The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-03-20
AN ABLE LECTURE
DELIVERED LAST NIGHT ny THE
REV. DAVIS sESSUMS
Before the Guild 81 the Ascension on
"CncOnseiOus ChristIRnity
Among nations"

The Rev. Davis Scssums last night
delivered the second of the series Of
lectures now being given under the
auspices of the Guild of the Ascension,
and the basement of Calvary Church
was comfortably filed by an intelligent
and critical audience, who followed the
the lecturer with unllagging attention
throughout his admirable discourse.
Mr.. Scssums, though very young
man, is an entertaining lecturer and
can invest even dry subject with in
terest. His lecture last night proved
him 10 Ice an original thinker,
Il close reasOner and Il fluent
pulpit orator who rarely hesitates for
word, and who draws literally from
Il well stored mind for the pertinent
illustrations that adorn his arguments.
His subject last night was "Uncon-
scious Christianity Among Nations"
The following is brief outline of the
line OF argument followed by the
lecturer: There are two ways Il study
and believe Christianity: objective
and subjective-a system approved
and enforced by authority and cXter-
nal historical evidence, or system to
bc accepted as fulfilling the natural
religious cravings and satisfying
the needs of man. The second, the
subjective, though most demanded in
our age, in no way leads to natural
istic explanation OF Christianity; but
by showing this to be perfectly
adapted TO mans wants, proves these
TO be divinely implan ed, and it to be
satisfactory revelation of God in
history The religious idea which is
natural 10 man, the faith in immor-
tality, the naming Of God as spirit -
these are so universally pru-
dent in mans religious CON
seriousness that neither they nor the
truths to which they point can't be
questioned, The natural desire in
man toward God reaches up into
much more complex forms, and APP
proaches much nearer TO the most cN-
allied doctrines which Christ claims To
give. The lecturer then called attcn-
ton to the necessity OF caution IN the
use OF the terms natural and super
natural, and dwelt upon the growth
OF polytheistic and NEUROLOGICAL
systems. Man having the true
conception OF God still seeks him
through all forms of polythcism, dual
ism, pantheism, Judaism, lslamism,
deism, cropping after the God OF
Christianity, of the incarnation. The
nations have deitied nature, raised
men to the altitude of gods, and
brought gods down to the level of
men, preserved sacred books as in
spired, as containing the divine voice,
and thus, because of their indie.
structiblc instinct, belief, whatever
it be, that the living God will come to
them, guide them, speak To them, yet
they failed till Christ supplied the
truth, The nations have held their
wandering from the golden age as
their separation from God, their loss
of Him, and have raised their affairs
TO Him, striving to return. Through
all pcniten ial forms, mainly sacrifice,
they have sought atonement, yet
they have failed, and Christ supplies
IT, In illustration the lecturer quoted
from Aristotle, the Rg-VcVas, the
Buddhist booss, tragedies of Eufi-
pcdes, Assyrian Pcnitenial Psalm, etc.
The nations during the first two ccn-
turtles prepared for Christianity,
as alli history had been guided mp
To- the fulncss Of time, and
even peoples and individuals not at
that time Christians were influenced
by il, and were its unconscious allies.
This was especially true Of Plutarch.
The nations had their idols Of perlec-
ton, their worship OF heroes, more or
less refined, till Plato prophesied the
man Of sorrows. Man was allowed 10
work out his way through the cen
turtles. The fulfllment up through the
Hebrew TO the Christian faith was
given him in the great atoncment
Lnun L. him, u-Ln linL ON CnlNnrN