The Indianapolis journal., 1901-07-01
THE EXUBERANCE OF LIFE
SERMON BY REV. j. CUMMING SMITH,
OF TABERNACLE CHURCH.
He Says the UniversaIist Church Has
Other Services.

grace '-Ephesians fiji. l9 The subJect OF
his sermon was Unexplained ExUber-
ances." and after describing the richness
that life holds for every one he asserted
his belief that the Universalist Church has
no right to be separate, but should coalesce
with one of the great evangelical denomina-
tions His reasoning was as follows:
THE world seems overfull. II you think
of the prairie spangled with blooms in sum-
mer and for ages not a man 10 enjoy the
luxuriance one wonders if the world is not
made for more than men, as men are made
for more than the world.
at is easy for the birds TO believe that
the infinite forests are exclusively for their
benefit But their crude logic leaves out
of sight the ship and palace and furniture
and bridge and car that come from the for
est tiTnbers.
at is easy for the cawing crows TO argue
serving them. The farmer looks at the
field differently. He ships his crop TO min
lister TO other climes.
1T is easy for men to argue that the
world was fitted for man alone, but there
is a munifcence in every direction that
suggests a higher purpose. We do not
blame mother for claiming her child as
her own. Yet there is a sense in which
the child may outgrow even that holy re-
lationship and the state put in an equal
claim and God put in an equal claim to the
new life sleeping in the cradle
I'VE can stop nowhere in our thoughts
short of God, and when We reach God we
wharf-with continent beyond!
MARTYRS OF THE PAST.
'"There are some powerful aspects of the
worlds superabundance of life and force.
Think of the prodigality of force expended
during the past centuries upon human bet
terment! Think of martyrs and prophets,
mothers and apostles, poets and patriots
who have labored TO elevate the race! Then
think OF the enormous vulgarity. the beast
hood. the malice, the sluttish meanness, the
dense ignorance. the unfaith and unwis-
dom still sinking or scandalizing the world!
Do not efforts upward seem sometimes an
inexcusable waste?
Take a home. not uncommon enough.
The woman is queen by the rights OF the
heart; year after year she pours forth an
unstinted wealth of love and study upon
those born OF her; she never Is exhausted;
she never chants her own praise or creams ans
that her self-denial is wondrous. her
thoughts of care and love go forth for
others like songs from the woods at dawn,
or like chimes from the church tower
in the soft eveningtime. What profusion
of power her motherhood represents! Now
look at the other side of the picture. she
mismated Her husband is clottish and
irresponsive and the fneness of her wom-
anhood is lost on his stony, sullen nature.
The children resemble him in coarseness.
One promised response TO her overnoWlng
soul, but time laid him in an early grave.
Years pass. The home grows heavy,
british, leaden in spite of the affiuences
IF you saw millionaire walk through
| the streets, scattering his gold coins In
| every direction you would declare such
| uncalculated expenditure a certain proof
| of insanity. And yet there are sovereign
| souls brimming over with every holy in
| huence, and yet a hard fate has made
them everyday like fountain on natures
| too low and obtuse TO reciprocate their
love.
"It often appears that the unbounded
opulence OF the grace of God Is squandered
| The boundlessness of that grace fired the
soul of Paul. God cannot love too much.
He cannot forgive too much. His heavens
are infinite in hospitality.
Sometimes theories have been sprung
that appear very orthodox on their face,
especially when tabled with a few racy
texts. Those theories warp the cross and
pervert the atonement by hideous sugges-
tions that God required to be satisfied by
some sight of sacrifice to quell His wrath
lose caste when men go deeper in the word
| Of God. The boundlessness of God is the
| true orthodoxy. His attitude toward men
| is an open and sunny welcome. No man
| can suspect stinginess in that high quar-
FEW ACCEPT GODS BOUNTY.
"But look again. With all heavens balm
! and breadth Of invitation how few men
| rejoice and bask in it? How the mutitudes
turn away. charmed and cheated by the
| glare of a world. which in a few years
| will have passed like a dream of the night
4
against infinite grace? Is not grace
wasted? is not Calvary a miscaculation?
| Is not the earth too earthly TO yield TO all
the voices of the sky?
But stop. Our arithmetic is not heavens 5
| arithmetic! With Him one day is as a
| thousand years; thousand years one
| day boy can whittle a toyboat In an
/ hour to float on a pond IL takes vastly
| longer to construct an ocean palace. A
/ raw young club can draft some laws and
| bylaws by which to hold itself together; 1t
| takes centuries OF statesmen 10 evolve a
| national Constitution. God proposes to
| build up worlds TO echo His thought and
grow warm with His love. Such cam
paign requires cycles of ages Why worry?
| He has eternity TO elaborate His tender
plans. Let us ascend to this summit and
and our unhalowed dependencies! No
| word II void; no nobility OF life can be
| lost: no sacrifice is forgotten or unregis-
| tered IL is worth while TO aim at the
| highest work, even IL that work falls fiat
| on the market for few years. Not a
bloom on the studded prairies or a lone
/ ton OF courage. not a single sacrifice but
what has sunk into' the deep life OF the
world and is helping 1t UT TO God!
| at Is from these two blending greatness
es of God ] mean the fact that He has
/ dowry OF Infinite resources aud the fact
that He has eternity TO work out HIS
| creed of universal salvation. ANY other
| creed seems at first blush TO cast n slur
1 on tfpu > iONt OF Suggest "A limitation To
| His persuasive power. Let us calm and
curb our bold thoughts I'm these high
realms. We can trust God TO act as God +.
men will only act as men. and believe
| when belief IL invited Don't study too
| far ahead Act In the present moment.
so that no eternity can frighten you And
| be sure of this, God OF immeasurabe love
| cannot lever YOU up " you refuse His
| love any more than all the aniuence OF
| sun I'm torrid climes can draw out n plant
/ that chooses n dark. rayless cellar 10 dwell
IN We must do our part and do Az now
and sit loose to theories either too rigid or
! too rosy
"The great Universalist Church has no
| right TO be separate church. but ought
| TO coalesce with one Of the great evan
| gelical denominations. She h evangelical
| In her essential position. and the one dog-
| ma as 90 which she seems 90 part com
| psny with other churches is hardly central
| or critical enough TO Justify a distinct
| denomination I'm a world overrun with de-
| nominations. Besides. cultured moderns
| feel scarcely so cocksure on mysteries as
| our grim dogmatic forefathcrs did"
.