Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-13
FEW OF us BELIEVE



,consiassa frsm NistA Pase1
the character Of the water which they
themselves drink. and upon which de-
pend the health CT their common life
The test that Will help them u that
which shows that water from the CON-
mon reservoir 10 either entirely un-
wholesome or that there 10 = hitter for
IL shich they can supply. If Jesus .
10 b really
The water % Lite.
for human need, II must b because
his lite was absorbed from the common
ocean Of human possibilities. and
found IN . reservoir open 10 all. 10
express this more literally: the old idea
OF jesus contrasted him with nature.
laid stress upon everything that could
mark him of from las fellows; the new
idea would make him one with nature:
eees in him union Of many forcee, all
of which have been working their way.
slowly but perslstentiy throughout all
human experience; II christianity stood
alone, differing radically and essential
| iy from all other Religions, and unTeiat-
ed 70 all others, then il seems TO me We
could have no assurance that II WAS not
= transient aud but partial expression
Of the truth; hut il We can zee that
throughout all the history Of the worid
streams have been converging toward
= universal faith Of which christianity
| 10 one expression, then think We may
feel that it comes with the sanction OF
universal Law, and 90 IS divine reve-
lation. II there are any religious
| truths OF absolute worth, they must be
inherent, everywhere, and be- found
struggling toward expression among all
people and at all times. Inasmuch a.
the life of Jesus appeals TO me as God
ike and eternaliy helpful, must
thereby the moro earnestly yearn to
know that II 10 not isolated, 10
Not = startling Marvel
but part Of the life that includes ua
| all. As Christianity appears to me 40
movement embodying absolute princi-
Piles Of universal religion ] must, be-
cause of this, hope to find it allied to
all expressions Of holy aspirations and
endeavor in all ages. This we should
hope to find true. and how 10 1t accord
ing To the testimony of history? Lat
Sunday spoke to you of the trans
formation that came to organize Chris
| tianity under the Greek influence.
Apparently the primitive simplicity
and purity of the religion became COR
ruptcd by this influence, but in reality
| we found that il had been wideno,i
thereby. and had become better fitted
to universal needs. The fundamental
| principles of religion as revealed to the
Jewish thought, became infused With
these same truths a. they found ex-
preston in Greek thought. Two
streams were united and each was made
stronger by the union.
| We have seen how the attempt has
been to find no explanation of Jesus In
the conditions into which he WAS born.
On the contrary Mi history seems to
have been 10 make ready for jesus
such al opportunity as did await HIM.
II seems now as if one might have
readily foreseen that just such an IN
fiuence as Jesus and Christianity have
been, would have arisen At just the
time they did. Five hundred years be-
fore, oil the
slow Progress Of the Centuries
seems to have blossomed forth in a
luxurinnt outburst of both the intellec-
| tuAl and moral life. Each country re-
ceived . new impulse; il was the era
which gave Buddha to India, Confu-
cius to China, Socrates to Greece. The
streams of influence that came from
them were at first separated from each
other and pervadcd only the life of
their own notions. The world did
not then have any experience
OF cosmopolitan relations. Each class
of people necessarily were kept
within. their own national lie,
but at the beginning OF the Man
era everything Was different. Phn.
nicia had communicated to all the
neighboring nations her commercial
spirit. This had brought into close
communion peoples that had been be-
tore far distant from each other, aud
had known no common life. The
power Rome, cruel and arbitrary as it
seemed. was yet bringing into national
relations all the varied peoples over
which che held sway. Before this the
conquests of Alexander had scattered
the Greek culture in art, literature and
philosophy widely throughout the
different countries. The religion OF
the Hebrews had been widening be.
yond their early clanish cast. by con-
tact with the religion of Bablon and of
Zoroaster and had come to believe in
immortality. II had also gained new
spiritual intensity from contact with
tho
Meuastic Life Of BuAdhIsm,
andl was permeated with lively *.
pectation of . coming deliverer OF
Messiah. Tho geographical situation
Of Judea made it the natural center
for all these diverse influences. +. =,
Powell, in masterfui Characterization
Of the Jewish character, shows how
inevitable il WAS that IL should be q
Jew who should sssmuIate in himself
all that Was highest and best in thcss
comlngled forces, ard vet retain 81 the
same time . strong national and In
dividual character. Borne at {
time when . union of interest,
and ideas for all humanity val
| first made possible, Jesus as Mr.
Powell says, ''uniting all lines of evo
luton, symbollzed The cosmopolitan
unity of all later developments" Nt
wonder that religions spring up ut such
. time, and hence absorbing 90 many
elements from the truth gathered dur
ing all the past, should have been q
nearly able TO meet the needs Of the
future. There 10 much reason In ts,s
belief, for which many contend. tina
chreiianity 10 destined to be the uni
scrsal re; igion. Its birth was the out
growth Of the international spirit. il,
history has been through those centu
ries during which man has com,
more and more into the Coz
mopolitan spirit, and unity o.
thought has become possblc Al
never before; education and trave