Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-12-23
HEBER NEWTON's LAST.
From the New York Herald. I

From the New York Herald
Another rugged, iconoclastic sermon was
delivered by the Rev. Heber Newton in AL
Souls Church Sunday week. Mr.. Newton
described the growth of the belief in the
second coming of Christ, its origin in Israel
i,ish thought, The changing phases of its de.
velopment in Christianity and its Towering
in the faith of the coming ofa divine order
On earth. He traced the roots of this he
lief in The Hebrew hope of a Messiah.
Christianity, he said, is the child Of Juda.
ism. 1t is free rendering of the prophetic
religion of Israel One Of the most striking
features of Israei's life was its Messianic ex-
pectation This was at iirsta dream Of po-
litical power ca the part OF the plucky little
nation that now found an opportunity to
prove it's genius for empire. The political
dream was charged with the ethical spirit OF
Israel-the coming king was TO be such a
righteous ruler as is pictured in the seventy
second Psalm.
The hand of destiny rudely broke this
dream, only TO leave the nobler aspirations
Of the soul of Israel free to vision a loftier
dream-lhe dawn of the day when the puri-
fled nation, the righteous, suffering servant
| OF Jehovah should lead the peoples of earth
into the knowledge of the Lord.
A curious theology, a composite of Jewish
and Gentle superstiticns, grew around this
double germ We trace the growth of q
popular superstition about the Messiah in
the age prior to Jesus, through such books
as Enoch A clearly defined belief had by
the time of Jesus shaped itself-in every re.
spect the very belief which we find later on
in Christianity-a pre- existent Messiah,
| "the elect and concealed one" of Enoch,
| departing from earth to visit the spirit
world, returning from the heavens clothed
with divine authority and power to raise
the dead, Judge mankind and introduce
the millennium on earth-the Hebrew
Utopia.
The traditional doctrine of Christ's second
advent was in the air, waiting to crystal
ize around Jesus. He was received at first
| by His followers as the Hebrew Messiah
| They were expecting Him to set up the
throne OF political Messiah asking, Lord
wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom
| to Israe?' His death, which for while
broke the spell Of His power,was, after they
mad become persuaded Of His continued
life, inevitably seen by them to be the car
rying out Of the popular belief of Israel.
| would come again with power and great
glory to Judge the world, to set up His
earthly kingdom, ruling mankind from
Jerusalem, establishing the perfect order
upon earth. He would then come shortly
He might come any day-at any hour.
This was the Inspiring belief of the early
| Christians, and no wonder that they stood
boldly before the Caesars and dared the
! power Of Rome But it was essentially the
Jewish dream of Utopia, with a new charg.
| ing Of ethical and spiritual force from the
| HE Of Jesus, introduced mraculously.
In Pauis mind we see it gradually fading
out into hope and faith in the ultimate
| coming in of the divine order on earth.
Read chronologcally, his epistles show this
development clearly. Thessalonians con.
| trpsted with Romans makes it plain. This
change came about through many cooper
ating causes. The repeated disappointments
of ardent hope at last opened his eyes. His
| travels brought him face to face with the
real problems of earth. His Jewish super
stition died out in broad and manly
cosmopolitanisn OF religion. Taught of the
Spirit, Jesus came no longer to be Jewish
Messiah, but the head of humanity, from
whom it was TO grow toward its ideal slow.
", organically, and new earth rise be.
meath new heavens Before he died he had
lost his Jewish dream and gained human
| faith-a faith which was, as Lowell says
Hope made wise" He stamped this lar
ger thought and aspiration upon the young
Church The catholic epistles show that
the Church had settled down to regenerate
human society. Like all creative epochs
| formative period of Christianity typed the
4 slow development of its succeeding ages
The CHURCH has been gradually passing
from the crude and callow belief of ancient
Israel into the large and human faith in an
organic regeneration of society through
which the ideal is to come out upon the ac
tua, and man grow divine as the spirit o
God breathes out laws and institutions and
manners, arts and sciences and economics
toward perfection This is the faith il
which we are strong to labor and to wait
knowing that there's good time com
| ing"