The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-28
AN AFTERNOON LECTURE.
Rev. Joshua Stansfeld at Meridian
Street Church.

The Rev. Joshua Stansheld gave his third
Lenten lecture yesterday afternoon. His
theme was THE Cross; a Fact; a Law Of
Life He said in part: we have already
considered the nature and character Of the
Christ of the gospels. and also the nature
and scope of the gospel of Christ, and have
seen clearly that this gospel of the Cod
man, that is, of the divine in human life,
is pre-eminently the gospel of divine ac-
tivities through men, in service, sacrifice
and self-giving for the saving of all; it is,
indeed, as proclaimed by Jesus, 'Th gospel
of the kingdom L would like to note to-
day that it was in the full pr~oclaiming of
that gospel by word and deed that the cross
was reached by Jesus. 1t was an inevitable
necessity in a world like ours. The Son
of Man must needs suffer and die. The best
this world had TO give TO incarnate good
ness was a cross. The worlds sin ever
makes the cross. that is the occasion OF
the divine sacrifice and suffering TO re-
deem and save life.
T the Goldman this is ever clear. Jesus
saw the shadow of the Oncoming cross long
before He reached Calvary, and frequently
referred TO il. But He saw ii, not as a hui
man catastrophe, but rather as His hour,
and be ii remembered that all the glory
that shines from that dark hour and which
glorifies that otherwise awful cross, arises
fro-~ this foot th0t NV HiS Own supreme
volutariness and self-giving He made it
ms. ~ Is not InartyIuOnI, DUI mastery, the
mastery of divine love that makes the cross
glorious. The historic cross of our Lord IS
glorious in this, that it shows forth the eter-
nalness of the divine love and sacrifice.
When, however, the cross is simply con-
templated as a historic fact and not as a
forever doctrine or truth, then it is that
the cross becomes of more effect Then il
is that crosses of wood and stone and gold
multiply, worship grows liturgical and eX-
acting. but the worlds burden and sin are
not lifted thereby. The elevation of the
host. as pure symbol. may at times have
served q purpose. but the tendency marked
ly Is, to glOrity a cross That was His.
rather than meeting and taking a cross in
life that is, and should be, ours. How
Jesus did emphasize this. If any man will
be my disciple. let him take up his cross,
and deny himself. and follow me- Again
and again such utteranceS fall from the
lips of the Master, teaching His disciples
that il is not possible for them 10 live the
life to which He has called them and to
personally carry forward the gospel of the
kingdom of God without their own personal
sacrifice and suffering. Jesus well knew that
il is Dersonalized truth that saves, il is
God in the flesh that redeems, and the
ingdom of God must win its way in the
earth. inch by inch. steD by step. in the
lives OF His redeemed ones who are the
personal embodiment Of the kingdom. Now
what made the cross for our Lord was not
some eternal purpose of the infinite God.
but the awful conditions of our earth life
by human sin. TIL cross was "A creation OF
earth. not of heaven. il was the sternest
expression of the world hatred of right
e~Ousness, justice, truth and love. and that
awful cross became transfgured and glori-
Gus by the manifestation OF the divine love
of Him who there willingly gave His life
for the life of the world. Having loved His
own He loved them unto the end The
same evil in the world will make the cross
forever close follower Of the Lord in the es-
tablishing OF His kingdom to-day. Seek
by fidelity TO your Lord to plant that king
dom in any new territory. carry its prin-
ciples and its gospel into social life and
you Will md a cross OF society's irony and
contempt and scorn more real than anv
cross OF wood you ever gazed up6n. Seek
10 proclaim Christ's gospel and establish
His kingdom OF righteousness in the indus
trial. the civic. the national and interna-