The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-12
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
MAN WEIGHS WITH SCALES, BUT GOD
WEIGHS WITH BALANCES.
A short Sermon by Rev. George HI.
Hubbard, Pastor First Congrega-
tiOnal Church, Enfield, Mass.
GU art weighed in the balances.-Daniel

V. a.
Men often weigh with scales. God always
weighs with a balance The difference?
This:
The scale is a device, more or less intri-
cate, for balancing unequal weights. BY its
adjustment of levers and bars ounces bal
ance pounds, and pounds balance tons. Al
few small discs of iron or lead hung from
the end of the scale beam may lift a car
load of freight on the platform of the scale
Or a single small weight on the long arm.
by slight charges Of position may balance
a const& >creasing weight on the short
arm. The is therefore a. fitting type
of the crosses injustice
The balance, on the other hand is SIM
pie beam poised exactly in the center, with
scale pan hung from each end so that to
bring it to a level the weights in the oppo-
site pans must be precisely equal An ounce
in one pan is balanced only by an ounce in
the other pound in one requires pound
in the other. Naturally enough the balance
is the universal symbol of JUSTICE for JUS
tice is no slillful adjustment of inequalities
till they shall seem to be equal. 1t is the
maintenance of absolute equity. Tt implies
in every transaction equal advantage to
both sides.
Men weigh with scales. And these scales
reveal great variety in form and wondrous
skill in their invention. Marvellous inge-
nulty is displayed in the means which men
have devised to balance unequal weights
The heather scale is one of the earliest
and most crude of these. What is that? 1t
is system of religion by which few
ounces Of devotion balance tons of devil
ishness. In other words, the offering of a
prescribed sacrifice-the building of a tenn
pie, the enduring of self-inhicted torture
atones for years of wickedness and oppres-
sion and wrong-doing. Robbery is expiated
by 1.-THE of the spois, the murder of men
by the slaughter of beasts.
1t is a primitive affair." and clumsy in
the extreme; yet it has been widely used
in all ages. Most of the Hebrews used it.
The elaborate Mosaic ritual of feasts and
offerings and tithes was to the average
1sraelite only a special form of this scale.
The one day of atonement balanced the
year of sin. The piety of the three great
feasts offset the impiety of the intervening
weeks The conservation of the seventh day
made amends for the Dissertation of the
other six days.
And do Christians never use the same
scale? Have you never heard of a man
building a magnificent church with a small
part of the profits of a brewery? Or en-
downing great university with the surplus
of oppression and selfshness? Or patroniz-
ing the missionary cause with the first
fruits of dishonesty? Are there no church
members whose prayers grow longer as the
yardstick grows shorter? Whose religious
zeal increases as their business honor di-
minishes? Whose regularity at the sanctu-
airy keeps pace with their irregularities in
the home or shop or counting house? They
wei nir 1ixroc ala =,
scale that was used by Cain and BALKAN
and Saul and the men of Athens
Then there is the theological scale A
very intricate machine this, and one that
requires frequent repairs and reimbursement.
With its levers of inability and 'inher-
tied depravity," and even of .'vicarious
atonement' in some forms Of that doctrine.
it seeks to balance willful imperfection and
conscious unfaithfulness against Gods de-
mand for holy and unselhsh living.
Scarcely less elaborate is the scientists
scale few ounces of environment or
''heredity',. or development" hung from
it's highly polished beam, balance all pos
sible weights of responsibility on the plat
form of the scale.
Last of all is the strikers scale This
is model of simplicity. 1t is like the old
fashioned "steeyard," with a long arm and
short arm. single ounce or grain of
excuse easily lifts every imaginable burden
of duty.
So with men always, everywhere Old
men and young men, ignorant men and en-
lightened men, pagan and Christian alike.
test character and conduct with scales And
there is no patent on any OF these ma
chimes. Although in some the mechanism
is very complex and delicate, although not
few are the result of years of labor and
study, yet they are given freely TO the pub
lie, and most of them are in common use.
But God always weighs with a balance
The judgment of God-what is 1t? An ar
bitrary decree of the Almighty, wholly in
dependent of human power and above hui
man comprehension? No 1t is the exact
balance of opportunity and duty, of power
and responsibility, of capacity and require-
ment
AT one end of the balance God places the
talent that he has instructed to us; at the
other the service he requires, and they are
always precisely equal They never differ
by so much as the weight of a hair. That
is to say, God expects of each one Just that
amount and quality of work which he has
the time, the opportunity and the capacity
to render-no less, no more. And this is al
ways the method of His judgment We are
stances, privilege, are put in one pan and
achievement in the other. BY this we are
judged. And 1.-THE judgments of the Lord
are true and righteous altogether"
However much of mystery there may be
in the nature and person Of God, however
incomprehensible may be the workings of
His providence, His judgments are always
characterized by the utmost simplicity and
clearness. Their perfect justice cannot be
evaded Even child can understand the
principle and working Of the balance
Equally true is it that the most immature
mind is capable of understanding the per-
feet equity Of Gods demands
Weighed in the balances" How the fig
ure enforces every claim of duty! How II
sweeps away every refuge of excuse for
unfaithfulness When confronted with un-
finished tasks or imperfect work we are
ever ready to say, II hadn't time" or THE
task was too difficult for my powers" And
this may often be true of the tasks which
our felow-men require of us. They are
often unreasonable in their demands and
expect much more of us than we can per-
form, for they weigh us as we'll as them
selves with scales. But not so with God
His measure OF duty is always exactly
commensurate with our time and ability.
II ought, therefore l can," is a truthful
statement of the relation between divine