The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-03-08


T emit with the identity of nsture an
being and beyond that we deny dii
, tinction. al and my Father Al
one"
4 3. The fact that attributes an
acts are ascrfbed to Christ othe
than those which appertain to striC
divinity, does not initiate agains
the view which we have been pre-
senting.
I he is only God but God fncGrno
ted. He was complex being, ha'
human as we'll as a divine charac
ter. hence must have a human a
well az divine attributes and act il
human as well as divine relations
When we assert that he is God W
j do not deny his humiliation no
wink out of sight his subordina
ton TO the Father in the work o
redemption. AS Mediator he mus
be capable of acts that would no
seem appropriate to him contem
plated either as God alone or as maj
alone But carry in the mind hi
relations to us and to the Father
when contemplated as MediatoI
God and man coDjoined il
one person, and all the scripture
statements respecting him, take har
monious relations to each other. To
quote batch of texts to prove hi
subordinat.on and inferiority tt
God the Father, proves nothing
against the divinity of his higher
nature, for as the Mediator he was
subordinate, and on his human
side he was inferior, but on his di'
vine side he was equal.
And do we not use language il
regard to man equally contradictory
and paradOxical? Having in my
mind mans nobler nature, 1 speak
OF him, to day, as immortal as hav.
ing an imperishable nature, as ALI
ed 10 the angels, an heir to eternity,
and tomorrow having in view his
material nature, may say OF MIN.
he is mortal, spouse of the worm
and brother OF day" must perish
and decay. Who would gravely
charge me with contracting myself
And had l written largely on the
material and perishable side OF
mans MATURE, who would imagine
that he had proved my disbelief in
in the existence and Immortality OF
the soul by quoting a batch of texts
from my writings on that side
No one unless he be fool. Whal
would be the difference between
that course and the one taken by
those who attemp to prove from the
Bible that Christ is not divine by
quoting those passages that refer to
the human and subordinate siee OF
his character?
The difficulty is removed in the
former case when it is remembered
that man is complex being, COM
posed of spirit and matter and that
in the one case refer to his imma-
terial and in the other to his mate
rial nature. So it is in regard to
Christ. At one time he is contem-
plated in regard to his higher ma
ture and o class of attributes is as
crlped 10 hiIn, that d1nu1 that ma
ture and show that he is God, and
at another time he is contemplated
as to his lower nature and class of
attributes is ascribed to him that de-
fine that nature aad show that he is
man. Then again he contemplated
as the Mediator and acts and char
acteristics are attributed to him
which neither describe him as God
alone, nor man alone, but as one
occupying q midway position be-
tween the two. And this latter is
the character which stands out
mainly in the most of his discourses
in which he speaks of himself.
Reference to these mostly and ex-
Guiding those which refer to his
proper divinity is the usual method
take by Unitarian writers when
seeking to impugn the orthodox
faith on this subject.
All we know of the existence or
the nature Of a substance is by its
properties. In this way we prove
that matter exists and also the same
of mind. From certain properties
we infer a certain subtratum of
being or substance. Unless we allow
this we eau have no philosophy, no
science, no religion. All we know
of Christ is what. we learn from the
Bible. This attributes to him GER
/ tain properties and from them we
learn who and what he was. If we
accept its statements we must con-
clude that he, was both God and man,
and at the same time the Mediator
between both. five accept not its
statements then we have no Christ.
Do You say this is a great mystic
ry? and ask me how it can be? ]
reply by asking, if we do not see
mystery all about us? Tell me how
you can have a material and an inn
material nature and at the same
time be made into one harmonious
whole, how matter and spirit car
so combine as to render you one
individual being, yet have in your
being properties as unlike and as far
apart in character as heaven and
earth 2 will then attempt to an
swer your question. Tell me how
Almighty God put your brain into
your scull, and your mind into you
brain, where, sensation ends and
mind begins in your intercourse
with the external world. There il
no more difficulty in admitting tina
Christ had a God-nature,and q man
nature, than there Is in admitting
that man has an immaterial an(
material nature. Both facts ar
deep mysteries. So the apostl
taught in relation to the former
"Great is the mystery of goodness
God was manifest in the flesh
And the mystery of the latter is al
lowed by alf fair minded phiiosc
pliers. The mystery however doe
not destroy the fact. Ny inabilit
to solve problem does not destro
its existence nor authorize me {
: say it is o problem of no value ne
Their does it authorize you to do sc
Lastly, the doctrine before I
: makes the incarnation fact of Ii
: grandest significance.
TfChrfsA r--oa God x1,a$1 %ha x1or