Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-11-24
Now the matters that Paul was handling

Now the matters that Paul was handling
in this ep;stle, and especially in the epistle
to the Galations, was just this distinction
between the old order and the new. The
stress Of his argument lay in the direction
of lifting the mind of the world off from
anchorage and associationso Of the first stages
of Religion, and launching it forth upon
the sea of an advance career.
What then is the characteristic Ct the old
faith and dispensston? If you will let me
use the figure will say it is to us the nest
OF religion. But if the old is that, What is
the new? It is the egg, the vital egg in
true Christian? He is the eagle. the hatch
ed bird, soaring Heaveuward, free in his
mountain home, in forest and in dale.
Fully born. Re is not nest, no. egg, but
life.
Now my friends, just here for the sake of
sharpening our discrimination, let me say
great many have much more of the nest
than of the egg; and some great deal more
Of the egg than of the bird that it was
meant to produce. These are the ones that
stand by the glass eye. These are they
that seek the china and the porcelain as the
true orthodox egg. These are they W no
accept those shining productions which
men have made; rounded, shaped according
to order, polished and ordained by author
ty centuries and centuries ago. They are
put into nests now for modern incubation
but alas for the birds. These are the nests
and eggs that are kept warm for the most
part in our theological schools ard churches.
Now these old custod,ans of the church
arc the ones that do mischief. They snuff
out free thinking men. They are the ones
in sanctimonious face and garb that go
around the community whispering in the
ear of young people to beware of new eggs;
that the old are better.
Notwithstanding, friends of the 10th cen
tury, notw iths standing the syllabus of 1864,
emanalng from the vatican, and repeated
bv many Protestant; Notwithstanding all
that, we live in wondrous Matching time
Broods and Hocks Of ideas come swarming
all around the live thinker of to-day 1
know and acknowledge that they began in
the ancient ways. They were planted in
ancient methods. They were gems IN old
life. la their life and essence they are the
same yesterday, to-day and forever. Not
only are these new births going on, but
they are striking bonds of fellowship.
All truth dates back TO the egitima
home of nature and God. And because it
is so there is this pronounced sympathy be-
tween truth aud truth, order and order
The old technicalties and the old devices,
symbols and limitations have lost power.
The ancient nests are not regarded of much
account. Old shells out of which lite emil
grated do not satisfy to-day. They do not
hold anybody that thinks The shells are
left; and Jet there is more life in the world
than ever before. There is greater diver
sity of lite. You see l am stating the fact
that all this diversity owns more and more
at the heart. 1t is all unity. and following
this thought straight back, you have but
one God. Thus the old linked sentences
ring out with immortal music, ordained,
foreknown, decreed-lsw; method, order,
chanting the life march of man They
emancipate man from his prisons, and set
him in tree life and liberty, singing son
OF God.
Stand to the life then friends, not the
she'll form, not the nest form. True to the
past, and true, to the future, you must in
evitably etrae to the present. Germs of
truth were vital in the very creation of our
nature, in the creation lof all nature. Pro-
violence broods and starts all these vital
germs. They are coming to light They
are coming to maturity. They take form
in Grand organizations. They ale pronounc-
ing themselves in intellectual institutions
for education, for emancipation from ignor-
ance. They are asserting themselves in re-
formatory institutions, whereby degraded
and condemned criminals may be reached,
and reclaimed. The world of nature is full
OF these. Let me tell you the same spirit
that brooded at first over ancient chaos,
and give it life, and order, and beauty, and
music, broods oyer these slum boring germs
Of truth in mans nature in the world 8
nature.
Providence is that broodng spirit God
in the form of Providence. Strike for Pro-
violence then. Welcome the same spirit
that brooded over chaos, and is now brood
ing over slumbering truth to bring it to
life. Lay bare your brain to-day, and your
heart, to the same power, and God will
breed Himself m yourz natura That ,U III