The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-09-05

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sal in their bearing. He must speak to that
which Is eternal in the human heart. Diff
fefiffg from all who preceded Him. Christ's
teaching addresses mans capacity for
what is universal, belonging to no special
place: for what ID permanent belonging to
no special time: for what is human. be-
longing to no special race or condition..
This ~ the constant impression which wa
get from the teaching of Christ. that 1t be-
longs TO NJ place. to no age, to no race, be-
the teaching of Christ, we find the we'll is
deep, His conception of life was an mex
haustible conception. and His teaching
was the constant expression OF that con-
ceptl0n.
But Christ's teaching was not the most
significant element OF His life. Teaching
is ones self ex~ternaliZed. No one gets to
the fountain head of the life until he gets
behind the teaching; behind the external
deed to what must be called tho ~persOnali-
ty itself. The citadel of n mans life is not
reached until we get beyond what he says
to what he is. Christ's teaching is of price,
less value, but the deep and lmperishable
revelation of God which we get from
Christ comes to us not SO much through
His teaching as through His personality.
His thought of God was breathed out
through His lifc-through the conscious
Identification of himself with. the divine
given MS of God, of human life, of
human duty, was what He gave us
in his own personality. When we have
entered into companionship with Christ
through His personality, We will have
shat utilization with His spirit which
Will bring US within the atmosphere and
influence of His life. and we shall learn
that the water which de gave men TO
drink was to be in them a well of water
springipg mp into eternal life. The well 10
deep, but il can never be exhausted.
The above is but the merest outline of
thedistinotive features OF the discourse.
The concluding portion, relating to his
new relation with the people of Plymouth,
was as follows:
There are many reasons which give
these thoughts an appropriateness on this
occasion. to this day in which We begin our
life and labor together. In the first place,
as touchiAg myself, anything like the AN
nouncement of n programme or platform
would be an impertInence, II not an impos-
slbilitv. Indeed, are we not always learn
ing that In all the most genuine growth of
lite We cannot predict too mlnutely where
the All-spirit may LEAD usi How, then,
predict the details of what one may teach
or do, as though it were the campaign or a
battle? In all this we must not be anxious
overmuch for the things of the morrow.
You ave asked me to come to you for
the purpose. among other things. OF telling
you from this place what / see. and believe.
and hope regarding those things which
bear upon the deep and enduring needs
of our life. L have responded to your call,
and for my first word to You / am glad to
say that | devoutly and cOurageouely be-
lieve that the satisfaction of all that is
deepest and most imperishable In human
life lies within a true and rational interpre-
tation of the religion of Jesus-of His W
thought and attitude to life.
1.-The message to-day tmpresses me as ap-
propriate again because IL seems to me q
reflection of the idea and spirit for which
this church already stands. The House of
Life and the Open Door, and the Album
I--k .X-t ana a~1 lo--
symbols. If they represent the organic
purpose of Plymouth Church they reveal
an ideal Of a church which must believe in
resources of lite. somewhere in the uni
verse, that are in~exhaustible. There
are great vistas In every one OF these ex.
pressions. They reveal the direction in
which one must journey, but they do not
reveal the end of the w~ay-they do not dis
close the limit of our task or our responsI-
bIiity. l shall be sorry when with regard
to il. in any aspect of it, we know II alp
and have done 1t all. l confess 1T is not
among the least of the joys of this occa-
sion To believe that here is q church, NOV
ing on In the direction with Christian
find a church which has found. i trust,
already, that the satisfactory finding of
life is always through the giving Of life.
And now one further word. l have
spoken to you this morning OF the person
atty of Jesus as the most essential thing
in His permsnence and observation-disclosures.
In saying that | felt that many of you must
have felt how near at home 10 lifting
illustration of this thought.
1t is but a few short weeks that / have
known anything of the history and WORK
of Plymouth Church: but they have been
not too brief to impress me anew
with the power and permanence of q gen.
uiD life. A man may cease to speak, he
may cease To walk vIsibly among us, but lie
does not cease to live. To Inc personally
there has come new Inspiration from the
life of one whom 1t was your great pr!yll-
ege To have had among you. but into
whose face Lnever looked and from whose
lips | have heard no word. Yet the reality
and power of his life are presep< with us
to-day. The tokens of il thronE lpon us
from every side. And. better than all. they
are in the spiritual tber of your own lives
and the life of this community.
w speak sometimes IN IA genet. way
of taking mp and carrying on the ork
that men have laid down; but in oil that is
deepest and best In human life. men carry
On their own work-yhey do not lay IL
down. It is In the vital currents of human
thought and love. In renewed life and
character. We may work III the spirit
of other men-we may identify ourselves
with their work by sympathy and fellow
ship. This Is almost the necessity il you
also have lived and worked through these