The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-01

But for tho truth which Jesus had to give
he made no reference beyond himself.
"Ye have heard that it was said to them Of
old time. Thou shalt not kill bat l say
unto you, That whatsoever is angry with
his brother without a cause shall
be in danger OF Judgment" And
SO throughout, his sole intro
ductions: 'Verily. verily. l any unto you."
He does not argue; he does not strive.
With q calmness that ia of itself divine he
states his mission and his truths, and no
one seems to eainsay his unimpassioned
self- defamation. Not on the same plane
of power with prophet or iaw-giver, blu on
an unapproschable height he takes his sta
ton. by the side of the Lord God himself.
If Christ is what the church has claimed
whose heart his words Of power have sunk
with their infinite solace. hopes that he is,
his attitude is the only rightful one for him
to assume. Otherwise his assumption. what
impisty could equal it! And to the last he
does not change. Look in upon him on the
night of the Betrayal. He speaks of the
shedding Of his blood as the initiation of a
new covenant. What is he doing? I'm the
very presence Of death. declaring himself
by a life of unblemished sinlessness to have
bridged the chasm between the human and
the divine"
Observe. too. what is here suggested. the
positive phase of his self-assertion; his per-
sistent preaching of himself. While dwell
ing upon Christ's claim to be sinless We
kept in mind his reiteration of the
duty to be humble. Here is a
similar ~jnxtaposition of antaaon-
OF them that could only be made by the in
carnation. Our Lord often speaks of sub
ordinating the individual to the universal;
of denying oneself for the good of all. Is
not his own life. eliminating in the trag-
edy OF the cross, the point whore all the
worlds instances OF impassioned selt-sac-
ritice find their oonsummation? The su-
preme aim of the Brnhmin to lose himself
AS he says--in the absolute-is this truth
of Christianity isolated and exaggerated.
Against this loss of the individual think of
assertion of selfhood. Strong as
the consciousness of self was in Him. He is
constantly bringing it forth in sacrifice for
others. He dies for the world. But he had
power over himself; hi. life was in his own
hand. He lays it down when the time
comes. The physical fortunes he endured
we're indeed the instruments of his death,
but did he die under their sway while he
voluntarily yielded? or his life Jesus do:
have power to take it again." His whole
career is the wonderful harmony of the
universal and the individual. He calls
himself man, not a man; the truth. COM
prehensively. absolutely, and yet as per-
sisteutly maintains his acknowledgements
his selfhood. But look how he does it.
Other teachers say to their pupils, II will
show you the way" II will teach you how
to live" etc; but he. II am the way; am
the life. You 90 to him asking, where
shall rest be found? He points you not to
God in the skies, but says: Come to me-"
You ara enveloped in thick darkness.
Where shall you look for the illumination
think of a single necessary Cry or need of
the human soul, felt in any range of ex-
perience. however wide, of the vicissitudes
of time and fortune, that he does not claim
to meet? Is it hunger, in it's lower or
higher form; the craving for righteousness.
He proeiaims himself the bread from
heaven;" and "whosoover drinketh of the
water that l shall give him shall never
thirst" He answets pravet: IF ye ask
anything in my name l will do it," and
even over death he asserts his lordship: II
am the resurrection and the life" If these
claims were put forth for him by his dis
ciples We might regard them as the exag-
gerated stima of enthusiasts. But they
are our Lords own statements. And yet
they do not shock Us. For any hero OF
saint, for a Moses or a Paul to so announce
himself would we not deem it intolerables
Yet no sense of incongruity strikes US be.
tween his patient ~tireless life and his strong
speech. His claim and his conduct accord
and both come in the line of the world
idea of the fitness of things. Other
wise with the critic, Leasing, must
We not say: IF Christ be no
truly God the Mahometan religion
the Christian. and Mahomet himself was Z
much greater and worthisr man than
Christ" Mahomet called himself only
prophet; but Christ, as the Jews charged
made himself equal witt God. If our Lore
was not what he said how could he be ever
a good mani For in that event he i
neither humble nor unseltsh, but self.
deceived or insincere. Tossed between
these alternatives ours indeed might b.
again the plight Of the unhappy Voltaice
doing in one moment of passion, es b
was about to die, to blaspheme the sacret
name of Jesus. but in the remorseful agon,
of the next to CRY aloud to him for saliva
tion.
The passage l quoted for the text: "Al
mine are thine. and thine are mlne,' i
still another phase OF his self assertion
Any one of US might turn %innocent!y t
God and say: "All that which is mine i
thine;" but to invegt these words aRd max
the boast, All that thou posssssest, evel
thy eternal power and godhead, is mine
what. creature could do that without bias
phemy? Why does he say it? Because h
and the Father are inseparably one. AM
this Same statement be elsewhere explicit,
makes, Il and my Father are one,"-
perfeee ana penetrating community o
nature and sympathy and aim no
merely that unity, precious though it be
which is represented i'll Christian exper
fence by the phrase lin Christi but as tn
original implies "oue thing" u unity no
, merely moral and intellectual, but a unit
4 of essence. by which he is in substance on
with God.
, So would we have it. To rob tine Lor
Jesus of his highest attribute of what woul
it not deprive US! Except for him no
o could We have ever known God? He bridge
G for US the impossible gulf. Il there peat
elsewhere so abiding or the mystery of o,
{! istence so made clear by the Ievel,
1 ton of a benevolent and etern
purpose! And in him have we II,
the embodiment of that ancient ar
comforting delineation of God that he
love. Do you observe that men lose fait
: in the incarnation as they take more earne
k views OF their responsibilities and becon
II better msn2 As You climb n mounta
Is your outlook enlarges and the stmosphe
grows %c!enref. 80 1t is as you advance
the heights of holiness. and within I
is compass of your vision as it Hweeps fro
" your high stand point to the distant horiz
J. this scne truth TO yonr everlasting Joy W
" surely be comprised. Once holding II
is faith intelligsntiY you need no strong
az argument to keep it. Reproached on o
y occasion for his change of opinion, an nj
is and sanity bishop who grow into this hi