St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-12

goodness is religion all the same,
whether it be in Christians, heretieS, or
heathenS.
WHAT THINK We OF CHRIST?
His Enemies Endeavored to Puz-
zle Him, But Failed.
Rev. w. j. Shannon preached at the
Church Of Christ yesterday morning
from the text, Matthew xxi, AZ. In sub
stance he said: The enemies of Jesus
had tried to perpleX hiN with many a
question. He was equal to every per-
plexity that they presented, and when
Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and
scribes had grown silent around him, he
in turn presented chem with ques-
ton. He seems to say: ''IOu have
come to me with easy things; do
you really want hard problem?
l will give it to you. What
think ye of Christ? Whose son is Hep"
''They answered like children from the
chatecism, He is David's Son. Jesus
answered, ''How then does David call
Him Lord, for he says, The Lord said
unto my Lord, sit on my right hand till
| make thy enemies thy footstool.'
They could not answer this, and they
did not dare to ask Him another ques-
ton. Their liberalism was their Stumb-
ling block. They either could not or
would not take spiritual view of the
case. They would not see Jesus
i'll His divine, human duality; they
would not confess Him as the
Son of God. This would have answered
their question and satisfied their doubt.
That solution is the only one. They
had no other, and refusing that they
went stubbornly on to the erucifixion
of Christ, and ultimately to their own
question of questions. He had put to
them the problem of the ages. If they
had gone with them then he would
have led them into the very
center of the moral and religious
world, He would have given to them
the key, the mystery of the whole spirit
ual state, and would have brought them
to their noblest selves by slifting them
up to the fatherhood of God, and by
granting them revelation OF the
eternal life.
But what have the ages been saying
in answer to this question? 1t is inter-
esting to know that the love OF Jesus
has been in the hearts of the brayeSt
men. and that the praises of Jesus have
been on the lips of the greatest and
most thoughtful men of all the centuries
since Jesus himself reised the question.
John Won Muller, after long life of
studies in history, gives the results OF
his labors, taken from II 33sauthorS and
from 1900 folio pages, in the assurance
that '.Christ is the key to the history of
the world. Not only does all harmonic
with the mission of Christ; all is subor-
dinated to it, He further says: ''When
| saw this it was as wonderful and sur
priSing to me as the light
which Paul saw on the way to
Damascus, the fullfi!lment of all
hopes, the completion of all philosophy,
the key to all the apparent contra
dictions of the physical and the moral
world; here is life and Immortality. l
marvel not at miracles; far greater
miracle has been reserved for our times,
the spectacle of The connection of all
human events in the establishment and
preservation of the doctrine of Christ"
ANY well Informed person has but to
consult his town library to find any
number Of the highest expressions of
faith in Christ, and estimates of his
work in the world, that require for their
explanation the supernatural. More
over, such testimonials may be culled
from all classes of literature and from
all sorts of men. Jews, gentiles. pietlsts,
ratioDalists, believers, infdels, Christ
ians and atheists unite in heaping
eulogies upon the life and character of
the Nazarene. History. biography,
poetry. fiction, Greek, Latin,
French, Italian, German, Eng
lish and a hundred other
languages: ancient parchmentS, med
ieval manuscripts, and this mornings
Penny Press, are all one in their wit
ness for Christ. 1t is said that the ia
panese wanted the American school
text books for their children, but they
did not want the American religion.
They called it the ''vile Jesus doctrine"
They had not used the books very long
till they began to want the religion that
had inspired those books. To-day they
ask for missionaries. Voltaire, Renan,
Straus, Thomas Paine, and men of like
negations are among the standing argu-
ments for Christ; a great foe yanquiShed
is proof of great victor.
The inuuisitiOn itself could not kill
the influence of Christ. The other day
there died in the city of Rome W.C.Van
Meter, a man well known in this country
for his philanthrOpic works, but for
some years back connected with Bible
work in Italy. He occupied with his
printing presses a building in Rome
which was once used for the inquisitiOn,
thus it's bitter memories turned into
sweetness, and causing to go out
through Italy hundreds and thousands
of the blessed book, which but for him
would never have blessed that papal
burdened land.
ssWhat think we Of Christ! Whose
son is hep" This question OF Christ'S
was greater than any that had been
asked of him, and it is yet the worlds
greatest concern to answer it properly.
1t will not do to stop where such men as
Mill. and Renan, and Bauer, and Rich
ter, and Rosseau, and Theodore Parker
do. for they all tax language to the ut
most in trying to formulate an answer
in mere words, until,aS GuiZOt says, one
thinks they are trying to restore to
Jesus as mere man the glory Of which
they have robbed him as the Son of
God. The confession of the apos-
tie Paul is better than that OF Parker;
the latter says: .What deep divin-
ity of soul in his prayers. his action,
sympathy, resignation. 1t is for his
truth and his life, his wisdom, goodness,
piety, that he is hOn0red In my heart
yes, in the worlds heart" Paul said.
'.He is declared to be the Son of God,
with power according to the spirit of
holiness and the resurrection from the
dead" And again; Il live, yet not /
but Christ liveth in me; and the life l
Now live l live by the faith of the Son
of Cod Such life as that of Paul's
with Christ in it is the highest confess
sion that man can make of the divinity
of Christ. 1t is better than sounding
words, though they are not to be de-
spised.
Such confessions have been made in
every age since Christ died and arose;
they are being made to-day all the
world over, and in greater numbers
than ever before. The life of Christ
in Christly men and women
is an invincible argument; but it is
more IT is strong magnetic mower i.