, 1873-12-01

tho Bonno has Ill gono out Of tl,om. Christ him
solf gave tho key by whiell we Gnu into1r,rot his
msSa'ng when DO ,a sad na1y wors are spt!,t;"
concerning God and aoeioty wore whom
Christ esmo upon tho ntaga, Of :, tho
wo,tS d.. we ,t tn9w gs,,, wlat Egytian feligion
had boon, what Judaism atil was, a,ld the yery
aame hiasory Which tcaclles uB. thoao things
teachcs that. with tho advent Of Christ HOW
current Of llfo began to flow through tho minds,
TUG hearts, and tho nfralra OF men, Tho form
itHelf, that iH, tho way in wh!cl mon ct first
held It and taught it,--lnny have boom inado-
quate; to us 1t may neem falao. but evon Under
cover Of orror this truth haa traneformcd
tho world. Tor ought we lnoTr, I This fern form
That whtoh is inadequate for our ttmo
and, positively fnlso was auificlent
for that time md approximately true.
Whether tho miraculous birth Of Christ hiB
sion with all lilo miracles c In reported to l,ayo
wrought bo true or false, 1t is absolutely cor-
tail, that tho first DiaeipleB belioyoa thoy wcro
porary coverings TINT tho essential truth, tho
normanent and etornal osacnco of Ol,ristianity
tho poople.
To ,la, things aro different: The sroat
fully utidaratood nnd more nationally performed,
tho botter man knowa tho pluoe ho holds and tho
relations ho boa's to the plan Of creation"
do now lilo years Of chilalood only iaots csn m
Bcrvc ours. Christianity has certainly wrought
grcat and fundamental chanBos wlloreycr 1t llaa
takon root In tho Garth. Yot wlas monstrous
doctrines have boon giron, forth rs chriatinn!
What Prepo,sterous propositions IL the name Y Of
Christ Thore are fow uni7orsal thesos
among the contenta Of ChriHtinuity which
may DO ~ embodied 10 fow simple
propositions. Thoae doctrinos are reasonable and
Christianity changes tho object Of worohip
from asovareign to Father. ''Ye havo ra-
Abbn, Father"
called Father, and mon tho sons OF Cod, boforc
the advent and tenohing Of Christ; but I do
mean to Bay that this conception Of God was en-
tertainad nonhcre and at no tilnc By the lnasses.
notion, as conveyed by tile torn father, ras
prcdlcatcd Of God by any ono up to tho time Of
| Christ, is very uncertkin.
Tho profountlcst thinkers among the Groeks
and Romans wroto of Cod as tho 1noxorablo
Horace and others among tho Romans. whose
ethical prccopta arc near akin to Christian moral
lily, very fur aWay, in most tloy hayo 10 say
concerning God or tho gods from Christ Is teach
t.inly, his conception is foreign to the Hebrew
Scriptures and tradition. Tho accusation upon
which Christ WAS tried aud condomnod was that
Of blaspholny which was Expressed in this-.'no
himself oo,lal With God" The moral gigui1.
corco ~ th;a dortr;t,o nf Gois n,iertv r. na-
pccially illustrated in tic practical ocot Of tho
doctrine il domestic lfo. Whore outaido Of
| Christendon Is tloro domestic .ylrtuo2 Egypt,
9I 1;r,oa hvt ,nasEIo fc raa tr;via1 cnn.
eidoration i aind d. eocial virtue, thongh not un-
known, WAS rnro and itconspicuous.
Church to Get this concenfion Of God
fniiy md froeIv oxnreseoi. OrIhoiox n.,risti-
anity hns never fair}y and uouaroIy accoptod all
tho logical deductons aud infcronoea Of Uhrist's
oyii approi,onsions begots e. tr,at m % ienderness @ @
md love. How car, those nt,nitieh Of mercy
goodness, simple and reposfng trutLfulnoss, ho
made to comport with ondtoas 6urniugs and oter-
nnl torturcuf He'll Inns boen mora made Of aa .
Father. These two conceptions hnyo boon
Struggling for ascendaucy in tho Chrintinn
world, and, through long agcs Of darkness,
supcrhtiton priestcraft, aNa ecclesiastical bond
ago. tho coaraer harder, bRrbaric, and moro pre-
p0atorouB las hold sway over tho nfirEhted con-
sciences Of men, bolicyo it lag Ind ills day
| and done its work. Among cducnted people 1t
is wholly liabelieyo.', and among al poopo it III
spiritual character OF God, Christianity changes
! tito basis Of o1porioncn-tho very spirit Of Ifo
from bondage to liberty. The religion Of tho
| Jows was rooted md grounded in tradition; it
was cnalavod to rites, ceremonies, 1ulos, and
regulations; 1t was religion Of days, Of feastH
and fastinga. These vcro observed through a
spirit Of fear Jesus struck boldly at tho root Of
thia appalling system OF bondage. He called it
. yoko, 8 burden, whitcd ecpulciiro. Ho
taught that God was pieasod not
with saorillcee, but with juHtico, morcy,
and truth; not with oblations oi
oil, and otTorlngs Of nyrrh and inoonae, but with
| III. 1.3n
arol them to take hold OF the best in themselves
| ani bring that 10 iho ho|p Of their fellows, and
Us IN offering to their Father in Heaven. Lib
ortv to think II tho yorv key-noto of Christians
itvi Indeod Chrjyt,s method not tLo world to
tliinkinr. and wherever tho Shirt OF Christ has
Ind freo courso. tLink;nY hay boon fyee think-
inr and rlorifiad. Wherever men arc not
freea tl,;nkers t1,nv nra mt frco Christ;an..
fhr;stin1,itv, moreover. ehnnres the aohofluIe oi
values from tho visible to tho iuyisibIe. from
tho sense to tic spirit. from tho unreal to tho
roa,. - As many as aro lei by the Shirt OF God