National Republican., 1881-07-16
STUDENT ANSWERED.
CHRISTIANITY NoT OBSCURE.
Our Earth Gods School. .House-The Sermon on the
Mount-Christ, the Iconoclast OF His Age
The Silence OF Josephus About
Jesus-Pauls Sayings.
To the Editor Of the REPUBLICAN.

Student" devotes four paragraphs in
yesterdays REruDLcAS in answer to an ofThand
paragraph or two OF mine Student" says In
word that Christianity was very obscure, and the
| early churchfathcrs were feeble minded in the
first two centuries and asks that 1t be accounted
for why proianc historians are silent about Jesust
| The whole habitable world has not been silent
about Jesus from the day Of the Sermon on the
Mount till the present time. From the time Pilatc
uttered the words "What, then, shall I do with
| Jesus, which is called Christi the same qucs
tion has been on every thinking beings lips.
| If II took one hundred and sixty years
| for Shakspoare's works to cross the English
Channel, only twenty miles, into France and two
| hundred years 10 become generally known, backed
by the patronage OF Queen Elizabeth and the
press, is II not marvellous that the doctrines OF
| Christ" Love thine enemies" Love thy neghbor
| as thyself" "As yo would that men should do
unto you do yc ovon so unto them" Pray for
your enemies" "God maketh His sun to shine
upon the evil as well as the good" "Pray always
aud do not faint" at is more blessed to give Cor
do good to others than TO receive" blessed are
the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom Of
Heaven"
IN A WORD, OUR EARTH IS cons SCHOOL. HOUSE,
and life is development from the lower forms to
| the highest knowledge-is II not marvellous and
wonderful that within two hundred years Chris.
tlanty had spread all over the known world, right
in the fdce Of the opposition Of the Roman En-
| prc the opposition Of IIcllcnist and Jcw2 And Is
| 1t wonderful that historians were silent in regard
| TO Gn event that was looked upon as n dangerous
| supcrsttion2 There were no printing presses in
those days, no reporters, no railroads. telegraph
wires or telephones no steamboats,; and yet Christ
and His doctrine travelled over the entire world in
| less than two centuries Let us for moment look
| nt Christianitys commencement Let Student"
rcrcnd the incidents of the Sermon on the Mount,
| mud hp NVin find that hN Ioy no fnrnu
the multitude pressed about Jesus so much that
| lie was worn out, and to be alone with the Al.
mighty
| CHRIST WENT UP ON A MOUNTAIN,
| perhaps Hcrmon, and continued all night in
prayer to God, and when the morning was come
the mutitudcs sought Him, and Christ came down
| TO a level plateau OH the mountain and when His
disciples had formed around Him Christ sat down,
rs was the custom OF teaching IN those days, aud de-
| livcrcd the Sermon Oh the Mount. Now, Student"
| Is n splendid cXegctical scholar, but gagging at
| these little gnats Of apparent inaccuracies aEd
swallowing whole cnmcs Of iniideties should
| be beneath students" splendid abilities as
! historian. Christ had no following at the com.
monccment of His ministry, and found only
| twelve men that He could trust and one of them
| betrayed Him. But on the other hand the entire
jewish Church from the very beginning sought by
every means TO destroy Christ and His teaching,
because Christs doctrine was liberty itself Christ
WIS tc lcOnOClnsl Ol his age ana AL ages 10 come,
lie was the first TO teach that
ALL MEN WERE EQUALLY FREE,
His liberty was as broad as Heaven and as bound.
less AS space. peaceful rs the morning dew and
as mighty as the omnipotcnt God And yet the
jews first sought TO annihilGtc by death both Christ
aud His teaching; but the words which He spoke
| as never man spake silently travelled from heart
to heart, in spite of the grave, in defiance of the
Jewish aud hcathen mob in spite of the silence OF
historians, and has come down the ages till II has
filed the earth with His name. Oh wonderful
Being; the obscure peasant of Gal!cc, opposed by
kings, opposed by fire and sword, receiving the
cruclist wounds in the house of His fricnds-the
bigots of the second, third and following centuries
OF liars who misrcprcscntcd the Savior of the
world. But Christ has triumphed gloriously.
word in regard TO
THE SILENCE OF JosEPHUs.
| have never regarded the passage in Josephus
in regard TO Christ rs anything but forgery or,
perhaps as Rcnan holds, worked over by some
bgoted fool Christian aud these fools are not all
| dead yet. But nah like Josephus, who took
service in the Jewish army us a general against
| Cesar and betrayed his country and became
| Cpsar's historian and catered to the wishes OF
Nespasian and Titus, would not be very likely to
| speak OF an obscure teacher who taught that hap
| pness was only to be found in keeping the heart
| full OF love and loving even ones enemies. Christ
said, Heaven and Garth shall pass away, but My
word shall not pass away" student does II not
look that way at present. Christ gave us the first
declaration Of Independence when lie said, Call
no man MASTER"
rAUL HAD LITTLE on NOTHING TO SAY
in regard to the death Of Jesus says Student"
With Paul 1t was always the risen Jesus Paul
said: 4" In the night in which lie was betrayed He
took bread and blessed 1t, also the cup" Christ,
who was crucided-ycO, rather that is risen again
from the dead" Was Il necessary for Paul, the
lawyer the priest, the learned Of all the learned,
| portray the action Of the mob in the streets of
4 Jerusalem and the judicial murder of Christ No !
Paul grasped the higher life OF Jesus and preached
1t, We came once from the dead (matter) We
shall bud forth from the dead again as Christ has
broken the bonds OF death. q. II. b.