Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-06-26

his Utopia, Bacon In his new Atlantis, that
is community of perfect men organized
Into perfect society, the society contribut-
ing to tho perfection of the men and the per-
feet men articulated into perfect society,
this also was the divine idea contom plated
In the announcement and establishment OF
the kingdom of God. The method of bring
ing about this result was not, in the divine
plan as it had been in the human, by means
| Of IN elaborate system of legislation. What
the divine plan was our Lord set forth, as
he did SO many other Of his most pro-
found and far-reaching principles In this
parable of tho leaven hid in the measures OF
meal by which the whole was leavened. The
reformer who sought guidance in the New
Testament did not find 1t because he
brought to the search q wrong preconcep-
ton of the Christian method Of reform, which
Is 20 work, not by laws superimposed from
without, but by securing the implanting
and vigorous working of certain indwelling
principles of mighty force in themselves
and powerfully working out into the insti-
tutions and forms which are their natural
embodiment. Christianity introduced into
human life certain potent truths which had
in them the virtue and prophecy of all in
divtduals and all well being.
We notice first the divine proclamation
Vi Jlo lullulle worth Oh man. before tne
| incarnation men may be divided int two
| classes respectn their means of arriving
at a true estimate of man. First, the mass
Of men, who, oppressed, despised, treated in
every way as inferior beings by those above
them, and without even any deep sense Of
wrong in being so treated, could not, by
any possibility reach any adequate sense Of
inherent worth. Secondly, the few whose
measure Of their own merit was only their
superiority to thUse whom they despised.
| Here was no basis for any true conception
| OF human worth-no standard by which to
es innate tho value of pure simple humanity
| Men OF low degree were vanity and men of
| high degree were a lie. There was needed
some supernuman standard to which human
measures could be referred. The incarna-
! ton gave such authentic state
ment of the question. 1t was Gods testi-
| mony to the worth Of man. 1t said to all
words, and all beings. and most significant
of ell 1t said to man himself This is no
paltry being, Of mean origin, and small
capacity and low destiny, but a being of
such high quality and such noble poss bility
that the most high can afford TO stoop and
the ever blessed one to suffer, in order that
this being may be enabled to realize his ma
ture." 1t became manifest that if God can
|
tic with it, that can only be because t is a
god-like nature, with some clements akin to
God, some afiinities to the divine. II was n
reievation to man of unsupported greatness
and nobility. 1t was a glimpse OF possibili-
ties of which man himself would never havo
| had herdihoood even TO dream. 1t was as
the Scripture says, the bringing IN of a
new hope, by which hope the Scripture also
! says, he is saved. Tho personal value of
the incarnation to the soul OF man can never
be over emphasized. But as reconstructing
social force 1t is an equally important fact.
In it was the coming Of God into universal
humanity, not into any class or race or
moral gSade, but into every class into all
roads, into each grade, into every man
| Thus by teaching the infinite worth of man
as men, 1t taught the equality of all men
For there can be no degree in inhnity. If
every nun is Of infinite worth in God ; eyes,
all minor distinctions pale before the simple
majesty of pure humanity Inminor senses
men are not equal. In the sense of the
French clemor for liberty, equality, frater-
nifty, men are not equal not even in
the ideal and perfect state. 1t
would be monotonous universe. were
it So OF which God himself and every In.
telligepce would tire. But rs all nations
=,
all men being in their illimtable destiny,
all Of infinite worth, because of the essential
manhood in them all, are in such sense
equal that none can dIspise any and each
must reverence all. For the first time in hu
man history man was taught to respect
himself as man without any regard 10 his
condition, or rather he was embodened 70
claim tue condition which becomes man.
'Ne were bought with price; be not tn,
servants of men, All barriers between
race ana race, all invidious distinctions OF
origin, OF sex, circumstances were for ever
cancelled IN view Of the one all -oqual1ne
fact Of the common relation to Christ o.
Greek and jew bond and free, mae ant
female. Not for long time was the
transforming power OF this new social fore,
realized-not yet Is it fully reaized-but i
is this force and no other which has brought
about and Is bringing about the social
revolution which has raised so many mil
lions of seris into froemen has brought ST
many barbarians within the pole of civiliza
ton, has lifted women into full partnersni
with man in all the joys and duties of re
deemed humanity, and all through the rela
tions Of men to each other has pulled down
the mighty from their undeservei seats anc
exalted them of low degree
PS1oI9oiOh
divine humanity binds men into fellow
ship of interest aud sympathy. 1t is
shallow and false view of religion that it /
solely an affair between each man and his Go,
: From its very nature the Christian faith i
a source Of now relations between man anC
man. One of the marked characteristics o
pagauism is, on the one side, the energy o
the tribal and racial feeling, and on tn
t other the intensity of the feeling of hatre,
q for all outside. 1t was indeed said by then
g OF old time, thou shalt love they noigh
= Dor and hate thine enemy, the enemy ben
) all save the neighbor The very term w
| employ for the feeling of universal love
J.. acknowledgements with those VII
a framed it-a feeling which was limited to
t very narrow circle Of equals. Even the
a lsraelites who could say: Come thou wit
1 us and we will do thee good, " could nc
y carry good or send good TO those outside
q What community Of interest was there i
{ tho Pagan or tho Hebrew conception O
i man, which would have been the ground c
r. IA community of affection and action A.? Blu
o with this realization Of tho divine elemen
IL in the nature of every man. whereby Chri.
n is potentially IN every man the hope OF glory
= 10 n new relationship springs up betwee