The New South., 1898-01-15


the wouzAn. twelve years complete la.
valid. should have been made straight +,
touching the fringe ~ CArist's coafy Il
that moro wonderful than the manhood
miracles by which Christ rranfmatcd thr
dead again aud a<aln without going whcrs
/ they we're or even See.ns theinf
From the nasuralncss, the slsrnlieitv,
the freshness OF His parAhles aud simlle-
and metaphors IA manhood discourse /
| know THAI He had hecn bow OF the nalds
and had basheA IN the STREAMS and heard
the nlghtingale's call. and broken through
the rowcrf hedge ana looked out os the
c-nbrasures Of the fortress. and drank
! from the wells and chased the butterflies. =
DR.. TsimaTe referred 20 Christ Ia the
mechanics shop having been taught the
csrpcaters trade by HIS father. Joseph.
His hammer pounding. His saw vacll-
iatlng. His axe descending and the per-
spiraticn irom His work standing on HIS
brow.
Then snid the preacher Il show YOU
more marvellous sscne--Christ. thoaniooth-
/ browed lad. among the lonr-baariei.
whtte-haired. hish-ioreheaded ecclesias-
( tics Of the Temple"
Following other events recorded IA the
apoerypha, The preacher asked II they
were more wonderful than events recorded
/ IA the New Testament,
III Christ were divine WAS He not aie
~ ten or twelve years to describe the
'human system as well as though He had
been llfsy yparS standing at an operating
table OF II ilssecting roomy In other
words. while do not hclieve that any mart
ofthe sc-caiied anocryphai New Testament
Is inspired, believe much oi il Is true. Just
as | believe Thousand books. none Of
which Is diyinely inspired"
"A child twelve years old, surrounded BY
scptuagenarinns. lie asking Hts own ques-
tions and answering theirs. Lot me intro
a N. ~ 4t.sI.. sl.sf t4.a
This Il the great Rnbbin simeon. This is
the venerable liillell This Ia the famous
Shammni These are the sons OF the dis
tinguishcd Botirsh. Tho first time an all
their lives these religionists have found
their match. and more than their match.
Though so young, He knew ail about that
Temple under whose ro0f they held that
most wonderful discussion OF all history.
He knew the meaning OF every altar. OF
every sacrifice. Of every golden candie-
stick, of every embroidered curtain, of
every erumb OF shrew bread, Of every drop
OF oil In that sacred epince. Hc knew all
about God. He knew all about man. He
knew all about heaven, for He came from
IT,. He knew all about this world. for He
made II. He knew all worlds, for they were
only the sparkling morning dewdrops on
the lawn Ia front OF His heavenly palace.
Put these seven Bible words In q wreath
Of emphasis: Both hearing them and ask
ing them questions l am not SO much
interested IN the questions they nsked Him
as ia the questions He asked thsm. He
asked the question not to get Information
from the doctors, for He knew II already,
but to humble them by showing them the
height aud depth and length and breadth
Of thelr own ignorance. The radiant boy
with any one Of q hundred questions about
theology, about philosophy. about astrono-
my, about time, about eternity, may have
baked them, Disconnected them. Behold
the boy Christ asking questions, and listen
when your child asks questions. He has
the right to ask them. The more ho asks,
the better. Alns for the stupidity OF the
child without inquisitlvencssl II IL Christ
like 30 ask questions. Answer them II you
can. Do not say. i can't ho bothered
now. ltia your place to be bothered With
questions. u you nro not able to answer,
surrender ana confess your incapaoity. ~
I have no doubt did Rnbbis Simeon, and
HiIiei, and Shammai, and the sons OF Be-
trah when thnt splendid boy, sitting or
standing there. with garment reaching
from neck TO ankle. and girdled at tho
waist, put them to their very vita end.
IL is no Disgrace TO say L don't know
The only being 10 the universe who never
needs to say i don't know is the Lord
Almighty.
but wh.lc see the old thcologians
standing around the boy Christ, I am ina
pressed MS never before with the fact that
whnt theology most wants is more OF
childish simplicity. Why should you and
perplex ourselves about the decrees OF
God? Mind your own business and God
Will take care Of Ills. In tho conduct OF
the universe think He will somehow man
age to get along without us. II you want
TO love and serve God, and be good and
useful and get to heaven, warrant that
nothing which occurred eight hundred
auintilllon Of years ago will hinder you
minute. II Is not the decrces OF God that
dous any harm; II Is our own DEGREES OF sin
and folly.
"You need not go any further back m
history than about one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four years. Something
occurred on that day under an eclipsed
sun that sets US all forever free. II with our
whole heart and life we accept the>tre-
mcndouH profrcr. Do not let the Prssby-
tcrian Church. or the Methodist Church,
or the Lutheran Church, or the Baptist
Church, or any Of the other evangelical
churches spend any time In trying to fx
up old creeds, all OF them imperfect, as
everything man does IN imperfect Our
own denomination made itself absurd BY
trying to revise its creed made hundreds
OF years ago. You might as well try to re-
wise your grnndmothers love letters.
move new creed for all the evangelical
churches OF Christendom, only three arti-
cles In the creed, and no need OF any
more.
III had all the consecrated people OF
all denominations OK the earth on one great
plain, and had voice loud enough to.put
II TO vote, that creed OF three articles
would be adopted with unanIm GUS vote.
This "a the creed propose for all Christen-
dom.
ARTICLE FIRST God SO loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that
wbosoever beiieveth 10 Him should not
perish, but have everlasting iife.'
Article second--'Tbis Is faithful say
ing, and worthy OF all acceptafion. that
Jesus Christ came into the world to save
sinners, even the chief,
Article third-~'Worthy Is the Lamb that
was slain TO receive blessings and riches
and honor and glory and power. world
without end
But you 20 to tinkering up your old
creeds. and patching and splicing nnd
interlining and annexing and subtracffng
and adding and explaining, and you will
lose time and make yourself target for
e1rth and hell to shoot at. Let US have
crseds not fashioned out Of human In
genujties, but out Of scrIpaural phrase
oIogy, and all the guns Of Dombardfnent
blazing from oil the port holes OF inf
deity aud perdition Will not In thou
sand years knock OF the church OF God
splinter as big as a cambric needle.
What IL most needed now IL that wc gather
all our theoiogies around the boy ia tho
temple, the Celebrations around the Sim