years He took as his text part of the
nineteenth verse and the twentieth verse Of the
twentieth chapter of ST. john
Then came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith
unto them, Peace be unto you.
And when He had so said, he Showed unto them His
hands and His side. Then the disciples glad
when they saw the Lord.
DR.. Herr said that Jesus lived public char
acter the mission he undertook and accom-
plished was of public nature. The truths He ut
tered were heard by thousands, the miracles He
wrought were witnessed by thousands, and the
sufferings He endured upon the cross were wit
messed by thousands. We are told in the intro
duction to the Acts of the Apostles that He
showed himself alive after His passion by many
infallibe proofs, being seen of the disciples forty
pertaining to, the kingdom of God.
There are three important facts in
connection with this part of the word of God:
First, the benediction which Christ pronounced
upon His disciples: And He said unto tn en-
peace be unto YOU" The second important
truth is that of the objects which they beheld.
suggested by these words "And He showed
unto them His hands and His side" And thirdly
the influence which this had upon the Lords
disciples. suggested by the words: ''Then were
the disciples glad when they saw the Lord"
This benedction seems to have been the
usual salutation of our Lord. We may inquire
what particular object Hs had in view In adj
dressing them on this occasion? 1t was two-fold.
He intended to mitigate their sorrow and tc
quiet their apprehension. Inasmuch as they were
of opinion that He was still confined to the tomb,
their hearts were filled with inexpressible
sorry. Knowing the anguish of heart OF these
disciples He came into their midst and said,
peace be unto you," to mitigate their grief: to
bind up their lacerated hearts, to dissipate their
sorrow and agony of mind; to apply to them the
proper comfort and consolation and prove to
them his unfailing love. It was to quiet their
fears for they feared that He had come not with
benediction, but to cast on them His maledic-
ton for-their conduct when He was taken for
execution. The divine benedicton of the text
dissipated their fear and their sorrow.
He then performed an act full of significance.
He showed to them His hands and His side.
There is world of meaning in that action on
the part of Christ. In that act they had the
demonstration that He had received all H was
to receive and had accomplished all He was to
accomplish. They saw standing before them the
living demonstration that He was not only Sa.
vior by that, but by HIS resurrection He guaran-
teed to every one who believed in Him that they
in like manner should triumph and share in the
Immortality that is to crown the believer. in the
better and brighter world beyond. Inidelity
wants US to believe that this was all cheat and
delusion. The great blows of in6delity are
struck at Chrst's resurrection from the dead
What would 1t avail US to have dead Christi
Thank God we are permitted to rejoice in Christ
living, and through Him we are to come to the
throne of mercy and find grace in time of need.
We are to believe not in dead Christ, but liv-
ing Savior. The disciples were perfectly salts.
ied-frst the ten, for Judas was gone, and
Thomas afterward-that Jesus Christ had risen
from the dead and that He had sss.vomplisned all
ss came lh'G me Sorld to do, and that by his re-
surrection He had secured TO mau the
resurrection of the body and of
the soul. And il / am saved
in heaven waps to be saved as man with
soul and buy preserved to everlasting life in the
Kingdom of heaven and that is the meaning of
the text. put it to the common sense of every
one here this morning if with three years ac-
quaintance with Jesus, and with but three days
and three nights absence. they could have for
gotten his appearance Could they have forgot
ten that voicel Infdelity says it was the voice
of somebody else, not the voice of Jesus
On this point the Doctor gave a number of
illustrations. Among other things he related
that while preaching in Detroit, Mich. in 1885
or 1886. Miss Dorothy Dix, the Quaker philan-
thropist, came that way on q tour visiting pris-
ons and houses of correction. She was TO 60 on
a lonely road in that State and carriage had
been procured for her The driver ayoung man,
had driven along the road some distance when
Miss Dix discovered that he had two large
pistols strapped tohis side. She asked him why
he carried such weapons, and he said to protect
her--that the road was beset by robbers, persons
being frequently robbed Miss Dix said that she
did not believe IN weapons, but put her trust n
God, and prevailing upon the young man to
give her the pistols, she put them under
the cushion. few minutes later man caught
the horses by their brides and, pistol in hand,
demanded Miss Dixs money. With Quaker gem
tleness. but firmness she began to talk to the
robber and beg him to quit his evil way, Offering
to give him money if in want, or to supply him
with money il he would go into some honest
business AS she talked the highwayman,
greatly agitated, threw up his hands, exclaim-
ing, my God, that voice-I have heard it be-
fore" 1t seems that months before that Mich
igan robber was confined in the Fourth street
prison, Philadelphia, and next to his cell was
condemned murderer. He had heard the voice
of Miss Dix in prayer in the cell of that man
the day before his execution
The Doctor concluded with saving that while
the infdel graveyard had over its gate, death
is an eternal sleep" the Christian cemetery
bore in characters of living light the words of
Jesus Christ, II am tho resurrection and the
life, and whatsoever believeth in me shall have
everlasting life"
Rev. DR.. Herr preached at Central avenue
Church last night from the text, Except man
be born again he cannot see the kingdom of
heaven In the course of his sermon he related
an incident Of his own conversion, which was of
unusual and extreme interest It occurred In