Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-01-27

keb. III. ADoo<s winoly ignores . hes&
u qass&ons vnlcA ef lsis have hesn
raissd ~ What b Known - The
Higher CriIeiam.s II mAtsers little
that ether men. Agss before chrss. had
uttsred his uakas- Iratn . ne iess
truth because Is has bssa eftsa re-
peatsd. Ga he contrary, ths very
fses that holy seers IN al ages have
voiced tne came thoughts. eut adds 70
their impsssslvensss- Thai vsson Of
the ideal man Which ross vHhln the
soal Of msa IN msny lands and under
various religions; the vision Of : mystic
man Of sns Spirit. the SoA Of the
Eternal Sstnsr, had been sen BY
maay before the real Chrlstos appeared.
The maga Of the East had seen IL
The priests Of the EiensinlAn Mysteries.
the Secret Order Of NithrAiclsm, the
Hisrophants Of Europe, and the Rlspis
Of India, cav thls Wisdom Of thu
Christos. and in their theology and
sacramento Of baptiam, temptation.
passion, burial, resurrection aud ascen-
sion. We can Almost again see vision
OF Christ, IA His great drama; but tho
actual Jesus alone, has ever satisfied
men that the Christos 90 long dreamed
hope, but did st last become man
among Us. No other one but lie ever
filled out the ideal. Man had seen his
star, but not the Gun himself.
Ii is doubtless true that the Buddhis-
TIC scriptures do contain some startling
analogles 20 the New Testament scrip
lures. Both Buddha and Christ were
OF royal lineage. Both were born OF .
mother who, though married, was still
. virgin. Maya and Mary both receive
an angalic message concerning the COM
ing child. King Sudodhana and Joseph
are equally gallant in their marital
rights previous TO the birth OF the
promised ono. Angelic messengers
announce ths glad tidings OF their
coming. Each have precious gifts pre-
cious gifts presented to them. Both
retire to the wilderness for miditation
and prayer before beginning their
work. Upon one falls . shower Of
flowers from Heaven while in the river;
upon the other dove descends. Both
are tempted by q devil, and both van
quish him, and are rewarded by visit
from the angels. Buddha has Judas
rs we'll as Christ. Both are trans
figured. Both descend to hell and
preach to the spirits OF the damned.
An earthquake attends the death of
each; and there are other remarkable
similarities in their histories and III
their doctrines. Indeed. it is hard to
find distinguishing doctrine in what
has passed current az Christianity.
which has not Its counterpart either IN
Old Acadia, Egypt, Babylon, Persia,
or Asia. The doctrines of the Trinity,
Heaven, hell, angels, devils, and even
the Fatherhood Of God and the Golden
Rule" are many centuries older than
Christianity. These statements are
hardly TO be denied now that scholar
ship has made such tremendous strides
III the last half century.
Suppose they are true. what then?
Shall we cease to be Christians and be-
come BuddhIsts? am not going to do
so, and am sure that there Is no good
reason for anyone doing so, and for the
benefit of that great company Of men
and women who are earnestly debating
the question, "Can ] any longer be q
Christian this question of DR.. Alb
bolts, "What 10 Christianity" needs an
exceedingly careful confederation, for,
until the untrammelled scholarship of
our day has gwen US an exhaustive
statement As TO what Christianity really
is, We should not be in too great haste
to renounce it.
wh he
Christianity may be but q wretched
travesty upon the genuite article. Ger
tainly, now that after centuries of
blood and suffering, religious freedom
10 secured no one need feel any awe of
majorities, nor any fear of eccleslasti-
cal ostracism; but no honest man or
woman should reject Christianity until
they are sure they know just what 1t is.
OF course, DR.. Abbott 10 no Pope, and
no man is bound to accept his conclu-
sions, but the mans exalted position
entities him to receive our respectful
consideration. DIR. Abbott starts out
with the very proposition laid down II
my previous article, viz, it isimportant
70 get the masters own statement as to
real aim and purpose which he had in
view. We had very brief epitome of
his first public sermon in Luke Nv, in
which he clearly sets forth his mission:
'Tne spirit of the Lord God is upon
me, because he hath Amounted me TO
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the broken hearted, to
preach deliverence to the captlves and
recovery of sight TO the blind; to set at
liberty them that are bruised; to preach
the acceptable year of the Lord"
From this magnificent declaration Of
the Master himself, DR.. Abbott draws
this conclusion land no other conclu-
sion can be legitimately drawn from
itl: "The end OF Christianity then is
pnilanthropic. 1t is TO promote the
well-beIng of mankind. 1t is to COM
fort the afflicted, to inspire with new
hope the despairing, to set tree the en-
shaved, to give light to the darkened.
Light, liberty, life are its ends. Christs
example enforced their exposltlons OF
the object of his mission He went
about dong good. He healed the sick,
coInforted the sorrowipg, fed the
hungry, instructed the ignorant. To
this work he gave the whole and un-
divided energies of bis life. He or
gained no church, no society. He
framed no liturgy. He certainly or
gained no order of public worship.
He founded no scheme or system of
philosophy. The object of Christianity
IL human welfare; ITS method Is char
scter building; its process is evolution;
and the secret of its power is God"
I have not space here for any more
quotations. Ii Is sufficient to say that
few men ever have denied or doubted
that Christ was living exemplar of his