The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-05-16

peculiar way they are more the object
of special care, love and mercy than
others.
So stubbornIy have we resisted this
doctrine of universal brotherhood
that caste has been almost as marked
here in America as in India. There
are so few who overcome this aristo-
cratic and theocratic sensibility. l
have read somewhere that Abraham
Lincoln was one of the rare men who
never appeared to realize that one
human being was better born than
another. Frederick Douglas said he
was the only white.man he ever talked
with who did not appear to recognize
his color, Mr.. Lincoln had become
imbued with the living realization of
human brotherhood. If we recall the
ministry of the Saviour we will ascer
tain that he knew no difference be-
tween the priests and the people.
We read that "as Jesus sat at meat
in the house, behold many publicans
and sinners came and sat down with
him and his disciples. And when
the Pharasees saw it they said unto
his disciples, Why eateth your Mas
ter with publicans and sinners?"
We can comprehend the narrow and
provincial spirit of the Jews by this
saying of the Rabbis: "a single Isra-
elite is of more worth in the sight of
God than all the nations of the world;
every Israelite is of more value before
him than all the nations who have
been or will be-" 1t was the practi-
cal import of such sayings as this
that Jesus resisted with his life and
words.
Need. we wonder, therefore, that
the result of the Christian centuries
would be the liberation of the en-
slaved and oppressed? But there
are grave reasons which make it ap-
pear that the great life and light of
the world are not fully felt and seen.
l believe the church is not standing
in the light today, and we are forever
in danger of forgetting the duties
which we owe to men. The church,
like Jesus, should shed the light of
the brotherhood of man, and no one
should be deemed beneath our care
full and watchful love. There are
many outside the church and so will
they remain until they feel that they
can come, sit in the church and feel as
much at home as if beside their own
fire and among their warm hearted
friends. Beneath the roof of the church
men and women should meet and
mingle as if they were children OF the
selfsame parents. And in the great
outside, if we could forget the little
petty castles which we weave from
family traditions and knowledge ac-
quired, we would be where Christ
stood daily.
But these differences which we
make are no less pardonable than
those theocratic distinctions which
make church people clannish. Out
of this ltheocratic spirit inherited
from the past, comes all of this exclu-
siveness in religion; comes all of
that which makes one. church pre-
empt heaven for themselves and
friends; comes all of this miserable
religious snobbishness which makes
long faced people call themselves
Goods people" to the exclusion of
those whom Christ loved and came
to save. / never hear the man as
sumo the peculiar epithet, Goods
people," without thinking that he es-
Inmates his worth as more precious
sin the sight of God than all the ma
tions of the world"
Every generation must see the
past gradually laid aside and wider,
holier and humaner set of laws as
sumo control of man. We are ap-
preaching period lof development
where we can see in better way
what Christ was to the life of the
world. Eighteen hundred years and
more have passed, yet how far be-
yond us did he live and think, and
when 1000 years more have been
welded to the chain of history, it
may be that Christ and his teachings
will be far from the realization of
man. To have been a teacher and
the Messiah, he needs must live an
ticipating thefuture. So must every
man who enlightens the world. He
must go before the multitude and
carry light before him. His words
must not be his only prophecy, but
his life must be prophecy and a
guide. Such was Jesus. So perfect,
SO holy, that he was like star from
the heavens that startled all to admi-
ration and wonder and yet guides US,
ninetaaD centurie. after in Tho vvav Of