The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-07
REV. F. M. BILLINGS LECTURES.
The First One on Religion Before In
carnation Exciting Interest.

! The First One on Religion Before In
carnation Exciting Interest.
Rev. F. NJ Billings Sunday night
lecture on Religion Before Incarna-
ton" is exciting interest. Mr.. Billings
| referred to the recently published series of
/ TRANSACTIONS Of the sacred books OF the east,
IN order TO draw attention to the science of
| comparative religion which is largely based
/ upon them. This, at present, does not ad-
! init revealed religion, for IL finds IN these
books teachings which are said to show that
nature worship was the starting point, and
that the idea Of one personal God Is but
late conception.
Max Muller calls the state of things de-
scribed IN the oldest Vedas, Henotheism; a
religion admitting of a different direction
OF the worshipers mind at different times.
One day he worships Agui, which is also
the name for sun and fire; another day he
worships Savitri, the name for the sun as
life-giver. Henotheism is believed by the
great philologist to precede and tend toward
the worship Of many gods, this Polytheism,
In course of time, becoming mOnotheisttc,
reason demanding but one object OF adora-
tion.
The lecturer said that as a Christian he
could not accept this, for it cut at the root
OF all revealed religion. All religion had
supernatural basis, he believed. These
many Hindoo deities, wOrshiped each in
his turn, were but peTsonihcatiOns of the
attributes Of the one God. who had been
known to those Of the golden age, which Is
witnessed to by nearly all the ancient peo-
pies. Christians and other believers in re-
vealed religion are in thfs more logical than
the scientific men, for they do not believe
that men can extract from stones and
dreams deep yearning for and recognition
of the Divine Being
The Christians idea of God includes that
OF Mathew Arnold, who spoke of "pJ~er
not ourselves which makes for righteous
ness" this carried with it the belief in a di
vine care over all peoples, includes the gift
OF necessary religious knowledge to them
all, unless indeed this power is partial in Its
action, or unless religious knowledge has no
relation to Righteousness.
The lecturer read several extracts from
the Vedas and other books of the Brahmins,
to show that they recognize the power for
righteousness. Speaking as a man with
men, they ere not unaware of what had
been promised when men lost their first es-
tate, namely, an Inoarnate Redeemer or
deliverer from evil
From the golden age onward there has
ever been some presentation OF the divine
to men. In the first or golden age this was
subjective, being loving recognition of the
divine care. When men no longer cared to
love God supremely, the memory of the
than in the heart means OF a now but
partial conjunction. When this knowledge
was perverted, the divinely given ritual Of
the Jewish church came, religion was rep
resented outside man by means of Rppro-
pirate ceremonial. All along the connec-
ton lies in something recognized as divine.
Then, in the fullness OF time the wisdom
or word Of God was wrought out into our
flesh, and there is for all
ages - the manifested divine, the
Lord Jesus Christ When the Lord came
and the Jewish church was no longer
needed, It's temple vail was rent in twain,
and within forty years Its temple worship
ceased. Bat one born Jew became per-
feet man; and he needed 90 be thus born in
order to include within his humanity all
the possibilities of the race.
The subject Of Mr.. Billings next lecture
will be Religion After the Incarnation"
Christianity and Buddhism being taken as
representative