The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-09-28

RY REV. AAkON A. En- IL. Ds
Jesus Christ (is) the same yesterday. today.
and forever."-Heb KILL 1.
1t is great conquest to find hui
man being who holds the truth with
out admixture of error. Of all re-
ligious teachers among men there is
only one of this kind. Jesus of Naza-
reth may be called the Infallible
Teacher. He came to bear witness
to the truth. He was "the true vine"
-"the true light" = the infallible
guide. He was exempt from error,
from mistakes, from failure, and
from faults. He was infallible in his
teachings. He was irreproachable in
his life. In what moral and religious
teacher did doctrine and life SO har-
monizei Who 80 perfectly illustrated
his principles by his conduct as
Jesus9 Not only did he bear witness
to the truth, but his life was the
truth in model. Not only did he bear
witness of the divine light, but that
light radiated from his person in
public and in private.
But it has not been so with the
mass of religious leaders. Neither
Moses, nor David, nor Solomon, were
free from the sins which they con-
demned, neither did they always
exemplify the virtues which they
commended. Mohammed preached
against polygamy, but his example
was a beftting copy for Brigham
Young or Joseph Smith. Socrates
taught the doctrine of one Supreme
Divinity, and yet he bowed down to
a multiplicity of idols, and when he
had drank the fatal hemlock and
stood in the face of immediate death
he ordered a sacrifice to Esculapius,
the god of medicine. Confucius
believed in one God, but he COM
mended heather sacrifices to vast
number of gods. Therefore his fol-
lowers might we'll be confused
whether to believe his doctrine or
his precepts. Seneca wrote most
eloquently on the evils of luxury,
and on justice and mercy to the
poor. But he was possessed of such
avarice that he amassed fortune of
ten millions of dollars, and wrote his
gospels to the poor on tables of gold
which he had filched from the poor.
He was equally ELUSIVE and eloquent
on the doctrine of clemency and
kindness. And yet he justified Nero
in killing his own mother. He wrote
the letter in Nero's name to the Ro-
man senate justifying the execution
of the mother by her son. But COM
mon human nature is full of contra
dictions and paradoxes. Queen
Elizabeth issued proclamation
against excessive apparel and desired
her subjects to dress plainly and
prudently. But when the queen died,
three thousand changes of raiment
were found in the royal wardrobe
the most extravagant clothing in the
kingdom. Edward Young, who
wrote his doleful Night Thoughts in
poetry, was as gay and light-minded
as any English cavalier. On the
contrary, SirThomas More,who wrote
the Ideal Ethiopia, was responsible,
according to Mr.. Froude, for several
of the English martyrdoms. He was
a British chancellor under Henry
VIII, while both were jealous Catho-
lies.
But there were no paradoxes in
Jesus. AS words of mercy flowed
from his lips, SO deeds of mercy were
received from his hands. There were
no contradictions in Jesus. AS the
doctrine of kindness was the sub
stance of his creed, SO the offices of
benefcence filed up the measure of
his days. His seventies were
measured out to the opulent and
great because they were rich by rob-
berry of the poor. But the fountain
of his beatitudes overfowed for the
mendicant and distressed. His the
ology magnified the impartiality and
the love and the fatherhood of God.
So his own benedictions were extern
ded to the poor in spirit, the mourn
ers, the meek, the hungry for righte-
BUSINESS, the merciful, the pure in
heart, and the peacemakers- and
unto those who are prosecuted for
righteousness sake. He was the
friend of the most friendless, viz
the poor and the sinful.
Christianity Perfect.
Furthermore it is proof that Jesus
is infallible because his doctrines
cannot be improved nor superseded
in excellence. The Christianity of
Christ made perfect man of Jesus.
Who shall declare how he could have