Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-10
WHO AND TWASCHRISr.



Tie Question Considered Jron. u Swedea-
dO~0iaM Stand Point.
The nature of Christ was recently ably
discussed, from Swedenborgian stand
point by the Rev. j. H. Smyth of the New
Jerusalem Church. of Roxbury, Mass. He is
preaching series of Sunday evening dis
courses, designed to set out some OF
the leading doctrines of the New Church
in manner to be readily, understood by
those who would familiarize themselves
with this religious system. The subject
of the third sermon in the series was, s'Who
was Christ?'' The text being from Matt
xxii:42. Mr.. Smyth opened his discourse
by saying: "The growing disposition of tn.
world to doubt the supernatural is having
its effect in leading one portion of the
Christian church to affirm that,w Christ
was the perfect pattern or example OF
goodness and wisdom as they exist in God
still he was not the Deity itself On the
other hand, that daily development and as
sertion ofthe human reason, ,whichis pushing
its inquiries in all directions, with bold.
ness of spirit never before before witness
ed, is perceptibly shaking another portion
which holds to trinity of persons blended
into one Godhead. No able critic of the
present day thinks to question the histor-
ical truthfulness of Christ's actual exist
ence on the earth. AS to his divinity, that
is e claim which rationalistic critics are. of
course, opposed to, urging that it is some
thing supera;.ded by the evangelists and
early Christians generally. This is a point
which, it seems 10 me, Can hardly be de-
termined by merely historical criticism. I
believe the Gospel to be
EIsTo3zcA1LY TRUE.
written under ills aspiration: and, believing
this, cannot 'esis. the belief that Christ
was indeed divine. lhe gospels present a.
picture of the Savior which has in it too
many touches of truthfulness to permit of
the idea that it is merely fanciful define
alton. But, let US direct our inquiries with
a view to deriving more definite and doc
trinal answer to our question. "Who was
Jesus Christi" After referring at length
to the Trinitarian and Unitarian beliefs on
this question. the speaker proceeded: But
ask your attention now to brief state
ment of the teachings of the New Jerusa-
lem church on this important subject. We
believe that God is one and indivisible. and
we believe that Jesus Christ
was that God, clothed in human
form. We do not believe in a trinity of
persons, but in a trinity of attributes. The
Father is the paternal love, the Son is the
embodiment of the truth which he came TO
preach-the word made hesh-and the
Holy Spsr-t is the divine sphere or breath
that is constantly going forth from the
Deity to mortals. That the trinity in God
is trinity of attributes, and not of per
sons, may be inferred from this fact-that
it is distinctly affirmed that man was
created sin the image and likeness of
God" We know as fact that there is no
blending of three persons in one
in us, but. in regard to attributes, have we
not all three great elemental parts which
make up our nature? Every man
has a will, an understanding. and
a sphere of influence which is constantly
going forth from him out toward Others.
You cannot dispense with one of these
three things in your conception of man.
and they comprise everything connected
with him. And these
THREE ELEMENTAL DIVISIONS
IN our nature are to be found in us be-
cause we are created in Gods image, that
Is to say, because they ars the reproduc-