The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-23
no CONFESS Or DENY.
Able Discourse by Rev. DIR. Levi
Gilbert.
oaa ,cAT,oNs OF CHRISTIANS.
a. 4. Lee ut Taylor Congregs-
toasI--Unitarian Church Notes
thanksgiving Services.

An First Methodist Episcopal church last
.:.ssrr Dr. Levi Gilbert discussed what was
.vsIjsd In confessng or denying Jesus, IRON
kKxt In
.,ciras me before men him viii also confess
sssore INV Father which Is in heaven. But
.Aosoeyer shall deny me before men, him will
sIso deny before my Father which is In heaven.
The sneaker showed first that the only obliga-
san mi upen the first disciples was in Jesus
invitation. .Follow me-" The earliest creed
was to acknowledge Jesus simply III thou
shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus az Lord and
hiatt believe in thy heart that God raised him
tom the dsad thou shalt be saved; for with the
heart man belisveth unto righteousness and
WITH the mouth confession is made unto saliva
tion.n The first part OF the sermon was occu-
MED I'm describing the prosecutions oil jewish
and Gentle Christians and the antagonism De-
tween the spirit OF the Roman empire ana the
ideas of the new Christianity. The tnought
then passed TO a reference to the Aloigenses,
Lolards, Huguenots, Coyenanters, early Metno-
dists and salvationists OF the present whose con-
fession meant absolute martyrdom and heroism.
The Christian confession was declared to be the
acknowledgment OF a rapturous, adoring love
and profound gratitude for one who has become
q Friend, Lover q Savior, Redeemer; py
whose intervention there is escape from sin and
the bondage OF evil habit the affectionate
recognition OF one who so loved as gladly 70
suffer to bring US TO eternal life and the Father
For the sinful man confession means break
Ing away from all the bad past and all evil asso-
Citations; for the refined and cultured young
man or woman, a conservation to all nobiest
living and doing. The confession OF Christ
must be the imitation of Christ-not in the
aseetic sense OF Thomas q Kempis. but in daily
practice in the home, In society, In the state as
citizen, as friend, q student, man OF prayer
Jesus is the touchstone of all life. For judg-
ment He came into the world and His life is the
standard to which ell other lives must be
brought to the test To confess Him means
that He is dsscerned 10 be the highest idea for
all goodness fidelity, manliness, hepfulness.
Not an ideal that is abstract, q conception, q
phrase, but living and loving person who
combines In himself all truths aud excellencies.
One who could say, 81 am truth, al am life"
Whoever therefore is faithful to his highest
ideal conception OF truth whoever is trying to
realize what life is In its finest moral and spirit
ual essence, is confessing Christ Whoever is
false to the Hottest revelation OF right and lv-
ing that has come to him is false to Christ.
To confess Christ, the speaker continued, is
not necessarily to confess what is said about
him In any creed OF human construction. 1t is
the confession of Jesus himself, of personal re-
latouship, and not some statement about him
ueuly metaphysical and theological Jesus is
Yssdtaa auu Whubs bOiuieEb w HRub IOr tue
eanse OF truth, faithful adherents to the right at
any cost OF ease, reputation. property or life.
Emerson and Parker, Martineau and Matthew
Arnold may not have confessed Christ in set
phrase of orthodoxy. may not have recognized
him In the theological sense which Trinitarians
conceive, that he is one with the Father and the
Holy Spirit in triune Godhsad. They may
have denied that he was ever to be so considered
or estimated They may have commended earn
oEtf tbo rth fSdn ,fafIf ba
ing misconception OF the truth, misintsrpre-
tation OF the Scriptures in the light OF reverent
reason. But the question is not 80 much as to
dogmatic phrases, sentences or arguments in
their writings. 1t may be distinctly proved
that they did not believe in Jesus do we; that
they did not see the meaning in His death upon
the cross that we do; that their estimate of the
inspiration Of the Bible Is not ours.
