The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-06-13

LQeIn 10 liltlT NCis WI VIM IL 10 III
disgrace to say: Il dontknow." The
learned doctors who environed Christ
that day in the Temple did not know
or they would not have asked him any
questions. The only being in the uni
verse who never needs to say II do
not know is the Lord Almighty. The
fact that they did not know sent Keep
pler and Cuvier and Columbus and
Humboldt and Herschel and Morse
and Sir William Hamilton and all the
other of the worlds mightiest natures
into their life long explorations. Tel
escope and microscope and stethoscope
and electric battery and all the scien-
tific apparatus of all the ages are only
questions asked at the door of mys-
terry. Behold this Nazarene lad asking
questions, giving everlasting dignity
TO earnest interrogation.
CHILDISH SIMPLICITY WANTED.
But while l see the old theologians
standing around the boy Christ | am
impressed as never before with the |
fact that what theology most wants is
more of childish simplicity. The
world and the church have built up |
immense systems of theology. Half |
of them try to tell what God
thought, what God planned, what
God did five hundred million years
before the small star on which we
live was created. | have had many
a sound sleep under sermons about
the DEGREES of God and the eternal
generation of the Son and discourses
showing who Melchisedek wasn't, and
| give a fair warning that if any
minister ever begins a sermon on
such subject in my presence
will put my head down on
the pew in front and go into the
deepest slumber / can reach. Wicked
waste of time, this trying to scale the
unscalable and fathom the unfathom-
able while the nations want the bread
of life and to be told how they can get
rid of their sins and their sorrows
Why should you and perplex our
selves about the DEGREES of Code Mind
your own business and God Will take
care of his. In the conduct of the
universe l think he will somehow
manage to get along without us. Ii
you want to love and serve God, and
be good and useful and get to heaven,
Warrant that nothing which occurred
eight hundred quintillion of years ago
will hinder you minute. 1t Is not the
| DEGREES of God that do us any harm, it is
our own DEGREES of sin and folly. You
need not 90 any further back in history
than about 1, ,S56 years. You see this
is the year 1889. Christ died about
thirty three years of age. You sub
stract 33 from 1899 and that makes it
only 1856 years. That is as far back
as you need to go. Something oc-
CURED on that day under an eclipsed
sun that sets us all forever free if with
our whole heart and life we accept the
tremendous proffer. Do not let the
Presbyterian church or the Methodist
church or the Lutheran church or the
Baptist church or any of the other
evangelical churhes spend any time
in trying to fix up old creeds, all oi
them imperfect as everything man does
is imperfect. | move new creed fol
all the evangelical churches of Chris
tendon, only three articles in the
creed and no need of any more. If
had all the consecrated people Of al
denominations of the earth on on'
great plain, and l had voice lout
, enough to put it to vote that creet
of three articles would be adopted
with a unanimous vote and thunder
, ing aye that would make the eartl
quake and the heavens ring witt
, hosanna. This is the creed propos
, for all Christendom:
A UNIVERSAL CREED.
$ Article First-'God so loved tn
> world that he gave his only begottel
/ Son that whosoever believeth in hin
e should not perish but have everlasting
n life."
Article Second-s'This is faithful
h saying and worthy of all acceptatio
q that Christ Jesus came into the worl
4 to save sinners, even the chief"
h Article Third-"W Worthy is the Lam
!, that was slain to receive blessing an
e riches and honor and glory and power
d world without end. Amen"
q But you go to tinkeripg up your oil
p creeds and patching and splicing an
It interlining and annexing and sui
te tracing and adding and explainin
o. and you will lose time and max
d yourself target for earth and hell
N shoot at. Let us have creeds not fasl
,e ioned out of human ingenuities bl
fs out of scriptual phraseology, and a
h the guns of bombardment blazin
" from all the port holes of infideli'
Is and perdition will not in thousar
II years knock off the church of God
ee splinter as big as cambria needl
ne What is most needed now is that Y
,e gatherall our theologies around the be
,e in the Temple, the Celebrations arour
d. the simplicities, and the profunditi
e. around the clarifies, the octogen
ad rian of scholastic research arour
m the unwrinkled cheek of twelve ye
ct juvenescence. Except you become
C. little child you can in no wise ent
in the kingdom;" and except you becon
III as little child you cannot understai
re the Christian religion. The best THU
h. that Rabbin Simeon and Hillel al
ch Shammai and the son sof Betirah ev
SIX did was in the Temple, to bend ov
rst the lad who, first made ruddy OF che
m by the breath of the Judean hills a.
nd on his way to the mechanics sh
rh where he was soon to be the suppc
,ut of his bereaved mother, stopped lol
,of enough to grapple with the veneral
is dialecticians of the Orient both he;
he ing them and asking them question:
ac- Some referring to Christ have I
X. claimed Ecce Deus Behold the Gt
OF Others have exclaimed Ecce hon
,ry Behold the man. But today in &C
He clusion of my subject | cry, tx
all adolescensl Behold the Boy.
sn,