Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-05-14

edge Of the bondage under which their
insight discerned them to be struggling.
They wanted to free them, to educate
them, and to give them the right to think
for themselves. The result of their efforts
in this direction was that the word of God
began to be proclaimed in its true light
The spiritual nature of men, which had 50
long been in bondage, awOke to = discovery
Of its degraded state. The early Reform
| ers did not want to leave the Catholic
| church, but to purify it. The anathemas
hurled upon them by the papacy, however,
forced them reluctantly to sever their con-
| nectiOn with the mother church, and
found new institution. whose chief corner
stone should he freedom. The speaker
contrasted the main points of difference as
he discerned them between Professionalism
kand ROmanism, in which emancipation of
Ethought was set forth as the distin-
lguishing characteristic of the first and
elavish dependency of the latter. Protes-
tantism is the religion of direct cOmmun-
'n with God Rome throws up barri-
| c4des and commands the approach to the
throne of grace to be made by a circuitous
all unsatsfying passage. Professionalism
is fhe religion of freedom Romanisln that
Of Sauthorty the former is republican in
for,l, the latter mOnarchical. Prosperity
and liberty reign wherever Professionalism
exists; it is the religion which alone ex-
emplifies Christ as the ransom sent to free
mankind from the bondage of sin.
MIR. Frank Wetzel, of Bcllefonte, read 4
paper on 8 Points of Contact and Contrast
i'll Jewish and Egyptian Religion" The
fact that the Jewish people should have
retained so much that is distinctive in their
religion through the period Of their bon
dage was dwelt upon rs remarkable.
While there are necessarily points Of con-
tact that are noticeable in their religion
and that of their Egyptian masters, the
student cannot help being struck by the
many contrasts in matters Of essential.
An examination of the two systems of re-
ligiOn reveals a similarity in many of the
symbols characteristic of them, as, for in
stance, the scape-goat Of the Jews, which
had type in the Egyptian forms, while
even the form Of the temple of the Jews
may be traced back to Egyptian origin.
The widest difference is notable, however,
in points Of theology, and the speaker gave
4 vivid contrast of the idoIatry of Egypt
and the worship Of one personal God by the
people of Israel. Form is important. but
becomes secondary when compared witt,
the object worshiped through that form.
The ritual of the Jews and of the Egyptians
may be found to correspond in many par
ticulars, while in Theology and meaning
they differ in toto, and hence the Jews may
be claimed to have maintained their re-.
ligiOn throughout the centuries they Were
in bondage.
Mr.. Thomas N. Ballet, of Kutztown
read paper OH 6 Faith rs Mental Act"
Faith involves the exercise of intuitivc
faculties as we'll as those of discursive
thinking. When Thomas demanded proof
Ofour Lords identity Jesus did not rebuke
him, but he uttered the words g Blessed
are they that have not seen and yet have
believed" Intellectual faith is not the
true Christian faith the latter is the faith
of the heart, involving the activity Of the
affections, love, confidence and truth.
Faith is an act of the will, and has it's ex
position in good works. Faith without
works is dead. Absolute trust in Il per-
sOnal God is necessary to satisfy the de-
mands of the heart, as d great first cause
is demanded by reason. Faith makes the
soul conscious of direct communication with
our Father it involves also the activity OF
the intellect, sensibility, will and religious
| F1ifG hot foIt rvl, IL
sary unto salvation, is comprised in al alb
sOlute trust in the words of Jesus. who said:
II am the resurrection ank the life lie
that believeth in me shall be saved
The male quartet sang :" Let Thy Light
so Shine"
"Christ, the Manifestation of God as
Love, " comprised the theme of the paper
road by Mr.. Jacob l.. Hartzell, Of Allentown
Love is the motive power that actuates us
to deeds of goodness. 1t pre-supposes
subject and an object, correspond
ence and reciprocity OF the subject
loving and the object loved. "GOd
is love-" the highest form of love, the ulti-
mate end Of creation; and redemption is the
establishment of a kingdom of love. Christ
is the manifestation of this purpose, the
exposition of God as love. God so loved
the world that He sent his only bcgOtten
Son, that whOsoever believeth in Him
should have everlasting life. If we think
of God without Christ We form wrong
conception of the Divine essence Christi
anity is the beginning and the ending of
a spiritual kingdom, the law of which is
| love and i'm which We have the manjfesta
ton Of God as love.
The final essay was read by MIR. Oliver
Fl. Strunck. of this city, his subject
being Stephen, the Proto- Martyr" This
paper comprised al impassioned eulogy
of that saint Of the early church,
whom he described as the head of the
noblest band OF men that ever lived OH
earth. 1t seems strange that the angelic
chorus Of peace Oh Garth, good will to
men, should have been met by the tortures
of the rack and the stake, and that the
mission of the ambassador of love should
have been opposed by the instruments Of
hate. In graphic narrative the speaker
recited the trial of Stephen before the
Sanhedrim, for the alleged Offense of
blasphemy, but the actual indictment be-
ing that he lived a pure life
before God. In the unjust trial to