, 1876-04-03
which I may designate - Ilo]islon OF CHAR
sotor, THO world has caused 10 pass before us o

6yGAE E1Al1y 6uhpUn ok LuC CSA4lnfIAA AoHAse'@ N--
sho mind meyer sces Ill sides Of any truth et ono
time, It keeps up en everlasting experiment. not
dosiEpod,y but actually. for 1t goacrally fools
that IL holds tho whole TRUTH but Ia Just as gon-
erally mistaken. Society ns fact ia engaged In
trying tho fragmonta OF religion, noycr being
ablo 10 comprohond the whoia subject. Aa
politics advances by partial effort, now crowning
4 king ~ bolng tho who'll truth, and now do
ttronlng him and ceotins prosldent ue bosns
tho whole t.utl, eecona timo, NOW ltvy!pR
lar on imports and now pleading fot free trade,
aud In cacll Instance feeling that tho perfocsion
Of roason has been found. 30 Christianity moves
along, assuming uaw shapes. Aud yet announo-
Ing in sach epoch tho arrival Of perfection. As
4 hundred readers Of Myetory hase eolved 10
different Ways tho Apocalypse OF ct. John, end.
Ing tbs soysn senls now horc and now theto, 80
\ hundred. indeed q Thousand. scots have olosot-
cd themselves with tho Bible, aud have como
forth with Thousand different forms OF por-
lsct Christianity.
This couaa to pass from tho fact that God
only can SEQ tho whole OF anything wlatsoo1or.
Tho Greeks discovered that Ito human eyo was
unable 70 perceive tho loyolinesh Of n long llno
OF root or entaablature, that tho mass sunk 10
the mldd!c and honce thoy caloulated tho o,tor
moss OF viaioh. The theological artists hsvc uf,-
consciously, but actually, laid down thaif long
ridge llnee Of dogmas 70 The demands Of AZ
orrlng night Nothing haa boon AZ y 0oenu1,; nuli
uE 9gulAAVA NO - unp peoA|
b bud for tho hopoa Of society
Il, out Of this long experiment AMID half truths,
thoro should not 10 issuing larger ann 9 moro
trushinl auryoy Of thD great IGs'y ~ ntc qut
shero aro degrees Of lis limitation md out Of 70
noatod trinls ihero ahould como bettor inslght
L ought to bo t1no tnt tho world Ia finding. nos
rho perfect slapo o. religion, oat an smr1tnt,ea rt,s
"Ilo Religion OF Character" Such theme
will iuyoko romalka upon two points: What is
| religion, mil what ia O religion OF character
Religion Is . word that embraces M az os. those
TINT ne awakened out OF tho fact and quality Of
the Deity. Thoughts and emotions TINT ACCOM-
pany Tho idea Of uod mako III roligioo. Tho
idoas Of tariff, OF money, OF seficu!tnse Or chom-
istry, OF arithmetic, arc not ro!igtou6 idoas be-
causo thoy aro not associated With any 1ntinito
Ono, but tho idoaa Of right aud wronK. Of fail.
aud pcbliohco, OF prayer, OF ruturn hio, OF
heaven and hell, aro thoughts In tho realm q
God. Aa political idoas rovolvo around tho
word 6sato 30 Religious idoas and feeling ravolgo
around tho word God. uonce 10 rolf lglon not oil
made up Of doctrines but equally OF feelings.
| whom tho word Doity ia pronounced bo!onvH 70
| the broad word religion. Christianity is mado
up Of tho religious ideas and feolings mAtso or
! erprosaed BY tho loader, Joeus Christ Al those
laws Of action which seem To havo como from
God rnthnr than from society or nature, laHs OF
tho spirit revealed or repealed In Christ make
up that best Rhapc Of religion. 1mperfectly ns
the word may be aoaned yes the hoatt comos
| very near knowing what religion means, and
| with this approach We 1nust scst content.
