The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01
LOVE or LIFE. A SHORT DISCOURSE
APPRoPRIATE TO THE TIME.
A New Years Sermon by the Rt. Rev.
c. KinIoch Nelson, ID. ID, Bishop
of Georgia, Atlanta, Ga.

to-day, "a happy New Year." I wish for
such measure of temporal prosperity as may
be needfu and profitable, and, above all,
that you may have the peace of God.
And what will be the response TO such
wish? That depends very largely upon the
view you take of life; whether you regard
it as a gift to be cherished and improved
by every capacity and opportunity afforded
you; whether you consider that whatever
is is good, heaven-sent or earth-born; or
whether YOU look at everything through
dark glasses, and all things appear as bad
as they can well be, with no ray of hope
for anything better.
For it must be evident, upon scanning the
conduct of those about US, that there are
prevalent at least three distinct opinions of
life's value
First, there is that of the optinist, who,
without according perfection to life and its
surroundings tells US he has no fault to
find with man or nature as they are. Nature
has her storms her fires, her earthquakes;
man has his wars and his financial depres-
sions; but these are exceptional, and after
the first few shocks and some devastation
nature and man settle down quietly to work
in the old orderly way. Everything under
the circumstances, is at its best. In the ex-
uberance of animal spirits with which the
optimist is usually endowed joy and pleas
ure far exceed grief and pain; human faults
are not as heinous as they seem, and there
is an apology for the greater part of the
wickedness that is apparent. Truth and
right will always triumph, even in this
world. Life has to him the color of the rose.
We all like to meet such people, they are
as refreshing as spring showers. 1t is hard
to have to say anything that will lower the
exalted view Of life But, granting all that
is commendable in Cooking on the bright
sde' the optimists view involves con-
tradiction of revelation in one vital par
ticular: He minimzes the appalling fact Of
| sin-sin in its manifold effects upon human
ity, from which thousands suffer every day.
And I submit that the man who regards sin
lightly is in danger himself and is danger
Gus in his example to those who accept his
| prevailing cheerfulness as evidence of safe
| conscience.
ANOTHER SCHOOL.
Another and an opposite school, whose
| tenets we are not able to recommend be-
| cause, as it appears to us, they live in an
| unhealthy atmosphere, is that of the pes
simists We do them no dishonor by so de-
nominating them, for they accept and
rather delight in the title.
In their estimation life is not worth liv-
|
end to it themselves. but in manner, word
and action they indicate that they are heart
lily sick of the struggle, and would gladly
welcome the termination of joyess weary
and monotonous existence, in which misery
is their lot and portion, and the rest of
mankind seems to them like children play
ing among the grass and fallen stones of a
| graveyard.
1t does not occur to persons of this gloomy
turn what very narrow and selfish inter-
| probation they put upon the work of the
| Creator when they nurse their woes, and,
! if / may so express it, gloat over misfor-
| tunes as a peculiar heritage of their own.
Is pain an insoluble mystery? Has it no
| place in the divine economy? Has it no in
| fuence to soften and subdue, to develop
| sympathy? Through it suffering humanity
becomes an object worth living for, even
were no other happiness possible, and in
ministering to grief all about US the morbid
sense of sorrow will find it's cure and its
recomDense.
Contrast with the two views thus
briefly outlined the meaning and methods
Of life as gathered from the inspired word
Not but that on its pages the optmist and
the pessimist may each find his prototype;
for Scripture is a record of human nature as
IL Is, as wei as Il Sulue IN ali tnaC IL should
be. Not every description of conduct is
held up for imitation; we must distinguish
| between warning and example, between IL
lustraton and pattern. Nor is every man
to be our model of whom at one time or
another it is said 'he pleased God" Until
we reach in order of history the Goldman,
we do not find perfection of character nor a
complete model in any one individual, but
are to choose those lneaments and traits
that combine to produce life we'll pleasing
to God.
Our text is an argument and encourage
ment for the due fulfillment of common
duties-of husbands and wives, parents,
children and servants-and as an express
sion of the true Christian philosophy of
life it is worthy to be memorized for fire.
quent reference.
As we see here some of the counsels to
one who values life at something like it's
true worth, let them be our aspirations for
the year which by Gods grace has opened
upon us, and let the second day or the last
find US practicing them.
To love life and to reap the blessed re-
suits of a right use of this gift of Him who
put US here for a purpose, involves an effort
of the will covering the whole field of moral
actions, personal and social Manhood and
womanhood employed in worship and in
charitable or common acts done lovingly and
| joyfully 'in His name are the highest
form Of Coos external glory known to u.s.
a HELPFUL THOUGHT.
| That it lies in the power of the human
will either to make or unmake any part
of that glory may seem strange, but such
is the fact And this thought, If it does
nothing more, must help us to realize the
| dignity and Importance of life-that every
act of uncleanness is a dissertation of what
is holy, worse than the destroying of
temple; that anger, intemperance, gIuttony.
are not merely folly but sin; that pride and
envy are hindrances that may bar us from
the good days that we long to see: that
time frittered away in trif1ing pursuits or
vain regrets is a species of robbery of one
who does not deny his children rational
pleasure but does expect to behold in them
some results from his generosity and pa
tience; and that the precious moments of a
lifetime, far too short to accomplish all that
we may properly desire, be not inconsider-
ately wasted, even though they be not spent
in ways that are harmful to ourselves and
others.
Refrain thy tongue from evil'' is no need
less advice in many a community which.
from its narrow limits, forces upon Us the
/ affairs of orr nairbbors &C tho tonic ~ c<,,.