The herald., 1896-04-20
Some of the Sermons That We're
Delivered
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
This Was the Subject in the Morning
at Unity
Presbyterian-Theosoph Thought.
Extracts From Other Addresses

Yesterday morning the pastor OF On-
| ity church, Rev. j. S. Thomson, preach
| ed a sermon upon Christ's Sermon on
| the Mount, from the text, He taught
them as one having authority, and not
as the scribes, Matthew 1923.
There are thirty subjects in the SER
mon on the mount, and it should, there
fore, be called The Thirty Sermons on
the Mount. Christ was certainly able to
make a sermon out of each of those
subjects. We have just the titles of
some of the subjects, and the brief out
lines of others. 1t would have been fool
ish to discuss thirty subjects at one
time to the congregation; for no aud
ience could have endured and compre-
hended at one time so much informa-
ton. On the mountain, he kept his
school of the disciples, and to them he
eXpounded the esoteric doctrines and
meanings of the gospel; and, when con-
gregationS assembled in the plain, or
small valley, at the foot of the mountain.
he and his disciples went down and
taught them. The sermon on the mount
contains several symbolical numbers Of
| the ancient mysteries. In this series of
subjects and in the arrangement we may
see a grand scale of character.
The foundation of the degrees, or steps,
or tower, is obedience, and the top doc
trine, or degree, is poverty, the sense
of our need of power from God. The in
termediate degrees are related to one
duOLner III an ascending series. IL IN
evident that the sermon on the mount
contains Christ's doctrines of the Cos
pei, and that He presented it as scheme
of character; but popular theology is
not satisfied with Christ's scheme, and
it has devised several schemes of it's
own, in which His logical, reasonable.
plain and practical plan of salvation
and development is Utterly ignored
Christ certainly did not recognize the
prominent dogmas of the conservative
churches. The doctrines of the fall of
Adam and Eve, total depravity. forgive
ness through the predetermined murder
of Christ, Gods hatred of mankind. the
three persons in one Godhead and the
necessity of believing in some sectarian
| speculation, are not mentioned in the
sermon on the mount: but then Christ
was on mountain and far away from
| the suggestions and dictationS of priests
| and theologians.
| The vain and pretentious doginas os
| Trinitarianism which are an insult to
reason and conscience, and disgrace
| to Christendom are not found in Christ's
| plan of character This wonderful
omission is inexplicable. Why did he
| omit Catholic and Protestant doctrines
| in his statement of His Gospel? Christ
also criticises five doctrines of the Old
| Testament, on murder, adultery, swear
| ing. revenge and the treatment of en-
| emies; and his criticisms were from the
| StduupOlutS VI ilOTduty anu IellSlOu
| He condemned in strong and plain Ian
| guage the five doctrines on those five
| subjects in the Old Testament, showing
| them to be immoral, uns. ritual and in
| adequate. And yet some churches claim
that the Old Testament Is divinely in
| spired and infallible in its religious and
moral teachings, and that any criticism
of the Old Testament is sinful If this
| be SO, then Christ was mistaken and a
sinner. for he criticised and condemned
| certain parts of the Old Testament,
while affirming that other parts are
truly inspired. and that the laws therein
would all be fulfilled.
The fact cannot be denied that Christ
| did not accept the whole of the Old Tes
| lament as inspired and infallible; and
| the man who accepts it as such denies
and contradicts Christ. In our age, we
! have many books on social science and
kindred subjects: but these books will,
soon be entirely forgotten, because they
| are filled with empty speculations. and
we have theological works with all kinds
| of notions, theories and morbid creeds:
| but these will likewise soon be forgot
ten. The sermon on the mount will live
| forever, and will yet be the guide Of all
the world; for it is perfect, the cream of
| all teaching on morals and religion.
| Christ's life is, however, necessary to ex-
| plain and illustrate the sermon on the
| mount; and he who keeps it according
to its authors example is a Christian.
| No one. except the insane bigot. would
| say that God would send to hell the man
who has kept the precepts of the SER
mon on the mount according to his abil-
ity. because he did not believe in the
barbarous dogmas of the dark ages
Christ taught that the sermon on the
mount is sufficient; for he said. Who
soever heareth these sayings of mine,
and doeth them, will lilsen him unto
wise man. who built his house upon a
| rock" We believe that Christ was right
| We accept him as our master. We fol-
| low him. He leads all his followers to
truth, justice, love and heaven. Many
churches think Christ and his sermon
on the mount are too small for them
They demand pagan additions. The
sermon on the mount is not a favorite
passage of scripture for them. They
are blind leaders of the blind.