The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-02
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
HOW THE MORAL AND SPIRITUAL
MAY ACHIEVE A TRIUMPH.
..Is His Coming ply Rev.
Church Onftarian), Roxbury, Mass.

Is there any reasonable hope that the
moral and spiritual elements IN mans ma
ture can triumph in this world? In strug-
Cling with the heavy burdens and the hard
questions OF social and political life. can
we still have faith that the better elements
will gain the victory? This is the most
serious question any young person. n
earnest soul. can this day put TO himself.
A kingdom OF God in some other realm
Of existence will never satisfy our Chris
tian ideal: il is not the teaching OF Christ
lit must be that the kingdoms Of this
world are to be His. This is not only the
apocalyptic vision: IL is the plain and con-
slant lesson OF that life which, in unfal-
tering repose on a few spiritual realities.
went forth with a restless zeal to make
them transform this present life. IL is this
alone which has given hope to every re-
former. renewal and publication and tri-
umph TO Christianity.
The popular Interpretation OF religion
has too often been far from this. This
world was a place whose interests and
occupations the Christian was to shun.
Education, the purity of politics. the on
esty of trade. were made secondary to .
state of grace which the world could
neither grant nor disturb. The saint was
a ID AOl III tOutll Will humanity 30 tnat
for centuries some type of asceticism was
the great proof of a religious spirit. and
the highest aim was 10 shun a world IL
is mans divinest mission TO mingie with
and to save. To be praised by the world
was TO incur the wrath OF God. and tenn
poral success was at eternal risks. The
faith of many persons goes no further
than that with every effort. and the ages
In uhfoh 70 lohor %horo r-ffl .fv-,.~ -
large proportion of mankind. poor. help
less. ignorant. intemperate. servile. and at
last lost. Shall we not have a higher
hope? In spite OF the discouragements
which Cypress US. of the wrongs which
for awhile come uppermost. shall we not
believe as a necessary conclusion from the
history of man. and from the existence
Of God, that there are no social wrongs
which cannot be remedied: that human
nature, under the guidance OF God, will
some time find and bear the remedy for
all it's ills?
TAKE politics. In every nations life
there are periods when the degradation OF
politics to ~partisanship goes on with The
rapidity Of a failing body. How few are
ready manfully, periodically and persist
emily. to propose and follow any measures
TO escape the danger. Why? Because.
for the sake Of seizing the evenly balanced
prize. each one prefers to wait and see
who can be the more successful trickster.
And yet is there anything In these evils
which, by their nature, is ineradicable,
cannot be overcome, banished? Again, Ia
it possible to preserve SUCH a Sope I'm the
strife and overreaching OF the business
world. in this old struggle Of labor
and capital. never more serious than to-
day? e~1r
The accumulation of wealth has had the
attention Of the ages; has there ever been
any wise. systematic training In regard
to its use. the moral obligations II i'm
poses upon us? Children are not taught
them. men and women think them entire
ly apart from religion; but when we
learn that they run with mathematics
precision and eternal results. through ev-
cry relation of life. then this old conflict
will lessen and die out. for there is noth-<
ing mere which man cannot correct. So
1t is of intemperance. and of every evil
by which from time TO time society is OPP
pressed-they are not dlyinely imposed ex-
cept as just penalties for ignorance. self
ishness or disobedience. A world estab-
lished upon evil. or where evil is to be tri-
umphant. is a thought which cannot CO.
exist with any faith In a righteous God.
Let US take two reasons to confirm us
in such a glorious ~faith-one, historical.
outward; the other. a law of the spirit,
within.
Where Is there a better illustration OF
what man can do when his sense OF moral
obligation is fully aroused than in the
story of the English and American slave
trade? No description can ever give tho
faintest picture OF the misery that trade
has caused. Two centuries ago there was
not the slightest moral feeling against II.
The greatest preachers and saints Of tho
church approved II. Bishop Berkeley
thought 1t no sin: Jonathan Edwards. as
sanity as he was profound. kept a slave;
Whiteield advocated Il: the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel sent slaves
along with their missionaries. and one OF
the ships which the English sent to open
the trade in a new part OF Africa was
called The Jesus"
Fifty years ago hardly a minister in
Boston. few in New England. few in
America, who had leading. wealthy and
fashionable churches. dared 10 open their
lips upon the subject. Nevertheless. chill
dren were educated in the moral aspects
of the question:: noble men agitated the
subject throughout the land at the risk OF
| pTOptTtgs pOSltions Iit pollttC&i anu roCldk
influences turned toward IL. until. by =
fearful war. 1t was swept away. That IN
an Instance of what man can do when
he begins TO understand what these moral
duties are, and u can be the same, AZ must
be the same. one by one. in regard &c all
these evils which press US down. God has
foreordained II: nah has caught the v his
pers from afar.
If we go now one step further we md
there Is a spiritual law written In our
deepest being which gives US a still larger
hope. The law OF growth. OF evolution. or
that grand word by which religion teach
es the same thought. regeneration. tho
idea tina. society. that human nature. you
unless we are changed. renewed. born
again, there can be for us no kingdom OF
God here or anywhere. This is the idea
upon which. rightly received and rightly
understood. lies the hope OF the world. IL
you suppose infinite goodness. you suppose
unlimited and constantly renewable possi-
biiities in man. EVIL is the finite and self
destructive by its consequences. A time
comes to the individual and TO society
when the rayages Of .s~esnsnness and self
indulgence can no longer be borne. God
is always coming 10 seeA and TO save the
lost. In the sight of God every human
being stands as a creature to be regen-
esated. III we really thought. II some de.
.t-s.o -roos 11nff he h~nrrbf 70 ~ fk.e