Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-08-27

Nhufch lclrlng, lcSl III lfccY NllhituhS N"' P'''
lcai, they will do great dishoror To Tic hcorctc@
or what they regard the 'Orthodox,' with pretend
ed holy devotion to the Bible, are, without discrim'
nation, resisting everything, whether cxhibitinp
love or not, which does not bow assent TO then
creed in regard to the plcaoJy inspiration OF the
Bible, refusing all cooperation with rcform'r who
are infdcl to certain portions Of the Bible. This
is the severe struggle which must prcccde the gio-
rious millcnium. 1t is Il severe struggle TO the
professel church, but it must come. God must
turn and overturn, until he whose right it is, shall
reign from the rivers to the ends Of tho earth. =
Profcssed Christians little realize the severity of
the struggle, and how it will thoroughly siit the
professed church.
"We are now prepared to return to the original
question, What is the proper standard of judge
b ment in regard to Christian character more
important question cannot hc proposed than this
II is a question which j. shaking society iron its
centre to It's circumference The profcssed church
generally believe that we should require assent to
the Bible as all supernatural revelation from God
Their conduct afirms, in uncquvocal language, that
even believer in the pa,tiat inspiration Of the
Bible, cannot be a Christian. Now what shall we
say in regard to such an important assumption? Is
it true, or is it false?
as u belief in the plenary inspiration Of the
Bible an adequate test Of Christian choractcr?-
Neither The Bible ITSELF the experience Of the
proiessed church, will allow this test as adequate
A perfect crc,d is an inadequate test of Christian
character for a man may have perfect kA0iricigc
and not practice according to his knowledge lie
may know his Lords will and do it not a creed
Is not correct cricrian Of Christian character
Hence, belief in the Bible cannot be such a critic
rian, and if this i. true, il follows that disbelief
in the plcnary inspiration Of the Bible cannot be n
aegatire test or an evidence that man is not
Christian for a creed is no test Of character one
way or the other.
T 81 am aware thatthc position which Ihave given,
that belief in the Bible is not an adequate test Of
Christian character IS somewhat startling in the
eyes Of the pro!cssCd church, and the conclusion
will %. once be drawn by many honest minds that
an fast tending towards lnGdclity and will soon
lie there. But tho position is too obvious for ne to
, be frightened ly such suppositons. The falsely
. called Orthodoxy Of the church may force many
to ayw such position contrary to thcir religious
instructions but when practical and not Theoretical
~ flsWlfNNN u feloif Nie Nili Nv
different standard. Now what is thot standard?
"Tilr it BE Il love of Christ as he is revealed t.
us in the New Testament in his different relations!
This will be only another expression of our love to
God, or in other words, it is love to Cod brought
r down to our sensual finite comprehension. 1t is
D love to God made flesh, and dwelling among us
e perfect man. In the revelation of Christ was then
omuch Of the Deity revealed as we in our sensual
state, can comprehend in the form of man, or n man
+ having the nature of God We shoald be able to
give an intelligent reason why love Christ which
is this, because love perfect human character,
, or character endowed with divinity Such was
Christ and in this sense only do we love God for
have shownitis impossible to love Infinite Spirit
independent Of the human, for in so doing we would
rise above the nature with which God has endowed
d us which is absurd. While we arc men, we must
( love as mon, and not Gods We can no more
= love nfuity than we can conceive Of it. and it i,
sclfcydcnt that the latter is impossible, and also
at our love can act no further than the Intelligence
Therefore to love God as an Infinite being is impos
sibe; we must loy9 him rs n perfect man, or not
at all. This is the Intelligent reason why Christ
was revealed to ~, namely, because we can appre
- hcnd God in no other way. Thcologians often
speak Of Christ rs possessed of two natures human
20 and divine. This is true in certain sense, name
q ly. the divine nature was encascd in human ten
, cment. But the whole of the Deity was not revealed
i through Christ TO man. for this could not be done
: through Il human, finite and sensual body Til,
i Infinite cannot be revealed through the finite
This is first truth of reason and cannot be denied
We can love the human in Christ in the sense
j personality, but we cannot love the divine in thu
same sense. We can love much of the divine
as is revealed in the human, but this is not lovin,
God abstractly, or as an Independent person. al
spirituality. Loving Christ is nothing moro thai
most nationally loving man. In this is Chris
the Son of God. He is his ofspng or an eminatioi
of the Deity. lie is the mediator or medium thro
which man may know God in limited and fnt
sense or in the only and most appropriate il
., which God may reveal his character to man. Chris
and God are equal in the sense Of human comprc
hension, that is, the human mind can comprehend
- no higher God than perfect man. Whati it thcI
to love Christ? Answer: to love man directly an'
" God indirectly, that is, by lorag man. In loving
Christ we love God. In loving Christ we love man
and hence evince our love to God. In the sam
sense we love the Chrst-liko in man. What it t
: be Christ-liko? Answer to love man as Chris
did, to be obodent to those truths which grow on
of the relations of man to man as he was 1t is il
n this sense that we conform to Christ, partaking 0
his spirit following his example ndifferentrcspects
or in conforming to different relations. 1t don
u good to man, thus showing our love to Christ Il
this Christianity is plain, lovely, and foFciblC
!, commanding itself to cvcry man's reason and con
!, science. In this sense love to Christ is not
y, mystical love, but purely and strictly human as
= must be because of our human natures; and so ia
as this human love exists, so far do we partake {
the divine nature growing into the image of Goo
rrnnl ono denrne of glory TO nnothor. until W