The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-25
DIR. H. A. BTJCHTEL HEARD
HE Is NOW CHANCELLOR OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER.
breaches mt CentraI-Avenue Method
list, Where He Was Formerly Pas
tor-Other Church Services.

Church. The event was of more than ordi-
nary interest because OF the fact that
little less than five years ago DR.. Buchtel
was the regular pastor of the church. His
return to his former pulpit and charge was.
therefore, in the nature of a homecoming.
and this feature was accumulated by the
unusually large congregation and the cor
dial greeting extended to DR.. Buchtel at
the close of the services.
During the past two months DR.. Buchtel
has suffered a number of Affections. On
Feb. 13 he received news of the death, at
Greencastle. Ind. of his son, aged five.
who was with Mrs. Buchtel and her
daughter. the latter a student in De Paw
University. The daughter is a sufferer
from heart trouble and cannot Withstand
the rarefied atmosphere of Colorado, so
that she and Mrs. Buchtel will remain at
Greencastle after the departure of DR..
Buchtel. When asked yesterday as TO the
time of his return TO Colorado. DIR. Buchtel
said: II shall return this afternoon. l
must get back to my duties because
have been out practically two months.
had been i'll myself for about month be-
fore my little son died"
THE SERMON.
DIR. Buchtel took as the text for his SER
mon Phil. iv, 10: But my God shall sup
ply all your need according to His riches in
glory by Jesus Christ" He spoke, in part,
as follows:
Men of the best quality must be fire.
quently asking themselves the most serious
questions about the present needs Of relig-
lon and these questions Will become more
direct and more searching as we grow In
a al Afnr r1aafn r1xrh ~
moral cipher, and Ii Is true, IL God
word be true-and we have no hesitation
about that-it is true also that just any
body can be an integral force in the moral
order of his times IL he really desires to
be. So TO drift with the tide, that is one
thing; IL requires no effort whatsoever. To
so against the tide. to make the world
good, to help every body whose life We
touch into the highest and best view of
life-that requires some definite and spe-
cific effort II we were TO write out here
this morning what we severally considered
10 be the present needs or religion In the
world l think we would be greatly sur
prised TO see whS variety of answers
We should have 10 that always present
and always living question. When we come
TO inspect these answers in a critical way
1 think we would be surprised TO notice
what a disposition we all have TO put show
in the place of substance and what a dis
position We have TO count as fundamental
necessities what are only imaginary neces-
sites, and what disposition we all have
to desire the things that are of absolutely
no value whatsoever and to turn aside from
the things which really make religion to be
strong In the earth and which God desires
to give us in the same abundant degree
which He supplies us with the air and
sunshine about us on every side.
ANY true picture which we can make
OF God can never by anywhere near the
fact Indeed. the method by which we
determine our own growth in the things
which made for character is in contrast
ing the view of God which we hold at one
time in our career with the view which we
hold at another time. If our picture of
God makes Him increasingly beautiful and
IL our picture of God represents Him as
infinitely resourceful, so that all the best
things are the things which He is con-
our picture of God t AND If that grows ' as rs
We ourselves grow in strength and in SYM
metry of character, and in ChristlikenesS.
growing in grace and in the knowledge of
the truth. II God be infinitely good, then
He must desire our highest and best good.
and If God be infinitely wise, then it must
necessarily be that He Is pleased when
We put substance down for substance and
when We never put show in the place of
substance, and If He be infinitely wise and
then He must have the power to help
men to grow better and better as time
goes on. and to make religion. to be more
and more beautiful in the eyes of men,
so that the church shall grow stronger
and stronger time goes on.
PLAIN AXIOMS.
"Now suppose any man who has satu-
rated himself with the truth of Gods word
cannot avoid admitting that all these dec
larations are the plainest axioms that come
out of the reading of Gods word. If we
were to write out this morning what we
conceive to be the present needs of religion
L suppose a good many of us would ex-
press 1t TO be our judgment that one OF
the things religion needs is more dramatic
vindication. Such a dramatic vindication
as, for example. Jesus gave in His miracles
We are so attached TO the spirit of the
world, so saturated with the worlds ideas
and ideals from the fact that We are envir-
oned by the world on every SIDE that we
are prone to imagine that religion will
make its progress everything else makes
its progress. The political party makes
its Roadway in a dramatic way and we
imagine, many of us, that religion could
make gains in the same way. But l an
sure that when we look at the matter
Alright shall come TO the conclusion that
religion never needs anything of that sort
that 1t is a harm 20 real religion rather
than advantage to 1t. Religion is doing
| Justly and walking huLnbly before God. Re-
| ligion does not seek TO display itself with
a brass band and make spectacular ex-
| hibition of itself. Religion seeks TO make
| character and so 1t does not seek the
| different view of life, and We must say
| then that religion does not need any dra
matte vindication, that IL does not need, In
| q word, any more evidences than IL has
| III has evidence and abundance OF 1t, oil
every conceivable variety. 1t has variety
| of evidences that we call historical. We
| notice that just precisely as the gospel OF
| Jesus Christ has had it's opportunity il
! the lives of men and in the government o.
| the earth, just so far has the world becom.
a good place to live in
there Is a succession
| evidences that We call experimental Mel
| who desire to know the truth about re
| ligion can ascertain the truth about religion
| any day In about ten minutes time.
| only requires sincerity and candor, anC
| that is the difficult thing to secure. Yol
remember how during the lifetime OF oul
| Lord the most spectacular things about Hi:
| life did not make any impression upon ths
| minds of men that were insincere and un
| candid. When the Lord appeared on tn.
Mount of Olivet-of all miracles We car
| dream of there is nothing like the ascen
| sion-and when the great group OF beiev
| ers stood there looking at Him the record
| says that as they looked some doubted
/ that is TO say, the men that were uncandi(
/ and insincere In the face of Christ wer,
| not affected by it. So wherever there ar,
| men who are candid and wherever Their,
| are men who are sincere you will find tina
| they never have any difficulty in arriving a
| the real value of religion. Religion does
not need any vindication and does not neet
| any additional evidence beyond what tn.
| good God has been pleased TO give us now
"Then / presume there are others VIII,
| would be disposed TO say that one of tn
things religion needs is more marks of ex
1 ternal unity. Many men affect 10 thinl
/ that some great calamity came over tn
church in the breaking up of the churcI
into various bodies, so tnat the variet,