New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-06

Tho demand for the preaching of the simple
onsuel a, il is :" frequently made - pi' I'll
hunbug. and cheap humhug IN thHi. We "'
Willing 10 believe that few amlahlr rchcu"hArH
,lcrcymcn who take il mp are deceived Ny IT,
pnubiI... they think there * something ID H.
and that the men who are applying The prih'
,,,l..s - ia. Gospel 10 ninctccnth7c"ntury l.fc
and .,nduct are in some unexplained WAY, uil'
l.r,,inin,, fin. foundations II Zion. But th" at
voc,ir. of the DEVIL who raise ia" cry because
,.,.r,,iu clcrrymcn are directing their guns
,,,in., IN, ,ylls and sins Of the day. know iull
,,,u bn,y nuorilc and absurd il their contention.
11,,., know thai II christianity means anyihn!'
{, means th. abatement and final extinction 81
all ,ha, i wrong. must and base in III" world
I.,,. and the promotion here and now Of all
,r,,t il good and true They know this because
,h.v are intelligent men, ana not fools. And
therefore while they welcome with honeyed
word. the support II the dear old clerical fossils
who take M the cry. they must have n large
though sood-naiurcd. contempt Tor ihcir Simple
mndedness
ne rours.. the. fact is that the simpler the
,;ospcl- that * To- say. the nearer 1t gers 10
the spirit which Christ put into II Inc more
closely II VIII concern itself with c"nt'hp"rAr!
he AMI conduct The man who spends MS ne
In constructing an elaborate scheme oi Inc
olocy exclusively ont of The thoughts ana bclirfs
81 the past Is mmcasurably further away from
ia. ,nspol " Christ however true his theology
may he than some modern w"rkaday pai>"h
ike Hang Theology" Rogers. of London. WI"
oiu. his fire al an evil wherever 1t exists,
whether in Church or State Results ar" the
main thing in religion rs In secular affairs
Whatever method OF presenting the teachings
~ Jc.us produces the greatest results In III"
shane If righteousness Is the preferable method
whether /, violates tradition or not. The cN
ample. Of Jesus is itself Il striking proof Of this
1her.. was no precedent for the methods OF
teaching He adopted. The churchmcn OF the
day who listened TO His bitter arrangement Of
,h. Phorisecs. the orthodox leaders and teachers
81 the Church. doubtless looked upon Him rs
an arch-cncmy Of religion. Why did He not at
tack the godlc>s Egyptians. or the AnalrklieS. Ill
IN, DAYS of old? Or If he preferred Il modern
tonic there were the Roman tyrants. Can we
not imagine with what cloqucncc they would
ring the changes on that thrcadblre Thought +!
And then there was that incident Of driving
the dealers and money changers out of Inc
T.,nnlc How impolitc AMI undigniicd the act
must have seemed 10 lhe pI'"'''H>'H VI NV
men who are to-day clamoring for simple
GOSPEL, Could not 'he Galilcan Teacher find
enough To do in preaching the simple Gospel
without interfering with dccprooied custom
that miuisicrcd To the convenience of the pco-
plc; Perhaps something might be said against
II. but II was not the business of n religious
teacher To say 80.
But the Founder of Christianity calmly went
nm having little heed 10 the abstract. and direct
inc all his energies to the concrete" ANA ever
since He founded the Church II has gained its
most conspicuous trumphs when IT has most
faithfully followed His example.