The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-01
HIS FAREWELL SERMON
REV. c. c. ROwLIsON GIVES UP HIS
PASTORATE IN THIS CITY.
He Has Received Calls from kentOn,
o., and Berkeley, CaI.-Subject
of the Discourse.

Deen pastor or the Th1rd CnrlStldn CnuTcn
for three years, terminated his pastorate
yesterday and preached his farewell ser
mon. The Rev. Mr.. Rowlison will leave
tomorrow for Kenton, o., where he will
preach in the Christian Church next Sun
day. He has received a call from this
place and also from Berkeley, Cal, but has
not accepted either yet. 1t is likely,
though, he will accept the call to kenton
The pulpit of the Third Church will be
occupied next Sunday by the Rev. l.. E.
Brown. of Frankfort, Ind. and the fol-
lowing Sunday by the Rev. Walter Scott
Priest of Atchison, Kan. The pulpit will
be occupied by another preacher the third
Sunday. No formal call has been issued
to a new pastor, but it is understood those
who will preach are under consideration.
In his sermon yesterday morning, the
Rev. Mr.. Rowlson took for his text the
words of John: 81 manifest Thy name
unto the men whom Thou gavest me out
of the world" Jesus, he said, had COM
missioned his disciples to go teach" The
chief function of the teacher was to teach,
but as every teacher attracts to him those
who are prepared to receive his message, he
should make known his truth only to those
who can receive 1t. The experience OF
Jesus was such and the process of segrega-
ton reduced His disciples down to twelve.
These were the men of the world whom
His Father gave unto him. The Rev. Mr..
Rowlison said his ministry here had been
largely one of teaching.
He had sought to teach the first great
truth that in the universe, in nature and in
history, God has been revealing himself.
Natural phenomena revealed the purpose.
history no m
ress of civilization find manifestations of
God innumerable. Literature is the record
that men make of their visions of truth and
the holy scriptures record the truth-minds
that had fellowship with Goo, that had
seen His face and heard His voice. They
are the completest revelation Of the truth
of God.
SECOND GREAT TRUTH.
The second great truth was that God Is
the father of men and that as the father
of men it is the duty and the privilege of
men to come into fellowship with Him.
Through that fellowship men may gain
that condition of life described by the
Psalmist when he cried Thou art my light
and my salvation and who also said
1.-The Lord is my rock and my fortress"
These expressions were of one who felt he
could hear the voice of God and knew Of
His presence in the affairs of life. This
consciousness of divine presence was such
as Jesus had when He knew that He and
the Father were one. The sense Of conf
munion with God is mans greatest moral
power. TIC know that II and my Father
are one is the power of resistance in temp
tation and helps in the striving for truth
and the destruction of false ideals. In the
face of the phenomena, the calamity, of
death, this sense of communion with God
gives the assurance of eternal life. 1t
teaches that the breaking down of the body
is not the end of life.
This communion is only one-sided, how
ever. Religion without love is mere fanati-
cism. Life of love is that influence in the
cosmic development of the world by which
the transition from beast to man, from
the carnal to the spiritual, is determined
In the great economic and social problems
1t is the only solution. The life of love is
when the strong help the weak, not striv-
ing to rise because of their destruction
when we live for the sake of others. That
life of love will result in these vexng prob
lens solving themselves. And besides all
religion is empty without deeds of love-
The ritualists make religion thing Of
sanctuary. The prophets of Gold are al
ways demanding that religion manifest it,
self in deeds of righteousness.
Mr.. Rowlson spoke of nun he had seen
the day before, near Chicago, telling her
beads. She was in an isolated condition,
from there he observed the Hull House,
where, without prayers or preaching, large
numbers give themselves to the life of love
for others-the weak, the sick and the
fallen. The first was the life of
the relgionist. the second the life
of the moralist. To exemplify this life
of love the church had, for two years, es-
tablished and maintained the Neighbor-
hood House. which gave an opportunity
for a practical religious life.
FINAL VICTORY OF GOD.
The preacher said his message had been,
also, the declaration of the final victory of
God. We are not living for a vague and
intangible something. but we have a be-
lief that Jesus kingdom is to rule all the
affairs of men and that His gospel must
be preached and men won to Him until
the kingdoms of earth shall be Gods and
His Christ's. The church is the institution
divinely appointed to proclaim the gospel
of this kingdom and to symbolic in it's
worship it's fundamental truths. Finally
we have proclaimed that Jesus Christ is the
manifestation in human form of that d.
vinity in which nature and history has re-
vealed himself more and more as God
of love. But Jesus is no less the revela-
ton to man of the possibilities of human
attainment. What Jesus was in his fell
lowship with God in His life of complete
unselfshness, in His perfect character, is
what every man must attain. Jesus Christ
was the Son of God. but He is also the es-
sential type of humanity. He is not only
the Son OF God, but also the Savior of the
world.
Mr.. Rowlison closed with some personal
words to the congregation, speaking of the
pleasant relationship and his regret at it's