Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-14

| who could understand it. There was. al
least, an opportunity such as had not been
before, and was not for hundreds of wears to
be again, for such religion to be preached.
| Over the broad Roman roads, under the
strong protection of Roman law. apostles
and missionaries could pass in safety with
| this message.
And there was language in which they
| could speak that message and be under
stood. In every town throughout the EN-
| pire everybody who had any education was
acquainted with Greek. This again was a
unique condition OF things. Here was Ian
guage particularly fitted for the expression
OF the most subtle thought, a language
which the profoundest philosophers of the
world had already made the vehicle of the
profoundest thought, and language
which when man knew he could
go anywhere and find a congregation who
| could tell what he was talking about There
had been no such universal speech before,
and there was not to be again for ages.
Even to-day there is no language which
takes the place which Greek held in the
century when Christ was born. 1t was the
fulness of the time.
THE MOST sEAsoNABLE OF ALL.
We begin to understand what that phrase
means. We are in a position to know more
about 1t even than st. Paul did who used it,
because we can see both the past and the
future which lay about the century when
Christ came. If a man were to look all the
worlds history over searching for the
ideally perfect time for the bringing in of
such religion as Christ came to teach, 1
cannot think of any other age which he
could reasonably choose than Just that in
which Christ came.
For we have not yet said all that can be
said to show how true it is that precisely at
the moment "when the tulness of the time
was come, God sent forth his Son." Christ
came into world which needed Him more
than any age before had needed help from
God. This is the third point which ask
you to consider. The Hebrews have an ex-
ceilent proverb: when the tale bricks is
doubled, Moses comes" When all seems
at the worst, and lost, God helps. And the
world was beyond question in a bad way
when Christ came. It had, as I said, the
two-iold possession of a common govern
ment and common language; but it had
also a two-fold lack. The world into which
Christ came nineteen centuries ago. had no
religion and no morals. The religions of
the world had fallen dead. Partly through
evil living which dulled the spiritual sight
OF men, partly through the widespread
conquest which broke the images of the
gods OF defeated provinces, and debased and
discredlted them in the estimation of their
worshipers. The world had almost uniyer-
sally lost faith. Whatever survivals there
was of the old religion OF mankind
stayed in its place by the aid. among the
Ignorant, Of superstition, among the edu-
Gated, of politics. Religion was useful,
some thought, to ward off plaques and earth
quakes. Religion was useful, others thought,
to keep their fellow citizens in order. But
RELIGION WAS REALLY DEAD.
There has never, in any age. been any
thing approaching the universal belief
which held the minds of men when Christ
came. Even in Judea, where more faith
fingered than could be found anywhere else
under heaven, we know very well to what a
pass religion had come. The religious peo-
pie of Judea were led by scribes and Phari-
sees. Religion had become degraded into
ritual. Hebrew religion cruc1fed Christ
1t was time that God should speak. 1t was
time that Christ should come when Christ
came.
And with religion, men had put away
morality. The condition of things in Greece
in Rome, was too dreadful to tell of. Read
the last part of the first chapter of St. Paul's
ep1stle to the Romans. The world was dead
such pass, such sadness and despair had
settled upon men, that life itself ceased to
be desirable. 1t was the age of suicide.
Into such a world, where upon all hands
faith and morals were dead or dying, into
an age without strength, without hope, re-
mote from heaven, drawing near into perdi-
tion-into such a condition of things Christ
came. 1t was the fulness of the time, and
God sent forth His Son.
ST. PAUL WAS RIGHT
You see what a true word ST. Paul wrote
when he said that. 1t was the hour toward
which the prophecies pointed. 1t was the
hour when all was ready which common
law and common language could do for
the spreading OF the gospel. 1t was the hour
when the world lay, as it seemed, in its last
extremity-religion dead, morality dead,
waiting for the coming. Then Christ came.
can believe, when I understand this,
that He who came was really, as the text
says, Gods Son. He for whom all this
preparation was made, for whom the world
was looking and whom the world was
so sorely needing, was no such man as we
are. He was man, indeed, but, far more.
Eis simple advent into such a world
was in itself marvel. In such an
age, how came He to be such
mau as He was, SO different from all other
men, of temper so remote from everything
about him, man standing absolutely alone?
How can there be such a man, among the
peasants of Galilee, man who was able to
minister to the sick world, and make the
kind of world out of it which we live in, and
better still after us? The angels answer,
singing thoir Christian message over the
fields of Bethlehem. "Unto us is born a
Savior, which is Christ the Lord" st. Paul
answers, looking about him with clear sight
in that strange age into which he came,
"W hen the fulness of the time was come,
God sent forth His Son.