The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-16
made the early martyrs OF the church The
poet. has well eulogized this trait in human

character:
ITO thine own self be true,
And II will follow as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
SECRET OF PERSECUTION.
I'VE have here suggested also the secret
Of the persecution and inquisition OF which
the church was guilty God save the mark
during the middle ages, when men were put
upon the rack and imprisoned and put to
death because they could not accept all the
teachings of the church. Crotius declares
that during the reign of Charles of
France there were one hundred thousand
victims of the Inquisition. Even church
fathers and Christian emperors of Rome
thought the man or woman worthy OF pun
ishment and death who dared exercise his
own mind as to the teachings of the Bible.
We have learned of better way, or are
fast learning II. The bitter polemical spirit
that has characterized theological discus
sion In the past is giving way TO an Irenic
spirit. We are, in other words, holding
truth in love- Truth or intellectual convic-
ton in itself is something hard and infiex-
ible; truth, softened by charity or love, Is
beautiful and divine.
One says well: In the contemplation
and love Of truth each Of US is alone; in
love. on the contrary, We deny and sacrifice
manity or in God A second purpose Of
the church of Christ on earth is the sal
walton of men: This is a faithful saying
and worthy Of all acceptation that Jesus
Christ came to the world 10 save sinners.
"A principle corroborating the proposition
that one purpose OF the church is TO save
the souls of men is this one: The purpose or
the church must be the same as that or It's
head.
by three distinct parallels Jesus declares
his desire to save men. He Is the shepherd
seeking for the lost sheep; He is like the
woman seeking for her lost coin; He Is
the. father waiting the return OF the lost
son with anxiety and forgiveness. There
is no question about the great purpose of
Christ in the world. 1t was nothing else
and nothing less than TO save men from
the penalty and power OF sin, and the pur-
pose of Christ must be the purpose of His
church. But my appeal this morning is
especially to the toGsv IRE s an
niversary of our new church home. 1T has
been built at the expense of much energy
anG IN prayer tSe and
elimination of much thought and labor and
sacrifice. What is the purpose OF this
church? We repudiate with all our heart
the suggestion that entertainment Is an
office or function of the church. Whatever
entertainment she offers must be incidental
is is the church social club. She does and
ought to cultivate the social side or her
membership and ought to attract others
through the social nature. Nor is the church
an institution to advance men in intel
lectual culture and refinement-she does
this Incidentally and effectively.
BUILDING OF CHARACTER.
1.-The overshadowing, all-inclusive divine
purpose of this church of Christ must be
none other and none less than the building
of character the building of Christian
character, the confirmation of men in the
faith of the gospel of the Son of God. Any
other and any lesser object will be un-
worthy of her; and please God this shall
be the purpose of this church so long as
shall minister here. With this purpose
must go hand in hand that of bringing men
to a realization of their need of savior
from sin, its penalty and power. II there
be no need of a savior then the Goldman
Jesus Christ became incarnate all in vain,
then Gethsemane and Golgotha were in
vain; then Paul was false witness, a
perjured man when he said, Faithful is
the saying that Jesus Christ came into the
what institution in the. world can COM
| pare with the church of, God in the sublim-
| ity of its purpose? The supreme end of the
educational institutions of our land and the
| world is to develop intellectual ability. This
may leave the heart cold and infidel The
object of charitable. institutions (and we
| bless God for them alb is principally
benevolent. They relieve want and pain
| and sickness The end sought by a thou
sand benevolent. orders is not unworthy;
/ 1T is the protection of the family. The
| motto of the order which has its. great
| meeting in our city. this week is a beauti-
| full Notwithstanding, charity, love. II
sounds like Christian motto: 1t indeed in
culcates three of the Christian virtues or
| graces, but only three. The high and
sublime end which the church sets for her;
Il
and spiritual, 1t is the reclamation and
! renovation of the soul Of man till II shall
stand out in somewhat of the dignity and
beauty of the. Christ soul, till 1t measures
UP somewhat to the standard set by the
great .exemplar. Drummond said: The
Christian is the only who has any
| programme at all, any programme either
for the world or for himself Goethe
| Byron, Carlisle taught humanity much, but
| they had no programme for II. Byron S
| thinking was suffering. Carlisle's despair.
| In the light of this high purpose OF the
| church do we not understand the attitude
| or such man as Beecher, who called his
| pulpit his throne. which he would not ex-
| change for that of any monarch.
| I'm the light of this sublime purpose OF
| the church we can understand the feeling
| which has always existed that a call to the
| ministry must be a special call differen-
tiated from a call to any other vocation
| No one can doubt Paul's call. He appre-
cisted the dignity and glory of his high
| office. Mr.. Beecher has left us an original
| definition of the man called of God: ANY
| one who has bell in him that ringing
| will ring with holiness to the Lord is a
preacher Would to God that your minister
| and all OF Christ's ministers might appre-
| ciate the transcendent function of their
high calling to preach the unsearchablt
| riches of Christ
| Together let us see to it, beloved. that
| In the coming year and in years that may
| come We are true to the double purpose OF
| Christ for His church. the edification of be.
1 levers, the salvation OF sinners"