Morning journal and courier., 1889-04-20
comPArxoNsH1P OF CHRIST.

The New Phase Of Christianity
 Which Has Burst Nm Like a Flood
 Upon Modern MHnds-Purses Flung
 To RegGars VIII Not Save-Chrfst
 Muse Lead Into she Unseen world Dr. Munger At United Church Yes.
 terday-UniOn Fast Day Service.
 A large congregation held divine worship at Il o'clock yesterday morning in the United church. Rev. Dr. Newman Smythe the College street church oficiated with Dr.. Munger in the service, and people of the three churches were those who formed the Fast day morning observers.
 "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into the kingdom; and Jesus said unto him, verify, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise, D Luke, 23, ,42-3. The discourse was a lucid exsmpli6cation of salvation in the fellowship of Christ.
 Christ knew that they, whom all genera tions had slain the prophets would slay him, for he also was prophet. said Dr. Munger. Of some it Is decreed that they shall live till the whole fruits of their work and measure of usefulness is done. Others die before their prime. Christ knew he must thus die.
 
 so with Christ. Death came to him unduly. The son of man was to be lifted up, the ker- nel of wheat must fall into the ground, and character and custom of of acts pertaining to charcter were treated by Christ in revolu- tionary way. Death he did not call by it's own name. "The maid is not dead; she sleepeth." Simon and Peter said, "Lord, whither goest thoua" 1T go unto my father, for he is greater than l." Compare these references with those in the book of Job. It is an original treatment of death. The tone is different. It is not an end. It is going away, 6 cessation of the functions of life with a possible resumption of them in some future time.
 Life is a starting point. The heavens spread themselves out in 3 circle. Christ did dot reject the general point. He came from the father. He did not originate in the lower world and did not return to it. Dust thou art, to dust resurnest" was not his doom. Christ attained the highest point achievable to human man. There was nothing for him to go to but God the father. We no longer know of beautiful place to weigh our hap piness but think of heaven where our natures will have unimpeded course and the ultimate fact that God is within all. Here we find ourselves at the very bottom thought that fills creation. There is nothing local or tra- ditional in the words of God in calling nor tals to him. Where philosophy ends with philosophy ends with reference to another life there Christ begins and philosophy sits at his feet in silent awe.
 The superscription on the cross that was a jest to the multitude was truth to him and he cried, 'Lord, remember me when I come into thy kingdom" He had but little faith, but what he had rested on confidence he turned to one whom he thought stronger and better than himself. Little enough we can do or say. He was nailed to the cross till death came. Let us see what a world of comfort he puts into few words: ssTo-day thou shalt be with me in paradise. :" When one dies, one passes from life to another world. The sun was already sinking behind the black clouds. When it is set, Christ will be in paradise. Nowhere else does Christ use this word paradise. It is not Christ word and does not express @ Christ idea. What he knew of paradise was 8 place where gentle waters flowed through misty vallies. All this he knew and that the weak and evil features of this world will not be repeated in the next.
 Christ did not promise what the thief asked, nor indeed did he promise anything beyond simple oompanionship. Christ sim ply said, ''We will go together. We will share our lots beyond as here. will help you there and be your companion" There is no promise of felicity, no heights of an- gelic bliss. The great question of character must be determined ere we have any prom isss. The dying thief will be made happy only when he realizes the great sacrifice of Christ and the heaven of his compsnionship. ''I will take you into paradise; will teach you; I will pour forth my feeling word" In this and no other way can man be saved. This picture contains more than an exam ple It is @ revelation. It shows how the good and strong are to help the bad and weak: how the better part of humanity is to aid and lift up the worst ones. The great picture is that of fellowship. Christ joins himself to the lower life of his companions. He does not lift the thief up to his own sphere, but drops down to the lower life. The wide differences are almost forgotten. It | is not paradise, remembrances, favors that he needed, but the companionship of Christ. A future to spend together, @ common destiny, and what more is there to savef
 This view of the incarnation has not al- ways been held, and it is only till recently that it is recognized as life sharing life. This truth has been long In coming, kept back by social and political conditions. and so the church accommodated itself to the false and ! imperfect conditions of society. At last it is beginning to act of its true nature, and we now see a new phase of Christianity. It may needs of humanity, suffering with it's curses and going with it upon it's faint and dying path. Purses of gold flung to beggars is no longer a Christian service. We must be poor with the poor and cast our lots with our fellow men, as Christ taking 8 malefactor by the hand and leading him through the gates of paradise is a fact of tremendous inn port. Christ dies for the saving of the world Man is saved not because he is peni- tent, but because Christ goes with him to an unseen world.