The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
CONQUEsTs OF THE CROSS; SOME OF
THE VICTORIES IT ACHIEVES.
BY the Rev. Frank G.. TyrreII, ID. d.,
Pastor of the Central Christian
Church, st. Louis. Mo.

But far be it from me to glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. through
which the world hath been crucihed unto
me- and l unto the world.-Galatians vi, H.
This sentence rings like a note of vic
tory. For its author, at least, the world
had been overcome 1t had for him the
harshest of harsh treatment, yet he never
reviled it, 1t pursued him with venomous
sting and waylaid him with murderous
hate. He felt the smart of its brutal pow
er. He was ridiculed for making tents that
he might thus have the. means of subsist-
ence while he preached in pagan cities the
gospel Of the Cross. He was counted a
mailman because he spent his own prop
erty as we'll as his time in propagating this
absurd creed. And yet was he not cared
for, to the very last? To be sure, he had
no paid-up life insurance policy, and there
was no fund Of ministerial relief; but there
was Roman dungeon, where he was shell
tered and fed, and finally, the flash of the
| headsman's ak, to save him from starva-
| ton.
There must be a tremendous energy in
| whatever wins victories so lustrous as this
and waste themselves for its riches and its
luxuries, becoming almost slaves of the
! veriest drudgery for the sake of its goods
| But liz the life of this man. as of many
other noble souls since the love of money
| was eradicated; devotion to pleasure was
obliterated; he was a wholly liberated
! spirit. What his countrymen and the world
| thought a badge of humiliation and ig-
/ mo- niF0xr h. -if f11
the world beginning to admit that Paul
| was right.
1t is of the Cross, then, as a conquering
| force, that L want to speak. Notice that it
| is not Crosses" but Gross" We speak
of our crosses. in a figurative way, mean
ing our little trials and vexations, but this
is the Cross of Christ, which stands for a
great and blessed fact in human history
and human experience. Notice some Of the
many victories it wins when it conquers a
| single soul. The nature Of man is mani
| fold, and when you subdue one man you
carry many fortresses.
VICTORIES OF THE CROSS.
| 1. Social selfshness is slain by the Cross
Am l my brothers keeper" exclaimed
| Cain Indignantly. when his hands were
imbrued in his brothers blood And this
| o
contact has been filling the world ever
| since. We are by nature. most of u.s. the
children of Cain. Now what did Jesus do,
in this regard-for as a principle the cross
dominated His life; His death on the cross
was but the elimination of this principle
working toward perfection Why, he came
| into life mot to be ministered unto, but
to minister" He refused to seek wealth
| Y.
and eager menials. He came to seek and to
save the lost. / challenge you to point
to a solitary act Of selfishness in his life.
We see the same thing in the life of His
foremost apostle, Paul. 1t was the Cross
| by which his heart had been subdued, His
moral vision clarified. and his soul touched
with the life of God. He loved men; he
loved every man! His love was not a mere
benevolent sentiment; it was specific ana
personal. The wise ana the unwise, the
barbarian and the philosopher, the Jew and
the gentle - all were precious to him,
because they were precious to his Savior.
! We see the difference between a love for
souls that is intense, personal and Christ
like, and a love for souls that is lethargic,
selfish and worldly. We love congenial
people, cultured people, well-to-do people.
This is perfectly natural; no one should OBJ
ject to it; but it needs to be lifted and ex-
tended and intensified, until we shall be as
happy to lead poor beggar child to the
Savior to win millionaire
This is the superb victory the Cross wins
over our hearts at this point; it creates in
US a passionate love for human beings
love which is specific and personal which
drives US forth into the highways and
| hedges. bear q a he Ofa
ton.
2. Again, the Cross changes our attitude
toward property, teaching stewardship, re-
sponsibility and accountability, both for the
way We acquire wealth and the way we
eXpend 1t. We have a memorable picture
of this in the communism of the first dis
ciples. The historian says of them: And
the multitude of them that believed were
of one heart and soul, and not one of them
said that aught of the things which he pos
sessed was his own; but they had all things
common"
Here we have in the inspired language a
clear distinction made between possession
an ownership. The Cross had conquered
these primitive Christians, and they real
lied that they were no longer their own
masters. Therefore, they laid their all upon
|
the desirable things of this world. So far
from being any longer covetous, loving
money and laying up treasure on earth,
they swung to the extreme of generosity
and exhibited courageous self-sacrihce
and brotherly benevolence that is unpar-
alleled in the history of mankind.
When we have accepted the Cross not
only as the majestic symbol OF our relig-
ion, but the Inspiring principle Of our lives,
we, too. shall find ourselves emancipated
from the love OF money; we, too, shall
make an unconditional surrender OF our
means and our money-making faculty and
become merely business managers for the
Master. We shall not ask Him for money
to spend in ostentation and vanity. but
only enough TO sustain US in vigorous
health, that we may continue to be prof
table unto Him.
When the bank president realizes that ht
is responsible, above all, to Christ as chief
director; when the manufacturer the far
mer, the lawyer, the machinist, the builder
: | all realize that they serve the Lord and