St. Paul daily globe., 1889-01-07
THE MYSTERY OF THE AGES.
The Problem of Brotherhood
Solved in Character.

Yesterday morning Rev. Marion d.
Shutter preached at the church OF the
Redeemer from the text: "Chrlst III
you the hope of glory"
The context of this phrase is some
what difficult. The structure OF fa9IS
mind makes it almost impossible to fol-
low him at times. He is commonly
noted as the great logician OF the early
church. He is supposed to deal IN cIear
and definite propositions: But the very
reverse of this is true. 1t was the near1
of Paul that constitutes his chleI as:
tinction. His love. for the mar
velous manhood of Jesus. carries
logic. He often begins SEN
tence in prose and ends it in an anthem.
His ordinary statements, like Aaron S
rod. put forth blossoms. When, III the
context. he speaks of mystery that
has been hidden for ages and genera
tions. it is not easy to understand MN.
Farrar saws that it was the equal admls-
sion of Jews and Gentiles into the early
church. The old lines were erased.
The problem OF the ages was how TO
bring about human brotherhood. Force
had been tried, the Jewish ritual had
been tried. Both failed. Both had
worked from the outside. Paul says:
.The true solution is Christ in YOU"
The name of Christ. following the
analogy of all language. came to repre-
sent that for which he stood. he
stamped it with his own personality.
He breathed into it the fragrance OF MS
own life. He made it the symool OF
the highest qualities OF human nature.
1t stands for what Is Chrlst-llke. Inc
solution of the great mystery OF the ages,
the problem OF brotherhood. was, ac-
cording to Paul, the possession OF a
spirit like that of Jesus Christ; In pro,
portion as men became like HIM ana
cultivated His qualities, all boundary,
walls would tumble. and men Woulo
clasp hands over the ruins. This is the
solntion % of MANY perplexing problems
today. 1t will hush the noise OF war.
If will produce social content. AS men
receive and act upon the great law OF
love. Injustice and oppression, envy
and hatred will bite the dust. 1t will
solve the problem of Christian union.
We shall come to recognize the fact that
mems minds are not all constructed
alike: that they cannot all think alike,
but that there may be basis OF char
acter and basis of purpose so broad
that all who have the spirit OF CHRIST
and the interests Of the world at heart
can stand upon it. 1t will not come by
external pressure; it will not come by
theological argument, but it will come
bv building up the interior life.
This kew which Paul has found does
not only unriddle the mystery of the
present: it throws CLEAN OF light upon
the future. 1t is "Christ in you the
hope of glory" By this | understand
that, in building up such character,
man has the strongest assurance that
life shall continue hereafter. The idea
of Immortality deepens in connection
with the sense of worth in man. Char-
acter is too costly fabric; it requires
too much toll and sacrifice to be ruth
lessly destroyed. The conviction con-
stantIy forces itself upon our minds that
whatever is worth carrying over will be
carried over. The higher and deeper
and broader life becomes, the more. 40
we believe that 1t can never perish.
There may be times in every life when
the hone grows dim; there may be GER
tain constitutions in which it is always
feeble. But, in the main, when life is
at it's best we have the least doubt.
Passing clouds may obscure for mo-
ment the star of hope, but when we look
again it is shining with light that
promises eternity in its rays.