, 1877-03-31

Christ seems to have introduced new and
unknown principles,
81 The fact of inspiration, or the
presence Of God with each soul, accord
ing to the eternal condition Of p,treness
in hedrt
a. The fact of divine sonship; Jesus
is TINS called the Christ because he
stands in mems minds as the ideal of
that sonship which he taught was posi-
ble for all whoever loves and seeks
goodness really accepts Christ"
(5JThe hope of immortality they
have always held it with most certainty
who, like Jesus, have possessed in them
selves immortal qualities of character.
o. The bclief in retribution, or the
solemn and inevitable connection Of
wroog.doing and suffering
a. The possibility of the cure of sin.
The fact ofa love divine in forgiveness
is thought broadening and deepening
through all human history,
We sum up what has been said in the
single proposition that the tendency of
modern religious thought and life, often
where little suspected, is towards pure
theism, or what is called natural religion.
In other words, the living active religious
thoughts of the times are those great es.
sentiSl and rational ida for the plain
teaclring of which Jesus can never cease
to be regarded rs wonderful; which are
common to all religions, and which, if a
broad enough meaning is given to nature,
including humanity, may be called the
truths of natural religion. do not say
here how tar this movement will go, but
merely what il undoubtedly is. do not
for moment define thtism or natural re-
ligion, as by common fallacy has often
been done, MS opposed to Christianity, or
as leaving out Christianity. Natural re
ligion is all the religion there is in the
world. Christianity, with its teachings,
its ideals, and its associations, is fact Of
the past, from which the present and the
future can be neither able nor willing ever
to escape. A pure and developed Chris.
tianity may well be the highest possible
type of theism. 4 do not mean, again.
tn 1t natural religion is not of divine rev.
elation. By its very essence, whatever is
of religion is of God. But say that the
tendency of the times is towards theim.,
or natural religion, ,as opposed to dogmatic
or revealed religion" in that narrower
sense of eereldtiOn by which doctrines are
supposed to be specially communicated
which ON grounds Of fact and reason
would not otherwise command assent.
1t is significant that 1t is upon such doc
trincs that Christian people disagree
and that they are not believed for them
selves, but because they are supposed to
be involved with religion itself We
have already shown that they are either
taking on anew and larger meaning, or
else sinking out of actual belief into ne
glect. They were not the real things
which Jesus thought and they are not
the fountains from which men draw their
spiritual life. Mr.. Cooks lectures are
an admirable illustration of our point.
Whenever he is strong and clear, it is
upon the foundations of natural religion.
You will often suspect that he is not
happy upon other ground, and he seems
to enjoy the company Of his fsvorite
German authorities better than more or
thodox society.
Mr.. Moody, from quite different
point of view, gives you the same I'M
preston. His real power lies IN this,
that he demands moral reform; that he
gives an unmstakable seisse of Gods
love through the power of bis own; that
he insists on the same spirit in his hear
erR and that he believes in religion as
joyous and good All these elements
make him essentially preacher of nat
urai, and may add, OF liberal religion.
In short, when the Boston lectureship,
supposed to represent the most fearless
as well as the Soundest evangelical
thought Of the day, dedaes "saving
faith" so as to save Theodore Parker,