The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-13
LOYALTYTO GOD AND MAN
ST. PAUL SAW IN THIS THE TRUE
PRINCIPLE OF HUMAN LIFE.
Certain Ethical Questions as Dis
closed I'm the Closing Chapters
of the Book of Romans.

Brooklyn Eagle.
In his lecture in the course on the life
and Writings of st. Paul." delivered in
Plymouth Church, Sunday evening, the Rev.
DIR. Lyman Abbott talked Of 'Paurs Con-
sideration of Certain Ethical Questions, as
Disclosed in the Closing Chapters of the
Book of Romans" The lecture in full fol-
lows:
THE Christian religion is, according to
Paul, as we have seen a new and divine life,
freely given by the Father of His children
that gift he calls grace, freely received by
the children from the Father, through what
he calls faith. Out of this life thus freely
given, there spring outward manifestations
of it, in conduct; and in the twelfth, thir-
teenth and fourteenth chapters, and a part
of the fifteenth of Romans, he inerprets to
His readers what are the operations Of this
principle of life, how it works itself out in
conduct, what answer this principle of life
gives to the questions which men are asking
respecting duty. In the first of these chap
tiers he considers the working out of this
life in the individual conduct; in the second,
its working out in the relation of the in
dividual to the state; in the third, its opera
ton, it's bearing on certain questions of
doubt and perplexity in the moral life.
postscript of personal salutation and friend
ship, largely made up of individual greet
ings to individual men in the church of
Rome. Leaving this last postscript unre-
ferred to further than thus, 1 will take up
these three topics growing out of PaArs
epistles, separately: What has Paul to say
Of the religious life as it shows itself in
the ethical conduct of the Individual; what
has he to say of the religious life in it's
bearing on the organization of the state
and what light does that life throw upon
doubtful questions of casustry. In the first
place, then, Paul says that this life of God
in the soul of man involves the complete
conservation of man to God. He is to give
himself wholly in the spirit of love to his
Father. I beseech you,' he says, by the
mercies of God that you present even your
bodies a living sacrifice In Jerusalem was
temple-and, indeed, in every heather city
a temple-and to this temple sacrifices were
brought and laid upon the altar, given to
God. So Paul says you are to give your
selves to God, but not in death-in life; by
living to His service, not by dying for Him.
We have represented this same principle in
our covenant in this church, by the phrase
which was repeated to-day and entered into
by some who united with the church this
morning-'You do now consecrate your
whole soul and body to the service of Cod
Partialism Of conservation Paul knows
nothing about. He knows nothing of the
notion that you are to give one-tenth Of
your income, for instance; all that you and
1 have, according to Paul, belongs to God ;
and the question how much we shall spend
on our own houses and our own families
how much we shall spend in our indus
tries and our activities, how much we shall
spend in what are pleased to call
benevolences and charities, that is ques-
ton for each one to determine But all
of it, whether it be spent in enjoyment or
in work, in industry or benevolences, is to
be spent by trustee who is using it for
God
ALL DAYS BELONG ALIKE TO GOD.
80 Paul knows nothing Of the notion that
there are some days which belong to God
ard other days which belong to men. They
are all Gods. The Sunday is no more truly
the Lords day than Monday-to be used in
different way, to be employed for the
same great essential purpose. So Paul
knows nothing of the idea that there are
certain acts which are religious and
certain acts which are not religious a GER
tain phase of life which is religious and
certain other phase Of life which is secular;
tho whole life and all it's activities, the
whole man and all his activities, are to be
given to God. And in thus giving himself
to God, giving himself not because he fears
penalty, giving himself not because he
hopes for a reward, giving himself be-
cause (for this is fundamental is all Paul's
teaching in this epistle), giving himself be-
cause he has received God himself and en-
tered into a new life and into a new relation
with his Father-in giving himself thus to
God, he gives himself to his fellow-men, be-
cause the fatherhood of God carries with 1t
the brotherhood Of man and the whole of
humanity is one great organism
Al MS activities, therefore are to be
ice. Does he preach, he must preach be-
cording to the proportion Of his faith-that
is, according to the measure of his spiritual
gertrude, his religious experience. Does
he give, he must give with liberality. Does
he exercise mercy, he must exercise it UNI
grudingly. Does he govern, he must gov
ern with diligence. Is he engaged in bus
mess, he must put new life and new energy
into his business. Does he pray, he must
pray with a new sense of fire and new
fervency. He has come into a recognition
of the fact that he is a part of the one
great body. a
THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD.
1.-THE same truth which Paul has elabor-
ated in the Epistle to the Corinthians he
here states in few words. We are mem
bers one of another we belong to one great
brotherhood. And we recognize the fact
that we belong to one great broth
erhood because we recognize the fact
that God is our Father and we have entered
into new and filal relations with our
Father. Thus entering into this relation
ship with our brethren, thus belonging to
this human brotherhood and giving our
selves to it as we give ourselves to Him,
q new spirit enters into all our life. We
h0l hn |csxrrlo not hiatt
we shall be gentle, we shall be forgiving,
We shall be peace loving. We shall not
indeed, say, GO to, / must do these things
the law requires it; / have joined the
church, therefore must love peace; have
professed Christ; therefore l must be pa
tient. Not at all. Because we have the di-
vine life III us, therefore that divine life
will show itself in patience God is patient
and God is in US therefore we shall be
therefore we shall be forgiving. God is
gentle and God is in US, therefore we shall
be gentle. His divine life in us will work
itself out, manifest itself, show itself in
these qualities of spirit. Not in doing what
other people do not do, not in giving GER
tain proportions of time or money in spe-
cial religious channels which other people
do not recognize, but in putting new spirit
and a new life into all cur life, into all
this show itself more than in our relations
to those who are enemies to US and enc
mics TO others who so TO US. When we
are wronged our inclination will not be
vengeance. The inclination of Christ was
not inclination of vengeance When He
was struck He did not wish to strike back.
His inclination was an inclination to mercy.