, 1874-09-21

oarLl was rcpcateu III lleaFen, aau "l!st the MI"
man King was on the footstool; auoh was tho
King On tho throno only M God arrpasRoa man
In powor 80 did lila ompiro surpaaB that Of man
III quantity and quality Of Injustice.
That mental and moral development which ho-
Eo,no .crcle, bogan to rcmove afso tho Injustice
OF raligion, and pour Into tho Churc!, tho equity
1t vaH pouring Into lsws and customs. From bo-
ing elmplo fat Of all Almighty, Christianity
bcoamo tho reasonable action Of II ,Fatlior who
could not only p1nlBh, but WHO could also pity,
Ills chtldreu Que Of the drat oorta of Justice to
break uto tho Church may be In tho riao OF tho
Arminians wlloao simple principle was thas tho
soul must hnvo solne kind Of c!,anco for Heaven.
God. but must depona upon the actions of minds
TINT Ind como to ycarH Of willfuf sin. While
CalyiniBm had glvon itB whole study and worship
to Tho absolute will Of God. thia no" philosophy
became alarmed about tho moral cllnractor Of
tho Deity, and toiod not to build up tho Divine
absolutisn no mich as tho Divine equity. These
renlonHtrants appeal Cd at tho Synod at Dnrt to
protest against tho ron,]ike fasa!ism us seemed
to .llom, ot tho calvnlan theology. and though
Of the synod. yet those woro tho days whom tho
equity Of God began to appear like tho mountains
tops aftor tho flood tlon was tho hour when tho
doyo first found nm oliyo-loaf rising above tho
tlroary wastos Of waters. For this cxe'tatton Of
is to bn especially blan.od slnco l5o only OK
prcHHcd st,aipiy and forn,allY what had como
down from Nonlo aud Groeco, for 1t socmH that,
outside Of tho confines Of the 11o!y Scriptures nj
well as within them, all carly philosophy hor-
dcrod upon fataliHn
There ia wonderful resemblance between
Honor and Plato, aud Cicero. and Augustine,
and CA1yin, In This matter Of tho aagolutam Of
God, aud lence, Instead OF looking upon Calvin
~ tile invonlor Of sYatou wo must rather con-
ftsa him to bo a kind OF elimination Of II LONG
liWe Of human thought aud haltcf. Coda will
was tho explanation Of NIL phenomena. and tho
phenomena wcto not simply unjust, but aprall.
ing, Tho vast majority of tho human raco bud
been created for All oterutty Of paan. 1Ioatlon.
aud infants auu 1utnda tint coutd not helioya
Ill they wote totl, and minds that lad mover
becu told anything, and that ]iad struggled to
learu, wcro all nlika doomcd to otornul palu hy a
lav, and permitted no contingcliey to a,iao.
The NononsssRnts Invaded this dark sys!csn,
and denired 10 turn mankind away from au OK
elusive admiration Of Gods will to somo regard
to Ills character aud out Of tiis uprlhlng, not Of
gcu.nontalism. hut Of justice naa coma the Chris
t!auity Of modern times. Not that the Armtntan
systetn las oyerthrown It's onemy but that it has
made tho modern scetg eit1or combine 4 belief III
Gods deereea With holiof it, l1iH ,oasonahcueas
aud equity, or clao hos nsado tilom a{tnply neg
1ect inotapl,Yscs too doep for the human u,i1!l,
and utterly omptty Of all usoluliess:: III
QUO oshor wny las tho ArmIuian theory
affected thuao who still feel ccrtain that
all oyents hayo becn ordained fron, eternity.
aud feel that tho t1at las becn indeed passed
but it il fiat OF widespread moicy rather than
Of wrath, and that millions aro dccrecd Tor
uo¥ whom former agca supposed ordalucd to
perdition, Titus By Armnlhnisn. Which ut.
tachos punishment only to conscious sns, and
By CalYins.n which vastly on!argos the decree
at election, religion Of Justice conlea into tho
aroaa, mud will hcncoforth compete for the
aud hereafter. Tluso wl.o love only tho old,
will for timo dorlyo this creed Of tho eight
sentimental issuo, b1s it will eloubtless
work its way into full power, aud God viii 10
est friend Of tho soul. a1ottotllam, which is NOW
Il hundred yeats old, aud IL rich III experience,
il ono OF the legitimate fruits Of this religion,
for tho motto Of thai Bect is the kind Justice Of
0ud. 1Io will savo those Wlo come. lIo Will
light, nor tic soul waoso parent siuaed but ne
invites all aud means a1l. ai,1 loves all md to
tlis WOW Of God it adds tho perpetual study Of
Heaven rather than OK boil, and il i'll all ways n
religion Of soul and hopc, ratner than Of boul-
aso anu gloom.
