The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-02-15
JESUS.
4 .ye,r's Tribute to the life oft FOUNDER
of Chrisfianity-CO mpGTisOn for
the P0O1'-His Chief
TirfMC.

TIrtWc.
Professor Adler lectured yesterday at
Standard hall on "the foundation OF
christianity" After quoting sayings OF
Christ which he said contained tie key
note of the faith he founded, the lecturer
expressed his conviction that christianity
was not a revolt against Judaism but a
confirmation of it; the law was to remain
intact, but it was to be the spiritual law
"There is" he continued, "a grand and
gracious quality in the personality OF
Jesus, as presented to us in the gospel,
which has worked extraordinary results
among all nations. What is that charm
am not here to dispute the doctrines OF
the church. | desire to approach my
task with the reverence that BELTS a
theme so interviewer with the tendereSt
feelings of the human heart"
THETIMEs IN WHICH CHRIST CAME.
"The New Testament has scant mate
rial for a biography Of Jesus. Some
facts there are. however, which stand
forth prominently" continued DR.. ADJ
Ter, and, thereupon, he sketched the
character, surroundings and religious be-
Iiefs of the people among whom Jesus
lived. He spoke of the influence brought
to bear uDOn him of the belief of the
Jews in the coming of Messiah, and
when every natural means of fulhllment
of JehOvaA's promise had been cut off, Of
their hope inits fulfllment by supernat-
ural means. The kingdom of heaven, he
said, was to be established on earth, and
the general resurrection was to preCede
the Millennium. One hundred years be-
fore Christ their hopes were high in Pal
e8tine. The political situation was in
tOlerable, the weight of the Roman yoke
beyond endurance, and the state of re-
ligious affairs but little better. Espe-
Cially in Galilee these conditions OBJ
tanned. The Messiah was daily expected.
Several impOstOrs presented themselVs.
When would the hour Of deliverance
come? When would the true Messiah
appear? 1T was" he continued, "at
this time and under these conditions that
Jesus af Nazareth appeared. What was
the lesson he taught? That ofrighteous-
ness. This he taught, and the change
that was to come by righteousness. So
great his hope, so raptur0us his enthusi-
asm, that he thought he was to bring it
himself-that he himself was to be the
Messiah.
CHRIST AND THE PHARIsEES
cit has been said that Christ came to
overthrow Phariseeism; this is not so.
He only rebuked its excrescences and
abuses. The Pharisees were not, as many
suppose, a sect of hypocrites, devoid of
honesty and worth of purpose. The
principles they taught, Christ taught.
The teachings in the sermon on the
mount are to be found in COntempor-
aneous Hebrew writings, and are of the
same general character as those of the
Pharisees." DR.. Adler next spoke OF
Hillel, a great rabbi and one of the Phar-
isees, and of his high character and cru
ditfon. "According to the gospel CT
Matthew" he continued, "Christ did
not attempt to abrogate the teach
ings of the Pharisees; he tried to
insist upon the Importance of the
teachings of the heart. He denounced
the Pharisee teachings when they FLASHED
with the principal of moral rectitude
or usurped an undue prominence" Con
tinuing, the lecturer quoted Christ's say
ing: 81 am not sent but unto the lost
sheep of the house Of Israel" and said
Indeed Jesus seems to have limited hi'
work to his immediate surroundings
Yet, if the millennium was arriving
surely the whole world was to be in
cluded and all the nations were to come
to Palestine and the holy mount"
WHY CHRISTIANITY TRIUMPHED.
The lecturer next considered the CLAIM
that Christ had replaced the stern law o
retributiOn with those of charity anC
brotherhood. This was not true, h
said. The teachings Of the olde
prophets were not harsh. Stern the.
were, but only in so far as duty itself
stern, allowing no mawkiSh sentimental