Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-10

supposing that their boy is coming with
some Of the groups. But after awhile they
suspect he is lost, and with flushed cheek and
a terrorized look they rush this way and that,
saying: 'Have you seen anything of my BOY? ?
He is IL years of age, of fair complexion and
has blue eyes and auburn hair. Have you seen
him since we lett the city?" Back they 60 in
hot haste, in and out the streets in and out the
private houses and among the surrounding
hills. For three days they search and inquire,
wondering if be has been trampled under foot
of some of the throngs, or has ventured on the
cliffs or fallen off precipice. Send through
all the streets and lanes Of the city and among
all the surrounding hills that most dismal
sound, "a lost child A lost childr' And 10,
after three days they discover him in the great
temple, seated ;among the mightiest religion
lists of all the world.
The walls of no other building ever looked
down on such scene. A child II years old
surrounded by septuagenarians, he asking his
own questions and answering theirs. Let me
Introduce you to some of these ecclesiastics.
This is the great Rabbin Simeon This is the
venerable Hilleli This is the famous Sham-
mai These are the sons of the distinguished
Betlrah. What can this 12-year-old lad teacn
them or what questions can he ask worthy
their cogitation? All, the first time in all their
lives these religionists have found their matcn
and more than their match. Though so young,
be knew all about that famous temple under
whose roof they held that most wonderful dls-
cussion of all history. He knew the meaning
of every altar, of every sacrifice, of every
golden candlestick, of every embroidered cur
tain, of every crumb of shewbread, of every
drop of oil in that sacred edIfce. He knew all
about God. He knew all about man. He knew
all about heaven, for he came from it. He knew
all about this world, for he made it. He knew
all worlds, for they were only the sparkling
morning dewdrops on the lawn in front OF his
heavenly palace. Put these seven Bible words
in wreath of emphasis: Both hearing them
and asking them questions"
Boys QUESTION.
I am not so much interested in the questions
they asked him as in the questions he asked
them. He asked the questions not to get in.
formation from the doctors, for he knew it
already, but to humble them by showing the
height and depth and length and breadth of
their own ignorance. While the radiant boy
thrusts these self-conceited philosophers with
the interrogation point, they put the forefnger
Of the right hand to their temple as though tn
start their thoughts into more vigoT, and then
they would look upward and then they would
wrinkle their brows and then by absolute
silence or in positive words confess their in
capacity to answer the interrogatory. With
any of a hundred questions about theology,
about philosophy. about astronomy about time,
about eternity, he may have baked them, dis
concerted them, flung them fat. Behold the
boy Christ asking questions and listen when
your child asks questions. He has the right
to ask them. The more he asks the better.
Alas for the stupidity of the child with
tions. Answer them if you can. Do not say:
Il can't be bothered now" 1t is your place to
be bothered with questions. If you are not
able to answer, surrender and confess your in
capacity as have no doubt did Rabbin ST. |
N con and Hillel and Shammai and the sons of |
Betirah when that splendid boy, sitting or |
standing there with garment reaching from |
neck to ankle, and girdled at the waist, put |
them to their very wits end. It is no disgrace |
to say: II don't know" The learned doctors |
Christ that day in the temple |
lid not know or they would not have asked |
him any questions. The only being in the uni |
verse who never needs to say 81 do not know
IS the Lord Almighty. The fact that they did |
lot know sent Keppler and Cuvier and Colum-
ous and humboldt and Herschel and Morse
IND Sir William Hamilton and all the other of
he worlds mightiest natures into their life
ong explorations. Telescope and microscope
md stethoscope and electric battery and all the
questions asked at the door of mystery Be-
lold this NaZarene lad asking questions, giving
verlastiDg dignity to earnest Interrogation.
A SINGLE THEOLOGY NEEDED.
But while see the old theologians standing
round the boy Christ am impressed as never
efore with the fact that what theology most
Tants is more of childish simplicity. The world
nd the church have built up immense systems
theology. Half of them try to tell what God
hought, what God planned, what God did 5OO,-
DO 600 years before the small star on which we
We was created. have had many a sound
eep under sermons about the DEGREES of God
nd the eternal generation of the Son and dis
curses showing who Melchisedek wasn't, and
give fair warning that if any minister ever
egins sermon on such subject in my pres |
nee will put my head down on the pew in
ront and go into the deepest slumber can !
each. Wicked waste of time, this trying to |
;ale the unscalable and fathom the un-
sthomable while the nations want the bread
leir sins and their sorrows. Why should you
nd perplex ourselves about the DEGREES of
odH Mind your own business and God will
Ike care of His. In the conduct of the uni
arse think He will somehow manage to get
ong without us. If you want to love and
'rve God, and be good and useful and get to
eaven, warrant that nothing which occurred
ght hundred quintillion of years ago will hin !
er you minute. 1t Is not the DEGREES of God
lat do US any harm, it is our own DEGREES of {
n and folly. You need not go further back j
history than about I.S56 years. You see this
the year 1889. Christ uied about SO years of
re. You subtract 80 from ,SS9 and that makes
only 1856 years. That is as far back ]
lrred on that day under an eciipsed Z
IN that sets us all forever free if with our y
hole heart and life we accept the tremendous
offer. Do not let the Presbyterian Church or
o Methodist Church or the Lutheran Church 4
the Baptist Church or any of the other i
angelical churches spend any time in trying
fix up old creeds. all of them imperfect, as
erything man does is imperfect. l move a
w creed for all the evangelical churches of 9
only three articles in the creed, :
d no need of any more. If lad all the con-
Grated people of 'all denominations of the
rth on one great plain, and had voice loud
ough to put it to vote that creed of three
ticles would be adopted with unanimous
te and laundering aye that would make the
rth quake and the heavens ring with hosanna. 2
UNIVERSAL CREED. f
This is the creed propose for all Christen-
m: '
Article First-"God SO loved the world that
gave his only begotten Son that whosoever L
ieveth in him should not perish but have F
srlasting life" tt
Article Second-"This is a faithful saying
! worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus L
ne into the world to save sinners, even the
ef" 2t
Article Third-"Worthy is the Lamb that Of
s slain to receive blessing and riches and (:
nor and glory and power, world without end.
nen." :,
Sut you 60 to tinkering up your old creeds ~ =.
] patching and splicing and interlining and 81
1exing and subtracting and adding and ex-
lining and you will lose time and make your p
a target for earth and hell to shoot at Let
have creeds not fashioned out of human in d;
luities but out of scriptural phraseology, and ar
the guns of bombardment blazing from all
port holes of infdelitv and perdition will >
in a thousand years knock off the church j
God a splinter as big as a cambric
,dle. what is most needed now Is 2:
ye
Catarrh ! !:
& a hlood disease Until tna no;so- "a vi