The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-16

was born into Poverty. without social posi-
ton. unedueAted, trained amid ~intsnssss
bigotry. He threw of provlncialism, rose
above race prejudice. taught the spiritual
Ivy and pate nifty Of God, Revealed . phil
losophy OF man that has inspired whatever
Ia great and good In ,nodsrn ctviiisation.
Il, saw d:spsr Into ,in ana sslv@s NC. sn"n
scious of guilt. Ike all other founders Of
religion ks stands alone In hia siatsss chRr-
actsr. What IL the secret Of bis vondrona
and inc, easing power tor good over all the
ages? Was he prodeood by natural foroes7
Jean rHul said 1 m,, ~. ths n",,s' ~ s% no'.:
with hts pisrctd hands he lifted
governs the ages" Carlyle said
"Jssus Christ" Our divine symbol higher
than human thought can ever roach"
Look on these two pictures and tell me II
one hRs no connection With thu other.
Euch r b1inp. tho head Of creation. the
Ideal Of shrsh. will not be held in ths aravs
This supernatural In his life will express
itself in death. According TO the scrip
lures ''he, rose from the dead the third
day"
great facts Of tho Msssinnic piotur ., the
sinless life. the resurrection. are Lost sigh,
Of In lonR and iabo cd discussion Of die
crepancies In tho tcxt. II has existed since
tho time Of Cslsus. yet the wondrous facts
havo been v ought into the nRes, and
christsndom 10 their resn.t. Use. II yon
please. the modern inductivs method. hi
solely a. the facts; let them lead whore
they may. A great faot ID observe
as a point in human history.
Timid mon btcame bold. despair wat
turned to bounding hopo. doubt trans
formed to active fifth. Something or.
Cured in Jude" Tint gave an upward ten
dency to life. 50 clear and vivid was u that
the Jewish sabbath passed away and the
Christian Sunday was made sacred in
commemorntion. The worlds firm faith
In a future life il inspired by that Easter
morning. etsnd on the shore an watch
the waves surRing against the rocks. No
wind stirs the treetops that ovorhang tn"
cliffs. yet somewhere. iar ous to sea, thu
wind has descended. SO in human history;
every mighty movement that breaks on our
shores had it's sufficient cause somewhere.
whose effects We see. Deny the gospels in
their p1 eoent form. The point is not
evuded. On tho morning of shs thru dav
the flow of history. Mems livos. thti
homes. the, whole order OF society. all
things human. are taken up with md swept
along BY q nov. tSsistless movement
which still bears upon the Great of it, ad-
vancin0 wave the hope of tho worries fu-
ture. Our believing mothers taught US 1t
anos Of a risen friend. They learned it
from the eosrel sto'y. Soma critics say:
mo. this would admit tho supernatural. 1t
cannot be. 1t 10 legend that grew around
the early story. that took it's present form
not far from the dawn OF the second CEN
tury. The disciples taught no resu rection
TL~s. o-~1aA n~A n1nR-
age sprang from a clear conviction OF the
spiritual continuance Of their masts'. Hc-
roes never die" One thing raised in conf
dent objection after another has gone like a
passing cloud. The weak points Of the
present theory are conspicuous. 1t will not
bo denied TINT the worll's consolation,
vivid hope, inspiration has bsen built
around the belief in an empty tomb and
risen Lord.
Ii it is q legend only the oe 'titude OF i'm
mortality built upon II is soon swe awav.
We have no light. Int the dim uncertain
hints of nature. You cannot d ny that
faith and long retain its power. You ars In
q land of darkness. The count!ess dead
may live again. but you have no cersltude.
This is tho problem We must face. The
mighty spell and hope Of christendom has
been a legend. 1t gives no sufficient Gauss
for tho wonderous change in history. But
there is another fact that must have a
cause. Tho Disciples had rure positive
eor viction Of continued life and its pows'
over p essnt character u%nsqualled BY other
people of any Cline. To-day it 10 the
model for our teaching. Thu Jewish mo
tive was a prospered present life. Theil
dim conception of q hereafter was corrupted
nv a general under world Of shadows,
Buddhism teaches NJ most the loss OF per
sennl CONSEQUENCES in the Rrsnt essence L
which the phantom of a soul returns. Rem
nouf declal es the faith Of Egypt WAS ..
land of heavy slamber and darkness. III
abode of SORROW for those who dwell There
where father aud mother aie not recoR'
nizsd and death absolute II. God" PLATE
connected his belief with the rs-exisssno'
OF the soul. In Psrioles' famous fumes
the present. the noble sepulchre OF earth
in which they had gained . name. bu'
makes no mention of a future awaiting thu
brayest and tho best. Cicero sefers clio.
quently to a possible future life, but claim'
II gives no comfort when friends have
passed away. Cmsnr. the bead OF the pub
lie religion. denied il in the senate. Son
"a. thought the best souls might live unit
the coming confagration.
The noble Epictatus saw nothing bu'
probable dissolution. 1t was only a great
no haps'' when admitted; the future abods
was gloomy and ~ioyles'. The dead, like
ssccters bewildersd In the dark. turned
lOnllOSlY OACk SCW~AA AK osSA AAet
wished to DO buried by the ~th'onGing
street and stated feasts held In their
tombs. Gibbons says OF the eminent who
livod in the age OF Cesar, "Their conduct
was never regulated by any serious convic-
ton of a future state. The nhlest orators
were not appr.honsivs of giving offense to
their hearers by exposing that doctrine AZ
nm idle and iavxgAnt opinion which was
rejected with contempt by every man OF
liberal education and understanding" Hs
also adds: 1.-THE ancient Christians were
animated by q contempt for the present
life aud by a just confidence of immor-
tality of which tho doubtful and
imperfect faith Of modern age:
can not give my adequate notion"
Colsridge's words arc eloquent: 40 oss the
night Of Paganien philosophy fitteed on
like the lantern fly OF tho tropics. \ light In
itself and an ornament, but alas! no more
than M orn mont of the surrounding dark
ness" In that age OF darkness tho simple
disciples began their pure. positive dsclafa'
ton Of n faith in tho future that has con
aoled and nodded all the agca. IT they aaW
their risen Lord We have suino!ent cause,
otherwise the facts arc unexplained.
The crovniEa point ia the witness OF st
Paul. The most skeptical of modsTn
| critics admit that Romans, Galatians and
frat and second Corinthians wore written
by himself, not later than the year sixty.
A%larlinsau claims that Paul did no,
teach a resurrection { rom the tomb,
simply continued life. That he
classes his " subjective vision
~ A. -g..- " hhA -kne jtapi~laa