Blue-grass blade., 1892-02-06
tsr that approaches in beauty that
ofxeeoiIs of Nazaroth Tho naaraat

tsr that approaches in beauty that
osvesus of Nazareth. The nearest |
approach to it in ancient history is
hat of Socrates. He. spent his
FIFE trying to do good for human
ty, and was officially executed be-
tause, in SO doing he had to op-
Jose the ignorance and bigotry of
hose around him.
The most enthusiastic admirers
e Socrites, in contemplating his
eeath naturally say, "He died like
9 philosopher"
The most enthusiastic admirers
If Jesus, in contemplating his
Death naturally say, "He died
Ike God"
In all history the nearest ap-
Eroach to Jesus, in martyred pu
Fty, is John Brown, executed in
Virginia, for trying to free his
fellow men.
In all history the nearest ap-
proach to the life of Jesus, is
Count Talstoi of Russia, now liv-
Ing, and taking the life of Jesus
as a model.
The man who can speak con-
temptuously of Jesus, or his life
work. is either ignorant or brutal.
There never was a miracle. Jesus
did not claim to work miracles.
Nbat was claimed for him by his
y 1es intelligent and less conscien-
tvpus admirers, as had then been
Il ihe of other followers of other
great reformers. Jesus recog-
h4 ! that Joseph was his father.
He Claimed tobe a son of God, or
the son of God, just as his disciples
and all men who lived righteously,
were by him called "sons of God"
(1 John 3. 1-2.9
The story of the "immaculate
conception" as commonly be-
lieved by the Catholic and
Protestant churches at this day,
originated in the Catholic church.
Jesus Christ was "born of a
virgin" as the expression was fa-
miliarly understood at that day.
The first child born of any mother,
was, in the language of that day,
born of Virgin.
There never was a miracle. A
God could no more work mira
Gle than a man or an animal
conld. One miracle is just as
easily worked as another.
That man should be able to
construct a triangle, the three
angles Of which should be equal
to fhree right angles, would be a
miracle.
That man should be able to
make three piles of silver dollars,
with only ten dollars in each pile,
so that their aggregate would be
forty dollars, would be the
simplest kind of a miracle. A
God could not do it any more
than a man.
That man should take three
small and cooked fishes and break
them in two, go as to give half of
a fish to each of three thousand
people would be a miracle.
You could do it as easily as a
God could.
"God can not ie." A miracle
would simply be lie performed,
instead of..spoken.
Meme of the miracles imputed
to Jesus in the New Testament
are of the highest order of dignity.
Some of them are contemplate;
as in the case of getting the money
out OF the 6sh's mouth, and some
of them are unjust and immoral.
as in the case of killing a fig tree,
that did not belong to him, by
cursing it.
In answer to the last question, |
will say that Webster makes the
first definition of "Christian" to
he, ga believer in the religion OF
Christ" James in the New Testa-
ment. defines the word religion as
follows; ''Pure religion and unde-
fled before God the Father is this;
to visit the fatherless and the
widow in their affections, and to
keep ourselves unspotted from the
world"
IF we combine the definition
of Webster and that of james /
am a Christian, and yet if the
question were to be decided by a
popular vote, of couse 1 would be
pronounced an "infdel," and in
compliance. with the popular sem
timent on the subject. l profess to
he An "infidel -