The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-17
REFERRED TO THE STORM
REV. VI. L.. HAINEs's FIRST SERMON
SINCE HIS VACATION.
He Spoke of the Fiendish Work of
Ghou1s at Galveston Drift OF
His Sermon.

"Coleridge was right when he said there
IL some of beast and some OF devil in
man." declared DR.. NJ. L. Haines in his SER
mon at the First Presbyterian Church yes
terday morning. "In proof of his asser-
tion," continued DR.. Haines, witness such
fiendish outbreaks of heartless greed as
those which took place in Galveston short
iy after that beautiful city had been laid
waste by the tornado and the flood. 1t is
said that fiends in human form mangled
and looted the bodies of the dead. But
Coleridge added also that there is some
OF the angel and some Of God in man. That
he was right in this also. witness the
magnificent gifts of generous helpfulness,
the great sums of money and supplies of
food, medicine and the furnishing of ply
sicians for the relief of the flood suf-
ferers."
DR.. Haines has been away several weeks
on his annual summer vacation and his
sermon yesterday morning was the first
after his return. He took for his text the
tenth verse of the sixth chapter of Mat
thew, 'Thy kingdom come" and spoke
substantially as follows:
WHO can think out and comprehend the
magnificent conception of the kingdom
OF God as it existed in the thought of
Christ? The church is part of that king
dom, the life of human society manifest in
the homes of the world is also a part, the
institutions and activities of industrial life
and the organizations of political and gov
ernmental life are also included In IL.
The kingdom of God as Christ thought of
II includes that which is highest and best
In every life. 1t is the spiritual empire of
God in this world. The kingdom of God in
essence is within you. A human soul per-
fectly ruled by God is the greatest thing in
the world. The kingdom works from within
outward, from the individual soul out into
the fashions and organizations of society.
So far as these are ruled by the mind and
spirit OF Christ the kingdom is established
1.-THE kingdom of God is now in the world
in imperfect forms and yet with all the
selfishness and evil mixed with il it is the
greatest thing in the world. Wherever truth
and purity and righteousness and sympathy
Sain sway there the kingdom has come to
that extent. The kingdom of God so far
as it is a reality in any individual soul, i'm
plies sovereignty on the one side and sub
mission on the other. This submission is rot
mere resignation to the inevitable: IL is
the voluntary acceptance by man of the
gracious will of God as his chief rule of
life.
do not divorce what Jesus Christ has
forever joined together-'Our Father Thy
kingdom come Every kingdom derives
its character from the character of it's
ruler. If he is a tyrant it will be a despot-
ism. If he is father, Ii will be home
If we really pray this prayer Thy kingdom
come ii will beget honest earnest effort
on our part to hasten its coming. The
prayer Is fitting one for us to take as a
combined motto and petition as we gather
together again In this church. We all have
mingled feelings in coming back into these
walls made sacred by years of associate
Since last we assembled in this room this
building has passed from our possession,
IL is no longer ours and we have but a
limited time in which to use Ii. My hope
is that the closing months of our life and
work as a church in this structure may be
the browning ones of all the three and
thirty years since the edifice was COM
pleted. The supreme purpose for which
church building exists is to aid in carry
ing forward the kingdom of God. / saw
not long since a gray-bearded veteran of
cur civil war standing before number of
younger men, He was speaking to them of
the opportunities that were now open to
them In America from which he and his
comrades by reason of their advanced years
and infirmities, were barred But he said,
Strengthening up, you young fellows can
never say what we graybeards cant
fought under Lincoln. the great 1t was
indeed wonderful privilege to have fought
under such q leader In the overthrow of
| slavery and the establishment of the States
of the American Republic as one undivided
and inseparable Nation. but, men and
| women, believe it. an even grander and
more glorious opportunity for heroic serv-
| ice and high achievement is open to you
and me. We can do something TO aid in
| the larger answer to that prayer of pray
| ers Our Father. Thy kingdom come"
DR.. Haines seems to have been greatly
benefited physically by his period of rest
| and recreation and to have returned with
| a determination to take up the work of
| his church with more than his former
aggressiveness. He called meetings for
| this week of all the societies connected
| with the church and announced his inten-
| ton to ~ present at each meeting. One
| of the new organizations formed in the
| first church is the Young Ladies' Mission
airy Society. This body has undertaken
| the unique and interesting task of support
| ing young woman from Porto Rico, who
| is in the city studying to become a kinder
| garten teacher. The young woman in uues-
| ton is making her home in the building
lately erected py w. III. Ballard in memory
of his daughter Bertha.