The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-03

someone else has uffered the sacrifice for
you that. will do The. sacrifice was pam
ished from the temple: it was banished from
the altar; it was banished 10 the creed Put
il in your book. file it in your archives, pro-
fess ii in your church services.
Il shall. not try to 90 on and trace sun
further the progress of Christianity. / shall
not try to point out how the two Wesleys;
John and Charles, brought a larger gospel
to the world and re-repeated the message
Of Paul of an unbought love of God They
taught indeed, that there had been sac
rifice and that ii was necessary, put II hau
provided a free gift for ALL which ali might
have who would take it, so they gave the
message of Paul. though on different
foundation. / shall not try to point out
how it was repeated again by Colerldge IN
philosophy: by Robertson and Maurice and
Erskine. prophets of the old world: by Hor-
ace Bushnell and Henry Ward Beecher ana
Phillips Brooks prophets of the new worlo.
l have tried to show to you what 10 me -
clear, that the history of actual organic
Christianity through the ages is the history
of the intermingling of these three concep-
tons. The pagan God Is a 500 OF wr noli
whose wrath must be satisfied by sacrl-
flee The Jewish God is laWglver; you
can approach Him only as you nave learned
how to obey His laws Ihe ChTl I; tIo 90
is a father; if you will accept his grit Oh
life He will give it to you for nothlng.
EFFECTS OF PAUL'S TEACHING.
''StflI these three ideas are strangely in
teImingled in our conglomerate theology.
Still the gospel of Gods infinite and unpur-
chaseable love finds its way gradually. SLOW
ly, but surely, to the hearts of the children
of men. For Paul was not only in advance of
his own time, he is still in advance of all
times. Wherever you. find in modern theol-
ogy the doctrine Taught that man can be
saved only by sacrifice offered to placate
the wrath of an angry God you find relic
nf n NfcFVa W hnT Won ind
trine taught that man can trust the love of
God only as he has first proved himself
righteous man by obeying the law OF GOO
You find a relic of Judaism. Wherever you
find men putting up an altar and Sacrl-
flee and priest and Insisting upon 1t that
only through 1.-The altar, the sacrifice and
the priest can one come to God you find
relic of Plagiarism. Wherever you f1nd men
putting up a law, ceremonial or ethical,
wherever you find men teaching that there
is no way to acceptance with God except
through water baptism, sprinkling or i'm
mersion, wherever you find them teaching
that there is no acceptance with God except
by compliance with some ritual or some
ceremony, and wherever you find them
teaching that the essence of the gospel is
Of the Ten commandments Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God, with all they heart and
soul, and thy neighbor as thyself-wher-
ever you find men teaching, in other words,
that the essence of the gospel message
is not what God does for man, but what
man should Go for God you find essential
sage, that God is the infinite and eternal
love, that the way to His heart Is always
open. that He gives life without price, with
out purchase, whether you find it in the
free gospel of the Methodist, whether you
find ii in the large and spiritual teaching OF
such ministers as Brooks and Beecher and
Maurice and Robertson, whether you ind 1t
in such movements as the Keswick move
ment SO Called or such ministries as the
ministry of the Higher Life, unfortunately
named, or such theologieS as the new theol-
ogy, also unfortunately named, you find a
revival of PauFs teaching. And whatever
you find n the teaching of Jesus Christ
that seems to confirm the notion that
sacrifice is necessary to appease the wrath
of an angry God-and confessedly there is
very little in His teaching, almost nothing
but His institution of the Lords supper.
and His Interpretation of it in the sixth
chapter of john, you find that which Is
capable of a much clearer and simpler and
more rational and spiritual interpretation.
Wherever you find such language in PauPs
epistles, you find him using the language of
a philosophy he does not believe in order
that he may counterfeit it. And wherever
you find such language in the Old Testa-
ment you find it as the expression of an as
yet imperfect spiritual apprehension of God
and Gods love and the secret of mans true
life.
flee that man offers to God, but the sacri-
flee that God offers for man. There is an
intercesson. 1t is not the intercess1on
which man must make to secure the favor
of God. it is the intercession which God
makes with man to bring his erring child
back to Him again. II a priest means one
who stands between God and man, to bring
man and God together, there is priest,
but He comes from God to man in Jesus
Christ to reveal the divine love, infinite
and eternal to His Blind and erring child;
not from man to God to find a mercy hard
to be entreated. And there is a law of God
the law of His own infinite and blessed
life; the law which we observe, not that
we may receive that life. but because we
have received 1.-THE -earth- does not yield
its flowers to beseech the shining of the
Glln he SIN h1 wintPT-cldd earth
that the earth may be cladiin flowers. This
is the gospel of Paul.
l. Il have given. these evening lectures as
lectures. / have followed them with no ex-
hortation. shall follow this with none now.
save only to say this, Read the life of
Christ, study His character and consider
within yourself, do you wish to be such
a man as He was: do you wish to live
such a life as He lived; do you wish to be
flee to be offered, there is no priest re-
uuired, there is no altar to be approached.
there is no law to be obeyed, there Is
nothing but to accept the life and to live
it. BY Gods free gift we are saved; not
of works; we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus; and by good works, not
because of good works, but unto good
works.
Earth gets it's price for what earth gives us:
The beggar is taxed for corner to die in.
The priest hath his fee who comes and Strives us;
We bargain for the graves we die in.
AT the DEVILS booth all things sold,
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;
For cap and bells lives pay;
Bubbles buy with whole souls tasking
'Tis heaven alone that is given away,
It's only God may be had for the asking.