The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-15
PEOPLES CHURCH OPENS
FIRST FALL SERVICE IN THE GRAND
OPERA HOUSE.
Rev. Edward A. Cantrel1. the Pastor,
Discusses 'sThe Bible and
Modern Life.

Church, resumed services I'm the Grand OPP
era House last night the audience being
large. His subject was 1.-The Bible and
Modern Life He said:
Il have read somewhere of late a sort OF
challenge that comes from the ranks Of con-
servative orthodoxy. IL the Bible is SIM
ply the expression OF Hebrew life. and IL
evolution be true and we have a higher
life to-day than in the olden days, why. it
asks, is there not an expression OF this life
in a higher literature? The question is
pertinent, but would hardly be asked by any
one well acquainted with modern letters I
| think we have higher literature. Begin
| ming with the Genetic records l will ask.
who goes to the book of Genesis to-day for
knowledge of cosmogony? What institu-
ton of learning is teaching IL 10 their stu
is already answered To whom, then. do
We go for such knowledge? To the mod
erns-to Copernicus. La Place. Darwin;
| Spencer, Ffske, lie Conte, Drummond and
others of our scientific writer's. Why do
We turn to them instead of going to the
| thors of the Hexateuch? Because they are
| truer TO nature, truer 10 life. They express
deeper thought. They give Us higher lit
| erature. Again ask, why does the church
use modern hymns? Why does il not use
! the ancient Hebrew Psalter? Why is IL
recreant to that part of their word of God?
| Are modern hymns generally of a higher
order than the Psalms? / think they are.
| see again, practically the question is set
tied and settled by those who throw out the
challenge.
HEBREW LITERATURE.
I'm poetry little can be claimed for He
brew literature, either in extent quality.
| The book of Job is the highest product OF
| the Hebrew mind, and yet i'm every re-
spect. in literary workmanship. in pro-
s. l. -.
sweep of moral vision, Tennyscn's In
| Memorium is the greater achievement
Take Shakspeare's tragedies or Goethe's
Faust, or Brownng's SAUL or Whit
mans Song of the Open Road and you
| have poetry that the semitic mind has
never equaled. The essays of Bacon and
Emerson will compare favorably with the
so-called wisdom literature while for
prophets, those great moral leaders of men.
| what literary critic will not think at once
| of Carlyle, Ruskin, Hugo, Mazzini. Push
| kin and Tolstoy, and. judging their works
| by every literary standard give them a
| place with any prophet, minor major,
| among the ancient teachers? This leaves
out OF consideration altogether the great
others, who stood out on the promontories
and forged systems of thought that will
| survive the wreck of empires. In history
and biography, who does not wish that
| the Jews could have had a Buckle or
| Greene and that Jesus could have had his
| Boswell? i remember wishing. when / was
| boy, that Plutarch could have been a
disciple of Jesus. If he had been such a
disciple our friends to-day would have a
verbal inspiration. But to close our COM
| parison, suppose we suggest Jean Paul
with his Dream of the Universe or New
| ton or Proctor or F1ammarion with their
| apocalypse of science. Here are visions
! cosmic in comprehensiveness. II you lend
your thought and follow them your head
4 ha hDse - H. I'll.
they lead. To follow them is to live I'm a
sort of difused prayer; IL is. using one OF
| Hugo's expressions, to find the boundless
release Of infinite meditation.
A NOBLER VIEW.
This view of things. it seems to me, is
nobler and better than the old-more I'm ac-
cord with universal facts II is often
spoken Of as destructive, but what does IL
destroy? 1t does destroy some things. IL
destroys bigotry and intolerance Ii de-
stroys the old ethnic prejudices and pagan
superstitions 1t destroys the symbol, the
fetch. the letter that kills. but IL lifts one
to vision OF principles where the ever
brooding Spirit gives the more abundant
| life. 1 once heard George Adam Smith say
| good thing. A student I'm his class said
Professor, if you take away the Bible,
what will you give instead? What will
give instead? answered the professor L
| statement
has ever been made OF what L might call
the new purpose in modern life Not
| names and things, but life itself is the high
est consideration Modern thought is a
| search for life. II seeks life by seeking
truth. freedom and brotherhood; by seek
ing an essential reason for every virtue
and by deepening our appreciation of moral
worth. This new purpose is not destructive
IN the best sense IL is divinely constructive
The universe is palpitant with life God is
the living God and is I'm the life, litera-
ture. religion. politics, taxes Inventions
and enterprises of the American people as
much as In those things of the Hebrew peo-
pie three thousand years ago This new
purpose emphasizes the possibilities of the
human soul What Isaiah, Plato. or
jesus, or Paul, or Shakespeare have
thought men can think to-day What at
any time has been attained by any one i'm
beauty, goodness and truth can be at
tanned to-day. The very fact that 1 can
think the thoughts of Plato. or Jesus. or
Paul after them is a psychological intina-
ton that / might have thought their
thoughts without them. Splendid things
have been done in the past know. We
rejoice in them. but our JOY is deeDened by
the thought that greater things shall
do. because God is our life and we have at
hard the boundless resources OF the uni
| verse
.. Still IL does move said Calico, wincfng
from the pains OF the inquistorial rack.
| Yes. Calico. know to-day that the
world moves, and IL is growing better. too,
since thy days OF suffering. The world
moves. Life grows. And the best life. the
best literature. the best creeds and the best
Bibles are yet 10 come.