, 1874-09-13

Cory<spoude,.e Of Tie C9.i3aqo Tribune.
BosIos, Sept. s, 1874.
4 remarkable little book hns been written by
Canon Pullen. the author Of 1.-The Fight ~
Dame Europa's School" ~: 81 Modern Christian
iiY Civilized Heatheni SIN, which is ready for
publication By William F. Gill i Co. The work,
which has met with large esle in England, Is
in the form OF dialogue between Rector OF
the English Church and lis friend, na11ra!lzcd
Enelishmau, but 3 hcathen aud tho descendant
of heathens, who asserts that, in giving up his
heathcnism, he will hare to give up no vices,
nor assume any Of tho virtues which Christians
ity has appropriated as its own e1clusiycly,-
IN short, that modern Christianity has
NOT Tu3 LEAST MORAL ADVANTAGE
orer civilized heathcnism. His faith in Christ
must be based upon some tangible evidence OF
His reality and Divinity. Ii He was God, He
must be still on earth in the person of every
ono who processes to follow Him, renouncins
the world and everything that is not Of Christ,
selling all his goods to feed the poor, intolerans
not only Of Gin, but OF the righteousness "n1cn
is not Of Christ
"uis Spirit il He bo Chris: At a must lingcr here;
a:,d Il His Spirit has any strength that can rightly Be
called Divine, 1t must bo nan1'estlng them w1tn .
and children dwell Tell ne, rv friend whereabouts
such place may bo- 1t is not in your churches,
men and women offer up prayers to God with life so
insnccro that the5 might just Is TtA e 10 - oea sa.
ing them 9R Hsbon, to 1pss pc.sss xaers y nes e
APOSTLES Al % Of 5 homeees tootsore Jesus maintain
with betting 1omp and circumstance the dignity OF
the Episcopal Chair 1t is not in tho snug country
parsonage where the Rector haS settled hmseh co'n-
ior,ably the midst OF .ura poverty and distress,
and his charming wife and daughters faro sunptnous.
y every day. Such men, believe cannot be Christ
.bey n are not Ghrtt, they are nothing. That which
drew near, Nas personal witness. Christ came and
cavo 1t them That which aea yearning for now,
crying for from street and garrett ana deathpsw
after truth, and the has1uss Of tho man Of fashion
who would faln be something better than
be isis personal witness You Christian priests won't
give il them. You perzstently withhold It. You dara
hot be- to the world wb4: Christ You boast tia.
your religion suffers YOU to I'VE AZ 9tnef mel 70 en}oy
your natural desires, just as the lay
man may. Ton have not the pluck to tell the Squire
poseless lille frivolous, nothing worse-a disgrace
10 your Ch1is:inn vilage and trans@sesSion Of the
law q a You d5s not tel 7a,orn a G S1e M Us
bu: little different from h1a OWL"
Tho vay out Of many difficulties now is found
through tho assertion that familiar passages
ss,5ero clearly never meant to bc received
IN THEIR Literal SENSE.
On this point the heathen remarks:
al dcnT that utterly. Your modern thcor? on this
noiut is . barefaccd assumption, for which neither
ynu the fairtsst spark Of authority. Whatever He
commanded lie expects you literally to perform. ana
you hare right to hlter away His 1ords until the!
fnunciate mere abstract piece OF philoHophic ~ls-
dom which the hcathen and the Christian rnay both
aHke accept. In the whole range of hesthcn hls-
story ncyer Jet heard Of anythlng 20 pa1ahy dis-
honest ne the way in which you Chr1st1ans Eare
repudiaed the words Of Christ II Tassos my COM
prchenEion how eau stand at your desk and reaa
chapter out of the Gospel without sinking into the
earth for ehame. Every sentence OF your lips con-
dctuns vou I would insult you with quotations; but
nsrrons have long aeo agreed among yourselves to cali
obgoicte and impractical! To you, JUST as uen as 10
us, Christianity and Christ have become ridiculous
NV dear friend II Christ to come now IL human
II an scarcely bound" said l. F" to answcr ques-
ton 10 absurd. Christ could not come now This il
not the time appointed for His coming. He came when
God saw fit to send Him, and TINT time Is past"
sstill suppose it is comfortable that God should
h:re been pleased to send Him now. What special
untuess Of .tmo OF place should hinder His appear
ing next week in London If it had been 80 dcszeed
: But it was no: SO decreed. Fitness 81 time and
place nnde 1t neccssar. that He should appear in
Perhaps you think that the rcorc Of London arc
uttlo too civilized JUS. now TO maie His appearances
among them success :" , -..,,
II think nothing about it. It could not possibly
haprea;" x. ,oo, ,ot. NOWADAYS aro little too
clc7cr,-just tritls more lnowiny. don't you see'-
than might have been couTe'.:Ghs.
aDout talk III Buch horrible way" eaid. Tor
felt that tho 1nan WAS becoming Instantaneous u..
..Then an, to understand" continued he, THAT
thE16t tOUlu only UAfc CVlIo uPoA ~
on condition OF His choosing N obscure country and
hitting upon time Nhea there we're no Epecsl CORE
spordeas dnd ont all about Him. no photographers
to chow exactly what He like. and no telegraph
fc wires convey His words Of wisdom from ono con-
tiucat to another II you, mniattr OF Christ, are
proparel to admit much IS this, you can hardly
wonder that intelligent laycien should dsaelieve"
II this is shocking aud itreyerent, it is from
the
uEAIuES POINT OF VIEW.
remember. Dut wl,at follows is by no 1neaus
irrercrcnt ii one might 60 On quoting dd hhifun,
Nor is tho book tn irrevorcnt one, though the
raalcr nav be prepared to think 80. It il de-
u1snd for = real Christ shown to the world by q
real discipleship. and union with Hlm by His
Ministers and followers; or, If there be no such
Divine Leader. an honest remuneration OF ira
dtions to which daily practice gi7es daily lie.
Il in 3 book that no one need fear to read, for
t}ot fsith that can be weakened by the doubts Of
others ia not vital, living one, but merels an
edncstion: and, wll;ls tho questioning reader
rnay and his own secret OF open convictions
inot;n1 mt to him from almost overy page,
s.cnt: and be!ie7er alike will feel thAt the mod
cm atandard OF Christianity IS ~ Tar below the
tr1,e ono Is is the weals:i: asi popular minister
ri Christ below his Crcal Exam:le
The authors position may DC glseh IN &c"
words from the preface: .....
Dexr,,ed reoion is on its trial before the world
not for norne tyng ble,n,shes which little llu cof-
re4.iiou may 1neut but fer its ser5 iue =aa, ,s
clergy. its natural defenders can eco' no ~;
r,,to wby It aho;L 6ai.:t, common Acuser III at!s
r.,ntry It ieaft~ will re-: specify decaas uFon ~
merits atee eoiue:-Eat T"s,!i-@1i.-t ..en S