The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-24
TRUTHS ABOUT SIN AND DEATH.
The Rev. III. c. Meserve Talks About
Grim Facts of Human Life.

The Rev. H. c. Meserve, of the Plymouth
Congregational Church, thinks the world
is getting very near to a biological defini-
ton of sin, and that the time will come
before many years when science will be
able to determine with some degree of def
niteness just what it is in the makeup
of human bodies that causes men and
women to be sinful. In his sermon yes
terday morning Mr.. Meserve dealt with
some of the grim facts of life, but its hope
fulness he made very plain. The theme of
his sermon might well have been "The
Ascent of Man..
Il know" said Mr.. Meserve. that we are
getting near to biological definition of
sin. How our fathers would have won
dered what that word meant and how they
would have scoffed at the idea of an analy-
sis of the human frame that would have
limited even at the cause of SHINING; but
hope to see and l am sure that our children
will see something of the results of this
new and as yet unfulfilled theory
The development OF the social sciences,
so-called. have brought out the homogeneity
of the race. We rise or fall like the waves
of the sea, but like the waves of the sea
also we push on TO the shore of some hope
where We may find rest. We are perplexed
and tried We are beaten down, we rise tri-
umphant; We retreat. we advance and from
the struggle which goes on all about us
ceaselessly two words issue which bear the
sentence of the race. Sin and death are
the truths Of ill omen which are the prod
| ucts Of the racial struggle. They are not
pleasant words to consider, but they are
| true. We do not like to think of them,
but they thrust themselves upon our at
tention whether We will or no.
.'Sin-the result of the waywardness of
| the race, its alienation from God and it's
| following of its own weak thought Death
the inevitable product of sin. Sin is not
| fancy, but fact; the punishment of sin is
not sentiment, but certain and real. The
| great words repentance and pardon have
| no meaning to him who has not first known
| sin, but there is not to be found a man
| in the whole wide circuit of the earth who
| has not at some time and under some con-
| dition found himself confessing to his own
heart, if not to his God, the fact of his
| own sin and his knowledge that the SEN
| tence is death. Now, unnatural as sin is
| 1t is natural process we understand
| nature. L hope the day will come when
we will be able to take higher ground than
| this, but to-day, and speaking for our own
| immediate and pressing need, there is nc
| other way than this; that is to say that
sin is natural as our fathers said it, and
| Paul said ii. and Jesus said it, while de-
claring in the same breath that the oppo-
| site is truth.
I'VE may beg the issue. but we cannot
| dodge the fact. The blot upon this fair
| world is not the imperfection which God
| made, but the sin which came in by, our
| permission and by our connivance. We dc
| something of it's scope. We do not rightly
estimate its power, although we see some
thing of its results. Now the issue of sir
| is death. 1t is not worth while here &c
| distinguish between the physical and the
| spiritual death, whatever that may be
| both are involved and both must suffer q
| penalty. / do not find that death is in il.
self an evil. Else why should good mer
| ana approved of God die? But l do FIND
tnat the sting of death is sin. That is thai
the bitterness and horror of death is the
result OF SHINING. 1t is not to be denied
tnat good men often fear to die, but IL /:
me strength of the racial faint rather
man the result of the faith that is in them
Deatn is full of pain and shadows and hor
rlple specters because ii is the legitimat,
result or the sin which loves darkness.
rather than the light, and hides away from
the eyes and will not be seen by men in IL
true Euise.
| Il am an evolutionist in the true sens.
OF that much-abused term. | believe tina
each generation is better than the one tina
preceded il. L think that apparent lapse
are but the gathering OF the forces for
new dash up the slope that leads to tn
throne of God. L confident that the SUI
never shone upon better people than thi
generation is But the facts of which tn
nrst heralds of God spoke are with us yet
SIN Is here in more subtle forms than on
fathers knew of. Death is here just a
certain and almost terrible as of old
ana with all We have are yet far fron
what we might be or what We ought to be-