Telegram-herald., 1890-04-14
THE NEW PASTOR
II His Name Is Jackson, He
Preached Here Yesterday.
The QUESTION OF sGC0DEAUS
TAs ListizctioE B~ts9sn the Hoasst
SS9bs~r s.d tkS EEisSiSes sksVtie
Clearly Dx.sn ~ ths rasSsE-ktsSt
"a Ihe FszataiA-sSEset Gh0reh.

eyenlags a large congTeg alton assembled
for worship IN the second service of the
Fountain street Baptist Church. The
following s the sermon Of Rev. John
l.. Jackson, Dds ST. John In.. e.
"H0w can these things oey''
The sermon opened y lth sn imaginary
description Of the ght interview be
tween Jesus and NIeOdemus. during
which occurred the noteworthy reyela-
ton Of Jesus eoneertiag the blrta G.!
water and Of the Spirit. The appAca-
ton which the preacher made or the
passage was that il Is of interest 20 Us,
as showing Chnst's method OF dealing
with doubts and doubters. NieOdemus
Was not = believer, but in him you see
doubt AT Is very best, because II Was
the doubt Cl an earnest, honest,
thoughtful. truth-seeking man. There
are two kinds of minds n the world i,
those who feel ana those who think.
Those who feel out their religion are
never troubled with doubt. They find
truth by kind OF intuition. But
=
very apt 10 be involved IN that from
which they can not extrlcate them
selves. Yet he who thus feels his re-
ligion is not necessarily u better Chris
tan. In the trials OF life, the mar who
has thought out his convictions viii
stand firm. These are the great souls
OF the world, true TO God. true 10 man.
true 10 conscience and right. Luther
was one.
There IS a great difference between
the honest doubter and the frivolous
skeptic, and the great mistake Of our
age is that the church has not recog-
nized this difference. So first of all /
wish tonight 10 make tins distinction
clear. You can always tell the friv-
olous skeptic. A Chicago taxidermist
had placed an owl in one of his display
windows. Two friends stopped 10 look
at it. One of them was much dlsSats-
fed with the taxidermist's work. It's
position was forced, the pose of the
head was unnatural, and altogether 1t
was q failure. While he was pouring
forth his wise criticisms, the owl turned
his head and threw his great eyes di-
rectly upon the critic. "Oh." said he,
~ thought 1t was stuffed" Just so
there are people who are always ready
to criticise everything. But the honest
doubter does not push his doubts to
the front. and Is never
satisfied till he comes to
Gods sweet light. He will expend any
effort and 90 at any time of night on
the chance of clearing up some per-
plexlty. But the frivolous skeptic is
proud of his doubts, and calls himself
an agnostic. He may not even know
what the word means. The speaker
told the story of the man who made it
his invariable rule to believe nothing
except what he could see for himself,
and of the Quaker who asked him if he
had ever seen his own brains.
Oftentimes, your frivolous skeptic
hides behind this doubt bad life-not
always, but oftentimes. Many would
shout for Joy if you would prove there
IS no God. When | see young men and
old men never giving a serious thought
TO these problems. and never trying TO
settle them, ask if they are not afraid
10 look them IN the face.
Sometimes mems doubts do not have
their origin in their moral or intellect
ual mature. They are born skeptics.
They mIstrust everything and every
body, even their best friends. Thomas
was one. II was in his temperament.
Here the preacher reviewed the nara
tive of Thomas doubling the ressurrec-
ton, and drew attention TO the fact
that every mention in the Bible of tins
apostle displays this Characteristic.
So, he continued, you find good and
noble men, like the poet COwper and
theOlOgian John Foster. whose lives are
spent in the midst of these dark inter-
} nal conflicts with doubt. growing out of
| individual temperament.
Another cause Of doubt IS environ
ment, which viii east a man from the
sunny mountain tops down into the
deep dark valleys of doubt and des-
pair. I have pity for the dyspeptic,
because, when ne can not digest food he
con not digest truth. A Aphysician once
said there was never triumphant
death-bed where the disease was below
the heart. Here the preacher reviewed
| the environment in which NcOdemus
lived, and showed the power Of en-
vironment in that conspicuous example.
Then ne turned his thought 10 the
peculiar difficulties of our young men,
and gave them his warm sympathy on
dAtDuHb " hitfiA lffN.ttlAA - idltA Fi4-
vironment of our nineteenth century.
Another cause Of doubt IS doubt It.
self. our gospel deals with the pro-
I fOundess truths. The truths are simple
enough, but they are embedded IN a
. cold theology which the proioundost
/ Intellects can not solve. Tne Youngest
| child nav know what the new birth is
I while the theOl0gian can not solve It.
IN order 20 answer these questions. 2
man must do some honest thought and
I honest study.
/ The sermon closed with the sugges-
I ton Of some methods of meeting our
honest doubts The first was bv serious
inquiry Men seldom 20 20 the minis
I tor. who could make many q man:
| way smooth. II the man would permit
| him 70 DO 70. Secondly, where a mans
environment is unfsvorable TO faith, he
/ ought 20 come out of Il. As
socIatlons ought 10 be Stunned
which encourage doubt, and oc.
| cupations and modes OF life thai
stand IN the way OF faith ought TO be
/ gwen up for those that are more favor.
I able. But before ali, and above al. en.
! desvor u get into the presence OF
I Christ. When dark clouds gather. "a
70 your closet and wait. Jesus vii be
I there, and when you look into HIS
I face. you VII BE sure 20 exclsiul with
I Thomas, MY Lord and my Cod"
4