That tito Christianity OF to-day ia = wide do
patture from the Christianity Of tho past is ITO
Indication thnt it il compounded with sin, nnd il
bottlug out tho distinction between virtue and
vice. such conclusion cau only DO reached by
those WHO feel lhHt Christianity found ita por-
fcct statement in former Centuries. Thon
variation would imply decline Of tho Church.
But tile truth ia tho old Church was not thus
perfect. Its portrait Of God and Of Christ was
80 false as to be harmful to men i'll tho Church
aud to the skcptica without.
Tho modern Church il not compounding
with rim. but it ia revolt against God Of poal-
tive injustice. Compared with the past, tho
prosent may Bcom u sckly aentimontalisnl; but
that comes to pauH not because tho present is so
reckless Of Gods presence, but because tho
past vas 40 cruel. Ti,no was, nlso, when jus
iice meant only punishment for sin, but in theso
days, when christian visits dying pauper, or
frees slayc, or when lso speaks kindly to al it-
tliel Or Of him. he III not following a wcskpcss
Of nature. but ~ in tho path Of tho most definite
mics whom he had made BY liB writings. tho
Church zealota showed their zaal for tho Lord, ~
thoY supposed. by making "malEnanss carry
the malignant" to tho grave, and there instead
Of readlug the chnreh.servico. . choruh OF abuse
and CURSES followed tho body down 70 tue dust;
1t was kind in death that it. permitted
no such malice to ranch tho great
soul. But such was tho troasmcnt all
free thought received in that ota.-a treatment
not intlicatug religion, but showing what wrongs
man may commit i'll tho namo Of his Deity.
The kind method Of our generation with thoae
who difrer from it In thought IL only ono par
ttcu!ar flower ia that Held oil covered over With
tho outgrowth Of human rights. That Difference
ahonn In those days to tho honest thoughts OF
mon is not tho result Of a rclapso into u religion
OF poetry, but ia tho direct reaul1 Of growing
dcsro that nothing should be moro just than ro-
liaion. Instead Of working for tho oneneas OF
vico and virtuo; Instead Of rohhing God Of
anger, and making the world ono Of license, tho
now lhrlatianity was and is nothing but su
uprising OF a rational hatred Ut wrong
OF every form 1in1or tho sun, Nothing has ever
surpassed 1t In hatred Of evil doedA, ard those
who riso up against it to-day AZ bBing religion
OF lcetEo, upDraided it yesterday because It
pretended to Hayo men who tried to do right. 1t
wRs tho shame Of this modern Christianity that
1t attached too much importance to 4 right life.
Apart from tho clargas of its ononios, it stands
forth religion that hatcu vice. aud whose God
| l.atoa vice.
But now couleB mention Of it's peculiarly.
| Tho virtue 1t loved WEB real yirtne; tho yioo
! hated and punished was real vice. 1t lid not 70
| lovo virtue III to burn herato, but did 10 love
it aa to roptoach the slavololder and the lran1-
aeller, and to oppoHa tho glory Of tho battle-
| tiold. It came with a hot indignation, and bo-
loved III an indignant God; but thia Indignation
Of n'an mud dud waa not to DO aimod at moi,
| who could not bolioyo tho proiix creed, but at
| Kings WHO oppressed nations; ut ohleftainH who
| gloro0 In bloodshed; At ow,ora and dealers III
slaves; ut parouts WHO wore cruel to childron !;
| at men sllo dofrauded their nelghbor.
This uow religion did not take away tho iulig-
nation Of God. bnt ouly directed it toward
realities, inatcad OF toward BhadowH aud naala 1t
| robuko an unjust judge or dethrouo tyraut,