The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-16
ROBERTS PARK DEBT LIFTED.
DIR. Bacon's Sermon on the Subject of
Giving.

Yesterday morning was time OF giving
at Roberts Park Church, and there was
raised a sum sufficiently large to take
care of one-half of the eighteen-thou-
sand-dollar debt hanging over the church,
The money was raised by popular subscrip-
ton on the building and loan plan, men,
bers taking certificates of stock and agree
ing TO pay % cents month on each share.
Some members took large blocks of shares
in addition to keeping up their regular
church obligations. the building and loan
plan will raise about $1,000, and the ladies
of the church are pledged to raise $1,000
year for each of the three years the shares
are to run.
Rev. {. e. Bacon, pastor of the church,
preached a sermon on the subject of giving,
taking his text from ii Cor. xii, 10: For
what is it wherein We were inferior to other
churches except it be that / myself was not
burdensome to you? Forgive me this
wrong" Mr.. Bacon said Christian church
is an organization founded on the principle
of sacrifice Self-denial was at the base of
all Christian character. Paul took it that
he had acted unfairly to the Corinthians
because he had not given them more OPP
portunity to deny themselves. Thus he had
cut them off from one Of the best sources
OL OHTlSlldH ueNelOpHlent. 1T WAS not the
loss the church as an organization sustained
by the lack of the exercise of this means
of grace on the part of the members that
Mr.. Bacon said he wanted TO emphasize, but
the loss to the members themselves. This
is an age of giving" said the speaker.
Bishop Warren said: One of the charac-
teristics of our age is the devotion of pri-
vate wealth to public ends. This is one
Of Mott
must be uses for wealth other than private
and personal, or this Nation, like those that
have gone before it, is doomed. Large ac-
cumulatons of money exempted from the
necessary development of labor have emas-
culated the nations that have possessed 1t.
For two hundred years the city of Florence
toiled to build its wonderful cathedral. A
public tax was levied and cheerfully paid.
All persons, powerfully persuaded by public
sentiment, remembered the enterprise in
their wills. Besides these sources of income
men constantly gave for the building out
of penury or abundance The men of Flor
ence studied architecture and art and be-
came ennObled by their studies and chart
ties until they were prosperous in peace and
successful in war. But, the cathedral being
finished the incentive to personal endeavor,
resulting in development, was lost in the
luxury of mere enjoyment until men, look
ing merely to their own things instead of
those of others, became selfish and imbecile
and passed into condition of serVitude
Better for Florence had an earthquake
sunk the beautiful cathedral and the people
nag td,, So:iinenceu Inc erecuon OF anotner
is that of other communities. Every COM
munity is benefited by public works: they
increase individual activity Find place
where no one has an enterprise for public
works-churches, schoolhouses, courthouses,
railroads, pixies. etc.-and you have discov-
cred a dead town. Find a place where the
people are unwilling to make sacrifice for
the public good, and you find people with
very contracted views who are losers not
only by pecuniary returns of wise and ben
losers
lack of development of the noblest qualities
ever possessed by man. If a town or State
or nation cannot do without these bur-
dens neither can a church. No organiZa-
ton can so lily do without the sacrifice of
the personal for the general good as the
church of God"