The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-07
METHODS OF A MINISTRY
REV. H.. w. KELLOGG's FIRST ERM
ON AT CENTRAL-AyENUE CHURCH.
The New Pastor in His Discourse
Outlines His PlaDs-The New
Fourth Christian.

mon of the Rev. H. w. Kellogg. the new
pastor. Rev. Kellogg talked on the subject,
The Chief Glory of a Ministry" his text
being John xvii, y: Those whom thou
hast given ne have kept" In part the
Rev. Kellogg said:
1T is sometimes well TO begin where
others have left off, TO make their expert
ence the reason for our expectation, 10 form
our ideals from the judgments of those who
are reviewing their work.
For this reason l call your attention TO
this sublime scene in which the Master Is
closing His illustrious mission and about
ready TO surrender His commission 10 the
Eternal Father. He is inspecting the work
or the years and estimating with clear
judgment and lofty spirit His completed
task. 1t Is no time for sentiment, and no
time for conceit. Everything is impressed
with the awful sense of final determination
II is done and Interchangeable. The moment
Is serious To the verge OF sadness. Nhal
has been accomplished? In such a ministry
but only one is considered by Him worthy
OF regard. In naming this We must feel
that RE Is expressing what, 10 Him. Is the
chief glory of His ministry. 1t may be very
disappointing TO the common opinion OF
this world, but as ever He is right and the
world Is wrong In this moment or survey
of the past he sees but one thing OF when
10 boast. 1t Is not that He has been able
TO attract large congregations, desirable as
this might be; not that He mad mlnlstered
10 the needy, that the sick had been healed,
the blind had been made TO see, the poor
had been reached by the gospel, splendid as
such work certainly is, giving evidence OF
q divine mission. Not that He has been
able to govern men or write books or dis
cover facts and laws of nature or invent
some world-enriching and toil-saving IN
Strument. All this had been denied Him.
He had done nothing great as men estimate
greatness. He was closing His lie 5 work
with no mark of distinction that In the
common judgment of mankind would even
perpetuate His name or secure His glory.
Indeed, the moment is so devoid of all this
that IL seems regretful. But stll he rs not
He has named but one accomplishment.
This seems to be enough. He looks squarely
into the face of the Eternal Father and
boasts that, Those whom Thou hast given
me have l kept. Every one | return to
Thee. l have lost but one. and / did all |
could to keep him. 1t was not to be that
he should remain. He took his own course
in spite of all that could be done. but the
others are here, Father, and l pray for
them
a NEW MINISTRY.
To-day, beginning under such favorable
conditions a new ministry. 1 would an
nounce but one ideal. 1 long for nothing so
much as for this, that when / shall have
lone my work 1 may be able to say,
Father, 1 have kept in Thy name all whom
Thou hast given me-
This purpose may seem weak to those
who are so eager for large conquests, who
have the desire TO see the nations saved
and this great world redeemed. You al
most regret that your pastor has no higher
ambitions. But be assured that the servant
is not above his Lord If this was the
Masters ideal, who can conceive a higher?
But / am sure that. with consideration,
you will grow content.
THE magnitude of the accomplishment.
Let us see what this implies. Those whom
He kept were men-living, thinking, feeling,
determining men. Men with desires and
passions and hopes and fears. They were
men. This is enough TO assure us that 1t
was no mean task. Men possessed of all
| power and weakness. Imperfect men, i'm
provable men. Men subject to doubt and
defeat. but capable of faith and mighty
victories. Immortal men under earthly
embarrassmentS. but capable of fellowship
with God. What a charge He had. How
sensitively He felt it. When He had fin
ished them do not wonder that lie
thought he had accomplished the supremest
task and was happy. And then, the way
over which He had taken them was not
smooth. How He had defended them from
the storms and sheltered them from the
winds
Think you that this little sentence, in
which he sums up the final result, contains
a history which if written would not MI
large books? Who will ever know IL all
1t was an age full of terrific doubts and
hindrances TO spiritual life and to re,
ligiOus faith. Only one age mas equaled
it. and that Is the one in which we are
living. But in spite of all he had kept
them. He had not kept them as we keep
fresh things from spelling. Not as we
keep things from perishing or from shrink
ing. No. these were men, and to keep them
is to provide them with food, food for the
mighty natures they possess. No ordinary
task, / assure you.
'.They were to be kept I'm an environment
which should minister to their great be-
ings; kept where the life divine was real,
Where God was no mere tradition, or
image, or theory, but a reality, minister
ing to every longing soul and satisfying
atmosphere of spiritual invigOration, where
life takes on new motives, sincere convic-
tions, lofty aspirations and, pure afec-
tions. He had succeeded in keeping them
in the divine name
AN AGGRESSIVE THING.
Does this appear like a weak thing to
YOU who are aggressive and demanding
the worlds salvation? My nature strongly
inclines me to be disappointed If this is
all. But my nature must understand bet
ter yet. I am for increasing numbers and
multiplying converts. / think we all agree
i'm this. 1t certainly is desirable. But sc
eager have we been sometimes to gain
more that we have not been careful &c
take care of those we had. As a church
this has been our We have
boosted of our conquests. We have a right
TO boast. What mighty increase we have
hadi Our small numbers have grown &c
millions. God gave us the privilege OF
winning from threatening barbarism this
great middle West. But what If we haC
kept them all-all. | mean, who have come
to our affairs? Has 1t occurred to us ever
10 reckon the hosts who have gone from
us? Hosts whom we have neglected, oil
those whom, by our eXcentricitieS, we have
driven away. We do not regret that mel
have found their religious home with Other
denominations. But it is not of these
speak. Has anyone ever counted our back
sliders. those who once worshiped Will
us. whom we have let drift away while
we were looking for the salvation of tn,
world? A doubt Crept in one day and W.
did not have the patience to treat thar
doubt, but attempted to Kill it by denun
Citations and cenSure. \ mistake was made
once. and we who were spiritual did no
restore such a one in the spirit of meek
ness and he went away from us. Som,
who have stumble over our extravaganza
OF religious fervor. They should have beer
considered. but they were not. What null
titudeS have been lost because we have
insisted on unreasonable standards. /
some day these should all be collected int
a vast army and we should meet them il
battle and the victory should be given L
the numbers, would we not come away de
feated? Or, think not of them in thi:
light. but ask this question. If all we hav,
lost had been kept and educated and dis
ciplined and inspired. and to-day belonged
to the armies of God, would not their treaC
shake the foundations of the kingdoms O
darkness
This has been our weakness. and let vi
confess it. and repent. While we have beer
IN hot haste for some dilapidated specimen
of humanity whose rescue Is counted a vic
tory worthy OF being heralded Throughout
the world. we have overlooked the children
i'm our homes. forgotten the boy and tn
girl in the streets who We're ours by divine
gift and whom if we had kept would hav.
added mighty ones to the armies of Coo
and saved us the terrible task Of rescuinl
them i'm years a~fterward.
A PECULIAR CONDITION.