The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1895-04-24
Outline of Sermon Preached by Rev
w. G. SchOppe, Sunday Morning,
AnriI 81 1QQS


the Worlds Progress
TEXT: Cor IS: as. For He must reign
till He hath put all enemies under His feet
Christ taught that all men were made in the
Divine image; that human life was sacred, and |
mans value independent of his outward condi- |
ton The Roman ideal of virtue consisted in |
independence, bearing. magnanimity. If. as |
Gibbon says one half the R man Empire were |
slaves and the other half free, it was evident |
that virtue was beyond the reach of half the
human family. Christ inclined the moral ideal
toward the down trodden condition of the peo
pie. He was born in poverty; He taught
Blessed is gentleness humility, resignation He
chose His disciples from among the humble.
He tasted death for every man He assumed
human nature. Thus has He revealed the sa
credness and grandeur of human life. as such
and made virtue possible to all What influence
have these principles had on the world progress2
1st Childhood, under Paganism, was either
neglected spurned An old Roman law de
clares that parents must bring up all the male
children and the eldest female, but they
expose to death any MANNED child. with the
consent of five relatives. The historian Lecky
said: " Exposure was practiced on a gigantic
scale, and with absolute impunty;' that " it was
a small offence, especially fpr poor parents -
To Christ human life was sacred He said
of children, " OF such is the Kingdom OF Heav-
en- ;; and Take heed. that ye offend not one
of these little ones " His sympathy for children
one of the finest points in his character
AS a result OF his teaching one OF the most
important parts of the Christian religion. botn
! in home and church, is the cultivation of child
life
and His influence has been no less remark
able IN the elevation of woman Under the old
system that scorned the tender side of life, wo.
man was either the toy slave of man. PlIny
who represents the best side of Pagansm, wrote
in approving terms to his friend who celebrated
his wlfe's funeral by combat of gladiators and
only regretted that " the African Panther, in
tended to grace the occasion, was delayed by
storm ChrIst's method, which puts the affec-
tons to the front, has been the chief inspiration
i, i, in the elevation of womanhood. Women were
among his nearest friends and most faithful fol
lowers Last at the cross, first at the sepuchre
| They are among the most consecrated saints in
| the history of the church.
Dante measured the steps of his ascent in
Paradise by the increasing light that shone on
| the face of Beatrice. So the condition of wo-
men shows the power of the tender virtues over
| the public mind and her progress is the evidence
of our rising civilization.
3rd How wonderful has been the power of
Christ over human slavery! In the ancient world
men who were unable to pay taxes were sold
| children OF the poor were sold; also, captives
| taken in war; and piracy was considered vir
| tue because 1t put slaves into service. Man was
of no importance. Condition was everything
| EDlCtatuS,
were slaves. Auca, less in size than our Rhode
Island, had 81 900 citizens and 400 900 slaves
| Corlnth had 45o 900 slaves. Fablus put 20 600
| on the market at the sack of Iarentum CHRIS
| ostus says rich men often had from one to two
| thousand slav S GIbbon says in the time oi
| Claudius the Empire was half slave and hall
| free. A slave was sold at Athens, in the time
| of Demosthenes, for about thirty dollars at
| Rome, in the time of Horace, for about ninety
dollars. In the camp OF Lucullus they could
| be bought tor eighty cents each The 81 ooc
sold by Titus at the capture of Jerusalem. PROB
| ably brought less sum each than Judas receiv
| ed tor betraying his Master These men had
| no rights under the law. They were liable to
| torture were sold naked in the market were
| branded on the forehead The cut of the haIr
| showed the serVile condition. Porters were often
chained to door posts Into such a world o
| disregard for manhood Christ was born Unto
such world he taught his noble truth of the
sacredness of all human lite, the brotherhood o
| all men, as children OF one common Father
| Around his table all were equal The Lounc
ut Orange in AL D., simply gathered up the
truths that had Ieavened the public mind, when
1t declared that NJ Christian, whom Christ had
set free, should be in bondage to man. The
Council at Rheims, in Gas A D.. declared the
sacred vessels OF the sanctuary should not be
melted into coin, except to redeem captives
1t is Chrst's truth that has destroyed human
bondage.
