The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-25
YESTERDAY At THE CHURCHES
Some of the Sermons Preached
in the City
ADDRESS=--WHAT is CHRIST?
Delivered by the Rev. J. S. Thomson
at Unity
Services At the First presbyteriaD Churc, of
is CHRIST?
Latter Day Saints, Christian Church,
and Theosuphicai Society

The pastor OF Unity church, J. S.
Thomson, preached sermon as an an
swer 10 the question, What is the
Christie Tho text was, 'WhosOever te-
iieveth that Jesus is the Christ is born VI
God. 81 John, v, 1.
The gentleman said in part:
1.-The words Messiah and Christ signify
anointsd. When oil was poured uIon a
atcrnaule, an altar or a pillar, consecra-
ting it to holy uses, it became Christ
or Messiah. Priests, prophets and kings
were anointed and called Christs. David
was Christ. Isaiah says that God
anointed Cyrus the Great TO be His
agent in assisting the Jews 10 restore Je
rusaism. It. Augustine said that the
thing itself which is now called the
CHRISTIAN religion, really was known to
the ancients, nor was ii wanting at any
time from the beginning of the bumar
race until the time when Christ came in
the flesh. This position of the great
thinker md devoted saint is confirmed
by the Nav Testament Paul informed
the Corinthians that tho rock which
Moses struck in tho desert was Christ,
and that the Israelltes tempted Christ in
the same place centuries before tho birth
of Jesus. In to first epi>te of Peter
We are told that Cbrist'S shirt was 10
the ancient prophets. These passages
show that Paul an4 Peter believed in The
eternal and universal Christ in human
nature, as well as in Jesus the Christ In
Hebrews, Melcnzedeck represent. the
divine, spiritual and priestly nature OF
humanity; for he was u yefpetua! priest,
without father. without mother. without
descent, having neither beginning Of
days nor end of life No human being
answers THIS description: but the unIver.
Eal and eternal Christ Of human nature
is this wonderful Mccbi2edecK, after
nrdar Christ 1psps -
ed. The gnJstic speculation about
Christ, our Master. in brief is this: One
uf the holy aeons in heaven volunteered
to take possession OF Jesus, the son Of
Joseph and Mary: IN order to teach
truth about mans relations to God a.
TO destroy the work OF the black aeD
called the prince OF this world aAd
Christ, the holy aeon, took possession of
Jesus at baptism and left him prior TO
his crucieXion. 1t was tins Christ aeon.
and not the man Jesus, that was called
the beloved Son OF God. There is GER
tsinly a great deal in the New Testament
TO justify TINS gnostc theory; for Jcsu,
grew IN stature, in wisdom and in grace
with God and Tan for years before his
assumption OF the spiritual Messiah OF
the race. When the consciousness OF the
Christ principle, or Messiahship, bad
taken possession of Jesus His disciples
recognized the change, and John, who
baptized him, sent :wo of his disciples
to Jesus to ascertain il He was the Christ.
1t is ct rtain that Jesus as baby in His
mothers arms did not know be was the
Messiah; and it is Just as certain that
there was a time in the spiritual eXpsr-
fence OF our elder Brother when He be-
came conscious that He was the Messiah
whom Co had sent to save the world.
The gnostic he2esy erred in assuming
that there were two splits in Chiist;
out our Inherited theology still hugs the
gnostic heresy to its heart in Its hstori-
ca! and unreasonable attempts to prove
that Christ had two natures. The church
calls gnosticism a beresy, and yet it &C
capts the heart OF the heresy in its doc
trine about a so-called Goldman. In the
Acs we read that God anOinted Jesus
to be tine Christ. Christ came from
Heaven and was born INTO earthly life
to reveal the divinity OF man and the
humanity of God. The lamb. the Ma
sonic symbol OF the universal Christ was
slain from the foucdstion of the
world, according TO the book of REVEAL
tions; but Jesus, the Chris, suffered but
once, according to- Hebrews. Moses es-
teemed the reproacn OF Christ greater
riches than the treasures of Egypt.
Moses knew nothing OF Jesus; bur he
realized the sulferings of the universal
Christ, of that Christ who has struggled
and suffered in men and women for
truth. virtue and love, since time bsgan:
OF that Christ who was tempted in all
IN all points as We are tempted. He VAS
not an old man, nor Il father, nor q wife
nor mother. nor sick, nor the child OF
wicked, ignorant and diseased parents
nor WAS he born with faint IN his blood
or a malformation. nor was he a savage,
nor wds ha Ignorant; and, consequently,
he could not have suffered the tempta-
tons OF such persons, nor realized their
weaknesses, miseries and pains. But the
universal christ OF humanity has been in
all conultions, felt all temptations. ex-
perienced ali mseries, and di d millions
OF times to save the race to high. pure
and beautiful things. Our blessed and
divine Master il the chief foundation
stone; but the church OF the Christ is
also founded upon apostles and prophets,
upon Peters, Johns. Pauls, Josephs,
Abrahams, Noahs; upon Orgens, An.
cuisines, Luthers, talvirs, Wcslcys,
Channings; upon Christs mother.
Dorothy Dix, Florence Nightingale upon
General Booth and the Sisters OF Mercy
and Charity in all denominations. Ac-
ccrding To st. John, if man
will believe that Jesus of Nazareth,
the son of Joseph and Mary. is the
Christ, the Son of the living God, no
must be born OF God. Therefore every
one that loves Christ, by keeping his
commandments becomes a partaker OF
the Christ a partaEer of tina HOLY Ghost, I
partakur OF The divine uaLule