Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-06
q What Think Ys of Chris, ~


"what Think Ye of Christ ?"
The following interesting paper by Rev.
H. Walter Featherstun was read before
the Pastors Association in this city last
Monday:
Thought finds expression in words, in
deeds. in creations. The Had tells US
what Homer thought; history tells us
what Alexander thought, by telling US
what he did colossal statue of Moses in
an old church just inside the gates of Rome
tells us what Michael Angelo thought;
the stars that gem the pail of night
ponderous planets moving in majestic pre-
cision through vast orbits, suns blazing in
undiminished splendor for uncounted ages,
and comets flashing along immeasurable
tracks, vast universe thronged with
whirling worlds in perfect order-are ex.
pressions of the thoughts of God.
What thinks the world of Christ Read
her books, and hear her songs study her
art in the relics washed by the waves of
a stormy past upon the shores of the pres
ent trace the footprints of the nations
who have rushed down the awful sleeps OF
the sges-these will tell.
As far back into the dim uncertain past
as human records reach, history tells
us that men have given expression to
their faith and hope in GONE form of sacri-
fetal worship. Every such blood. stained
altar thus kindled speaks the worlds
Christ-thought and hope. 1t tells us that
men went from common center and peo-
pied the world, carrying with them from
that common center the religion of the
world, pregnant with this Christ-thought,
for the Christ idea lies at the basis of all
religion-not merely of Christianity and
Judaism, but of all religion for religion,
like man, though finding expression IN 80
many and such varied forms, is unity.
History tells US, furthermore, that all the
old nations, whose giant figures fill the
vistas of the ages, were built upon the re-
ligion of the world, many of whose forms
were distorted, grotesque and degenerate,
vet there remained enough of the Christ
hope to support grand fabrics OF govern
ment. It tells US how strangely the vari-
GUS events of national life, eliminating IN
the then unparalleled splendor of the
Augustan age, conduced to prepare the
world for the advent of its Christ and the
matchless spread of His gospel. IL tells
US that this gospel of Christ has permeated
the political life of every civilized nation
of earth, until all the years are made to
revolve around his birth-right, and Ammo
Domini stamps the Christ thought upon
every date of history. 1t tells us
that among "the few immortal
names that were not born to die" Jesus
Christ stands in His colossal greatness
grander than all. 1t tells this so forcibly
and so plainly that Ernest Renan, the
most brilliant in6del of Europe, has been
constrained to say e. whatever may be
the surprises of the future, Jesus will
never be surpassed. All ages
will proclaim that among the sons of men
there is none born greater than Jesus. 1t
tells US that the Gospel of Christ has
moved on in its matchless conquests with
such majestic sweeps that to-day more
than 400 600, 900 of earth's purest, wisest
and noblest proudly wear the name of
Christian and yet this wonderful COD
Quest has been made against fearful odds,
and with no arms save love and truth.
What does philosophy say of Christ !?
Men of thought, turning In disgust from
the silly teachings of mythology, sought
solution of life's momentous problems In
the realm of rational investigation, their
search often degenerating, unfortunately,
into sophistical speculstions. They sought
long and earnestly, but found no satisfac
tory solution. Their philosophy taught
them the absurdity of mythology, and its
own weaknesses, and then turned their
gaze upward to the All Father, and babe
them wait and watch for divine solu-
ton of life's problems. Socrates
and Plato both taught their disci-
pies to expect such a solution. And
when Christ came He so completely met
the worlds want, so grandly and thor
oughly solved every problem which philos-
ophy had propounded, that the philoso-
pliers Of Greece were the first of their lan6'
to accept the gospel of Christ, the grander
philosophy OF God" Thus Philosophy
revealed to men his hrist.hunger, and
then pointed his hope into the darkness of
the future to the possibility if not the
probability of coming Christ. Judaism
was not alone in its Christ hope. Greece,
Rome, Egypt, Persia, India, Arabia, and
even the then unknown civilizations of
Mexico and Peru shared it. Philosophy
led the Greeks to Christ" said Glenn
ems of Alexandria. Isaiah said "Come,
now, and let US reason together, saith
the Lord though your sins be as scarlet
they shall be made white as snow"
Reason, true and pure, logic unwarped and
unconstrained philosophy in it's highest,
truest sense has ever and will ever land its
sincere devotee at Calvary's foot, clinging
with faiths strong hands to the curcifed
Christ of God. Philosophy is not the Cos
pei, nor can it ever take the place of the
Gospel but it reveals the need of the
Gospel, confirms its lofty claims, and thus
prepares the way for it. Grecian philoso-
ply especially was John the Baptist in
the spirit and power" of an Elijah of
prophecy, crying in the wilderness of
human want and woe: Prepare ye the
way of tine Lord p
What does the worlds poetry say of
Christ? The first songs of earth were
pregnant with its Christ thought; and the
few short snatches of them echoed from q
dead past ripple with the Joy Of this hope
of the world. The Book of Job, the old
eat epic extant, reveals its very soul in the
glad strain 81 know that my Redeemer
Iiveth." Homers Iliad" and "0dys.
sey, aud the songs of Hesiod, constitute
Ll6 DtDlG VI shOioSy3 anu oiO
full of the dim-remembered degenerate
Christ thought OF Greece, finding expires.
sion in the multitudes of msn-like gods and
demi. gods, goddesses and genii, which
tramp along the grand measures of these
old songs, and speak ont of the dim ages
to us of that sublime prophecy spoken at
the birth of the ages out of the council
chamber of God: "The seed of the wo-
man shall bruse the serpent's head" Vir.
gil, the poet,laureate of old Rome, sings
her Christ thought in his " Polio" which,
echoing the burden of the famed lSybilline
verses, rises to a grandeur which almost
rivals Isaiah. Tasso's Jerusalem Deliv.
ered," Dantes Vision" aud Millions i'm
mortal songs, to say nothing of the kindred
strains of Pollock and Bickersteth,
glow from beginning to end with the gram
deur, beauty and power of the worlds