4th. The test of character is seen in the rec
| reatlonS. Ihe pomp and glory of the ancient
world gathered round the amphltheatre, wher,.
| man and beast fought for the amusement of the
public. AT the triumph of Aurean eight hun
dred pairs of gladlators fought Ten thousand
men fought during the games of Traan. Unde
DOmetlan, females and dWarts were introduced
into he arena. his was all contrary to Christ:
idea OF the Sacredness OF life. The early Chris
tans battled against II, as waste oil life and d
sin agalnst God Their ideas grew in the pub
lie mind. until, under HonorIus. in about the
year 4o4 D., a Christian preacher rushed into
the amphItheatre and parted the combatants
He persisted under shower of stones, but the
Gospel had done Its work 1t was the last game
at Rome, and they soon ceased IN the Provinces
9Th Consider Christs influence on the char
ty of the world 1t was the custom of the Ro
mans to give corn to the poor. Cato did it tt
draw the peopl- away from Cesar Under th
Antonines, Lecky says five hundred thouSapt
people were fed He declares it to be politi
cal device and great evil for with food ant
amusement free people would not cultivate tn
soil, if the land were gwen them In the las
volume of the History of European Mora S
Lecky adds: Habitual and detailed Chart,
of individuals. SO common in Christian society
was scarcely known in antiquity. Public hos
/. pitals were unknown before Christianity. 1t
for the first time, made charity a rudmentary
|
type and the eXhortatlons OF its teachers.
A Christian lady named FabioIa, in the 4tl
cen ury founded at Rome the first public hospi
tai, and the charity planted by that woman
hand overspread the world, and will alleviate
till the end of time, the darkest anguish of hu
manly
That same power has established asylums 70
the aged and homeless. ministry of skill to tn
blind, to the criminal classes for whom PrisoI
I fOf-- % ,rNylyo 5rKrr
) sane, begun among the Monks of the German
: forest, it has carried to superb consummatIon
These illustrate the Christian conception Q
mans duty TO man.
9th Consider then Christs influence on tn
worlds hope of progress. He reveals the di
: vine aim of life. All thin gs are gathered u
, and directed to the accomplishment of the king
dom OF God on earth. Shakespeare spoke as
Christian poet
"There is Divinity that shapes our end"
So did Tennyson, when he spoke of
"One far off divine event,
To which the whole creation moves"
: DR.. Storrs says: "Marcus AurelIus express
ed the feeling of the best part of Paganism
+ things are repeated over and over from eternity
Whatever happens has already been; it is tn
same show repeated But the thought of pro
| gress toward a dlvInely appointed end, by agen
cles of new and transcendent effectiveness, thi:
contrast, as Leander said, between the Christian
View of lite and the Pagan notion OF circle
, al lessly repeating itself by blind law of ne
cessty."
Science is now in harmony with the Christian
ideal of divine end IN view, and has recent
come into accord with the Christian method
, when 1t claims that at a point IN the ascending
lie the law of survival OF the strong, and tn
struggle for existence merges into a struggle fo
, the existence of others.
THIS Christian method and ideal is the beau
tltul outcome OF Drummond's Book on tn
: Ascent of Man
DIR. Storrs again says: =" The final work Q
! this religion we do not yet see II will not b
accomplished till a perfect society, various ant
complex, yet harmonious and free. is universe
: on The earth. under the sovereign rule of hin
who chose the poor for his friends and peasant
| tor his Apostles; who honored women, Ioosene
the letters et despair rom the slave. and set tn
uniadlng celestial aureole on the head of tn
i child And that ultimate soclety-lt viii nc
2 Carry the race back TO any pTlmIuve 1nnocenc'
+, with a primeval simplicity OF relations; 1t WI
accept, complete and bless all civlIz ttlon
r will be rich IN lordly ac's vocal in literature
abundant in general wealth from he past bu
: 1t will also, as moulded by Christ be like HIN