Arizona republican., 1899-08-21
lnqersOlI's Creed
 in the Bible

The passing of Colonel Robert G i IngeTsOll and the lessen from his life { and religion" was the subject of a ser i mon preached last night by the Rev. | Dr. John A. B. Wilson. pastor of .1he i Howard Street MetnO1Is1 Episcopal church. The foundation of the dis
 course was based on this text: From everlasting unto everlasting thou are i God" Psalms xcxi
 Dr. Wilson said in part:
 Men come upon the stage Of life, act their little part and pass behind
 the scenes into the beyond, but from everlasting unto everlasting thou art God No man is So small that his real | life passes out with him. He has gone out in soul breathing into the souls of others and these to others and others and others throughout the generations 1 What, then, must be the influence through the ages of a collosal life like the one whose departure we comment | crate tonight. I know it is said he was irreverent; that he was intoler- l ant, unscientific. unphilosophical, il- -cgical; and 1 grant all are true, but
 10 man can so stir the thought of his
 generation for a quarter Of a century
 with elements of transcendent human
 greatness. And these qualities were I, a
 successful pIeader, he has stood with
 out peer for a quarter Of a century
 The heathens said: Speak only good Of the dead, and it is a sentiment
 worthy of Christian regard. | am not
 here to eulOgize the great dead nor
 to stamp my foot upon the grave of
 2 dead man. The work of this mans
 life I deplore, while at the same time
 l acknowledge that he possessed a gor-
 geOus rhetoric, a fiery eloquence Q po-
 etry of imagination and personal
 magnetism that made him the might
 jest Tielder of human passions of the
 century And there was a splendor in
 his personal fife, in his love for his
 wife and children and a beauty in the home life that all must admire. But
 many lose sight Of the fact that it is
 duplicated in hundreds Of thousands
 or Christian homes all ever the land and is So conspicuous in his case be-
 cause so exceptional in men CT his be-
 lefs. More than this it was kent in
 the glare Of the foot,ights because of
 it's exceptional character among men
 of his kind, but it is none the less
 worthy of commendation. Whence
 was 1t derived? Where did this man
 get his ideals and his moral standards
 which differed 50 widely from others
 who agreed with him in opinions, and
 why his lifelong bitterness against
 Christianity so that he could never do
 f justice, even presenting false and
 distorted views as the. real system it. self?
 The Rev. Dr. Nixon. pastor of the Central Presbyterian church of Will mington, Del, ted me in 1878 that Colonel Ingersoif's father was a min 1ster of great ability in the Presbyter- ian church, but waS So tnto1erant and severe in his views and conduct that his home life was darkened by it and the home people rendered very unhap- py. And it was his belief that this warm hearted, generous minded. i'm pulsive, but illogicaI-y constituted boy taking this life as an exponent of what Christianity did fer people, was for eyer embittered against it. It must i not be forgotten, however. that the teachings of biblical principles amid even these f0rbidding surroundings, entered into this boys life and shaped ] his ideals of personal life for all the 1 future. The home life, the sobriety, the morals that stand out so ccnspic- l uously because So lonely among agnos- | ties are biblical. Look also at what ! he was pleased to call his religion. l What feature of originality does it ! possess? Every article in this his creed was borrowed wholly from the ! Bible which he denied. Its truths ! burned into his early life had formed his ideals and moral standards Hear i his own declaration: My religfon- To love justice, to long for the right. to have mercy, to pity the suffering, to assist the weak Now from the Bible: Who hath shown thee a man what is good but to do justly, love mercy and to walk humbIy with thy God Blessed are the merciful. for they shall obtain mercy He that hath pity on the poor lendeth unto the Lord Blessed is he that consid- ereth the pcCr.' Again from his creed: To forget wrongs and to remember benefits. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you and pray for them that despiteful.y use and psrsecute you If thine enemy hunger feed him, if he thirst give him drink And Je- sus on the cross cried: Father. for give them; they know not what they do-' 'Tc Icve the truths, to utter hon est words, to be sincere, to love lib srty, to wage relentless war against slavery in all it's forms Bible: Be hold thou desirest truth in the inward parts. Speaking in truths in love with GOdly sincerity. Whatever ya would that men should do unto ycu. d. ye even 50 unto them There is not 3 Christian nor . church that might not adopt his creed as here de- .idred for each article is in strictest ( harmony with the book of Gcd from which 1t was carefully compiled. |
 But you say to me if 2 man with put Christianity CT the Bible through { most of his life can be so correct in creed and conduct, wherefore the ne ,eSsity fer either? Even as the effect