Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1881-02-03
Christ as a Miracle.

cent sermon by Prof. David Swing, OF
Chicago:
4 What our race needs more than the
mere wisdom of conduct, and the examples or
such piety as we admire in Plato, and EPIC
tetus, and Aurelus is some chain to link the
soul to a second world, and to personal God,
and If this Jesus came not and went not by an
order of Nature, but by special act OF Cod
then mystery Of the universe is solved, ana
man may feel that he has Father in Heaven
and is to rise from the grave to which we all
tend. Upon these two assurances Christianity
seems to stand, as upon sublime foundations.
What 1t might be without belief in these TWO
interruptions Of Natures oider one may not
know perfectly, but one may affirm that
humanity sOrely needs these two points OF con-
tact between time and eternity. Jesus is need
ed as a miracle to connect two worlds.
1t does not seem so essent tial to the value OF
the Christian philosophy that man should be-
lieye that Jesus is the absolute God, that lie ts
the same as the Father. Such an identitica-
tion Of two names is essential in theology
which claims that only an infinite Savior could
die to remove what that theology calls an IN
finite penalty; but the estimate OF Christ most
demanded by the whole human race, present
and to come, Is that estimate which shall break
down the barriers OF naturalsm and disclose
to human eyes d personal God and Gcoming
life. The supernatural in Jesus Is the boon
needed-that He is the Deity may be the JOY
Of many, that He Is only human might well be
the despair Of all. Before, in late times, the
naturallsts came along with their studies and
declarations, we all little knew what an iron
like insensate thing Is Nature, viewed in itself
alone. In all the old centuries It was not so.
The woods were peopled with beautiful and
haDpy divinities :" Into an earth which
was once so pervaded by the divine, came the
naruralists and rapidly have they emptied the
woods and the fields and the streams and the
air Of these many and beautiful emblems Of
Il God. Under their dlspensatl0n this
old spirit world has died rapidly, and instead
has come the world OF law. And in sense
the change has come properly, at least. newt
ably. This Is a universe Of law, and we now
perceive that there was no Diana in the forest
and no Neptune in the flood. Sooner or later
the storm OF reason must have come to sweep
away, as the down of the thistle, those shapes
Of fancy once seen in the moonlight or heard
In the oaks OF the Dodona. It was necessary
for us to confess and admire world full Of
material canses and effects. But the storm Is
lasting too long, and 10 making destruction
too great We are reminded or that scene IN
the Bible where men entered field for the
purpose of pulling up tHres, and, once begun
ning, they pulled up the wheat also The
roots of tare and wheat were entangled, and
the hand which rudely pulled up the weed de-
tached also the grain, out of which was to
come food for strong men and the dependent
children. The ratiOnnlism which asSaled
legend and dreams now pulls up the last wheat
of tho once rich field, and makes man ask the
laws of Nature 10 carry him over into immOr-
y
to decline the request
Nature separated from the supernatural Is a
poor friend Of u man here and only Of man
ms a physical being, or at least as q being oI
limited intellectual scope. The ministry Of
law supplies man with corn and wheat and
with tight for his eye, and Vibrations Of air for
his ear, and lulls him TO sleep ut night, and in
the morning wakes him; grows wood for his
fire forms ores for his articles of use and
ornament attempts to heal his diseases, and In
ali ways to support his life; but detached from
a spiritual being which will continue after this
world, detached from this plan OF loving
Father, man becomes less worthy OF the wheat
and the tireside and the many forms OF mate
rial If man is only an animal life, an organ
ism like that Of toad or q worm, the minis
try of physical law declines In dignity because
II eXhausts itself upon being less worthy or
the gigantic machinery OF Nature. II is the
perfect evidence of a low and imperfect love
between two human souls WHOM the one soon
custs,Away the other whose car he once filled
with all the declarations OF friendship which
language could frame. Homes once enyied
for their prospect Of happiness become des-
erts where not bud or leaf OF love is'to be
found; because the hearts that once entered
the door in such j0yfulness were bound to-
gether hy the gOssamer thread Of day and not
by the chain of IN eternal attachment Thus
orange blossoms might often be called the em-
blems of sorrow, that being 50 often the per- /
manent thing that follows them. Nature sep
aruted from the supernatural Is such lover
1t brings us gifts with both hands and praises
the freshness Of the cheek and says, "Oh child
of earth, love thee;" but when few years
are gone these attentions fall away, and
when marks have come to the forehead and !
the many forms of physical beauty have
faded this friend once so eloquent in VOWS
abandOns the once dear object, and when |
on the border Of the grave the deserted one
says with tears Mature, lowest thlu mAr'
the iron voice OF this lawsays, "Iloye thee no
longer. Go back to dust" Thus the friend |
ship of law for us Is tieeting, oherlshing us In
our childhood and IN mans best days hinging
him into q grave. The empire OF law ls
sublime only when II Is Joined to the kingdom
of the miraculous. The Kingdom OF material
Is grand one for humanity only when IL |
stands with one foot resting upon the
supernatural shore. AntBus was strong when |
he had bis feet upon his mother earth. |
Hercules lifted the giant from the gronnd and
then eusily slew him. Man reveFses the fable |
and Ia powerful when he rests one foot upon
the spirit world, Science, the cruel Hercules, |
may kill this strange being IL 1t can detaoh |
easily when he is detached from that amazing
shore,
In our epoch where this tempest has just |
moved along, emptying all the air OF the d.
vine, Jesus ought now 70 rise up as place
where that iron-llke materialism should termi- |
nate. Oh, what an intuite blessing could He |
stand as the place whore that long order OF |
sequence which has given us l1fe and death, /
and endingS, cradles and tQmbs, the
opening and the fading flower, should be inter- |
rnpted, aud where gate OF miracles h0uld tiy |
open TO show man the throne Of q personal God /
and the scenes Of paradise. We might read |
ily be willing for all other wonders og any age |
10 pass away, for the books Of religion and |
history, for the annnls Of all the pagan and 1
Christian saints, TO become winnoWod of each /
mystery by Nrigid analysis, IL only there should I
remain TO the heart Of man this Jesus, the Il
Worthy IA all that marvel of an appearance /
after death, for that return of the crucihed /
One TO Join HIS friends Once more, turns back |
the abradlng wave Of the law, and says: "0h, |
man. look beyond the order Of Nature and see /
n resurrection" thus Jesus Is demanded not |
he motUlist or philanthropist 50 much as one |
who hands our hearts over % a personal God /
and an endless life. Upon the supernatural IN |
Jesus this immense human destiny will more |
and more turn.