The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-08
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
PREACHING MANHOOD. TRUE PRAC-
TICAL AND DOCTRINAL LIFE.
By Rev. A. j. Rowland, ID. D., Secre.
tary American baptist Publication
society, Philadelphia, Pa.

Watch We, stand fast in the faith, quit
you like men, be strong; let all your things
be done with love.-I. Cor. xvi, l5-li.
To the casual reader these words of the
great apostle doubtless seem to be only
very warm. but disconnected, exhortations
tc duty. But a little closer study viii re-
veal a logical connection between them.
The Christian life is both practical and
doctrinal, and should be both defensive
and aggressive. Surprising, now, that the
apostle is DESTROYS Of urging the develop
ment of a complete Christian life and char
acter; We see at once that his sharp and
stirring sentences are admirably grouped TO
accomplish that design.
Watch ye' is an exhortation to MAIN
tain a defensive practical life. and stand
fast in the faith one to maintain as we'll
a defensive doctrinal life. "Quit you like
men" looks to aggressive practical life.
and be strong" to advance along the lines
of truth or doctrine. And then, as in the
maturing of character there is need of the
general governing principle of love, the
exhortation follows: Let all your things
be lone i'm love"
In other words, Paul has before his eyes
in the writing of these words. a true Chris
tian manhood which not only defends tt
self against the temptations of practical
life and maintains itself on the basis of
gospel truth. but which makes itself felt
in aggressive work for humanity, and is
constantly Strengthening and enlarging
its doctrinal views, and which is to be
brought to it's highest possible develop
ment under the rule of love.
Insomuch as the attainment OF such a
manhood or character is the goal which
God has set before every human being. it
Will be we'll for us to see what these sew
eral precepts include and involve.
PRACTICAL AND DOCTRINAL.
First, then. in order to reach true man
hood We must maintain q defensive prac-
teal life-watch. Every man occupies the
position of an army in the enemy's coun-
try. All around him are foes. There are
three corps of these under the command of
three most successful generals-the world,
the flesh and the devil. Unless he defend
himself against these foes his Christian
life will amount to nothing, and attainment
of the highest manhood-a true Christian
manh0od-be an impoSsibility. The first
duty laid upon us, then, is to be watchful.
The second is to maintain a defensive
NbllH Lle-Sldnu last IN our Idltl. Inc
connection between doctrine and practice
Is very close. Christian life at its begin
ming is based upon the intelligent recep-
ton of certain great truths of the word of
Goa. only when these truths have been
crystallized by years of thought and study
into well-understood and defined convic-
tons can there be any real strength. All
the great characters that ever lived nave
been men who made for themselves a basis
of truth, and then stood up against all
odds to defend and, If need be, die for ii.
What this age is specially needing is that
every man get a faith of his own and
stand fast by it. Without this anything
like stalwart manhood is impossible.
NOW comes the third tep-the advance
the aggressive in practical life. Quit you
like men" A very poor soldier would he
be who remained forever behind the in
trenchments You must give him the or
der Wellington is said to nave given at
Waterloo: up. boys, and at them!' and
see that he obeyS it, if you want to make
a veteran of him.. So no Christian can be
a complete Christian until he takes the
necessary. We need devotion, but we need
activity quite as much. Unless we put the
life we have into constant exercise, we
may possibly keep it pure, but it will be
very puny. What we need to do. therefore,
is to acquit ourselves like men. The ex-
hortation seems to regard men as drawn
up In line of battle just at the beginning
like a complete Christian character we
must heed its stirring call and go forth
TO struggle and duty.
BE AGGRESSIVE.
Fourth, 'be strong'-maintain an agrees
sive doctrinal life at the same time. Our
characters will depend very largely upon
the extent of our creeds and the mastery
we have/o of the articles composing them.
No man could be a sectarian exclusivist
who believed in something beside the doc
trfne OF election, or who saw the full bear
ings even of that. A bigot is generally a
man whose mind is only large enough to
receive the half of a truth, whose vision
has been distorted by education, or who
is too prejudiced or too lazy to study
truth on all sides.
To be true Christians in harmony with
the age in which we live, we must, there
fore. make ourselves strong by aggressive
doctrinal work-work which can only be
done by persistent study. Unless we give
ourselves to such study our whole life must
suffer. Hearts are like locomotives. need
ing to be fed, and when the fuel of truth is
no longer supplied, action must cease.
And now, last Of all, the entire develop
ment of our life and character must be
under the governing principle of love. LET
Of watchfulness. love must stand by us.
As we make up our creed and resolutely
maintain 1T. love must dwell in our hearts.
When we seek to quit ourselves like men,
love must m us. Against the danger
of dogmatism. when we strive to be strong
in the truth, love must preserve us.
In q word, love must be the electric cur
rent which shall bring to the specialization
of a beautiful character all the influences
and products and experiences our souls
can know. Without this central principle
of love a true Christian manhood can
never be attained.
BY obeying these precepts of the apostle,
then, and In the order he has named them,
we may reach something like completeness
of life and character. Outside of those lines
such completeness can never be won.
If ii is worth anything. in time and eter-
nifty, to be true. broad, earnest, enthusiast
tic and successful Christian men and wom-
en-. We will take these precepts to heart and
translate them into conduct.
OF Course.
Kansas City Journal