The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-01
SERMON ON NEW CENTURY
DISCOURSE OF REV. r. J. vuLEas,
or THE FIRST BAPTIST cHuRcn.
some OF the Problems Confronting
the Christian Church Discussed
by the Pastor.

Rev. I. ]. villers, of the First Baptist
Church, preached a sermon yesterday
touching on the opening Of the new GEN.
fury and the problems confronting the
Christian church. He said in Fart:
ION Whittier's eighty-fourth birthday
Holmes sent him a deter, saying: L con-
graduate you on having climbed another
glacier and crossed another crevasse in
the ascent of the white summit which al
ready begins to see the morning twilight
OF the coming century. Since that con-
graduation was offered we have crossed
seven more crevasses and, having almost
completed the ascent, can now see the RS
ing sun of the new century piercing. with
an eye of fire, nights shadows through
and through. Standing on this mount of
vision. we, as children of light, cannot
help projecting ourselves into the future
and raising inquiries regarding the prcg-
ress of the kingdom. Ii has seemed 10 me
that If the church during the apps sacl.-
deeds, he membership must be character
lied by seven words, the first letters OF
which spell the word Baptist.
These words, Mr.. Villers said, were:
telligent songful and triumphant. Continu-
Ing, he said: Reviewing and knowing our
Bible we must believe 1t from the heart If
we are to be serviceable in the coming
age. In enumerating the secrets of Moody S
power, his pastor said at the funeral of
this, the greatest of evangelists: He be-
lieved in the divine authority of the
Scriptures. The Bible was to him the voice
OF God and he made 1t resound as such in
| the consciences of men, No man can
achieve as Moody achieved who does not
believe as Moody believed 4 have noticed,
| remarked farmer. that as soon as a
| man begins to doubt any of the fundamen-
tai truths. of Christianity he is unhitched
from further usefulness in the kingdom.
We live in times of doubt and strife; in
times when Scripture Is assailed as a
"a
times when the doctrine of the cross Is
| gaiusaid as religion of the shambles: in
times when schools of critics are turned
into workshops where nails may be forged
and spears sharpened for the crucifying of
Christ afresh; in times when the author of
the so-called w0man's Bible tells US that
the conversations with God reported by
Hebrew prophets are only pigments of the
prophetic imagination; in times when q
New York editor publishes his opinion that
| the immaculate conception of Jesus is
not vital question; in times when Chi
cago professor of theology has made the
startling discovery that man may doubt
the immaculate conception, the miracle.
and the resurrection Of Christ, and yet
have saving faith in Him. II we share
such doubts, punctuating our Bibles with
question marks instead of periods we shall
go into the new century with a mutilated
gospel and shall carry no blessing with
us.
CAUSES Or POVERTY.
I'm his work on American charities
Amos Warner mentioned among the causas
of poverty shiftlessness. the social evil, the
use of intoxicants and narcotics, poor sani-
tation, bad associations, imperfect legis-
lation, imperfect judicial machinery. ina6-
equate education, the undue power of class
over class, and unwise philanthropy. The
solution of a practical problem like this,
with its multiform causes. demands the
energy and cooperative devotion of all
who have our Lord in uncorruptness. Only
as Christians settle such questions of pub
lie policy and reformatory legislation, will
they be rightly settled, for the social prob
lens of the world are, at foot, moral and
religious questions and the sores of civil
lzed and heather societies can be healed
only by the touch of the Savior's hand.
That hand the church holds. The day is
gone when a church can mold the in
dividual and organized activities of com
munity BY holding little prayer rneoting,
nursing feeble Sunday school and preach
ing two sermons a week. This is an age
of manifold changing needs, an era of elec-
tricity and rapid transit, and the church
which does not minister to mems bodily,
social, intellectual and spiritual necessi-
ties, will find itself among the uncalled-f0r
baggage when the limited express has
gone by.
"In the transformation of individuals, in
the education. in the STANDARDIZATION of the
church, in the Characterization Of social
institutions, in the humanization OF laws,
| national and international, and in the
worldwide proclamation of the gospel OF
| the kingdom, We already task the powers
| this world. merged in the Kingdom of oitr
God and His Christ, shat lift earths dia-
dem to the brow of HI whose unpillowed
head was once girt WIN thorns IN death"