New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-02-12
his r.lic Of sayagery. Salvation is

term Ln0C was coined In the mint OF de-
lusion. The salvation needed today is
rescue from the unhealthy neighborhood
of dead and dying superstiions. We
hear much said with reference to the
blessings which orthodox Christianity
has scattered over the world and it is
undemable that Christian nations have
led the civilization Of modern centuries,
but you will vainly look for any upward
impulse from this dogma IF salvation.
Il has thrived at the expense Of the lofti-
1 est functions of the soul, because man.
kind, alleged to be hopelessly lost, has
put forth comparatively little effort for
self-reclamation. It is tue that orthe-
doxy has urged the claims OF righteous
ness, but this was only robe to he worn
after the washing Of = supernatural re-
generation. The vitalizing and trans
forming processes have been declared to
be the peculiar functions of God alone.
Right there mankind has lost its supreme
opportunity, because the holiest offices
of reason have been scorned and neglec-
ted. The crowning act Of mind is it's
unfettered and untorced acceptance of
the sceptre OF righteous self-sovereign-
ty. Conversion, regeneration and justi-
ficatlon are mere fictions apart from the
conscious processes of human mind on
its way to self developement. To ac-
cept these results as the finished product
of power outside of ones self is to re-
linquish all the sweetness and Joy Of
childhood and youth and bound full
grown into the arena of life's better
struggle. The JOY and also the strength
of manhood is reached and augmented
through the effort and the m9mories of
the blithe but earnest prelude of preced-
ing years. Orthodoxy robs mind of the
glad. grand youthtime. of self-reclama-
ton. Here liberalism drives it's axe into
the roots of the old establishment with
the sturdy claim that religion is pure
ly rational system and wholly within
the province of natural causes and ef-
fects. It strikes off the fetters of mys-
terry; it fells with one strong blow the
giant pretensions of ecclesiasticism and
to the moral paralytic, bed ridden for a
long time under the treatment of crtho-
doxy, it says in the language Of Jesus of
Nazareth, s'Arise, take up thy bed and
walk"
Liberalism Is charged with degrading
religion by reducing it to the ranks Of
the commonplace. 1t is supposed to be
the proper thing to handle religious af-
fairs with a white kid glove delicacy or
with superstitious awe. But who needs
that kind Of religion? Not the masses,
surely. Not you nor I. A religion that
is not adapted to constant hard use
that is not a sort Of ready reference au-
thority to be put into quick aad intelli-
gent practice-may do for gods and an
gels, but is not the proper religion for
mankind. Nine tenths Of mans bus1-
ness is with man and the other tenth is
strongly mixed with the same kind of
material; therefore we need first and
foremost a gospel Of peace on earth and
good will among men; a gospel that will
check the encroachment of nation upon
nation; that will lopula.ize the essence
of the Monroe doctrine all over the
! world; that will check the insanity of
crime and by emphasizing the law of
moral gravitation habituate mankind to
adhesion to truth and virtue. Now,
that is rational religion and unham-
pered with supernatural accompaniment.
If there is a God and he is rational, ne
could but appreciate SO sensible sys-
tenn. I believe not only in America for
Americans, but also in this earth for
mankind: We are here and l believe
that we are capable of running our own
affairs py means of the physical and NOR
al forces we find in operation here. I
do not mean to be irreverent. I am
grateful to the power which fitted up
this earth with palatial splendor, and to
me at least it seems most reverent to
take this grand heritage at its full value
and prove that despite difficulties
wars without and the struggles within
man can be a man for a that
| Doctrines must be known by their
fruits. Given, then, the doctrine of SAL.
walton by substitution, what are its ma.
tural products? Necessarily, release from
personal effort to accomplish what IS
otherwise pledged Salvation being
pledged through Christ. man awaits eyi.
dence Of such a consummation before he
throws the full zest of his ownmoral en-
L IL,