The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-14
cLARIFIcAT1oN OF LIVES.
Rev. John p. Hale, of Lafayette, in
Rev. MIR. Haines's Pulpit.

Rev. MIR. H01neS'S pulpit.
Rev. John p. Hale. of Lafayette, ex-
changed pulpits yesterday with Rev NJ. l..
Haines. of the First Presbyterian Church.
In the morning Mr.. Hale preached SER
mon on THE Qualification of Lives" His
text was from jeremiah Xviii, lib: Moab
hath been at ease from his youth and he
hath settled upon his lees and hath not
been emptied from vessel to vessel; there
fore. his taste remaineth within him and his
scent hath not been changed"
This passage" the preacher said. 'in the
DAYS when it was written, needed no ex-
plantation The figure employed referred
to the process of wine making-as familiar
to the Israelites as cheese making is now to
the stock farmer. In those days the COM
mon process of making wine from the grape
was to let the must stand in the jars till
ii had settled and then to pour it off into
other jars. carefully fitting the jar so that
the sediment should remain undsturbed.
This process was repeated again and again
until the sediment was entirely removed
and the wine brought to its perfection.
There were, therefore, men, skilled in the
knack of pouring off the wine, who went
from house to house and performed this
service for a small consideration. If any
jar was passed WneH tney came anu the
wine allowed to stand upon its lees the
fermentation would continue but the foul
gases arising from the sedimept would spoil
the quality of the wine.
With this illustration in mind, the
prophet looked over to the land of Moab to
say that it's people We're like a jar of wine
that had never been disturbed. The people
had therefore, gradually fallen away to
the worship of other gods. Old customs had
stiffened into tyrannies and superstitions.
and there they lay, like the lees of Wine, at
the bottom of the country's national life,
breeding into its body their doors
The passage suggests certain phlloso-
ply OF the Qualification and enrichment of
life. It suggests that life cannot be per-
fected suddenly One max suddenly begin
the process by a single act of Will. but the
goal is far away. Saintlness mas naXors
and aromas in it, which ripen, not in nights,
but in years. 1t is important to notice that
the grosser parts make their contribution
to the perfected character and are abso-
lutely necessary. Into the vat there go not
only the pure grape juice, but the skins also,
and the seeds and oftentimes even the
stalks Seeds and skins and stalks must all
come out again, but they must all go in at
the first. for each imparts necessary ele-
ment to the perfected product. So into
strong character there go PASSIONS and bodl-
ly appetites, which, being held in check,
impart to life a vigor, f1aYor, a softness
otherwise impossible The soft wines are
not the thin wines; neither are the gentle
men the weak men. On the contrary. 1t Is
not in the weak man to be gentle. There IL
no such thing in this present world as
spirituality apart from the Ire or the body
any more than there is thought apart from
the action of the brain. We do not wrench
off any part of ourselves or thin down the
animal life and march oft to heaven with
the remainder. Out of the lees-the coarser
parts-comes the aroma, both in the wine
and in the mantle aroma. that last fine
quality that gives to wine and to character
finish and individuality.