The herald., 1897-03-15
FIRST pRrspYrERIAN CHURCH
"Trus Life the Real Religion OF Christ,
Hxpounie1 by Burt Estes Howard

"Vrue Lie the kenI kehGfoH Of ~hnss,
Expounie1 by Burt Estes Howard
The pulpit of the First Presbyterian
church was occupied by the pastor, Burt
Estes Howard, who took for his text
John Isi<se.5s Except we eat the flesh
and drink the blood of the Son of Man,
ye have not life in yourselves. Mr.
Howard at the outset drew distinction
between life and existence. Existence
is physical and is dependent on the en-
ergy that works on matter. Life Isl sispir-
itual and is dependent on the energy
that works in mind. The agelss5 life
CT which Jesus speaks is not mere end
less duration of existence. 1t is NOT
bare immortality. 1t is Immortality
charged with ethical content When
Jesus therefore spoke the wordc of the
text he was not referring to mere cease
lessness of existence. Life was some
thing larger and diviner than the endless
projection of ones self in time.
Nor was Jesus speaking about what
we all are most given to taking thought
about-a salvation into a heaven of
bliss. The great and grave question
with Jesus was not to get men into
pleasurab.e conditions by ard by, but
to get into them principle of spiritual
life that in itself would solve all the
problems of the future. There was in
him quenchless passion to give full
ness of life to the famished souls of his
human family
There Is something startling and
sadly suggestive in the fact that in its
talking and writing the Christian world
so often uses the word religion where
Jesus himself would have said life
We are always talking about the relig-
ion of Jesus, but he himself never used
the word, so far as we can learn. 1t
is not a word with which he seems to
have had any sympathy. 1t was too
narrow for his use. He does not say.
He that hath the Son hath religion
He does not say, I came that they may
have religion, and have 1t more abund-
antly,' but he says. I came that they
may have life.' He does not stand and
exhort to come to him and get relig
ION. But he does say. 1 am the bread
Of life Christianity is not a religion
It is life. Christ saw that 1t was not
religion that man needed, but life; the
same deathless, resistless life that was
in himself; the same life that was in
God. And when he stood up IN the
midst of the decaying age in which he
came. and cried unto the world to come
unto him and live, he was not calling
the race to a new religion, but to a new
spirit. He was calling the world to come
into it's heritage of larger and diviner
soul.
Jesus was never eager to plant in
the world mechanical religion, fencing
men with numerous restrictions and
spurring their reluctant worship with
gorgeous formalities; but he was eager
to plant in the heart of the race a free
spirit, something of Gods own life, that
would move gladly and joyously out into
pure and true character and into right
eous and loving service, under the i'm
pulse Of its own inherent vitality, and
not under the lash Of outside compul-
sion. Jesus did not come into the world
to teach men how to think or how to
pray; but he did come to teach men
how to live, ana TO put into them a
principle of spiritual vitality. This was
Jesus mode OF salvation-this impart-
ing OF life. The mode whereby Jesus
proposed to fulfill his Saviourhood was
by planting at the heart of humanity
vital force that would make sin and
wrong and meanness unnatural and i'm
possible. Jesus proposed TO ransom the
race. not by paying a price to the devil:
or to God, but by loosening the grip of
sin on the heart and reinforcing the
Will.
SO Jesus stood before the world and
called attention not to his precepts
but to himself. He offered himself as
the manifestation of a divine principle
of life 1t was not his example that he
held out. 1t was himself I am the
living bread 1t was as IL he were say
ing: This divine spirit which is utter
ing itself through me is the principle
on which the real life, the moral life, of
the world is to feed. If you are seek
ing the food that shall build up the
spiritual manhood of the race, here 1t is
in me in termE of flesh and blood. The
very bread that give for the worlds
life is here in my flesh. 1t is the divine
life that quivers In my soul and bursts
forth in all my acts. And If any man
would have the true life the life that
is agerabiding. he must become pos
sessed Of this same spir,t"