The Progress., 1893-03-25
THE PROGRESS: MARCH 25. 1898.

| am the vine, and We are the branches
The kingdom of God is as a seed" Tha
is to say, all authority and all postulat,
/ of authority that may be drawn from ;
/ supposed historic continuity have a rea
basis only as they are founded in life
only as they are vital. Church authority
is real, ecclesiastical authority is real
only as they are part of this vital devel
opment. 1T is as a seed cast on the
earth. am the life. He that hath the
Son hath life. l am the vine, and We are
the branches, and out of me you can dc
nothing" That is to say:
A CONCEPTION OF THEOLOGY.
First-Christianity cannot consist and
never did consist in the correct concep-
ton of any theology. Why? Theology
is a science, Christianity is a religion
and science is one thing and religion,
another. The two things are no more
connected than a simple mechanical con-
trivance is connected with the seed
which, in the warm earth of spring,
sends up its blossoms and its fruit. On
the one hand, you have theory and intel
lect; on the other hand, you have heart
and practice. Theology belongs to the
question of intellect and point of view.
l see theologically not so much what is
before my eyes as what is in my mind.
A good woman was crossing the ocean
with her husband He looked out and
said, Il think it is raining" She looked
out the portfolio and said: II don't think
it is. l don't see anybody with umbrel-
las" She saw not so much what was be-
fore her eyes as what was in her mind,
and her mind was projected out on a
barren sea. So men see theOlOgies and
project them on the surface of the Bible
Theology belongs to the realm of intel
lect, not to the realm CT heart and prac-
tice.
A preacher was preaching a sermon
TO the inmates of an insane asylum in
Buffalo some time ago, and he at last
came tiresome. The patients began
to get restless. Even the attendants
got restless and yawned. To no purpose;
he went on. Presently one of the pa
tlents, leaping to her feet, pointed her
finger at him and said, You have
preached long enough, sir, long enough"
One of the attendants came up and quiet
ed her, and he continued his sermon. He
said afterward she must have been a re-
crazy woman, but the attend
ants never could decide whether she was
improving and that was an indication of
It, or whether it was a relapse. To him |
she was entirely crazy because she came |
N contact with his point of view
A difference in point of view is diff |
ference intellectually and does not touch |
he essential principle that lies at the /
1asis OF real Christianity and true reli-
non. If that were not SO, then you
'ould save boy by teaching him theol-
'gy. was talking with a father the
'ther day about his boy in this town.
The boy had been through all sorts of
and the father said he had
hought and prayed over him-and this
nan was not member of any church
he said, 1--WE have come 70
he sad conclusion that there is but one
hing that can lift him out of all tl4is
whirlpool Of hell and dissipation, and
hat is supernatural power that shall
ONE III and i'll spite of everything, alb
Olutely by a miracle, lift him out"
He was right. You take that boy that
oes his round Of dissipation, and the
of whose character have
cen crushed, and whose heart has been
lten out by sin, and preach to him the
logy, tell him about the fathers. this
leory of John Calvin or that of Angus
him all the science of theol-
5y until he can repeat it by heart-and
Ou will leave his heart where you found {
, and you will not have touched the
al man. But breathe into him the vital
-eath of the spirit of God, and he NAV {
ot know the five points Of Calvinism
ON the five points of a pitchfork, but
Will belong to the kingdom of God.
Orthodox Christianity is possessing the |
init OF Christ. If any man have not
e spirit OF Christ, he is none of his. A S
ild sat down one day and drew with
neil picture of dog for the little S
other toddling by her side, and she '
id, "See the picture drew out of NV b
ad." And the little brother said: No @
u did not. | saw it come out of the
d OF the pencil" And he said, There
lst be more dogs in the pencil" Why. u
8, that is true. If real Christianity v
n consist IL a historic continuity OF e
rms and ceremonies, then the child's o
pposition is entirely correct. But if if n
something greater, and forms are but d
, expression of life within, then Won Ii
lst find the secret of the artist not in S;
point of the pencil, but in the heart 81
1t beats within and takes form in that O.
y. n
RELIGION A GROWTH h
'econd-Christianity must be contin- C,
is growth. The kingdom of God is as a h
d cast down upon theearth. The his IL
y of revelation, then. must be the his h,
y OF growth-growth in the knowl- b,
70 of God from the first lesson taught h,
children in the morning of life as
y halted on their way with their N,
bic steps on down through the ages n,
II the full conception of the Christ c;