, 1886-05-02

OF the ordinary and lower forces OF society.
will there be- such power as is rolled up in
e~ssentisi meekn== nr. .hc=c wc-c a~.a.i.:cs
that yet were not dug, certainly they were
not coined aud circulated.
blessed are they which do hunger and
~thirstr-after bnnquetsi after wine and strong
drink after place, like z sbedee's children, on
the right and left Of powerf blessed are they
which do hunger and thirstr-after about the
most worthless thing that antiquity knew
''righteousnessT-manhood-
Blessed are the merciful-" Yes When
Caesar speaks Of Gaul. whore thcy had taken
many thousands Of captives, no quietly re-
marks In his annals, they were treated after
the manner Of the Romans Slaughtered
Blessed are the poor in heart Blessed
are the peaoemakerS. Blessed are the perse-
cuted for Righteousness sake, for theirs is the
kingdom OF heaven"
Now all these qualities represent the spirit
unl element OF man, as the organized ele-
mcnts that had preceded and do still exist SO
largely in the world, represented the cor
poreal dement's of mankind. And Jesus
came TO develop a kingdom superior TO
the inferior kingdom OF the flesh, and
that WAS almost unknown by seer, by
prophet or by songster in that day. 1t was a
time designated In the Bible as tbs "Fullness
Of time" 1t had com time when tn sre
should bs evolved from the lower life and the
institutions that had sprung out of it, the
sweet blossom Of a higher life and the fruit
OF a nobler part OF men, AMI IL was saying AS
IL were 10 the bottom OF the human brain,
Thus far, but no farther IL was saying TO
the higher brain Of man, Now ascend and
reign
All the ages have bsen little by little en-
larging and strengthening and inspiring the
qualities that come from mans spiritual ma
ture, and REFRESHING and diminishing those
qualities that spring from man, the animal.
Christ insisted upon the qualities that IL
HIS own day were esteemed as Of no value
though they were perhaps a polish In real
life, AS mon thought OF 1t, organized life.
things that men coveted and desired and
stood upon, He looked upon them, / will
not say with contempt but simply as per-
haps necessary OF the childhood
OF the human race. But He came
to disclose and to develop higher qualities
OF influences and OF power from out Of the
heart OF man Not only to praise them; that
we find in the Old Testament. We find, also,
In an occasional pagan essayist, praise Of
this. that and the other single quality. But
Christ came to say 10 the world, which
said to itself, Seek first substantial
things, and then when thy feet are well
founded on matter and money and honor
and influence, then polish yourselves with a
few of these graees; as a man wears a rose
in his button hole. so put on a few graces; 1t
will make you look prettier. Christ came
and saidi Seek ye first the kingdom Of God
and It's Righteousness, and these things shall
be added" 1t was revolution. It was put
ting the top, which then was to the bottom,
where 1t ought 10 be
Then nexf God ualkad In Ias,si lifa aud
in His speech with an Interpretation not by
language, nor by epithet, but by a life en-
acted. To me the strongest argument for
the divinity Of Christ does not lie In the fact
that 1t is necessary to make up the atonement,
and that the atonement Is necessary to make
up the trinity, and that the trinity is necessary
to make up the system OF doctrine. There
is no objection TO such use OF 1t as that, but
that TO me is as nothing. What l desire
above everything else is to know who my
God Is, what He thinks; what He feels;
h His disposition is to me; to me in my
moods OF sinfulness and weaknes4 To tell me
that God Is patient Is not IT; l want to sec the
patience of God; and in the life of Christ |
do behold IL; and | say to myself in every
emergency OF life. what was Christ's con-
duct, what His words, not only, but what
His deedsI was the living Christ as
He walked among men and before themi And
with the exception OF the limitations Of matter
and space, / left all the qualities OF His life
into the heavens, and say this Is God indeed.
This Is the patience that rules the universe.
This Is the suffering for men rather than the
infiiction of suffering on men This Is the
mother God this Is the father God. Christ,
in his life and conduct, interprets to me the
very interior dispositi on and administration
OF Almighty God. IL was a new view. II
was a view that has been struggling TO dis
close itself perfectly.
As you have seen in a spring morning the
rose or a violet. yet gummed by sepals so that
IL could only show its color, try to blossom
and could not, and the careful gardener
comes out and separates the sepals little by
little and at last 1t breaks out in all its full
ness an symmetry-so there are many ideas
Of Christ and Of God in tho New Testament
that in the dark ages and in the ascetic phil
osophies of the world have not
been able to blossom. But the
time Is coming when the bindings
are to BE- taken of. l think l hear Christ
speaking 10 theology as He did to the eman-
cipated friend Of His who came forth bound
hand and foot, aud clothed with
grave clothes; Loose him and let
him GO Now that men are taking the
napkin OH theology, and throwing il away,
there arc multitudes OF dear good old men
that are scared thinking religion herself Is
going to be destroyed. But 1t Is the grave
clothes that are being taken away, the very
things that have hindered the power and the
life Of a true faith.
Then il is in Jesus Christ that we have the
first fun and trustworthy assurance Of the
life 10 come. the life beyond-Gcero plead
for It. II was unbelievod largely, except
anaonU tina Unarant.fh Ifa frnt., Ia.th
the carrying over OF individuality into the
great sphere beyond Tbs oriental philoso-
ply had taught US that IL We lived Alright w.
were resumed again by God tn It is no com
fort here, whatever IL may he then. That
which every man wants i TIL ssnsa that
his whole life has not been expended for
the sake OF being buriet at til end OF it:
his loves, his hopes, his aspirations. thu re-
suit OF all his heroic strug les the victory
OF the man spiritual over the mm AMI
NAL And In proportion ~ he feels tho
importance Of bis own itlividu llity h.
stands by TIE side Of tn grave and
s1ysi 20. grave, where is III. victory
Not ] shall ever be imprisolsl in tlss. |
belong to the Immortal Aud yet Il was a
dreafL and u hops late in coming II it was
known Ia tn santiqu ~ Of the Jews Il WIS not
exprsss Il in their scriptures. Doubtless
seers. proph is, eminent holy men, had
glimpse certainly hopes. but it Is said,
~Christ brought life and immortality to
light II nashei owes the whole horizon.
like the morning sun, and no hand could
roll IL back again and it has shonr
on steadily. and Il has itself anne
lioratri the spirit thought. practice,
institution and law q humanity
II lisa silent force. but p~hilo~ophically traced
there Is no one thing that cou.d b. mors dis,
astrous 10 morality, to the quality OF man.
kind to The aid Of the poor, weak aud strug.
CLING. then to obliterats the idea Of oon'in
p~i personal existence.
Nov tho hops Of the world lies IN this, thai