The record-union., 1893-03-27
PULPIT TOPICS.
Sermon on 1.-THE Moral Condition of
Paganism."
Some of the Points Discussed by Rev.
j. B. Koehne In His Sermon
Yesterday.

the general subject: ''Was Jesus of
Nazareth Only Man ?'' The subject for
next Sunday will be ''The Moral Con-
ditlon of Judaism"
Mr.. Koehne quoted for his text Psalm
tx, Is: ''The heathen are sunk down
into the pitt"
wish this morning to invite your at
tention, said the pastor, to most thought
full problem-was Jesus of Nazareth only
man? AS a foundation for the treat
ment of this theme, 1 shall deliver first
two Introductory sermons-one on the
moral condition of the heather world and
one on Judaism. The first topic, pagan
ism, is before us this morning. The
church usually boasts that all great
doctrinal problems have been solved.
and it is historically true that the great
councils in the early centuries did pass
final Judgment upon the fundamental
dogmas Of Christianity.
In general way it may be said that
the early centuries debated and de-
monstrated the problem of God. The
Middle Ages closed with the doctrine of
Shrisos divinity agreed upon. The last
1eW centuries and the one we live in con-
front the doctrine of man-what he is, his
rank In creation, his rights and wrongs.
All the literature of the present day
TEEN with social discussions. Man is the
great theme of the age.
SO 1t is in sense true that God, Christ
and pan as doctrines have been settled.
Still it Is true, also, that each generation
must solve its own problems. Each man
must master all the facts of life. The
heart OF humanity has revealed its affec-
ton, what will be the love unfolded in
the heart of the babe born to-day is yet
TO be written. So in religion. The indi-
mol ~ 10
tQns and slowly arrive at their solution.
These sermons, therefore, have a per-
sopai relation. They are meant to aid in
your private difficulties, to reinforce
your intellectual and spiritual efforts to
find peace amid the skepticisms Of the
hour.
At times we hear it stated that Christ
was product of civilization. Ii that be
true, civilization since should produce
natures similar to his. Let us not forget
that civilization was in its death throe
when He came. Its government, the re-
hglon OF paganism, the temples, the
social life We're beginning to vanish when
Christ was born. But assertion is worth
less. Let us study closely the civiliza-
ton OF pagan1sm and we will see that it
was indeed true. THAT the fullness of
time had come.
Let paganism itself speak through the
lives OF its sages and the testimony will
prove that dissolution had already begun.
Seneca declared, THAT vice was so pub
lie that innocence is no longer rare-it
had ceased to exist" Lucian and Livy
both upbratd the times for lcentiousness
and crime. The poets of paganism are
wrathful as prophets. They hurI satires
Ike thunderbolts at the occupants of the
thrones and at the temples and the
gods they fling anathamas.
The social life is always fair test of a
civilization. Marriage of course is the
test OF social life-and women her condi-
ton and position is always a criterion OF
the'value of marriage Plato, Aristotle
and Socrates all agree that woman is an
inferior being.
The political fabric of paganism affords
striking picture of the times. Com
merce was considered honorable, SO was
medicine and architecture, all else was
infamous. Toll was cursed thing. A
workshop was considered base and ig-
noble; slavery was universal. Here is
the first striking contrast between Chris
tianity and paganism. We have been
taught that toll is a holy thing; that labor
is sacred in all its forms. Our civiliza-
ton rests upon the middle Glass;
Paganism had no middle class. Not to
be an arlstocrat was to be a slave. No
wonder man was degraded being Keep
in mind that we are not looking into an
epoch OF barbarism. Here is human
ity cultured. Here life is rounded out
into an era called the golden age" The
surpassed IN magnificent achievement.
1t was the day when sculpture, music,
eloquence, politics, literature, all the
elements OF culture, were untolded and
given splendor never known before.
Yet amid the grandeur of the hour
man was only creature of the State.
Humanity had not vet defined itself. 1t
was absorbed into throne. The day will
come when the throne will disappear and
manhood will remain.
All this political degregation reveals an
old fact. The heart of humanity was un-
satisfied. Let the heart be hungry and
undisciplined and tyranny is born.
The world lacked heart culture Alice
ton had no heaven to look toward. Plato
created an ideal republic. But he did not
think of uplifting the race with it. ct
this was the NaZarene'S daring dream
His ideas were not for the few, nor for an
age, but for all races and all centuries
The moral life of the age is summed up
in sentence-there was no hope in the
world. The multitudes stood on a preci-
pice, and the future lay before them un-
solved. A hopeless age produces an age
of moral Indifference and lethargy,
Nothing in the future urged men to live
nobly. Remove moral ends reaching
into eternity, And you remove moral mo-
tives. Morality has no value il there he
no future. Paganism knew nothing of
motives that kept looking beyond the
grave. Pagansm never understood the
smile on the face of the martyr.
This appalling condition oil things only
deepened the degradation of the world. |
There was no such word as Humanity. 1
Christianity created that word The |
gladiator sprang into the arena and died
fighting wild beasts. He was not ranked
among human beings. The worth of
man as man, was never understood by
the Greek sage or the Roman law giver !
Christ dying on the cross, a slaves death, /
struck the chain from mans neck. |
Modern liberty dates back to the cruci- /
hxion, where man died for man. The |
civil war was another Golgotha. The |
highest revelation of love is sacrifice. |
and sacrifice is the undergirding prin-
ciple of our Christian civilization.
This is the vast whisper echoing |
through the Old Testament, yet the Jews |
heard it not. Paganism saw it hnted in |
the temple sacrifices, but never grasped
its meaning. Six thousand years have /
rolled by. Wars have swept the earth. /
Empires have fallen. Generations like (
huge shadows have darkened the world. /
but not an age-nota civilization ever |
announced the secret of God and man
sacrifice
That divine word, which has trans |
figured Europe and America, was un- /
folded in the death agony of one who /
died between two thieves. Out of that |
word has sprung all reform and progress. |
Out of that word was born new law in .
morals. Out of that word was built re-
ligion a new form of social life, and there {
fore new principle of government Out /
of that word came the power that made /
Christianity universal religion. I
The religious belief of paganism can be /
understood when it is remembered the |
soul. its origin, natural functions, were /