The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-03-06
THE SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN OF
CHRISTIANITY,

CHRISTIANITY is often COMPOUNDED
with great many things that are
not Christianity. 1t is tied up with
bundle of accretions and supersti-
tions that have no relation to it. In
the outset, therefore, it will be neces-
sary to get the clearest possible con-
ception of what Christianity is. Chris
tianity in the last analysis is the life
of Christ, or Christ himself. Jesus
the Christ, his life, what he was in
and of himself, is Christianity. His
works, words and sufferings are but
the expression of his life. What he
taught, what he did and what he
suffered are only revelation of what
he was and is. They obtain all their
significance and power from the be-
ing, the life that is behind them, and
were necessary, not to create that life,
but to give it expression and secure
for it standing room and working
power among men.
This being accepted, the next ques-
ton is as to the character of that
life. Was it above, beyond the or
binary life of men? If SO. how much
above? Was Jesus only little bet
ter than other men, or did he rise to
the perfect life? This is the crucial
question. AS you settle this question
SO you will have to settle the question
of his origin. If he was only a little
better than other men, as one flower
in a garden may be little brighter
and more beautiful than the others,
then you may account for him on nat
ural grounds. Some circumstance of
his birth or education may account for
his superior excellence. But if we
take the position of the Christian
world that Christ was morally per-
feet, that his character was without
spot or blemish, that he had a sinless
development, and that though tempt
ed in all points as we are, yet was
absolutely without sin, then we have
very different problem on hand.
We have sinless development and
a sinless character to account for.
Here is man who has developed
without sin, perfectly sinless char
acter. This is not ordinary human
development or human character. 1t
is an exception to the law. The law
is that men in this world develop, in
more or less sinful way, more or
less sinful character. Christ, there
fore, transcends the law. He is a
moral miracle. He just as much
transcends the law of human char
acter and development as rising from
the dead transcends the law of the
dead. One is no more miraculous
than the other. Both are out of and
beyond the ordinary course of human
events. When men die they do not
return to life again in this world.
Such return. therefore, would trans
cend the law. Men developing char
acter in this world develop an imper-
feet character in an imperfect way.
A perfect character, therefore, de-
veloped in perfect way, tran
sends the law. Christ developed
such character in such way, and
therefore transcribed the law and is
a miracle in the moral world.
Now, there are two ways of ac-
counting for this miracle, for this
perfect development and character.
That is, we can conceive of two ways
in which to account for it. First,
there might be a superior moral
energy impaired to the soul at birth.
1t is conceivable that a soul richly
endowed with moral power at the
outset might develop a perfect moral
character in this world. If he had
sufficient moral energy to resist all
temptation he would secure a sinless
development and therefore sinless
character.
Allowing that Jesus had this energy
at the outset, whence came it? Did it
come from Joseph and Mary9 Did his
parents so endow him? Was this
energy the product of heredity9 Did
Jesus inherit it from his ancestors?
If so, where is the evidence7 What
evidence have we that he received
from his parents such a rich moral
endowment as to make his develop
ment moral miraclei Joseph and
Mary seem to have been very ordinary
sort of people, good people undoubt-
eddy, but not ranking far above others
of their age and class. In fact there
is not particle of evidence that they
were so much superior to all the men
and women of their day as to give
birth to son SO richly endowed NOR
ally that he transcribed all the laws
of moral development and secured
sinless character. In fact the evil