The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-25
MIR. MILBCRN'S SERMON.
ne F1nds beautiful Thoughts I'm the
Spirit of Christmas

mere was a congregation at the Saocnd
Presbyterian Church yesterday morning that
Hiied the pews and many additional chairs
Inc cholr, under the dictatorship of Mr. r.
~ Arens, with Mr.. George Raschig as organ-
Isl ana the following quartet Mrs Lottie
Auam-Raschig, soprano; Miss Josephine
hoolhson, alto; Mr.. William Daggett. tenor.
and Mr. Maurice Butler, sang magnificentlx,
Inc selections were entirely by American
composers and included Christmas anthem,
When All Things Were in Quiet Silence "
by Gerrit Smith; How Darkly Dawned ;,
by Shelley and "Te Deum." bv Scbafter
The sermon, by Mr.. Milburn, was eIoouent
ana appropriate 70 the seasons festival. His
text was:
And thou shalt call his name Jesus" from,
Matthew l. y. He said:
This is Christmas Sunday. and of co,,rso
there Is only one theme appropriate to this
day. and that is the birth of Christ and i+
significance to men. The birth of every
man is an event of Importance far beyond
our dlscernment. We have no faculty
Wherew1th to comprehend the real value of
the human spirit, and we have no scales
10 weigh 1T, and SO find its infinite eouatino
b hnery human being brought into the world
i.e-o some junction TO perform even though
IL may be no higher than to illuminate tRa
IinperiouSness of duty by burying his tai
a
socrates was a red-letter day in the his
Tory or mankind; so. too, the birthday of
~ EfpEleIteitIus, of attempts. of Ppm. Hampton.
OF william the Silent, and of Mozart These
men all meant illumination. They were
hsnts that shone out great redemltiops
because their minds and hearts burned viii
ioWly ideals and exalted truths The world
Is better for their living and nearer I'm ifs
gioraopS den4uement than it otherwise would
armament of history: every good man 10 q
planet Pa 81 or star but Christ Jesus is a sun
light, but he is the light of lights of Try
source and center of light, the original Gv-
a an iov source OF truth and Righteousness
| ana central day of history Ii was the firct
Jay when the heavens and the earth met in
human c obedie5ca IN Which Mhleh eternal love and
rhythm. in perfect life. Whatever NAV
De our theory about Christianity, or what
its TeuuctlonS we may have to make from
It's superhaturallsm, or whatever allowances
we may feel it necessary to make for its
pTnmtlVe literature and traditions. it is not
70 De denied by the judicial mind that il is
the dividing line between the old wo~Id and
the new; between the old and ceremoniaI
religion and the new and spiritual religion
Christianity. The world in Chrjst rs ,
new Dlrth new page of history was
turned when the angels sang to the Judean
Shepherds of peace and good will to men
Christ, from a psychological point of view
is an unsolvable riddle. The human mind is
paited with the mystery of His personality:
DuI from historical point, Christ's mission
| and works are clear Nor is it too much To
say that the achievements of Jesus are the
greatest achievements of history and that
ms discoveries are more wonderful than
thoSe or columbus or Magellan Coperni-
Gus, or Newton Wherever His word has
gone 1t has meant movement His toucb
meant life, light and progress Christ's
truth and ethics are like spring, they touch
the INDIVIDUAL, and there at once you have
a new birth. They touch a nation and
there you have a resurrection Whereycr
] christ goes he ennobles and redeerns Note
Tor instance, the wonderful fertility IN the
realm of literature. Homer sang and co ,II6
Iheocritus, before the Christian era Milton
felt the affiatus of faith. The mighty com
edy OF Dante, the tragedies of Corneiile the
dramas or Shakespeare, the PHILOSOPHERS of
Butler. Kent and Malibrane the medita-
IONS Oh Assist; Fenelon and attempts and
| a thousand other monuments of literature
nave been born, IL not within the limits of
the Christian church, at least within the
las Christianity has inducted the human
| intellect into the profounder and grander
p to,,dbad OF me cosmos so also it has
| sweeter grace. The Apollo of ANTIQUE scuIn-
ture is exquisitely beautiful in it's design.
! grace, but the Apollo has not the serious
| ness nor the deep suggestiveness of the
Eco Homo painted by the hand and the
| spirit OF the Christian faith. Ancient art
gave expression to physical womanhood vet
as illumined by the skillful hand of an
u1uiIy IL Is not TO be compared to the
| qualities with the Sistine Madonna with the
| child in her arms. who stands on the clouds
| with prophetic hope. Christ made art not
| only minister of beauty but the devotee
| Of OF the ideal and the servant Of good Nor
did music find its highest expression till the
| spirit of Handel felt the celestial music that
| beat in the heart of the Son of God. The
| greatest thing in art, in literature in poll
| tics and in civilization have had the snirit
of Jesus for their inspiration and the Strong
| arm of Jesus for their support. He came
human life the godlike powers that lie
| buried In every human soul That was a
| great stride. when man in Christ learned
| limits Of Judea, or by the limits of Asia
Minor, nor by the limits of Gau but by the
with the birth of Christ there was
ushered into being and planted in the
| heart heart of man fairer and sweeter faith.
| hope is native 10 the human spirit When
man first opened his eyes and beheld the
a God! Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Asatic.
| Teuton. Slav and Saxon all lifted up their
| thoughts towards the eternity and prayed
| TO Jupiter. to Zeus, to Thor, to Wooden or
| Greek god. and the Roman god and the
| Teutonic god. and even the God OF Israel
| the loved one of their tribes, gods gentle
| only TO their own people, but harsh and
| menacing to all that lay beyond their fa-
| birth of Jesus that these barriers were
| broken down and that the territorial rulers
| of the eternities became merged in one
| great and comprehensive God. in a. Cod
| whose love broOded not only over all this
| earth, but over all the planets and the
| stars In the heart of that babe of Beth
| lehem lay. among other glorious posses
| sions, a cosmetic love, a universal faith And
| whatever else you may deny TO Christ,
| whatever glory you may in your criticism
| be disposed to rob Him of. whatever pre-
negative you may deny Him on His celes-
| tial side, this you cannot deny. that since
| His coming, a sweeter faith. nobler
| purer hope has been the possession of
mankind. Often has the church which is
| His creation tried to perVert and polute
| His central gospel of the fatherhood of
! God Often has the church sought 10
| build up a barricadc of doemas creeds.
hierarchies and man-made infallibilitieS be-
| tween the loving God Of Christ and the
| quivering heart of man But steadily day
by day. and year by year. and age by
age has Christ's gospel grown in dominion
and power. the gospel that God is a spirit
and must be worshiped I'm spirit and in
truth; the gospel that God is not terri
torial. but a universal king; that He is
not father to Israel and enemy TO the
Roman and the Greek. but that He is the
like father TO all. loving none with an es-
pecial love, loving all with the infinite full
ness of a fathers passion, and fOrgivinE
all out of the infinite riches of an Infinite
| grace. The sublime dream Of unity is be-
ing realized. and the empires. the dynasties,
the nations and the four quarters of the
| earth, generation by generation and cen