Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-04-11

country of recent yenrs as Easter, commemorating the res nrTectiOn of Jesus. The day, or what was believed to be such (there was wide difference as to the date between the early Christians of the east and west), was solemnly celebrated for cen turies in the old world as the most mo- mentOus of miracles because it alone es- tablishod, i'll their eyes, the absolute truth of Christianity. But here, strange to say, Easter was hardly observed at all, except by the Roman Catholics and Episcopalians who have naturally much in common, as the latter are wholly de- rived from the former until the second half of tho present century.
 Now nearly all the various Protestant sects celebrate Easter with great zeal and fervor, as it would seem they should have always done, to be consistent with their faith. As Jesus is the sole founder of Christianity, how could they afford to neglect at any time the day, when ever it may have been, on which he, to their mind, rose from the dead? The one Explanation is that many of the sects, re- garding Easter 40 or 30 years since as q Roman Catholic holy day, refused to eele- hratc it. The old Puritans of New Engs land, with most of their immediate del scendants, particularly so considered it. And they could not theologically share with what they called the scarlet wom- an anything that she might sanction Not q little of their religion was to de-s test 'popery" with the whole force of their pious souls Many of the later; PrOtestants have been similarly affected But this feeling has been steadily wear ling off, as is shown by all the denomi- Hgafions in the observance today of Eas- ter. Congregationalists, Presbyterians, BAptists, Methodists, Unitarians, Uni yorsalists, commemorate the occasion, notably i'll cities, ty q special service, with elaborate music and lavish decora- tions of flowers This is another tend ency of the time to tho gradual har- monizing of creeds and the fellowship of creedists
 Since theology as snch is generally conceded to be declining theNyorld over, particularly in the republic, the wider and wider acceptance of Easter may .ap- pear to be exceptional. Reflection. how ever. will eorroborate, instead of con tradicting, the opinion A great many church communieants who are counted as orthodox do not believe in the divin- ity of Jesus-that is, ill his being the son of God, ceequal with him. The Unitarians, for example, renounce that belief altogether. But they hold him to ibe be tiio the best, the purest, the nobiest, the most exalted of men, and, in such sense, divine They rank themselves and they are ranked as Christians nevertheless.
 Christians are. in any liberal inter pretation, all who love, admire. revere the life and teachi2, gs of Jesus, his hu- manity or divinity being of minor con sequence. The Scriptural injunction about believing i'll him has reference to this, not, as they claim, to any theologic assumption, IS Lord or Saviour It is essentially his human character, it is thought, which has brought Easter into 70 ardent and general favor Jesus is not wrapped up i'll form and dogma, is not connected with any rcclcsmstic bias iul5 patristie subtlety. His record iii the New Testament is clear, consistent, convincing, pract ioal, all goodness sscr rifice. fuIfillment of the highest duty.
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