The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-01-28
Jssus 1HsnIs.
Synopsis Of Rsv. Nr. sanborn's Sermon last
Sunday Might

Synopsis Of Rsv. Nr. sanbora's Sermon last
Sunday Night
Probably no character in history has had
80 vast and varied an influence on the
world, - the Gzllilian Peasant No name
has stood for so much as the name of Jesus
The name suggests at once the man of his
tory and the Christ OF dogma The man Of
history was a real man. The Christ Of dog
ma was a chimera. Jesus Sas a fact. Christ
was q conjecture. The man, Jesus, lived, a
being like ourselves. The dogma, Christ,
was a fungus, the growth OF superstitions,
hanging upon The decaying trunk of the
dead old past. will try to separate the
two, and help you see them both, distinct,
tonight. Jesus, the man
The biographies of his life are meagre.
The New Testament stories of life are not
reliable. Matthew is the only story that
can give anything like . just conception of
him, and even this must first be STRIPPED OF
portions which are unhistorical. Tnterpo-
lated passages and dogmatic prejudic.s Of
later time have injured the actual history
Marvellous and Legendary variations do not
belong to history, but to the superstitious.
which in that age invested numerous char
acters with deltc powers, and surrounded
them with heavenly messengers. Mark and
Luke were latin books, borrowed from Mat
thew, which took its present shape about 90
years after Jesus died. Matthew was based
on fragmentary memorials, written by an
apostle who had been with Jesus, and on
traditions which had been floating round
among his followers, long afler Jesus had
died. John was written some forty years
later still, probably by some friend OF John
who mingled information gained from him
with the mystical theories which were SO
prevalent about the year one hundred.
Jesus was born about the year two, IA we
reckon our era. The antecedents and cir
cumstances surrounding his life conspired
to make him man at whom the world
should wonder. The people he sprang from
were solitary among the races Of man. They
es,eemed themselves the chosen of the Lord
God Jehovah. They were divided into sects
-Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenees-ar-
rayed somewhat against each other, but all
waiting in the expectation of a Deliverer.
They expected Jerusalem to be Gods capital
on earth They would have a monopoly OF
God, and all nations should pay them taxes,
and come up to see the Lord of hosts AT
Jerusalem. Their Universe was three
| story house, very large, sheal-a land OF
| silent graves. The earth,-and Heaven
above the sky, where God reigned surroun-
ed with hosts of angels; only two human
beings had ever been admitted to Heaven,
Enoch and Elijah, the latter Of whom was
10 return a. fOresunner Of the Messiah.
In the BabylOniau captivity, they i'm.
bibed from the zoroasteian theology the
doctrine of resurrecties from dhe land q
graves, and blended II With tbeir notions o,
the Messiah.
Into such a society, and such hopes, mis-
| fortunes, miseries, was born Joshus, called
| in Greek from Jesus. His father was car
penter, his mother one of the common peo
pie. The boy was Of a moody. thoughtful
turn, and early the burdens which oppressed
his people, and the hopes all were dreaming
about, and talking about and awaiting
kindled in his mind desire TO ease the bur
den and fnlfill the hope. At thirty, he wa'
awakened, called by the divine voice with
in his own soul, to forsake all, and live fe
the enlightenment Of all his race.
1t was not q new things but it was :
great thing.
He arrayed himself at once against al
dominant classes. He was on the side o
the poor, from the iirst. He came to con
tinue the law and prophets, and traditions
Of his time. The passage in Matthew
which lreputes him as saving, 81 am no
come to destroy the law and prophets;
am come to fulfill" is an Interpolation
thrust in there, at a latin term, to contro
vert the followers Of Paul, who had small
care for Jewish things. In Jesus hand
Mosaisen lost its identity. Jesus undoubt
edly believed that Satan was a sort of seconC
Deity, who had possession Of the wOrlt
| while God reigned in heaven. He believed
! in the prevailing notion that all friends Of
| God would be rewarded hereafter, while al
who submitted Willingly to the rule Of Sa
tan, would suffer eternal woe. He esteem
| ed wealth an enemy to the noble life, pre-
ferred the communism of the Essenes, calf
ed wealth, a curse, poverty a blessing, de
clared rich men would be damned and pool
men saved from hell.
Wealth had the best Of the battle. III,
couldn't make any Roadway against it. Mer
couldn't prefer poverty to wealth, and 50 b.
took another weapon besides persuasion
lie told them of heaven and hell, reward:
and punishments. Do this and God will
bless you do this and God will curse you
Bear, endure, God will pay you. Serve
Him, He will remunerate you. 1t was 3
youthful weapon. The future glory and
peace waalhe one only thing that could fiji
the emptiness of their life. 1t wasn't tho
highest standard, but the highest they coult
appreciate. They did not understand him
lie toiled and lived for humanity, tried t.
exalt the soul, belittled the world to exal
the soul more, and they thought he wanted
them to serve him, promising them gifts fo
their allegiance. He knew they would rusl
on to destruction, and so resolved to di'
himself, that they might be spared. Full
of love for those whom he would have LEI
to higher life, Mortified that their bloot
might stain the garment Of his beautiful
endeavor, he died for his friends. 1t was ;
fitting consummation of noble, unselfsl
life. His whole career shows him a maj
worthy to be the friend of all whose higl
purpose, pure life and noble deed takes n,
account of self.
aHis life was gentle and the elements
| So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up
| And say 10 all the world, This was 4 man."
|