The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-05
THE DEBT TO THE UNWISE
TOPIC OF DISCOURSE PREACHED BY
REV. b. A. JENKINS YESTERDAY.
Services Held at Plymouth Church.
Remarks of Rev. &. w. Tinsley mt
FIetcher-Place Church.

Rev Burris A. Jenkins preached at
Plymouth Church yesterday morning. TAX
ing for his text the fourteenth verse of the
first chapter of Romans. His subject was
debt to Unwise." In part he said:
christianity is. 1 believe, the only re-
ligion in the world which in it's purity has
put no premium upon wisdom. In India
the Brahmin is the privileged and he only
is the hottest Brahmin who knows the
sacred books, the ancient love of this re-
ligion-in short. who is wise. In China
who is the great man? Is it not he who is
entitled TO wear the little button on his
cap, the mandarin, the wise man who has
formed the incredible feat of memorizing
the voluminous ancient classics? And
even in Israel the favored class were the
teachers, the rabbis who knew the law.
These rabbis were followed with the great
est reverence and respect, and q man must
leave father or mother In distress to assist
the rabbi. They were learned men, and
they said so often until it passed prac-
tieally into AT a proverb spoken con.
knoweth not the law are curse That
knoweth not the law! 1t was knowledge,
wisdom that was the test.
Not so with Christianity 1t was not
scholars that the founder of Christianity
chose to spread His religion, but simple
hearted men, wiser oftentimes no doubt
than the wise men of their generation, the
children of the world. Nevertheless the
constant tendency of Christianity has been
to revert to the old-fashioned type of in
tellectual test-to measure men by their
wisdom and knowledge.
Naturally the most fragrant foolishness
with which called upon to bear is
the foolishness of the man who differs
from us in our religious or political belief
OF course he is the most foolish man in
the world and federation of him is extreme
ly hard. You have seen debates of men
over religious question hotter than
perhaps over any other, each man thinking
the other most unwise to hold such mar
row views. 1t makes no difference which
Is the conservative and which the radical
there are plenty of narrow men I'm both
camps. Forbear with the fool. God help
Thy foolish ones to bear Thy light Yes,
and help them to bear each others dark
ness. This forbearance, moreover, before
must be not merely the Withholding of in
reference i'm the beliefs of others, but it
must mean the power to sympathize with
these beliefs, enter into them, see the
truth in them. The thinking people of this
city are hoping and indeed expecting that
shall be heard from the Plymouth pulpit
like-well, like the voice of NJ. j. Savage
as 1t used to ring out for many young
man of us in Boston with Helps by the
Way
What is the debt of this church save
the debt of enlightenment of the unwise,
OF sympathy for the straying, the obliga-
ton to open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears,
preach deliverance to captives and raise
the dead. And, after all, I'm proportion to
its opportunities this is but the debt of
every church. the debt of every individual
who is in any degree wise. They that be
wise shall shine as the brightness of the
armament and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars forever and
ever"