The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-24
WARNING TO PARENTS
NORTH INDIANAPOLIS PREACHER
TAKES BRYAN CASE AS a TEXT.
Too Much Wrong Sort of PreachinG,
MIR. Brudshaw's Sermon.

fdre1tdi ReEpon5lDlilty was the SUD-
ject of a sermon preached by Rev. NJ. III.
Appleoy at ST. Paurs NJ. f. Church, in
North Indianapolis. yesterday morning.
The murder OF Pearl Bryan and the i'm
plication of three young men for the crime
probably suggested the sermon 10 Mr.. APP
pleby, for he referred to the case as a con-
sequence Of false teaching ana mistaken
ideas. The responsibility of educating boys
to follow the path OF honor and virtue was
treated in a most earnest manner. Mr..
Appleby took for his text the words. rs
the young man safe?" Oh Samuel xviii. S2)
In referring briefly to the account of the
death OF Absalom. he said it was natural
that David should ask this question, after
having given his captains charge concern
ing the young man. Notwithstanding he
had risen in rebellion against him, had
divided his kingdom and had seduced his
people from their allegiance. still he was
his boy. the pride of his heart, and the
father was more concerned about his boy
than he was about his kingdom; he was
more anxious to hear that his boy was
safe and unframed than he was TO hear
that the battle had been won by his own
soldiers and that the kingdom had been
restored to him by the prowess Of his
captains.
Continuing Mr.. Appleby said
This query of Davids has been the
query of thoughtful parents through all the
centuries since; not only. is the young man
safe from physical harm; not only is he
safe from the. enemies darts or bullets.
bu. is he safe from the snare of the fowler
ard from the noisome pestilence. is the
young man safe in all the swirling cur
rents OF this worlds sin? How many
parents are looking into the innocent face
o. the child upon their knees and saying
in their hearts, Il would rather he would
die than TO grow up and break my heart
by his sin and his wickedness.'
In the light of recent crimes that have
shocked the whole civilized world this ques-
ton mas now greater pertinence and new
force, for out OF cultured Christian homes
there come young men SO depraved and cor
rupt as to commit a crime that outrivals
in horror any of the crimes ever committed
In the civilized world, so that parents may
well ask, is the young man safe? Is my
boy safe?
'.One sentiment which makes society I'M
safe for boys and young men Is the senti-
ment that young man must SOW his
Wild cats; that young man must go
through season of wildness and scenes
o. sin and Of reckless disregard of law;
and that after while he will marry some
sweet, pure girl and settle down and be-
come sober and respectable citizen. Oh
the shame of IL! II should bring the blush
10 every Christians cheek. Where such a
sentiment originated we do not know, but
IL must have been born IN hell. for there
Is no other place appropriate for its birth
but among the lost and damned. There is
no doubt that the prevalence of this senti-
ment has caused the downfall of very many
young men. The sooner the church and the
luted with sin without paying the penalty
the better 1t will be for our young men.
One thing. that has operated to make
society unsafe for young men is the kind
Of preaching which has been heard in our
pulpits of late years. There mas been too
much stress laid upon the mercy OF God and
too little upon the justice OF God. We
must not forget that the very tenderness
that comes from the love of our heavenly
Father is TO sin a consuming fire, and that
God can no more pardon the transgressor
and overlook transgression. without sincere
repentance than that he can cease to be a
father to those who trust Him; and that
where within the Bible that man can be
exempt from the consequences of his sin.
God has said in His word that The wages
of sin is death and that the soul that
the soul that are crippled and marred and
blighted by sin will never be fully re-
stored.
SCOTT JACKsON's CASE.
I'm a cell in the Cincinnati Jail there is
young man who seems to be absolutely
lost to all sense of conscience; he seems
to be without a pang of regret for the
awful crime with which ne is charged.
And yet he sits with open Bible and con-
in accordance with this sentiment That
young man is the victim of this kind or
preaching that teaches that man may live
all his life as robber. a murderer and a
whoremonger. and that at last he can be
saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and
taken TO glory with all the saints and the
bloodwashed on high. 1t is a lie! And
that young man is only making deeper his
damnation and more severe the sentence
OF a just God by reason of his ifnpiety and
sacrilege. There is no foundation in the
Bible for the doctrine that such a person
will be just as gioriouSly saved as the man
who has given all his life to the service
OF Jesus Christ, and IL Is time that the
pulpit was awakening from this false idea
and that 1t began 10 thunder forth the
justice of God, the enormity of sin and the
certain punishment of the sinner
The corrupting influences of the modern
theater, the sickening details Of crime i'm
the daily press, etc, were dwet upon at
some length, as also, the faulty training of
children. The leading thought upon the lat
ter topic was that all training of children
should have for its object the bringing
them to the place where they would have
complete and absolute mastery Of SELF
In CONCLUSION Mr.. Appleby said:
II am satisfied that the murder OF this
innocent girl with its attendant horrors Is
very largely the outcome of some OF the
forces that have attempted to depict this
morning. 1t was known that these young
men had associated with bad people: that
they had filed their minds with licerrtious
thoughts: that these young men had sys-
tematically deceived their parents: that
they had been taught by worldly society
that there is no harm in sin, provided
you are not caught, and so they went on
in their reckless course until the hand of
God drew the curtain back and their lives
lay uncovered before the world. And then
we have the sad picture OF two mothers
at the point of death, a father heart
broken, sisters life shattered-two homes
previously blighted, in one an old father
and mother breaking under the weight of
their grief. a brother and sister with
their lives darkened by this awful crime
that in all this world they will never get
out from under ITS shadow, and all from
a love OF self-indulgence. because young
men had not learned in the school of life
that self-mastery Is the highest attribute
of man. Are your boys safe? The greatest
safety is to get your children into irstimare
fellowship and a deep personal knowledge
of Jesus Christ. Nothing else viii take the
place of that"