The Indianapolis journal., 1896-08-05
L1NcoLN,s CHRISTIANITY.
Dr. Tyler Says the Martyr Was True
to the Maker of All.

Nature being In the best of humor, she
sniItnrlv consented yesterday to do her
share toward making children's day at
Rethany a success. AS result between
five and six thousand people were on the
grounds to enjoy the exercises. The Sun
day-school children formed q goodly part
Of the crowd ofYs ~
At 900 Rev. B. b. Tyler. gave his lecture
on ssThe Worlds Debt to the Lutheran
Church" This debt" said Dr. Tyler be
gan with Luther in the sixteenth century.
There are 10000, 900 of Lutherans in the
world. In the United States they outnum-
Der the Disciples. The increase in recent
years has been far more rapid than has
been the increase of the Disciples. The In
crease Of the membership of the Lutheran
Church, however, has been largely by i'm
migration; the increase of the Disciples
has been by conversion. In this way the
increase of the Disciples has been far
larger than that OF any other body. Mar
tin Luther had no Thought OF organizing a
denomination; his desire was TO reform the
Roman Catholic Church. But in spite OF
himself one of the greatest religious de-
nominations of Protestant Christendom re-
suited from the life and work OF Martin
.The world is especially indebted to the
Lutheran Church for two things-the CIV
ing of the Bible to the people and the doc
trine of justification by faith. We ought to
understand and confess that our DEBT TO
the Lutheran Church for these TWO tnlngs
IN this country we owe this people an
enormous debt, because of its care for the
moral and spiritual welfare OF our large
Scandinavian and German populations.
The work that other churches is doing for
these people is insignificant compared with
the work of the Lutheran Church in their
| behalf. But for the Lutheran Church, as
| far as can see, these people would lapse
into heathendom The LatneTan anTa ne Shurcd ca
especially in the training of the children
I'm this day Of theological and eccleSias-
| tical unrest 1T is encouraging TO Know tna'
! this great denomination stands among the
churches of the land almost alone in Its
quiet, conservative position. Other churche:
are agitated about creed revision; the l.u
| therians have no such disturbance. No
! only are they conservative on this ques
| ton. but on almost all questions now dis
| ton. 1t is well that there are conserva
| tives in this church, and but for them th'
Lord only knows what, some or US yount
| fellows would come to-"
The Jubilee singers having arrived, the,
| sang several songs IN the next half hour
As their young voices gave out the stirrlnt
| strains of My Fathers Flag and Mine.
| the audience. was strongly moved. half
hours rest then followed when Rev. B. b
Tyler talked on The Religious Side o
| Abraham Lincoln"
Il am not going to speak of this grea
character in its entirely" he said, bu
| only on the religious side I became inter
ested in the study OF the religion of Lin
coin long years ago. Some have said h,
| was an agnostic. others an infdel. want
ed TO know the facts Lyman Abbott sais
| in the old John-street Methodist Church
that no man since the days OF Gladston,
has every wrought in human progress b,
tongue on pen that did not believe in God
| Lincoln was believer in God: this made
| him great. Agnostics have not wrough
nightly in human progress by tongue OF
pen. Lincoln was one of the colossal char
! acters of the United. States He believed
in God, Christ. the Bible and man. Ther'
was a time when his faith and his reasoI
alike slightly tottered. But both triumphed
His faith increased with his years Though
he never united with any church, Yet h'
! always attended services. He had his rea
sons for not Identifying himself with an,
| particular denomination. He said; When
! ever a church will inscribe above Its aital
the Saviors statement in condensed form
Thou shalt love thy God with all tn,
| SOUL" then will join that church with al
my soul and mind He said OF the Bible
Take all you on reason. and the res
take on faith This IS the true idea o
About year before his death Lincoll
wrote To = friend: 7 have read On M