The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1896-07-10

potent in influence and helpfulness. And |
when Christology means again the sim |
pie revelation Of God and righteousness
and truth which was in Jesus,
rather than elucidatiOn of the mysterious
elements of his personality, and the way
in which they were merged together,
again potent is its teaching for helpful
ness, instead Of imp0tenU by its mystitica-
ton of our minds. True theology is the
simplest. clearest statement and elucida-
ton of religious truth. 1t is like the words
of Christ in simplicity and Illuminating
power. Indeed, believe the gospels are
the best theologues ever written. II it
be given that true place, it is not only
one of the sciences, but the first of the
sciences and the most helpful of them.
| have no prayer more earnest than
that | might make this pulpit the place
Of such theological teaching, | honest
/ ly believe that there is no work which |
could do for you, for myself, for any
man so good and great as this, bringing
not q metaphysical speculation but a
true theology, true thought and teach
| ing Of 3D. true and helpful thought
of life here, great and hopeful faith in
life hereafter, a deep and forvent love
! for Christ and ChrstIkness here, here
Af5er, everywhere that it may be found.
/ If in any way such thoughts and faiths
could be brought to human lives, to your
life and mine, in that way the most has
been done for those lives that ever earth
! or heaven can do. True is our text,
"God wilIeth that all men should come
to the knowledge of the truth" | don't
believe God cares at all as to whether we
know the subtitle or not, but the
truth, the great aud glorious facts of
life and righteousness, of faith and love
and hope, to these He would have US
faithful lieg"meu, earnest seekers after
| knowledge Of them, faithful followers
in service to them. All these disputes
about upralapsarianism, and patripa8s-
/ janjsm, and moDarchiam, and pelagian-
ism, these are not theology, they may be
Legitimate metaphysics of religion, but
they are not truly theology. O0c of the
/ greatest Of the 9tuden of them, and
dealers in them. q Princeton thcOlogian,
when he WAS dying said ''AIl my the
OlOgy has come down to this, Jesus
. Christ came into the world to save sim
ner8'' When our theology turns from
metaphysics speculations to such sim
! pie and glorious truths of life and hope
n God, then i is worth thinking about,
! preaching about, if needs be fighting
about. Indeed, then Theology becomes the
one thing worth thinking about and
/ labOrin2 in. May God give to you and 60
! me such a theology, such thoughts or
faiths Of God and life and death, that it
may seem to Us worth while speaking OF
chem, and thinking Of them, that it may
seem to US worth while living for them,
and dying in them. / doubt if anyone
ever gets to d truer or deeper theology
than the Scottish Highlander who dearly
loved the quairtness Of his Gaelic tongue
and also dearly loved his God, who aaid
in talking to = Stxon 4bou. his native
speech "O.h! the Gaelic! the Gallo has
forty words for darling, and the dav
ct to heaven the Lord will say every
one Of them TO me before night" There's
an open door from such soul into the
! trucst phjlosoph y, and theology.