The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-22
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
EARTHEN VESSELS, WHY WORTH
LESS, AND WHY BEYOND PRICE.
By the Rev. Thomas Spencer, ID. D.,
Pastor of the First Methodist
Church, Petersburg, Va.

to describe by many different names. Note
the young mother, petting and fondling her
first-born baby. on whom the wealth of her
hearts affection is conferred. She cannot
find names enough among the endearing
words found in the dictionaries to address
her darling by, so she coins pet names Of
her own and pours them into baby's ear,
ringing the changes upon them and feeling
the inadequacy of them all, until to those
who are strangers to the great love that is
within her she almost seems beside herself.
And while she may, when she grows
older, smile at the extravaganza of the
young mothers who are just as ELUSIVE
as she was her inmost conscience will
neither condemn her nor them. 1t is
hard thing TO give worthy utterance to
an unutterable love. At first young moth
ers, like young lovers, try to express it.
Then, as they grow in their love, and the
fullness or it's revelations battles express
sion, they become like the most blessed of
all mothers, who saw wonderful things in
the eyes of her little baby boy and heard
wonderful words now and then fall from
his lips, but knew and chose better thing
than to tell those words abroad and kept
them as her own peculiar treasure, pom
dering them in her heart"
The Apostle Paul reminds of of
these young mothers when he is talking
about the gospel which Christ committed
into his keeping. He does not know any
adequate word by which to describe it. He
looks at the visions of beauty that it brings
into a mans life, and speaks of it as a
light" He looks at what it is worth to
a man and calls it treasure" He thinks
of what it can do and calls it power"
He compares it to other things that are
worthy to be had and to be spoken of. and.
finding it above them ALL calls it an excel
lency." And he names them sometimes so
close together that the names fall upon
the ear with a harmony like that of
beautiful peal of bells. Light, treasure,
power excellency-the four names all come
in this verse and the one preceding 1T, and
they are all applied to the gospel of Christ
Some people who really have this gospel
do not know what a treasure they possess.
They are like people blowing the soil and
earning by sweat of brow a scanty living
from the fruits of the ground, scarcely
enough to feed them and pay the interest
upon the mortgages by which their land
is encountered Some day when they are
in a deeper strait than usual, when a new
well is TO be dug or new ditch TO be
made, they come upon the discovery that
the land they own is rich In gold or COAL
The riches were there all the time, but
they toiled on above in poverty unknow-
ingly.
A GREAT TREASURE.
So it is that whoever has the gospel of
Christ has in it a great treasure, probably
very much greater treasure than he
knows. This nineteenth century is draw
ing out of the treasury of the gospel some
blessings that the first century did not
know and for which it was not prepared
blessings that the Lord does not give US
until we are able to bear them and have
willingness TO receive them.
While what the apostle says in this text
may be said of any Christian Of any age,
he was then speaking especially of the men
of his own age. and not so much of those
who received the gospel as of those who,
like himself had been sent forth TO preach
1t. And never was great movement in
the worlds history set in motion through
such inadequate agents as those who made
the first proclamation of the gospel
1t was somewhat different with st. Paul.
He was a great man, great In intellect and
zeal and courage even before God revealed
to him the light of the gospel. Yet before
Pauls conversion the gospel had won
honor They who had proclaimed 1t were
but poor. ignorant fishermen who added
cowardice to ignorance until the spirit OF
the vessels in which was first borne to men
the rich treasure of the gospel of Christ.
And though Paul was in many things
different from them and filter than they
to become the leader of great movement,
he himself counted nothing of the differ
ence, but humbly took his place among
them, and said of himself, as we'll as of
them: I'VE have this treasure in earthen
vessels
There is in the words a disclaimer of
credit. An earthen vessel is a common
vessel, worth in itself but little, and valu-
able only for what Ii holds. That Is the
leading idea of this comparison; and it is
one very important for us TO get good hold
of. The less we think Of ourselves, and
the more we think of the gospel that by
Gods grace is in u.s. the more good that
gospel will do to us and to others Alas,
that IL seems to be the care of some who
are charged to bear this gospel to make
the adornments of the vessel that bears
ii prominent as to divert attention from
the gospel itself, so that the sacred service
of the house of God becomes simply an
entertainment to please mems ears, and
its decorations simply an aesthetic feast
for mems eyes. ''To beautify the place of
his sanctuary and to provide exalting
music and uplifting ceremonies-this is,
indeed, fitting tribute to the Most High
and an aid to sincere devotion; 1T is only
to be condemned when employed purely as
eye-service, Ito be seen of men'-outward
display and ostentatious form supplanting
the pure worship of adoring hearts.
THE IMPORTANT THING.
In the Cathedral at Milan some of the
most beautiful and artistic decorations
are high up on the roof, where the man
who passes by on the street can scarcely ]
see them. The story Is told that an
American traveller once asked one of the
vergers or caretakers there: 'Why do you
have the most beautiful decorations where
almost no one can see them?" He re-
ceived the answer: "This is a house built
TO the glory of God-not to the glory of
men; none of its beauties are hidden from
his sight-that is the important thing"
More regard for what God Sees and less
for what man sees, is needed in the world
to-day; less care for the outward vessel,
and more for the treasure ii contains.
However much care we expend upon the
vessel, ii does not begin to compare with
the treasure.
And, after all. there is nothing that I'm
presses our fellow-men more than gen.
uineness and adherence of all pretence.
The preacher out of whose heart comes
the JUNCTION and power of the gospel,
though he lack the finer elegances of
speech or manner, will command attention
as one of polished but less sympathetic
utterance cannot. Men will bear with a
little crudeness of diction or awkwardness
of gesture If they receive the power and
sweetness of the gospel in the words thai
are spoken and If they see its peace shin
ing in the face of the man who speaks
to them. Witness the wonderful power