The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-31
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Rev. Allan ID. Philputt Addresses q
Large Audience I'm the Morning.

Large Audience In the Morning.
The Easter service at the Central Chris
tan Church was very largely attended yes
terday. At s O'Clock IN the afternoon there
was a baptismal service. Rev. Allan b.
Phlputt took for the text of his morning
sermon the second verse Of the fourteenth
chapter of>John: II go to prepare a place
for you" The pastor said. in part:
LET US come back this morning TO the
simple and enduring faith OF our race. Let
US hear and believe as little children. Let
us just rest a while in the Joy Of the resur-
rection. 1t is all a matter of faith. but
what OF that? The just shall live by faith
There are many things about which
exact knowledge is beyond our reach. Rea-
son and demonstration belong to a narrow
sphere. De Quincy advised that reason be
dispensed with altogether II IL proved trou-
blesome. This we could hardly agree 10.
But life needs a larger light. PARKWAY
suns. which we canOt now measure, shed
their radiance upon US. Tn powers OF the
world TO come are and have ever been
great elemental forces in the spiritual life
of man. Jesus said, In NY Fathers house
are many abiding places This. II has been
correctly surmised. / think. refers not 10
rooms or mansions, but 10 dwelling places.
He told his disciples that here were many
places besides this little world of ours for
man 10 dwell in. He would go and prepare
one such for them. These are words or at
lection adapted TO children. God speaks
to us in the language OF a mother. Docs
the little child ever hear anything that
is going 20 he described with eXactness?
Never. II hears in its own tongue. The
Bible enables US 70 hear In our own tongue
things that no language could describe.
There is a tendency to-day 10 minimize
our Lords original contribution TO religious
thought. II is said that He mostly az
hrmed things spoken here and there by an
cient seers. and gave them currency. Here
is one thing original-the continuity OF
life. Paul claims that he brought im-
mortality 10 light The claim is difficult 10
dispute. The ancient Hebrews stopped at
death. When a man died he slept with
his fathers There are many impressive
situations in the Old Testament where men
are brought face 20 face with death. but
They buried their dead and kept their
sepulchres. Hezekiah pleads 10 God for
life. saying: The grave cannot praise
Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee. The
living. the living he shall praise Thee
Moses. the servant or God. betrays no
knowledge OF life after death. Even the
Hebrew poets lint at IL only 10 draw
back In despair. Man cometh forth as a
flower and Is cut down. he heeth also as
a shadow and contiueth not.
us il too much 10 claim that Christ has
changed the thought OF the world about
death? He spoke OF II as a sleep from
which men awake. ST. Paul thinks Of h as
a departure 10 be with Christ and the high
er companionship OF heaven. 81. John saw
the dead, small and great, stand before
God. And vet we come back from flights
OF faith and Imagination TO the hard and
fast limitations OF thought 70 find II but a
waking dream.
The dreams depart and the vision falls.
And the sleeper awakes on his pillow OF
stone
Death gives back no word. The world Is
a dark valley and life "A vain show. IL we
could but hail the jewellers in light. ~ they
could hut signal back as they reach the
other shOrei Somehow IL cannot be. The
~dragon-hy skimming over the Sunlit sur
face OF the water cannot go down 10 the
bottom and tell the grub what its new
world Is like. The dragon-hy was once a
grub. Now IL has uo language 10 COM
muncate with those like unto SIS former
self. An acquaintance OF mine told his Wife
in his dying hour not 10 mourn. He said.