The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-25

our hands upon u.s. The fragment Of an
old hymn, the preacher declared, was more
ancient than the EddaS, antedatng the Had
and coming centuries before the psalms of
David. Moses wrote it after seeing a gem
Grafton drop into the grave. He craved the
enduring and recognized this as TO be found
only in Jehovah. Beauty is akin to pleas
antness in this passage, and the prayer IS
for Gods gracious presence and infinite sup
port. God is the author of all beauty. In
Him is nothing harsh and repellant. He
looks through the gates of dawn and the
morning is but His smile upon an awaken
ing earth. The Alpine affairs of stainless
snow and the Alleghenies draped in au-
tumnal glory are His work. True beauty is
from Within and gives grace to the form
and elegance to the structure, health TO the
cheek and sparkle TO the eye. A beautiful
person was thought by the Greeks to pos
Sess some special favor with the gods. Be-
cause there is something immeasureable and
divine in beauty, art galleries allure the
travellers to distant LANDS and copies of the
leading works are found on all our walls.
Redemption is, however, the highest ex-
hibition of Gods beauty. Strength and
beauty are in his sanctuary The taber
nacle was exceeding beautiful to the He
brews, and on its decay Solomons temple
stood forth in its magniticence. ROBBED
priests were in accord with this display,
and all were called to worship the Lord in
the beauty of holiness. which phrase desg-
mated His sanctuary. Redemption restores
what sin has destroyed. Sin is moral ugli
ness and begets physical responsiveness.
Dark passions leave their tale upon the
form, and the drunkard and the criminal
can be told by their degraded and brutalized
features. Salvation retineS the nature and
beauties the face and all grace Is an
emanation from Gods infinite loneliness. A
dark object, being heated, first gives out
red light, and after intenser flame CLOVIS
with the white. SO spiritually the red OF
sacrifice precedeS the white of victory over
sin. The most gorgeous paintings are but
the compromising of few seemingly worth
less pigments, and heavens wonders of
grace are the jewels picked from earth
mire and clay and to these God himself is
crown of glory and diadem of beauty.
All work wrought in God endures. knowl-
edge is to advantage our fellowmen The
beatitudeS indicate subjective CONDITION
of highest utility. The ideal is ever be-
yond. No warrior or artist or poet ever at
tanned it. To stop with study of these is
therefore to be classed as second rate God
overlaps all and beckons to higher achieve
ments Nations as well as individuals must
remember this and realize that God only
can establish their doings. Franklin knew
this and therefore urged his colleagues of
the constitutional convention to prayer for
divine guidance. Lincoln felt this, and with
his dying hand signed the bill of Congress
to stamp on American coin, I'm God We
trust" Queen Victoria dimly understood
this when as a girl she fell on her knees
and implored Gods guidance in her queenly
duties. Mr.. Lasby referred to the jubilee
lust past. which lifted this into fresh
prominence as that procession from all
races and lands halted in reverence before
ST PauIs Cathedral, and Kiplings recess
sional hymn carries the thought into the
remotest home where Britain rules. The
pastor spoke of the history of the church,
beginning a little over century ago In
America with five persons at the first meet.
ing and now numbering five and half
million members proving that work done
in God endures The text was from burial
psalm Man dies. but his work remains.
The affecting scene Of WeSley's deathbed
was described and the present condition of
the work he founded dwelt upon. The OLD
time religion was declared to be the want
of the present weary generation. and his
hearers were reminded that the special call
of Methodism was to spread scriptural holi-
ness over all lands. They should therefore
themselves reveal in their daily lives the
beauty of the Lord and thus attract the
world to Christ.