The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-16

the Rev. DR.. Talmage took for the sub
ject Of his forenoon sermon a passage
of scripture which has been made the
subject Of much discussion and various
interpretations by modern theologians.
His theme was. a Cheerful Church"
and the text was selected from Solo
mons Song iv, /, Behold, thou art fair.
my love-
Higher criticism" says that this book
of SOlomOns Song is love scene, a for
lorn maiden signing for her beau. If so.
it is an unclean and debauched utterance
inserted in the pure word Of God and is
not ut for common reading Ny opinion
is that it is an inspired ode setting forth
the feeling of Christ toward the church
and of the church toward Christ. Christ
is the bridegroom, and the church is the
bride. The same words we can utter
today truthfully whether in regard TO
the church Of God in general or this
church in particular, Behold, thou art
fair, my love" The past week has been
one OF prolonged COngratulatiOn Tor that
we have for twenty-five years been per-
mitted TO associate with each other in
the relation of pastor and people. When
J came TO Brooklyn. | found a small band
of Christian disciples who from various
causes udQ become less ana less until
they stood upon the very verge OF eX
tinction as a church. and the question
was being agitated from time 10 time
whether Ii would be possible TO maintain
a church life longer. Indeed had not
those men and women been cOnsecrated
and earnest they would have surrendered
10 the adverse circumstances. They
marshaled a congregational meeting. and
gathering up all the forces possible they
cast nineteen votes for a pastor. all Of
which l am happy to have received.
The TnbernacIe Defined.
1t was not through any spirit of per-
sonal courage or reckless adventure that
l was led from one of the warmest ana
most congenial pastorates in Phila-
delphia that a man ever enjoyed to this
then most uninviting field. but it was the
feeling that God had called me TO the
work, and 1 was sure he would see me
through
have thought that it might be prof
liable to Us TO state briefly what kind
Of a church we have been trying TO es-
tablish.
In the first place. I remark that we
have been trying 10 build here a Chris
tian church. distinctively such-in other
words, a church where we should preach
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him cruel
fed My theology is all gone into five
letters-Jesus. Jesus, the pardon of all Of
lenses. Jesus, the foundation for all
structures. Jesus. the balm for all
wounds Jesus, the eye salve for all
blindness. Jesus. the guide through all
perpleXities. Jesus. the hope for all dis
cOuragements Jesus. the reform for all
wrongs. l have faith To believe that
there is more power in one drop of the
blood Of Jesus Christ TO cure the woes
of the world than in an ocean full of
human Quackery. Jesus is the grandest
est gem in any crown. Hight OvertOp-
ping all hight. The center of every
circumference. The circumference TO
every center. The pacifier of all turbu-
lence. The umpire of all disputes. Je-
susi Jesus, At His table all nations are
10 sit. Around His throne all worlds are
to reVOlve. He is to be the irradiatiOn
of the universe. Jesus Jesusl 1t is that
truth that we have tried to preach in
this Tabernacle.
Broad Creed.
DO you ask more minutely what we
believe? 1 can tell you. We have no
dry. withered. juiceless theology. We
believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker Of heaven and earth. the deliv-
erer of the distressed. the home for the
homeless the friend for the friendless
We believe in Jesus Christ. able TO save
To the uttermOst. pardOning the guilty,
imputing His righteousness to the be
lever. We believe in the Holy Ghost,
the comforter. the sanctifier, cheering
up the heart in life's ills and kindling
bright lights i'm every dark landing place
We believe that the whole race is so
sunken in sin that nothing but the ON
nipJtent arm Of God can ever lift it out
We believe in grace-free grace. sOver-
eign grace, triumphant grace. eternal
grace. We believe in a bible, authentic
in its statements, immaculate in its
teachings glorious in its promises. We
believe in heaven. the abode Of the
righteous, and in hell the residence Of
those who are soul suicides. of their own
free choice refusing the divine mercy.
We believe in the salvation of all men
who accept Christ by faith, be they
sprinkled or immersed worship they in
cathedral or in log cabin, believe they
in pTesbyterianism or episcOpacy, dwell
they under italian skies or in Siberian
snow storms. be they Ethiopian or Amer
lean All one in Christ. One Lord, one
faith, one baptism, on the way to one
heaven. We built this Tabernacle for
the purpose Of setting forth these great
theories of the gospel Of the Son Of God.
Would that we had been more faithful
in the pulpit Would that We had been
more faithful in the pew.
l remark. further, that we have tried
here TO build church distinctively un-
some people are disposed to do. how 9TH
er people do IT, we have asked the uues-
ton how people do not do il. ImperiOus
custom has decided that churches shall
be angular, cheerless. gloomy, unsym-
pathetic. forgetting that what men cali
a pEus gloom is impiOus. and that that
church has the best architecture where
the people are most comfortable and
that that is the most efficient Christian
service where the people are made most
sick Of sin and most anxious after Christ
and heaven. And so we called the archi-
tects together for our first church build
ing and said. Give us an amphitheater''
that is, a large family circle, gathered
around a fireplace For many years we
had felt that an amphitheater was the
only proper shape for an audience room.
The prominent architects of the country
said: 1T cannot be done. You need a
churchly building" And so we had plan
after plan Of churchly buildings pre-
scented. but in due time God sent man
who grasped our idea and executed it,
So far from being a failure, it satisfied
out want. and all our three churches
and scores of churches all over the cOun-
try have adopted the same plan.
Democratic Church.
And. my brethren and sisters, we fail
in our work just in proportion as we try
TO be like other churches. We believe
that God intended every church. like
every man, 10 be individual, gathering
up all it's peculiarities and idiosyncrasies
and hurting them all toward some good
and grand object. In other words. no
two churches ought ever TO be just alike.
Here Is church for instance whose