The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-03-30

the essential rrinClpic hItAs avs 49, -.
basis of real Christianity and true rel
| rion. II that were not SO. then yo'
could save boy by teaching him theol
o~r. | was talking with father TN
other day about his boy in this town
The boy had been through sll sorts o
dissination. and the father said he ha'
thought and prayed over hin,--and thi
| man was not n member or any ehurci
| either-and he said. I'VE have come t.
the sad conclusion that there IL but on
thing that can lift him out Of al Thu
whirlpool of hell and dissipation. ant
that is supernatural power that shal
come in and in spite of everything, alb
solutely by a miracle. lift him out"
He was right. You take that boy tina
goes his round of dissipation. and thu
fundamentals of whose character have
been crushed. and whose heart has beer
eaten out by sin. and preach to him the
ology, tell hm about the fathers. TIN:
theory of John Calvin or that Of Angus
tine-teach him all the science Of theol-
ogy until he IAN repeat il by heart-and
YOU will leave his heart where you found
It. and you will not have touched the
real man. But breathe into him the vital
breath of the spirit of God, and he may
not know tho five points of Calvinisnl
from the FIVE points OF pitchfork. but
he will belong TO the kingdom of God.
Orthodox Christianity is possessing the
spirit of Christ. II any man have not
the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. A
child sat down one day and drew with a
pencil picture of a dog for the little
brother toddling by her side, and she
said, ''See tho picture / drew ont Of my
head" And the little brother said: mo,
you did not. saw it come out of the
end of the pencil" And no said, There
must be more dogs in the pencil" Why,
yes, that is true. If real Christianity
can consist in historic continuity of
forms and ceremonies, then the child's
supposition is entirely correct. But If it
is something greater, and forms are but
the expression of life within, then you
must find the secret of the artist not in
the point Of the pencil, but in the heart
that beats within and takes form in that
way.
RELIGION A GROWTH.
Secend-Christianity must be contin-
uous growth. The kingdom of God is as a
seed cast down upon the earth. The his
tory of revelation, then. must be the his
tory of growth-growth in tho knowl-
edge of God from the first lesson taught
the children in the morning of life as
they halted on their way with their
feeble steps on down through the ages
until the full conception of the Christ
and the kingdom of love burst from the
cross of Calvary on an astonished world.
All the way, these 1000 years, through
this history God is leading eatn teaching
gradually the world. The morals of this
book are found i'm the final morality of
Christ and 1t must be. therefore, a
growth.
Our religion has been in the past
growth. There is song in the Old
Testament that you and cannot repeat.
1t is prayer of praise for the triumph
over Sisera, when through treachery nail
was driven into his head. Why, my ideal
is not the ideal of the war song of tri-
umph over Sisera and the hosts of Jabin.
and he who would profess to be fol-
lower of the Christ cannot profess that
his code of morals Is to be found there.
but in the full development of the full
light and truth in Jesus Christ. So Abra-
ham could not live his life today; 80 Da-
vid could not bear the light of this age;
80 the old patriarchs of the past lived up
TO the best light they had. But they were
not held up to the ideal you and are
held to, because we have made progress
md because the world has through those
lges grown in tho knowledge of God and
lis truth.
To stop anywhere in your development |
# this seed means death. The moment
he development of that seed stops either |
me of two things will happen-the hour
Il the harvest has come, when with one |
DOT on land and one on sea the archan-
'el shall call the world before the judg-
nent bar of God, OF else, If you have ar
ested its development before its fruf-
ion, there is but one result-death in
proportion to Its arrest. If you say you
must accept these forms absolutely and
orever, that means death. You have
AID to seed, arbitrarily, stop growing.
must not stop growing until the bar
est time, and then the master cometh
nd reapeth the seed.
Bad theology is responsible for much
4 the tnhumanity we have today.
aid theology had nothing to do with re-
lg1on, but bad theology can interfere
Nth the development Of true religion
Vhen you bind 1t around the necks of
eople and keep them from growing In
ne knowledge of God The interpreta-
lon OF the Bible which makes Genesis
nd deuteronomy and the Mosaic code
equal authority with Jesus and his
ne has failed to understand the mean
ng OF the incarnation and the funda-
Mental law of the growth of Christian
y. So reei the history of that awful
aob at Paris, Tex, and find in the re-
g1ous enthusiasm In which Il was done
ONE OF the fundamental errors of lack
historic construction of your Bible. /
ave had men talk to mo about the JUS
Ice OF God, as though the God of love.
I truth and righteousness and of peace
Jesus should have given such a code
laws to the world. That simplv arose
,om failure to make any progress
WY, Jesus began 600 years beyond
ven when he was born, and the race
aould go infinitely beyond It.
Our religion grew out Of the psst and ,
lnseparable from 1t. IF man saws
90 not believe In Abraham and the [
ropnets and have a right to DENY Jesus !
40 the apostles, . Is that progress7 No. &
Is NOT. have got to hold myself {
nlgher standard than Moses and the 1
.ophe.s. Inc branch grew out of the G
.ne' am not the soil, but the branch Z
a.nos I'VE without the soil. Ihave a s
], connection with these saints. {
ne mower Is not the soil, but the flower s
innot be separated from the soil With. :
1t death. True Christianity crew or,t
that past theology, as the flower ore.r :
1t OF the soil, and must be therefore q
of the a1as O.