National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-02-03
Chrisps Person and Work.


The third of the series of special, sermons on
Unitarian Affirmation" was delivered by Rev.
Brooke Hereford, Of Chicago, yesterday morn.
ing at All Souls Church, in the presence of
very large audience. He took for the subject
of his discourse "rhe Person and Work of
Jesus Christ" lie said the Unitarian church
may differ from other churches in its opinion
of what Christ was, yet they all look up to
Him as tho great teacher. Morally and religi-
ously He stands at the head of our race. Uni
tarians believe in the Christ of the Gospels.
They cannot receive the faith that He Is God,
as their orthodox friends affirm. In the Cos.
pcls they believe that they get back TO Christ
as He was In these records of His life lies
the essential and undying vitality of Christi
anity.
At this point Mr. Hereford gave q very
graphic and touching description of the career
of Jesus, from His announcement at Nazareth
of His Messianic mission TO His death Oh the
cross Special stress was laid upon the fact
that Christ always acted upon the conviction
that his mission was for spiritual not mater.
ial, ends. To this popularity is TO be attrib-
uted the loss of interest in Him on the part
Of the people who by force had wished to
make Him King" and the growing boldness
of the priesty party which at last wrought
His crucifXion. Between the ignorant people
on the one hand and the prosecutions of the
other Christ kept straight on obeying His high
calling. 1t is no marvel that in after years
men, wondering over his strange career, tried
to explain Him by calling Him God. But, said
Mr.. Hereford to me and to those who lived
about Him He was one like ourselves; His
deity was an afterthought.
He was exalted above us but In degree.
Such was the Christ of the Gospels. What He
was himself he expected his disciples to be-
come. Even His saying, 81 and my Father are
one" held but the same thought which lie APP
piled to His disciples, that they may be one
even as we are" Even Paul's declaration con-
corning Him, "in whom dweloth all the full
ness of the Godhead bodily" was applied to tho
Christians also.
In the next place Mr.. Hereford spoke of
Christ's work, which he said was moral and
internal. His death was not sacrifice to God
to appeaso divine anger, but the natural result
of life spent in trying to lift men out of
their sins to God and holy life. He did moth.
ing to turn God to man. but all to lead man to
God. We will not, however, attempt to follow
the preacher through his elegant tribute to the
blessings which have followed tue spread of tho
moral power Of Christs teachings and exam
pie.
In conclusion, Mr. Hereford showed how
Christ has laid the one great foundation for
| the worlds religious life-a foundation upon
which all kinds of superstructurcs nave been
| reared but which abides while one after an.
| other of the many creeds and systems built
upon it perish. As Lord Bacon to modern
philosophy, rs Euclid TO geometry, so is Jesus
to the worlds religious life. Whenever we
can get our lives firmly based upon any Of the
great principles taught and lived by the Christ
of the Gospels we may be sure in an establish
ment upon an immovable foundation. One
like unto ourselves, he received so full y meas
ure of the Divine spirit granted in some de.
gree to all that He was the prototype of what
we all should and may become. A brief report
like this, however, cannot justly reproduce
the remarkable utterance upon this important
topic the celebrated Chicago preacher made n
All Souls yesterday.