The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-11
GODS GREAT ENTERPRISE.
DIR. William II. StOtt breaches at
COIlege-Avenue Baptist Church.

William T. Stott, president of Franklin
College, preached al the College-avenue
Baptist Church yesterday morning and
evening. The topic of his morning sermon
was Gods Great Enterprise" The text
was from Hebrews, 2; Y: For it became
Him for whom all things and by whom
are all things in bringing many sons unto
glory, to make the captain of their saliva
ton perfect through sufferings."
The preacher said, in part: Men have
originated and carried forward what we
may well call great enterprises. The Suez
canal. thought of as long ago as the days
of the Pharaohs, finally undertaken
and completed; and travel and commerce
I'LL ii almost from end TO end. st. God
dard's tunnel. we'll the Hoosac. We're
great undertakings; but we are so accus
toned 10 these wonderful enterprises that
to bridge or tunnel the Mississippi or East
rivers seems somewhat commonplace.
Greater yet are the enterprises that con-
template the moral, civil and religious bet
ternnent of mankind. Human liberty and
equality are conviction as old as the race,
and as deep as the intuitons, but ii took
centuries and ages for the conviction to
find embodiment. Not till our own fair
land was discovered did the doctrine ever
have a fit arena. And when the test came
to whether such a doctrine could be
maintained, 1t took millions of money and
thousands of lives TO make the test con-
elusive.
Gods great enterprise is greater than
any one of these, and greater than all Of
them put together. Ii is no less an under
taking than the conquering of sinful,
wicked, rebelliOuS race back to obedience,
loyalty and love. The greatness of the
work may be readily inferred from state
ments in the text: he who undertakes it
is the one by whom all things are made
and for whom all things are made'-it is
God. The text also furnishes us the pur-
pose of the enterprise 10 bring many sons
unto glory We also have stated the prin-
ciple means by which the end is 10 be
gained-through the leadership of a great
captain; and he is TO come TO the fulness
Of his preparation and power through SUI
ferings.
I'm the development of the thought i'm
piled in this great enterprise we naturally
think first Of: The Resources and Purpose
of God in this Undertaking. All resources,
material and immatecial. are at his ready
command. He made the earth and the
universe and man-and shall such one
fail in his purposes? He has the ages in
which to carry out his plans; and most
evidently he regards the moral and spirit
ual renovation and reclamation of the race
of greater consequence than the making
of worids-for he has made greater prepa-
ration for 1t. 1t is a contamination that
angels might well long and wait for;
Tor this the worlds. themselves, >were
made, and for it they all contribute their
Even in human enterprises we depend
largely on leadership. and when the ca
pable man is found we say that the work
is wel-nigh done The first thing 10 be
done, when the Israelittes were to be trans
formed from slavery to national existence
and power, was to find Moses. And when
at last he was buried by unseen hands the
further progress of the natiopal movement
depended upon the leader Joshua. 1t is d
common remark that when President Lin
coin found General Grant the civil war
was essentially over. When in the last
battle of that war the troops that their
leader-Sherman-wa there, every man
was five men-and victory was assured
When God chose our Captain he gave
abundant promise of complete success for
the enterprise
The preparation Of the leader was what
we should not have thought of. He was
made perfect-but it was through suffer-
ings Strange prepare ton. we might say
Gods way. and the ages have thanked
Him for His divine wisdom. What we feel
the greatest need of in our Christian war
fare Is a leader who is wise and powerful
and sympathetic. and we get greater com
fort from the assurance of sympathy than
Divine Leader being tempted is able also
TO succOr them that tempted. re is a
great high priest who is touched with the
feeling of our infirmities Our Captain IS
human, and can enter fully into all our
besetments; He is also divine and so He is
court He deigns to call US hither, and
yet He is the Trainer OF the earth and
skies
With such a leader we may rest as
Sured of our own victory over sin and
death. and seeing who il is that has IN
dertaken to bring many sons unto glory
we need not despair of the salvation OF the
race. 1t may take centuries yet. but some
time the Great Captain shall De permitted
TO see of the travail of His soul and be
satisfied. The purpose stands firm and
the leader Of the enterprise has been made