St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-28
The Rev. Gentleman Gives
Another Side to the Chap
acter of Christ.
How He Would Have Us Look
Upon the Savior's
Sacrifice.
The Black Pictures Painted
Of the Wrath Of
God.

| ali , SGI!HOu AeSIGIQdy morning dJ Tic
Grand opera house before the First Uni
verSalist society. The subject was
taken by Mr.. Vail as bearing on the re-
cent sermon of DR.. Thomas, OF Chicago.
delivered at the Peoples church a week
! ago Sunday. DR.. Thomas was taken as
| the representative of the new theology,
and Mr.. Vail began by saying that the
ideas of DIR. Thomas were his ideas.
| Lyman Abbott and DIR. Thomas had
both said: I'VE believe that Christ was
| God III man. This was the theme of
! the sermon. 1t begins with man. The
| preacher sketched the life of Christ. He
said the overture of the angels was eX-
| aggerated in the statements we have
| now; but as long as the legend Peace
| on earth and good will to men" is writ
| ten under that picture we shall all claim
| that it is the essence of the spirit of
| Christ. His childhood was like that of
| other children. His DOyhOOd was
| touched by his local surroundings, and
| while he was not appreciated in his ma
| tive tOWn-the prophet never iS-he was
still known TO his neighbOrS as the son
of the family whose name he bore, and
| they called the other children or this
| FAMILY his brethren and sisters. In his
| social life he was man,
Judged of as other Men.
He associated with all. lie was loved
| by all because there was within him a
| the spirit of humane consideration.
But in saying all this of Him as a
man do we leave any room for the idea
| of God to come? Yes; for in the sense
OF the new theology God has entrance
into human life at any point. We may.
| on this ground, finish the prayer of
| Christ that God may come into the life
of all His people. Does this differ from
any other theory? 1t differs from the
| theory that there must be all entire
| change of nature. 1t makes man a mu-
! steal instrument, out Of tune, but capa-
! bic OF the rareSt music when once put
in harmony with the ideal. 1t makes
| Christ man also, with special en-
j dOWment Of affection and special abil-
| lty to see the ideal of life and to realize
| it in His own experience. His affection
was His distinguishing character
| lStic. He is not thought of as a
speculative mind, as we think of Plato,
nor as an argumentative mind as we
think of Aristotle or Socrates; but we
think of HIM as a religious teacher who
so moved the world that time is dated
from his birth in civilized lands. and
| one whose claims have covered every
made His morality an enthusiasm. for
His inward look revealed character
built for time and eternity He saw
within Himself.and within humanity as
we'll, the ideal man, and it became to
Him the dominant idea of His later
years. 1t did not change, but only de-
veloped that which existed already in
them. Then His lite was filed with
Sacrifice because this is the
Logic Of Affection.
Help is pleasure, not hardship,
where we love. Then, too, love trans
figured all his consciousness of duty, of
all those higher feelings of honor and
righteousness became enthusiasm. His
religion was the religion of communion,
and His life with God was exactly in
kind like that any man is capabable of
experiencing; but the wide difference
was in degree. That was difference
never yet equaled. And In this same
connection let me state the matter from
| another side. We may imagine an
orange, in tropical jungle of thOrny
| oranges. that takes EN- the perfection
| that cultivation Of hundred years
might give. This is not probable. but
is an Illustration. 1t does not happen
| in nature. No orange tree was ever
| found that did it so far as | know: but in
| mind this is true. In music masters
leaped centuries ahead OF the age. In
art the same is true. 1t is leap in the
| evolution of an idea. So may we be-
lieve that this teacher leaped 10 the per
lection of character. And may He not
be master where we grope? In us is
the undying hope of immortality; in
| Him it was what will come to us when
we have reached His life, for in Him
| there seemed to be a vision of truth
| touched with a certainty born out of the
| most powerful conviction. In us there
| is a mixed and vacillating love for
! righteousness, touched and tempered
| by stronger SelfShnsSS; with Him there
| was neVer-Yarylng condition, an adj
miration that never faltered, hope
that developed hope III every human
breast when
Wien Touched His Life.
In word, His developed life had in
| it all there is in ours. and besides all
| that there is in our possibilities. There
fore He becomes our leader, guide and
teacher. and this is the sense in which
the new theology teaches that lie is
God in Himself.
But there is another fact that does not
disappear.
We are plainly making in all this a
! ODDOSlIlOll
| that we know of, the theory of sacri-
fetal substitution. Modern theology, as
| well as ancient theology, says: Christ
died to take upon HimselfjyOur sins.
| God demanded a sacrifice TO appeaSe
| His wrath. Christ made this sacrifice.
Are we to leave this theory believed by
| most men in the churches without
a word. This is a theory that
runs through all primitive re.
ligionS. Our conclusion will de-
| pend upon our use of the word sacri-
flee. In his primitive state man be-
! lieyed in a God like himself. and with a
malevolent disposition. This Gods en-
dOwed with the advantage of power.
By our sins, they say. we sacrifice our
right to life. Only blood will appeaSe
him. Some nations sacrificed human
offerings. Others, however. concluded
that life only was necessary. and ami
mails were given instead of man to
take our place. When the dying cry of
an animal was heard, it was supposed
that the god was satisfied. Thus was
| transferred to Christianity. and Christ
was made the one substitute in the
place Of man. The ministry took adj
| vantage of the inflammability of human
life. Fear in human nature was used
because 1t Is the most powerful unflu-
ence in human nature. Black pictures
were painted of the wrath of God. Black
pictures were painted of human nature.
These ideas were
Transferred to the Church.
But was this a real picture of God, OF
of the central truth of the sacrifice Of
Christ? And how shall we rid ourselves
of this idea that is so deeply lodged in
the common mind that a Fundamental
principle of the doctrine is vicarious
atOnement? The answer is not far t.
seek. The truth of the sacrifice is the
the law of the world. But it is Spirl-
ual truth, a natural truth, fact o
science, fact Of experience. The rock
crumbles. The soil Is formed by it:
death. The seed is cast into tht
ground: the waving grain is the result
of life and death. Man comes into the
world through suffering.
| And ali along the line of history oul