1t may be admitted that they re-
pndiated Catholicism, Calvinism, ArmInianism,
and that all the current evangelical system OF
theology were repugnant to them. But a de-
NAL along these lines does not amount TO q de-
NAL of Christ These were men OF sweet, lofty
iives-lives Christlike in every element III they
could not think as we did, II they were COM
peled after investigation and reasoning to differ.
they are not therefore, to be condemned as enc
mics of Christ We are to turn away from their
creeds to their lives and influence. Certainly
the wslnigh perfect live of an Emerson, the
pure influences for good which came from
his personality, the whole purpose and effect of
his teachings In essays, poems, lectures, were so
helpful and spiritual that to deny that he was
friend rather than q foo OF Christ seems q
strange Inconsistency and incongruity The
old-time calvinist looked with as much horror
upon Methodist as a hereto as many evangeli-
cal thinkers look now upon n Unitarian. The
confession OF Christ 10 not to belong 10 an ortho-
dox church, to repeat an evangelical creed, TO
unite In the Trinitarian doxology, to repeat
without missing the shorter or longer ca
chsm-and all these are good in their place and
pIoportion-but in holy life modelled after the
pattern of Jesus There is, indeed, no other
name under heaven by which men
can be saved but here, as in
other places in the scriptures "name" must
mean character, nature. and he who conceiyes
that nature and perfection at any time B. c. or
a. Din Christian or pagan lands-comes into
salvation and confesses the Christ who il Him.
self the completely saved man. Whoever there
fore spproximates His ideal, consciously or I'M
consciously, and is true 10 the spirit of truth
within him knows the essential Christ and
possesses the essential salvation.
The preacher then went on 20 speak of the
value OF oral testimony in devotional meetings,
acknow Lodging its worth aud helpfulness, but
urged that there must be more OF quiet, manly
confession among men everywhere-in society,
the shop, the Office. the street For the boy at
boarding school or the sailor on ship 10 say his
prayers: for the pledge-slgner to wear his
ribbon: for the grocer 20 oe honest In weights
and measures and not 10 sell adulterated goods !:
Tor the meney-lender not TO be usurious: for
the real estate dealer and the horse trader 10 be
honest in their deal-was for each to confess
Christ. No one should he ashamed of having q
high ideal. "To do IN Rome the Romans do
lisa miserable motto IL IL means compromise
With evil and compliance with base custom. and
no, simply falling in with little conventional
iuex
Aman who is true TO the great moralities is
thereby confessing Christ, claimed the preacher
6srrisoa broke with the churches, aud a letter
says at was reported 10 me by the city officials
tnas they had ferreted out the paper and its
sdilJr; that his office was an obscure hole: bis
only visible auxiliary negro boy. aud his sup
pogters few very insignificant persons of all
eoiors.' Yet he helped 10 bring on crest rev.
oiution. mans confession Of Christ may be
o. the ballot box. The publication Of munici.
pal politics has again and again been prevented
by the "stay at home" vote, while the bad
cause succeeded in bringing 10 the polls every
supporter Those who are demanding the clos
ING oil the gates of the Columbian exhibition
on the sabbath are lsmpooucd. but they are the
best, mosi Intelligent people in the land, who
oehese that the ho.iest interests ot Amarlcs
49," - fANASA'SA AANs lot greed, our EgiSflau-
ity shsmed In the eyes OF the civilized world
Just now prohibition is frequently spoken
against in our midst, but when cause is for q
moment suffering tll-iortune 1t is no time 10,
brave men 10 he weak -kneed. That cause is
tast as righteous, just constitutional. lust "a
practicable and well advised, just a. necessary
Tor The protection OF the home and the preserva-
zion oil the nation, Just dc sure to come a. that
Co. re'gns and the world moves and the RICH,
ultimately triumphs
Chnsi, ssld The speaker, came not 10 send
peace but a sword, and He himself was ,hs vie