The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-29

The Kingdom Of Heaven Within Us-Eter-
nal Entities.

Religion means, as the great thinker,
Benjamin Whiehcot. said, "a good mind
and n good life" This. in essence, is its
true and only meaning. How, then, can
it be. or ever have been, otherwise than
one infinite blessing TO mankind?
And christianity" means that belief
in Christ, and that following of the ex-
ample Of Christ, which renders a good
mind and n good life possible to every
child of man. 1t means that faith in
Christ and in the broad, simple teaching
of Christ-unencuabered by the mountain
masses of Justification and corruption
which were accumulated around it after
the first century-which enables every
child of man to obtain forgiveness OF
past sins and strength for future service.
The acceptance of the Gospel has Moth
ing necessarily TO do with the shibbo-
leths. the ceremonies. or the constitution
of this or that church or sect; ii means
sincere love of God, and self-sacriiicing
service to man. Any amount of nominal
religion, which is not accompanied by
love, meekness. truth. purity. content
ment, is no better than sounding brass
or n tinkiinS cymbal. To belong to the
strictest sect of the purest reliSion-to
be as orthodox as Thomas Aquinas-to
be as devoted to forms and ceremonies
81. rt. r. asa HIS iss
yet not TO be holy. humble, and loving,
is as useless rs to rely on the clacking of
the Tartar's prayer-mill. The Kingdom
or Heaven lies within you" To true
religion, to genuine Christianity, no hu-
man being ever was. or ever can be, an
enemy; for they only express the true re-
lation of man to God, and the beauty of
holiness, the God-like elevation OF spirit.
the pure consistency of character, the
love and sacrifice which spring from the
relation.
And Just as Lucretius was right in ex-
claiming that a thing which called itself
religion" had been the prolific mother
OF many q deadly curse. so many modern
students have been right in maintaining
that something which called itself Christ
ianity-somethiug which priests would
fain have passed Off for Christianity. .
something which theologians have taught
as Christianity, but which was not
Christianity at all, and was, In point OF
fact. alien from it's most essential attri-
butes-had done incredible harm to man
kind.
In what respect IS the cause OF pure
ened by our free admission that the
names of religion and of Christianity
have been grossly abused TO the perpetra-
ton of innumerable wrongs? 30, Free
dom." exclaimed Madame Roland, what
crimes are committed in thy namei'
Was her cry a condemnation of freedom
Does the cause of virtue suffer from
the fact that the worst ends of vice
and falsity are often promoted by men
who call themselves the servants OF vir-
tue and wear the cloak of profession
..doubly lined with the fox-fur of hypoc-
risy"? Is the majesty OF duty impaired
when men use her name as a covering of
righteousness and ObtrUdc her command
ments as an excuse for gratifying their
own vindictive rage? No, Religion
Christianity, Freedom, Virtue, Duty-they
are eternal entities. Men may deface
their true semblancc; they might as well
throw dust at Heaven in hope OF staining
81 as endeavor TO obliterate the shining
ideal of these great guardian angels OF
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Farrar in Nc
Cures Magazine for April