The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-01

Remarks Of the Pastor, Rev. George
M. Smith, Yesterday Morning.


Rev. George Nj. Smith. pastor of HALL
place NJ, e. Church. preached yesterday
morning from the following text, found in
Hebrews viii, 5; See thou make all things
according to the pattern showed thee in
the mount" The pastor said in part:
cit Is not easy to think in the alb
stract. Man naturally seeks an embodi-
menet of his ideas. The old Greeks and Ro-
mans peopled all creation with gods and
heroes. We ourselves are not entirely free
from the mythical. Our federal govern
is personifed in Uncle Sam tall. gaunt, in
domitable. Our federal government as the
guardian of the rights and liberties of the
American people is represented by CO.
lumbia. fair, beautiful and almost divine.
Our idea of time is embodied in an old man
with wrinkied brow, long flowing beard
and white locks falling over his shoulders.
In his hand he holds scythe ready for the
harvest. L saw the old year dying. He was
lying upon q couch OF withered leaves
Over him stretched the bare branches of
the trees as though they would shelter
him from the cold and the snow. The
wintry winds as they swept by moaned
like mother weeping for her slain. Min
lister of God said the dying year, the mid
night hour Is coming and i must depart
forever Hear my last message. / came
from heaven to bring to man the goodness
of God. L have performed my duty faith
fully and well. When am gone tell the
world l will return never again. Tell the
sinner he is now one year nearer the des-
tiny of the wicked. Tell the righteous that
as swept by like moving train / bore
them far onward and upward tleir Ia
theirs house of many mansions. Tell the
mourner that the trusting loved ones
caught up from his side / have given into
the hands of a loving Father. Finally, tell
the world when am gone not 10 weep Tor
me, but to welcome with JOY my success
sor. the new year, that comes as l came,
laden with the goodness OF God. Tell men
and women to give God all their affections,
their love and their lives and soon some
happy year will bear them to that brighter
world where the years never roll and the
inhabitants never grow Old.
81 propose the text as 4 motto for the
new year, See thou make all things ac-
cordng to the pattern showed thee in the
mount There are three elements essen
tial TO a perfect workman, faithfulness.
skill and a perfect pattern. Moses had
these essential elements. He was faith
ful leader He commanded the skill of all
the artisans of the nation and God gave
the perfect pattern for the tabernacle. But
Moses might have cast that pattern aside
and made out plans and specifications OF
his own and built magnificeney; built so
ali the people wound have appiauded the
builder: yet God would have all the time
judged the building by that one standard,
the pattern given in the mount.
Every person may have the three es-
sential elements of success. We can be
faithful. Faithfulness develops skill and
God gives the perfect pattern OF our lives
which is Jesus Christ. If ii IS true that in
the mind of God there is pattern of my
life as there was of the tabernacle. can
see that pattern or must 1 go on guessing
and laundering and trembling to know
that some day / am to be judged by a
standard / have never seen? No, there is
mount where the secret plan OF my life
is revealed. AS the mountain is where the
bending heavens seem to touch the earth.
so Christ is the meeting place OF divinity
and humanity and there above the world
| in Him we sec Gods idea of a per-
| feet man. We may have our personalities
and problems peculiar to ourselves, but
| when we have with our best intelligence
| harmonized our lives with the Christ life,
we have done the viii of God. When the
building or the tabernacle Tagged Moses
could go up into the mount ana view the
pattern again. How much greater our priv
ilege? Hour by hour and moment by mo-
ment We may look above the poorer reali-
! ties OF the world to our perfect pattern
/ to heavens idea and build safely and build
/ gloriously for eternity"