Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-05-22
Christ the Primal Truth.
BY REV. L. II. CHAPLIN, d. D.

the Father, and calls him the Supreme
God, men have gone too far the other
way. They have set him up before us
as great prophet and leader. | tell
you you cannot read the New Testament
Ivy such lamp-light as that. You cannot
take such a meagre conception of him as
that, and unders and what he says. You
cannot harmonize the language of the
Gospel with such an idea in any way.
Christ stands out different from a mere
teacher. A mere t e her shows us
something-shows US the way--shows
US the path. Christ says, i am the
way He not only shows it, but says,
4 am the way
Then, again, some people think we
are to have mere opinions concerning
Christ. They are satisfied with mere
opinions concerning the doctrines which
he taught, or with thought about Christ.
No; Christ insists upon communion with
bimself-not merely an opinion about
him, but communion with him. More
over, we are not mer, IL, by this sense
of the thing, to be followers OF Christ, but
we are TO live in Christ and through
Christ. As he makes it known here to
US, the path 10 the Father is inwMd--in
our spiritual relations with Jesus Christ.
Now here is the difference between the
three points which men gain, of scientific
assurance, Of moral conduct, and Of relig-
ious life. BY the operation of the intel
lect on the outward world, we may come
to the conception of first cause. BY a
starry ladder we climb TO it; by starry
labyrinth beneath our feet we descend to
it. Everywhere we strike first course,
and the conception comes through the
operation Of the intellect on the outward
world. Thus we get the conception Of a
Ru!er, Of Judge, of Jehovah, by the
operation OF the moral sense, and of con-
science, especially when they are quick
ened and helped by an external revela-,
tion. When on tables of stone, or on
pages of the New Testament, the law is
enunciated, it responds to the moral sense
within us it quickens il, and we arrive,
therefore, at the conception of moral con-
duct by our conscience acting on a writ
ten revelation. That is another step in
mans life. But by the h e g ITS OF
Christ's spirit alone do we climb to the
conception Of God as the Father; by the
operation of our own souls upon Christ's
example; by taking hold of Christ's
life, of Christ's love, Of all that Christ
himself was by appropriating Christ,
by eating and drinking the Son Of Man.
By those alone do we climb to concep-
ton Of God the Father, and Of relg-
ious life. What sublime truth Far
beyond any Catholic imitation OF it, is the
eating and drinking Of the Son of Man
And, by the assimilation of Christ to our
souls-not by the intellect, not by the
mere conscience, but by the soul climb
ing to the heights of Christ's spirit
we arise and come to the Father. And
that is religion. The intellect gives us
the result of scientific God the moral
sense gives us the result of moral
God; and the soul, operating on Christ,
gives us the result of the Father, which
IS the life and spirit of religion itself.
SO, then, Christ is the way unto the
Father.
Christ is the truth in this important
fact of personality. No doubt, if we
AXE him as a mere teacher, we may say
he did teach most important and glorious
ruths. But the distinctive excellence
If Christianity is not in its amount of
ruths. You may find more truths in
many scientific publications. You may
ind more truths in many philosophical
works. if you are going to count the num-
,er of them. That does net constitute
he distinctive excellence of Christianity.
Nor, even does the novelty of the truths
constitute that excellence, because many
If them were uttered before. But the
great thing Christ does for us is, he goes
o the centre, and spirit Of all truth, and
,ives US The truth In distinction from
mere truths. For all truths are but frag-
nents Of primal truth. What we call
ruths, are but manifestations and phases
If the great central of truth, which is
God the Father. Suppose a man gives
ne new truth, what good does it
10 me in itself alone! That man helps
ne who not only gives me new state
nents of truth, but enables me to shift
he level of my thought in life, and lifts
ne up to a higher and nobler conception.
And that is what Christ does: he lifts
he whole level of my being he gives
me the spirit and essence of truth--no1
only truths for my intellect, but truth for
soul. He is the truth in the absolute
sense of the word. The truth of all
being centres in that which Chiist rep
resents. II centres in the Father, who
IS made known through Jesus Christ
Christ is the truth of Christianity; he is
he revelation,