The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-28
in THE CITY'S PULPITS
A LARGE ATTENDANCE At THE SEC
OND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
DIR. Milburn's Subject Was s.For God
Is LCye"-Sermon by DIR. Quay1c
Other Services.


of Chicago brought out the full membership
yesterday morning at Second Presbyterian
Church. The seating space of the large au-
ditorium was almost filled. A splendid
musical programme was rendered by the
quartet. a conspicuous feature of which
was the delightful singing of Mr.. Louis j.
Dochez. Mr.. Milburns subject and text
were the words, For God Is Love" His
discourse was pitched on high plane of
optimism and abounded in helpful thoughts
clothed in picturesque and elegant diction.
He said, in part:
There are many ways in which we may
think of God. We may think of God as
sovereign and that He is a great God.
like to think that God is great Master Of
the ship of the universe. 1 like to think
that He has built her and that He is sailing
her and that He is going TO bring her home.
I like to think of the greatest man, but it is
sweet and comforting to know that man is
but mere atom in the presence of God and
one of the most inspiring and uplifting
thoughts is the thought of the divine SOW
ereign.
1--WE can think, too, of God as truth. l
confined to this book or that book. to this
system or that system. to this creed or that
creed. We have the truth. They have not
the truth. The truth is here. There the
truth is not to be found But, not in any
book, not in any part of all the world, not
in any sect or creed or denomination is to
be found the truth. God himself is the
truth, and. therefore, my beloved friends,
we may be sure that, because God is truth
and because truth cannot be detached from
God, that truth will win out In its great
battle and its great controversy with error
and falsehood.
AS JUSTICE.
1--WE can think of God as justice, and that
is a great thought. like to think of God
as holding the balance. fear before Him
when 1 think and 1 know that God AL
mighty is bound to have me right. no mat
ter at what cost, and bound to have you
right, no matter at what cost-if He has to
send you through fire, well, then, through
fire you will go if it requires fire to make
you a white-hearted man and a fair-spir-
tied woman. Thank God for the justice of
the everlasting!
But If ii be a great thing to contemplate
God as the sovereign, or as truth or as JUS
tice, ah! there is one truth, one contempla-
ton of Him that is altogether the most
beautiful, and that contemplation is the con-
temptation of God as love. / like TO think
Of Him best as love. Power? Yes. Sow
Yes. Truth? Yes. Justice? Yes.
Thou are just and powerful and wise, but
oh. Thou art so much more than all that,
and this Thou art, the great God the ever
lasting Father, Thou art love, and that is
the ultimate thought, that is the goal
which all the churches are striving for
these days. Love surging in the
heart of God sent Him on His mission OF
to His Children. The revelation
of God is bound up with the love of God,
and If God is not a lover that word Is
great falsehood and great lie
ANOTHER thing I wish TO say to you Is
this. that the love of God is the only love
that you and I have the Cisciplines of
life Now there is a great part of life
that does not need any philosophy what
ever. There are some things that, consti-
tuted as they are, do not need any explana-
ton. The light OF day needs no explana-
ton. The. light is lovely 20 the eye and
the sun is pleasant to the gaze. A sweet.
beautiful landscape needs no explanation.
IL is its own philosophy, IL is its own raison
q 'etre. 1t needs no one to unfold its pur-
pose Here is a man who mas good Tor
tune His good fortune needs TO explana-
ton He has accumulated riches. They
are their own vindication 1t is such
natural and proper thing to-be ricn. sucn
a natural and proper and inevitable thing
to be in good fortune or to be lucky. Pleas
needs no explanation, because it seems so
natural that the child of God should bask
In the light of God and that the heir or
God should be conscious of the favor OF
ANOTHER SIDE OF LIFE.
..But now there Is another side of life,
and YOU are going to think about it. You
are going to know something about it.
tell you that God Almighty will not al
IJe
emile. but He has a much more serious
business for you here upon this planet
earth. There is coming a time when God
Almighty will hold you in derision, each
and every one of you, when you will no
longer smiles, but when you will bite the
dust and cry out, oh, God. my Father.
what doth it mean?' There are some things
that need explanation. Adversely is one.
Why is a man born into this world but
a few years but to be buffeted all the
while? i have been buffeted a great deal.
and. oh, get so tired, get so worn. get so
weary. / so often cry out TO God, Why
not let me sail along more smoothly; why
these rough waves% And yet God has been
good to me, wonderfully kind
to- ue-oh so good; oh, so kind. / could
aot unfold my blessedness and my con-
sciousness of gratitude to God. Oh, He
has been SO good! But, good as He has
been / have been conscious, and you will
be conscious, of the universities of life. And
now that thing that needs explanation Is
sorrow. Oh, so much OF 1t, so very much
Of it, and such strange, strange sorrow,
such queer sorrow, such inexplicable sor-
Now. there is another thing that flows
out of this truth of Gods love for us, and
that is this-it is the great confirmation of
cur belief I'm the immortality OF the human
soul, and l want you my dear friends. TO
get this belief deeply imbedded in your
Minds because you will need ii. There
was time when 1 did not care very much
apout this hoLe, and not so long ago.
here time that did not believe it
was so very vital to you and to me
whether we held this hope with great in
tensity. Not that I doubted It, Never
But then / had the impression that we were
on this planet here and that we had prob
lem TO solve. and that were to concern
ourselves with the things of this life, and
not to bother ourselves TOO much with
the life that is TO come; and while / believe
Today that our task is here, while 1 be-
IIeve to-day that our work is here, while /
believe to-day that the religion OF Jesus of
and with me now In this physical sphere. yet
HOPE OF IMMORTALITY.
..I also believe that no man can live
great. beautiful life, a happy. strong, Wig
orous and jocund life unless he lives it in
the power OF the hope of immortality. 1t
Is a most important belief: first, in the
OF the human spirit, and.
second. of all and far more important,
for if it were not a matter of great i'm
portance, whether We should be blotted out
or no. there are those we love whom we
do not wish TO be blotted out. Life's pas
sions its love. its affinities make this hone
Of In n nd