The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-16
SON OF THE GOVERNOR
Is PREACHING NIGHTLY AT THE
GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
to the Discourse-Rcvival
Services.

ntN. Ildli ~ 4V0fA HoStOA Va IAN 49,
Presbyterian Church at Connersville. is as
sisting his former classmate in college,
Rev. w. NJ. Elliott. in a series Of revival
services which the latter is conducting this
week in Grace Presbyterian Church. corner
of Capitol avenue and Thirty-second street
Grace Church is not very large and the
membership is in proportion to the size of
the building, but Mr.. Elliott is a young
man. full of zeal for the work in which he
is engaged, and confidently expects the
meetings now being held to result in a ma
terial increase of membership. The edifce
in which Mr.. Mount is preaching every
night this week Is very new, having been
occupied only since the 10th Of last Decem-
Der. 1t is a substantial structure. well
lighted. furnished and heated. and the con-
gregation seems proud Of the house of wor-
ship that has been built by its own efforts.
Mr.. Mount took for his subject the strik-
ing story in the Book of Judges of Gideon's
defeat of the Midianites, aided simply by
three hundred picked soldiers and Gods
promise of victory. He prefaced his dis
course by an account of the manner in
which the Lord weeded the unworthy SOL
diers from Gideon's great army of 5000
men by various tests, finally selecting three
hund1ed because in drinking water they
Tapped it like dogs, instead of taking the
time to dip it up in their hands, thus DEM
onstrating that they had duty instead of
their personal comfort always before their
eyes.
Three hundred men alive to the situa-
ton and intensely in earnest were better
than $1,000 towards. s~luggards or Indifferent
men," said the minister. He then described
Gideon's singular methods of warfare-he
and his men advancing upon the enemy
with no arms except trumpet and pitchers
containing lamps, suddenly blowing the
trumpet and breaking the pitchers, thus
revealing the three hundred flashing lights,
the noise and brilliant illumination COM
bining to so confuse their foes that they
fought each other and were conquered by
the little band without the striking of a
blow. Coming to the main part of his
theme Mr.. Mount said:
A GREAT BATTLE.
THE first thought that we have is that
God is even now going to win a great VIC
tory. There is a great battle going on in
the world. God on the one hand. Satan on
the other; righteousness on the one hand
and sin on the other are the two combat
ants, and it is a fierce conflict. It has
AoSOA eaAOd6h al iiuS y COICtILS every
man.. woman and child. and 1t is to be a
battle unto death. There will be no drawn,
no doubtful issue; either Christ must reign
until every enemy is put under His feet or
else until He Is dethrOned and every YES
tige of righteousness is swept from earth.
But We are assured that this is to be a VIC
tory for God and goodness. The Kingdoms
of this world are to become the kingdoms
OF our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and
righteousness is to be enthroned in every
heart. 1t is true there are many who can't
see any signs that we are drawing towards
this grand contamination. Many say tina
the world is growing worse and worse and
sooner or later they expect to see every
thing go tumbling down around about us In
irretrievable chaos and confusion. Even
SO great and granu a man as DIR. Wilbur
Chapman has said that there is not a man
In Christendom who can keep his faith I'm
God and look down, and perhaps he meant
all right, but V sounds bad. If he meant
that no man can keep his faith and not
look up to Coo, the source of all strength,
ne is correct, but il he meant that no man
could take a calm, dispassionate view of
things as they stand in the world to-day
and still believe that God rules and reigns,
then l have no sympathy with the remark
at all. 1 believe there is more righteous
ness In the world to-day than there was
yesterday. and that there will be more
righteousness in the world tomorrow than
there is to-day"
The minister also said that the reason
NOQ SeleclSQ so lew men 10 accompany
Gideon was in order that they might not
be given an opportunity to imagine that the
victory was gained by their unaided eff
forts. The minister called attention to the
fact that the men who stopped to drink
water in a leisurely fashion were not
chosen and urged that the reason for this
was that they depended too much upon
Gods promise Of assistance. He insisted
that Christians can err in believing too
much as well in believing too little in Gods
word.
HIS CONCLUSION.
In concluding his sermon, which was a
simple but powerful presentation of scrip
tural truth. the preacher said:
And now lastly we nave the third class
the noble three hundred. All hail to those
three hundred. They believed God. they had
a strong faith in God and they didn't allow
their faith to take such a form as to pre-
Guide the necessity for their obeying the
of God, and when God gave
them a work to do through Gideon. they
We're willing to do with their might what
their hands found to do, no matter what II
was and, having lone all they could, to
leave the issues of the conflict 10 God. who
never failed. There are four characteristic
of those men. and they are found i'm these
words, sounding trumpets.' crashing
pitchers shouting men and shining
lights We shall notice, perhaps, just two
OF these. When these trumpet were put
into their hands to be blown ii was the in
dication of expectation. They expected VIC
tory and usually, We know, in this world a
man gets what he expects. Then there
We're shining lights. Their lights were
hidden from the enemy and from the world
in those pitchers. but there came a time
when their leader Gideon broke his pitcher
and all the multitude following him broke
their pitchers and the enemy saw the light.
And l think the blessed Son of God, in
whose heart there was a light of life and
love for the world-but the world couldn't
see il until He went that weary way up
rugged calvary and broke His great, low
ing heart that the light of love might shine
out to the world. that men might see IL
and know He loved the world and then
every one who follows Him as the great
leader has a Gethsemane and Calvary to
reach. oh, friends, will we be willing to-
night to go down into our Gethsemane,
where We will pray. Not my will, but
Thine be done? VIII we be willing to climb
the rugged calvary of our self-cruciixion
and there break our hard hearts and Wills.
that the light of the blessed Son OF God
may shine out through US into the world?
This is the work TO which God calls US as
His ervants tonight. to every one of us
to give our lights to Him that they may
| shine before men, that others seeing our
good works may be constrained to glorify
the Father which is in heaven"
Governor Mount was an attentive listener
to his sons discourse. and his face plainly
indicated the pleasure he felt. Young Mr..
Mount will preach at the same place every
night during the remainder OF the week.
n