The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-05
AN IDEAL CHRIsTIAN.
Rev. c. ID. ROysc's Sermon at Roberts
park Church.

preached at ROBERTS PARK ChurCh yeSleF-
day morning on 'Christs Idea of a Chris
tian." I'm the early history of Chris
tianity" said the speaker, two errone-
Gus ideas of its essence crept into the
church. First. the intense ritualism of the
Jewish Church forced upon the Christian
disciples in some degree the yoke of for
malism, Notwithstanding PauTs firm stand
for freedom. Second, the honor accorded
to martyrs fostered the martyr spirit.
Gradually the people came to regard Chris
tianity as the observance of the church's
rules of worship and self-abnegation; per-
sonal piety amounted to little compared to
loyalty to the church and it's forms, and to
deny oneself the pleasures and even the
necessities of life with no other object in
view than mere self-denial was considered
meritorious. The Lutheran reformation
was a protest against these two errors
The Wesleyan revival carried the protest
still farther But neither the Journalism
nor the asceticism are all gone, even now.
These come from a wrong idea of Christi
anity at it's very base. There still fingers
in our theology a great deal of the ancient
pagan notion Of the wrath of the gods dis
played against men. We must escape Gods
wrath. 1t is a terrible thing to be under
His power. Hence, we avoid Him as long
as we can and then, when frightened be-
yond self-control we yield and cry out:
What must l do to escape help Con-
WINGED that certain formalities of worship
are essential if we would miss hell-fire, we
mechanically submit. II it is insisted that
a real re FORM of character is necessary We
cease those lines of conduct that are con-
sidered questionable. Then If these are
really pleasures to us, we get the idea that
the less pleasure we have in life the great
er We will be in favor with God. The great
goal OF life, according to this theology, is
TO keep out of hell ourselves, and too often
without regard to how many others so
there. There is no Joy in our life here
nothing but miscry-but we get some pleas
ure contemplating the bliss of heaven here
after.
But we are beginning to look deeper
than this. In the theology that is dawn
ing the goal is not heaven, but character
fit for heaven. The ideal life is that lived
by Jesus Christ. In His life He shows His
idea of the Christian The New Testament
records little of what He said but a great
deal of what He did Let US in Imagination
some of the scenes of His earthly life and,
as we journey try to learn the lessons
which these scenes have for us. We will
begin with Mt. Hermon, in the extreme
north of Palestine. From the summit of
the mountain the view is magnificent, but
we are blind to beautiful scenery in such
a place. We think of it only as the place
where Christ was TRANSPORTED before His
disciples. Peter was In ecstacy after he
became 1ully awake ana saw the glory OF
Christ. 1t was a mountain-top experience
for him and he was loath to leave it. SO
he proposed to remain and build three
tabernacles-one for Jesus, one for Moses
and one for Elias. But Jesus said no.
They went down from the mountain and
found at the foot young man with palsy,
whom Christ healed Note the contrast be-
tween Peters idea and Christ's idea Of life
Peter wanted to dream life away on the
mountain-top; Christ came down from the
mountain to help suffering humanity. We
sea Of Galilee. Here Jesus stilled the tenn
pest by word. He wants us to still lifes
tempest. The sea waves may dash the YES
sci to splinters, the wind may tear the
sails to shreds the bodies of men may be
engulfed in the sea never to rise again.
but wind and sea cannot harm the real
man. But lfe's storms make criminals of
those who might have been noble; they
make foul the pure; they destroy character;
they debase manhood and womanh0od.
Christ sends us out to still these storms.
The war against these destructive elements
must be fought with love II it is ever to
be won in Christs way. We pass on to
Jerusalem, to the closing scene of this
wonderful life. We go to Calvary, where
He fought the greatest victory of the
worlds history-the victory over self. 1t is
law of nature that there is no perfect
life except througl the portal of death.
There is a germ Ii Q in the seed, but the
perfect life of the flower comes only by
the death Of the seed. Christ came not only
that we might have life (the germ life),
but that we might have 1t more abundantly
0he perfect development) But death to
self stands between the selfish, imperfect
life and the more abundant life. We seek
happiness, but there is no formula for pro-
ducing it. 1t cannot be found by seeking.
True happiness lies in the opposite direc-
ton. Christs is the best example of a
complete life because His effort is not cen
tered in. His own attainments, but in do
ing good.
eve are inclined TO think of our Chris
tian duty a harsh burden that is to be
paid for by later reward. But how much
better to find delight in the duty itself We
stand before the cross which we are to
bear. 1t looks dark and cold and heavy.
We think we cannot bear it, but for the
sake of the crown we consent to try. BY
a great effort we raise it from the ground.
1t is not as heavy or as dark, or as cold,
as we thought it would be. Each moment
it grows less dull, the burden becomes only
q trifie; 1t is not unpleasant to carry. AS
we gaze at it not unkindly a gem sparkles
here, another one there; the darkness grad
ually gives way to a luster; the form has
slowly changed; the long unsightly arms of
the cross have disappeared. 1t is round in
form and Is glstening with jewels imbed-
ded in gold. We raise it gladly and place
it on the head. The cross is the crown"