The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-19

tons not to get information from the doc
tors, for He knew it already, but to hum
bic them by showing them the hight and
depth and length and breadth of their own
ignorance. While the radiant boy thrusts
these self-conceited philosophers with the
interrogation point, they put the fore
finger q the right hand to the temple
as though to start their thoughts into
more vigor, and then they would
look upward and then they would
wrinkle their brows, and then by absolute
silence or in positive words confess their
incapacity to answer the interrogatory.
While any one OF hundred questions
about theology, about philosophy, about
astronomy, about time, about eternity, he
may have baked them, disconnected
them, flung them fiat Behold the boy
Christ asking questions and listen when
your child asks questions. He has the
right to ask them. The more he asks the
better Alas, for the stupidity OF the
child without inquisitivenessl 1t Is
Christianlike to ask questions. Answer
them if you can. Do not say: 81 can't
be bothered now" 1t is your place 20 be
bothered with questions. If you are not
able to answer, surrender, and confess
your incapacity, as ] have no doubt did
II,
ana the sons of Betirah when that splendid
boy, sitting or standing there with gar
ment reaching from neck to ankle, and
girdled at the waist, put them to their very
wits end. 1t is no disgrace to say: II
don't know" The learned doctors who en-
vironed Christ that day in the temple did
not know, or they would not have
asked him any questions. The only being
in the universe who never needs to say Il
do not know" is the Lord Almighty. The
fact that they did not know sent Keppler
and Cuvier and Columbus and Humboldt
and Herschel and Morse and Sir William
Hamilton, and all the others of the worlds
mightiest natures, into their lifelong ex-
plorations. Telescope and microscope and
stethoscope and electric battery and all
the scientific apparatus of ell the ages are
only questions asked at the door of mys-
terv. Behold this Nazarene lad asking
questions, giving everlasting dignity to
earnest interrogation.
But while l see the old theologians
standing around the boy Christ l am i'm
pressed as never before with the TACT that
what theology most wants is more OF
childish simplicity. The world and the
church have built UP immense systems OF
theology. Half OF them try to tell what
God did 50O,OOO00 years before the
small star on which we live was created.
have had many a sound sleep
under sermons about the DEGREES of God
and the eternal generation of the Son, and
discourses showing who Melchlsedek
wasn't, and | give a fair warning that II
any minister ever begins sermon on such
subject in my presence L will put my
head down on the pew in front and 90 into
the deepest slumber | can reach. Wicked
waste OF time, this trying to scale the un-
scalable and fathom the unfathomable
while the nations want the bread OF life
and TO be told how they can get rid OF
their sins and their sorrows. Why should
YOU and / perplex ourselves about the
DEGREES of God? Mind your own business
and God will take care of His. In the
conduct of the universe ] think He will
somehow manage to get along without us.
If you want to love and serve God, and be
good and useful and get to heaven, war
rant that nothing which occurred eight
hundred quintillion of years ago will HIN
der you a minute. 1t is not the DEGREES of
God that do US any harm; it is our own
DEGREES of sin and folly.
You need not go any further back in
history than about $50 wears. You see
this is the year 1889. Christ died about
thirty-three years of age. You subtract
tbirty-three from $3.50 and that makes it
only ], $50 years. That is as far back as
YOU need to go. Something occurred on
that day under an eclipsed sun that sets
us all forever free If with our whole heart
and life we accept the tremendous prefer.
Do not let the presbyterian church, or the
methodist church, or the Lutheran church,
or the baptist church, or any of the other
evangelical churches, spend any time in
trying to fix up old creeds, all OF them I'M
perfect, as everything man does is imper-
feet. ] move a new creed for all the evan
gelical churches OF christendom only three
articles in the creed, and no need OF any
more. If had all the consecrated people OF
all denominations of the earth on one
great plain, and had voice loud enough
to put it to a vote, that creed Of three arti-
Giles would be adopted with unanimous
vote, and laundering aye that would
make the earth quake and the heavens
ring with hosanna. This is the creed
propose for all christendom:
Art. l. God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son that whatsoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
Art. p This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
even the chief.
Art. 8. Worthy is the lamb that was
slain to receive blessing and riches and
honor and glory and power, world with
out end. Amen.