The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1890-06-09

tlA1A " ARhkya1 Us lAiaA IN t1y1CSAAis
crates into a brute, d mechanism 4
clod. No man can Be better then
his own best intention; the end ii
view must determine the aim and
the aim will Inevitably maid the
| character.
| Now contrast the ideal af Jesus
with those of certain acknowledged
heroes among men.
/ We may begin with Baddha, the
boosted Light Of Asia His ideal
was Niryana, the yacuous abyss d
Inconsistencies It was the sheer
] est despair of individual life Yet
even this eyanimate aim, sought
through desertion Of his wife and
child and through prolonged gazing
at his own navel, Gantama could
! gain only for himself Except by
example. he was unable to bring 9th
ers up to is The wfetched kilflne
.of personal thought and passion, they
must seyerally achieve by their own
powers.
Then, there is Confucius, the other
great agnostic Of antiquity. His
ideal was found in the naturalistir
data of ethics, without any sanction
of the supernatural. His view was
no wider nor higher than this world.
Highly admirable in point Of moral
precept, his system is fatally def
Gent in faith towards God. Every
commandment of that second table
of our deealogue, which defines man s
relations with his fellow men, thou
shalt not kill, lust, steal, lie, covet,
| and above all, thou shalt honor thy
father, lis said to be included 10 the
civil statutes Of China, and even in
the examination for her civil service.
BUk Of the prior table, which expires.
sseS mans relations with God, not
even the first commandments recog-
lsnized Confneians, while required
to b. moralists by profession, are
permitted to be practical atheists. Eif
they will. What is the result? III
this Republic at least, which legally
excludes the Mongols as a nuisance,
it shopld be enough to answer:
China is the result. It has moral
theory but scarcely moral living, it
has marvellous industry but little
wholesome laughter, it has . punctil-
ious imitation but not az ample he
roism, because ii Worships dead an
eestors instead 81 the living God.
Agn0sties may easily see New their
IDEAL will actually work by studying
the history 81 Buddhism and Confu-
cianism. I.5
But Come westward 70 Socrates.
Ais idVal WsS y inenlcata virtue BY
making men wise We agree with
him that knowledge is power; but,
unless directed by righteousness, in
spired by holy love and quicken ned
by the impulse to do our best. it is
power for evil and not for virtue.
Like Alcibiades, it. may lack both
the motive and the means to live be.
roically. .-s ~
Now, compare with these the ideal
Of Jesus Christ. AS he was leaving
the world, (Matt. %: 49, he said:
Cali power is given unto me in
heaven and in EARTH, When PLATE
asked him John IS: 37) if he was
king, he answered: 80 this end
was I born, and for; this cause came
I into the world, that l should bear
witness to the truth" In defining
his method, (John 1919 he. de
elared: ''Greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends" And his friends
he identified in these words (Luke
1910: scfhe Son of man is come
to seek and save the lost" Power,
truth and love, not unselfish only
benevolent and utterly self-sa cri-
ficing, were his distinctive character
lstics. His gift was no such philan
thropy as consists in a series Of ex
pedients to relieve, men. He-came
to offer gracious power adequate for
the complete salvation of manhood.
His achievement was to reveal the
whole truth about humanity's pa
Ythetic condition in the present and
marvellous possibilities in the fu ture,
and, by his mighty love, communica
ted in his own life, death and resur-
rection, to harmonic the eternal
Father and his immortal children.
Is there any higher ideal imaginable
than to secure the perpetual welfare
of manhood through the revelation of
God s,forgivlng fatherhood by means
of his own brotherhood, incarnating
power, truth, love, grace, and willing
self-sacrifce? . 80. .':
II. Another element of Christ's
princely heroism is seen in his ON
nipotent purpose, Other kings may
reign with an authority which
brushes the opposition of common
men; yet the strongest of them fails
to accomplish his entire purpose or
to maintain one undertaking course
of action to the end. They must all
change their plans with changing
circumstances, and many of them
are overthrown at last by some des-,
pissed fault or unforeseen emergency.
| Alexander conquers the known
| world, and dies, in debauch: An
tony forfeits the world to keep the
-. IA ~ r