Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-11-10
HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

attention has been call ed to the fact
that the ancient Fathers of the
Church spoke with far greater free
dom than the Mothers in Israel con-
slider permissible in these days.
We quote from the renowned and
neutrality-suspicious. Justin Martyr:
zone article of our faith then is,
that Christ is the first begotten Of
God, and we have already proved
him to be the very Logos Cor univer-
sal Reason) of which all mankind
are partakers, and therefore those
who live according to the Logos"
Tor Christ or Reason care Chris
tians, Notwithstanding they may pass
with you for Atheists; such among
the Greeks were Sokratcs and Her
akleitos and the like; and such
among the Barbarians were Abra-
ham and Anansias and Azarias, and
Misael, and Elias. and many others.
So on the other side, those who
lived in former times in defiance of
the Logos or Reason, were evil and
enemies of Christ and murderers of
such as lived according to the Logos;
but they 7vho haze maze or make the
LoeosIpr Reason the rule of their ac-
tious are Christians, and men with
ou fear and trembling"
Here we have in a few simple
words, from one of the Fathers of
the Christian Church, a straight
forward definition of what it is to be
a Christian. 1t is simply to live ac-
cording to ones Reason; and all who
do not so are evil. What a gospel
of glory this would have been to
many poor, agonized child strug-
Cling under the absurd nonsense of
Calvinistic theologians in times Of
those religious carnivals called ere
vivals." Perhaps no one can ever
estimate the evil that has been done
to the sensitive natures of children,
and often Of adults, in days past, by
the cruel doctrines of hell. Confd-
ing temperaments have been wrong
ed also by the mischievous efforts
made to impress upon them their
utter sinfulness. Many conscien-
tons child has shut itself from the
sunlight for days in a struggle to feel
the ssburden of its SIM" which it was
told was necessary before it could
ssfind the Saviour" Not until this
universal Reason of mankind as
serted itself in a protest against this
abuse did the clergy relent.
To-day the need seems to be, not
protest so much, as emphatic, per-
sistent, tender assertion Of the real
truth. Mankind wants to- know
what to believe more than what not
to believe. We would suggest to
those who desire the highest Chris
tan authority on these subjects, that
they go back to the Fathers. Liv-
ing in those early centuries, follow
ing the life of Jesus; many of them
highly educated men, thoroughly
conversant with Greek philosophy
as we'll as Christian, they are GER
tainly better qualified than any mod
ern of less culture than themselves.
to expound the Christ.
In John we read Gin the begin
ming was the 7voyd and the 7vord
was with God and the 7yord was
God" Religious teachers agree to
define this ssWordo as Christ. In
the original it is Logos. Justin
Martyr says Ssthe Christ is the Lo-
COS or universal Reason Of which all
mankind are partakers." We think
him mistaken hele because there
are people who seem utterly desti
tute of Reason. But that this
F ather of the church exalts reason
to the very highest position in the
work of redemption is beyond doubt.
How is it that the later pulpit scorns
the teaching of the master and de-
spises his Logos-Reason /? We
put the question in all sincerity,
from a desire to know why the Sun
day congregations are never taught
what it is to be Christian accord
ing to the rational idea of this stand