The herald., 1896-02-17
YESTERDAY At THE CHURCHES
Some of the Many Sermons that
We're Delivered
CHRIST AND M0HAMMED
Was the Subject of the Morning Dis.
course at Unity
The First Bishop Of Alaska at St. Paui's-
Nature and Laws Of Liberty at New
Era-Other Addresses

Rev. j. S. Thomson, pastor of Unity
church, Yesterday morning delivered SER
mon on "Chris. and Mohammed in Ar
menia,' taking the text, ''But as then he
that was born after the flesh prosecuted
him that was born after the spirit, even SO
1t is now" Galatians, 4 90.
At present there is terrible persecution
against the Armenians under Turkish rule.
Religious bigotry is rejoicing in its barbar-
Gus work of hatred aid murder. Moham-
God and of polygamy from Palestine and
Arabia. 1t cherishes Calvin's doctrine of
fate, the Trinitarian doctrine of eternal
hell for mere unbelief, the Catholic love of
fasts and ipilgrimages, the Unitarian
views of atonement between God and
devout than Christianity: Christ
was sacredly honored by Mohammed.
Idolatry, intemperance and prostitution
did not disgrace Islam. Poiygamy is
sanctioned and regulated, and women are
regarded as inferior to men. This is a
curse upon Mohamnedan countries; for
the slavery of woman in any form will
most certainly curse any religion and any
nation. The religion of the Armenian
church is a mixture Of Protestanism,
Catholicism and the Greek church. 1t is
independent. The evils OF state church
of Turkey, that is, Mohammedanism
treats law-abiding and peaceable people,
like the Armenians. There are only three
plans for reforming Armenia: (1) Place a
strong and good man over it that will
give freedom and equality to all
the Arfnenians combine together as one
man and resolve to have freedom and just
ice Or die in the attempt to gain their
rights. Death is better than oppression.
t3) Dismember Turkey, and then the
Christian nations will introduce necessary
reforms that will bless the Mohammedans
as we'll as the Armenians. The last plan
will likely be the one which will be adopted
some day. MohaInmedanism is 1875
years old and, as religion, it has had a
wonderful career. 1t is spread from China
to the Atlantic. 1t seemed as though it
would surround the Mediterranean at
one time. If Charles Martel lad
not succeeded in driving back the in
vading Saracens at Poicters in 1872
we might today be Mohammedans; but
Providence prevented such disaster. We
should feel thankful to the Ruler of Ma
tions and to our brave ancestors that we
are now heirs of Christ and his holy gospel,
and not followers of Mohammed, as many
millions now are who had Christian ances-
tors. The prophets of the Old Testament
and the writer's of the New Testament fire.
quently and plainly declare that national
disasters and degeneracies are the direct
results of sins, corruption and cowardice;
and history confirms such prophetic utter
ances. Egypt, Greece, Rome, Babylonia,
Persia, Carthage, show that immortality
eats the life out of nation, no
matter how rich, extensive and
strong it may be. The poor Ar
menians are carrying a terrible curse, for
secution. Are not they and their ances-
tors responsible for much of their present
misery. IF they had faced Mohammedan
invaders with the determination to repulse
them. or die in the attempt, as the brave
Martel did, they would not now be victims
of Mohammedan misrule. Scotland, under
Bruce and Knox. won freedom and defied
oppression. The brave colonists in Amer
lea fought for justice and freedom from
England, the greatest power in the world.
Tue English detied Spain, a mighty
nation, and destroyed her Armada.
Switzerland and pagan Greece show what
brave men with a noble cause can do.
Whoever is slave deserves to be a
slave. What caused the Christians to be
so weak as to yield to Mohammedan in
vasion and eruelties? A new heeresy. of
pagan speculation began to weaken the
christianity of Christ, the unitarian
Christianity of the gospel. 1t was the
trinit arian heresy. At the council of Nice in
325, by a majority vote the heresy became
adogma. Many bishops, clergymen, peo-
pie and. councils strove to resist the in
roads of pagapism for two centuries after
that council. The Roman Catholic church
was tinally established and it became su-
preme and hen came the dark ages
and Christendom sank into the leth-
argy OF ignorance, superstition and hope
lessness. There was the opportunity for
Mohamnedan success; and the paganized
Christianity. which rejected Christ's plain
teachings about the unity of God, was
scourged and punished for its disloyalty
to the Gospel by men who proclaimed
''there is but. one God and Moharnmed is
his prophet" The average Mohammedan
is just as good as the average Armenian !;
and neither is worthy of a better govern
ment Than he tolerates. If they were
worthy of a better political management
they would fight for it, suffer for
it, and if need be, die for
it. Every nation has just as
good government as the people deserve.
The Mohammedans are successful mis-
sonaries in Africa, where they convert
thousands for the scores which the Chris
tian missionaries make. because Moham-
mechanism is a far lower order Of religion
than Christianity is, and it is therefore bet
ter suited to low orders of intellect and
conscience. 1t is preparing the way for
Christ, and Christians should wish it sue
cess in lifting the Africans to a higher
life. For thousands of years there has
been bitter hatred between Europe and
Asia. We see the workings of this hatred
in the Trojan wars, in the Persian wars,
in the victories of Alexander the great, in
the Roman co1Quests in Asia, in the cru.
sades in the relations of England and
France to the east and in these Armenian
troubles. The Crescent and the Cross
have faced one another for centuries; but,
in the end, the Cross will win the Crescent
10 higher and diviner faith, and the
Christ will acknowledge the services of the
prophet of lslamism, as he did recognize
the services of Moses and John the Bap
list. Ii Christians were to live Christ $
gospel, it would be much easier for the
missionaries to persuade the unchristian
lied world to embrace the gospel which was
brought down from heaven by the Prince
of Life, tine holy Christ.
1T. Rev. p. T. Rowe
st. Paul church was crowded yesterday
morning to hear the Rt. Rev. p. r. Rowe,
the newly elected bishop of Alaska. Morn
ing prayer having been said, the bishop be-
gan the communion service, the rector
Rev. John Gray, reading the epistle and the
bishop the gospel, who then preached an
admirable extemporaneous sermon from
st. John, iv, 80: "Come and see." He
said in part:
The Lords invitation was the beginning
of his work and that of the church in
gathering disciples. st. John the Baptist,
the day after our Lords baptism by him,
stood with two of his disciples and, look
ing upon Jesus as he walked, said: "Be-
hold the lamb Of God" He had already
horne witness to him as the word made
fiashs a @ flto f,lIrasu rf urnct4 and truth q