The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1892-06-02

land OF a distinguished member % the
| government who was q millionaire whs
made his millions BY a mcnot.,ly fcY
which the masses Of The rcople paid, and
yet who died and did not give cue cen,
back for the benefit Of those from whz,rn
II all came. The time Is coming ana
now Is upon Us when the man who IA
mean enough - die worth miliianx ana
give nothing for the ailcviAtion ana sal.
Satfon OF the great mass OF the peopis.
froi-l whom his wealth derived It's yniue
viii be Justly cursed. not only by this
generation but by all the generations
that are 20 follow. The name Of su2h a
man should become the byword Of a
peoples contempt This conception Of
the overwhelming importance Of tho
great masses Is result Of TIE teachings
of Jesus Christ. As il Is the work OF
Christianity. so il gives the opportunity
of the ages 10 Christianity.
fearlessly maintain that the church
today that does not reach the common
people is not Christian church.
First-Because Jesus Christ Is the sum
and substance Of Christianity. Chris
tianity is not creed, or philosophy or
scheme OF ethics, or a theory about the
universe. Christianity is Jesus Christ.
1t is founded apon his unique personsli-
ty as the incarnation Of truth, the mes
sage Of God to man through man. This
being true, the church of Jesus Christ
that has the right to his name must lie
founded on his personality. Jesus HIM
self was Of the common people. He was
of lowly birth. He was the son Of the
carpenter. His childhood was passed in
this humble home with its lowly sur
roundings. He was born poor, lived and
died poor. The foxes had holes, the
birds of the air nests, but he had not
where TO lay his head. The one title
by which he loved to designate himself
was not the Son of God, but the Son Of
Adn- He mingled with the masses.
taught among them, lived with them,
lived for them, died for them. The
Pharisaic and traditional teacher did not
darken the home of the poor and out
cast; but the news passed from lip 10 Lip
that the great Galilean teacher had been
seen in the humblest homes, and the ac-
cusation was brought against him that
he ate with publicans and sinners.
THE STIFF NEcKEp GENERATION.
What a startling contrast is this figure
of Jesus with the proud Pharisee of his
day, or with the prouder Pharisee Of
modern times! A little child in the south
went to church one day with her mother.
The preacher was one of those teachers
who held his head AT an angle of forty
five degrees in the pulpit and out of it.
The little girl began to whisper to her
mother and her mother said, "You must
not talk, my child; this is Gods house."
She remained through the service in
overawed silence. When she reached
the street she looked up into her mothers
face and said, mamma, don't God hold
high headv' / know there are those
who believe that this Is the attitude of
the Most High God toward the world,
and that his representatives on this earth
to do his work must use this method.
But If we take Jesus Christ as the
model, the result must certainly be a
violent contrast with this idea.
The miracles of Jesus We're all mira
cles of mer--~ought for the benefit of
this great, helpless, seething mass. We
are told that he looked out upon the
moving thousands as they thronged
about him and his heart was moved
with compassion. His heart was moved
to tears as he saw them scattered as
sheep without a shepherd. The first
sermon that he preached was from this
text, "The Lord hath anointed me to
preach the Gospel to the poor" When
John sent to him to know IL he were the
Christ, or if he should look for another.
his reply was, Tell John that the lame
walk, the blind see, and that the poor
have the Gospel preached to them" He
was popular with the masses of the
people. They followed him, they
thronged him, and his enemies did not
dare modest him during the three years
of his ministry, because of their fear Of
the people. Again and again we arc
told that they did not lay hands on him,
because they feared the people.
A RANK sUNFLowER
would like to know if anybody In
New York would hesitate to lay hands
on the average modern preacher for
fear of the people? Upon the other
hand, the people as rule would gladly
aid in mis- arrest and persecution. This
is a startling fact, but ii is fact The
editor of such papers AS the New York
Sun understands this only too well.
His choicest rascality il to slander and
vilify Protestant ministers. The reason
of it is that the average Protestant min
lister finds no sympathy with the great
heart Of the masses of the people. Hence
he lies and slanders and vilifies with the
utmost impunity.
The life of Jesus was spent in the su-
preme work of ministering to the wants,
the needs and aspirations, the weaknesses
and the sins of this great, dark crowd.
AS he passed through the country, men
imall of stature climbed into trees that
they might see him and speak message
to him as he passed. The crowds
thronged him by the sea until il was
necessary to push out into boat that he
might have room TO speak to them. He
stood by the gates of the city and healed
the sick who were unable to find a ply
slcldn. he uleu IOr tnem ana because
Of them. His final arraignment of the
Pharisees was the cause Of his execution.
From his lips, gentle with a Thousand
of love, there poured that ter
rife arraignment of the scribe and
Pharisee as hypocrites and sons of hell
Never from the lips of man did such in
vective pour. His words cut to the very
of the bone. They could not
forgive him. They determined to use
all their power to destroy him, and they
succeeded IN accomplishing his down.
fall. But when he died the last vestige
Of the traditionalism which separated
the people from the God Of the people
was destroyed The veil of the temple
was rent in twain and the holy of holes
laid bare, 80 that the great mass who
had not dared to look upon the shining
altar, save through the person Of the
high priest, were now invited to come
boldly into the very presence of their
father, their friend, their loving Saviour,