The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-16
THE TREATMENT OF DOUBT
REV. JOSHUA STANSFIELD'S SERMON
AT MERIDIAN-STREET CHURCH.
There Were But Four Doubters Among
Jesus Immediate Followers
Rev. Wambsganss's Farewell.

The Rev. Joshua Stansfield preached at
the Meridian-street M. E. Church yesterday
morning the subject, "Christ's Treat
ment of Doubt In part he said:
I'VE are all agreed that we have in the
gospel and New Testament records only a
meager account OF the life of our Lord. III
is quite suggestive that We have not less
than four cases of doubt and doubters in
even these brief records, John the Baptist,
Peter, Thomas and Nicodemus Are these
recorded as representative types OF men?
Perhaps we may not positively say. Ger
tain, however, it is that these are written
for our instruction.
I'VE should never allow ourselves to for
get that faith is not some special gift TO
certain souls, but is natural to men. 1t is
a faculty power of the normal man, that
power of the soul whereby men apprehend
and appreciate the invisible. True, there
may be some few who do not have 1T, as
there are some who are blind, though phys
ical sight is common to our race. Jesus
held that men were responsible for the use
misuse of faith. Only twice is He said
to have marveled: once at the faith of the
centurion, and once at the unbelief Of His
own people.
Jesus certainly rested everything upon
the faith of men in and upon God. upon
faith the kingdom was to grow, mountains
were to be removed, Gods glory was to
come and men were to achieve great things
because they believed in Him. How, then,
did our Lord treat doubt?"
AS an illustration DR.. Stansfield cited the
cases of doubt and mistrust of John the
Baptist, Peter, Thomas and Nieodemus and
showed what Jesus did to remove the doubt
those men felt.
He illustrated the doubt of John the Bap-
fist as follows: John is in prison. cut on
has been at1 so honest and thorough and true
in all his work. John is In prison, and here
within hailing distance is Jesus. Why does
He not do something for John! Here is
real doubt, not intellectual and uncertain,
but soul anguish and perplexity- Art
thou He that should, or do we look for an
other?' And how does Jesus answer? Not
sitions, but by deeds which would, If any
thing could, reassure. John Of his faith in
God and the certainty of the kingdom:
Christ's attitude toward heartache and
deep moral perplexity and doubt is one Of
truest sympathy and speedy help.
1.-The second case is that OF Peter, i'm
pulsively stepping out to meet meter, Christ on a a
doubt a terrible self-distrust in the pres
ence of overwhelming natural forces, a
sense of utter helplessness when In the
grasp of the cold and pitiless law. The
presence and help of Christ to a sinking
soul who appeals to Him are as real as the
pillows which threaten to engulf one:
ample With the Thomas type II is often
easier to die than to live. But think you
for a moment that such doubling was a
pleasure or pride to Thomas? 1t was an
agony. a heartache, a cry of despair. Jesus
knew that his doubts were such. and hence
He came again for Thomass sake. Surely
He must come to such. Had He failed to
have done so we ourselves might doubt
Him. In all these cases Jesus seems to
recognize their state of mind as acute and
painful. but yet abnormal, and seeks in
every instance to reassure and bring them
back to confidence in God
1.-The doubt of Nicodemus is widely diff
ferent from the rest. Nicodemus. the
Pharisee, the scholar, the master of Israel;
he 1t is who comes to Jesus for psyche
logical and purely philosophical explana-
ton of the great doctrine of the kingdom
of God. Jesus attempts no answer, but sus-
tains an entirely different attitude to the
doubt bringing Him into close sympathetic
touch with all who believe"