Lot M raHs to reflections upon q religion Of
| character. Tho religion which ChtiBt unfolded
was most purely and thoroughly ouch. Tho worda
OF Christ all tended toward tho development Of
high mo1nl condition. Mono Of lhe oxacttnE
forms Of worship ~ soon in tho Greek Church,
or lsoman Church, or KitunliBtio Church CAT
point 70 Christ aa their founder, o1eept By
setting at dotiAnco all the e1iatiog histories ol
tho Basior. But 1t waa in vain christ
spiritual religion Tor tlat age, fol
tho human soul rotcctod 1t very soon In that
shape and reahnpcd It to fit isaelf. IHAuinG
out OF Judaism and out OF tho Greek aud Latin
religions Of e1to1nals, religions Of architecture
and ptocessiona, aud banners, and c'lasaots, the
people could perceive in Christianity only .
continuance Of thu spectacular. The highoal
philogophora veto fond Of show; Even whom
thoy did not personally enjoy tho dazzle OF core
mony, thoy confessed that tho people needed
the most possible Of demonstration. The poo
pie which had often mot 50, 000 atronE 70 W!tuea.
tho plays and oombats at tho Coliseum could moi
endure Christianity that demanded only an up
right lifo. Thoy could not conceive Of such .
religion. Houce al tho way along to tho III
taonth And sixtonnth centuries, tho Church Was
tho lender in whatevor would charm tho eye
Tho paintero painted 81. Paul in long sca1le
robes, and the 81 Potter that sprang into th,
water and anam out to tho Lord stood Gil tn
shoro, not in tho wot garments Of fisherman
H., tho n most I Brilliant Brilliant pictures Of ths med!eya
times is The delivery to peter OF tho keyn Of til
Kingdom. Considering thnt there were, U
sse5 ssta. fSy ss sn So ae psuls saan ID dooS xSc
Wonderful in its Exaggerated style. Tho great
ness of the Sermon on tho Mount no whore 70
veaied itself, but tho sconcs In tho New Tosta
ment, from tho manger 70 the crucld1ion. tn
TRANSPORTATION, the ChrRs weeping. tho Chris
| t,n HhriAk nrtntnhhN II TIM WRhnlnr moth
{hiator Dolorosa), tho Mngdalen, the mothe
and ohild,-all the pictures In Christianity CAM
to tho front because tho people were Ill eyc
and no reelection; Tho result was art rashe
Of tho oxlsting truth, end hence they develops
tho Testament only 10 far % thoy saw tho boob
Thus tho religion Of forms took possession q
society. It could not but bo that, In tu,nin
over tho Gospels, tho early centuries should 10
something e,8o than the matertn! o1totnA
. There sprung up In tho minda Of o fow a r.
llgiou Of metaphysics. In tie vast lumber
rooma OF tho. past you Will dseovdr religion c
! @ Augustine 70 Abelard. II It vaza possible Il
, ali mankind pyor 10 unto In one Idea tho
, would have at once boon unanimous In the loy
Of uateriai Worship. But, whilo certain cut
ths sbey sre ' poSes 1 carried un.nlmously. Tisl
ID always a minority that lovas SON
: other person or path. Alongside Of the gtea
Bpeotaoular Church there came small compan
| Hn0 l0fEu t06 hp6LI&Et hlu kuo obkA1EEul4ueAts
,, more than they lorsd .rooea aud banners,
, TIN hands Of this multitude small but learnet
ChriAt1anity became long aud hopeless npeou
lAtlon. Taoro Il scarcel. IN inquiry possible I
I tie imagination that "aa not saiaod and di'
| cuBsed In tho scholastio period. How Chsi'
i carried along tho two natures, WHICH nAtnr
Q WAS II that dled On the urosa, how the Trinit
d lay in tho actual, how the Holy Qlloat p1eoede:
l. how angeA wont from poiut to point, the psol
Il able niza and weight Of angels, tho quality au
N appearance OF lilo Virgin Mary. tho nature {
t, owl upiEts, tho decroes. ths destiny Of infant
W arc only m Inadequate specimen OF tho lnqut
j. lou shat absorbed intolleot aud e!o7uencs fro
=. Orlgon 10 Luther. Tho groat professions {
10 law, and medicine, and Htalesmauship, aud Hc
a. once. an1 invention, and teaching. had not y
como with much power, aud tho mind had ol
10 few outlets for ita cucrKy, IL wAa shut up to
at Theological path, md In It's endless lAbors the
to 1t Hoon lois tic useful for the q,
', nous and tho amazing. A tho Chino,
10 betook themselves ages ago to tho maaufacsu
10 OK minute things and plsythiuBs, until at Ia
!. 4hnv ran H1hlA tho CnncanIr, upI,nrna u t,1,