The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-11-25

has man; SO we find there is TODAY also
A New Conception of Man.
1t would be supposed that if man
knew nothing else he would know him
self; but instead of being the first he
has been the last to be studied and
known. The ancients studied God and
nature before coming to man. Chris
tian theologians concerned themselves
, with God and Christ before they came
/ to man. In the ancient times there
were men Who seem to have sounded
the depths revealed the heights, des-
cribed the forces and estimated the
value of human nature. Their gods
were mans spirit magnifed. But
christianity begins at the opposite pole
and comes down from God to man.
Mans apology for his conviction that
he possesses an expansive capacity and
an unmeasured capability is the fact
Made in Gods Image that image
may be marred and obscured yet it is
recoverable in every being There has
been an era when man was honored for
his power and position Rulers have
been worshipped because they ruled, ir-
respective of their dark character, base
nature and frivolous habits There has
been an era when military and political
power were impossible, men paid tri-
butte to intellectual activity and highly
appraised the creations of eye and
hand. Genius, rivalling the rainbow
| splendors, touching the canvass with
light and molding marble into forms of
beauty has been adored. Still they
We're only tributes paid to the express
sion of taste or the accident of genius.
The original endowment of human ma
| ture-the worth of man as man-re-
NAMED unvalued. Under the old Tes-
lament system the Jews conception of
man was deep, his value was high, but
his vision was narrow. He limited the
sweep of his gaze to the chosen people.
The meanest and poorest Jew was far
superior to the best outside the pale of
Promise. But this high valuation came
not from anything in man but from
outward honor and privilege. For the
Jews said their fathers had seen the
divine glory on the mountain; felt the
throb of the rocky cliff touched by
omnipotence; they had been led out of
Egypt heralded by signs and followed
by wonders, so this grandeur belonged
to Hebrew nature and not to human
nature. But christianity changed this
condition. When it was said the gospel
was preached to Jew. Greek, Syrian
and Scythian new world policy was
inaugurated. All nations made of one
blood was the heralds' cry. Before il
race was no barrier and country nc
obstacle, Nothing is more marked in
history than the result of this expan
sive policy of christianity, giving earth
heavens point of view which the age.
were to work out. But the Dark Aget
cast their shadow over man as we'll az
his Maker. There was an absence
again of any recognition of mans
worth; man was conceived as pool
worm, to be pitied but not censured
True, we approve Hamlet's soliloquy
What a piece of work is man! How
noble in reason! How infinite in facul
ties; in form and moving how express
and admirable? In action, how like al
angel! In apprehension, how like god
The beauty Of the world! The paragon
of animals!
But who said it? Not Shakespeare
He dare not SO he put it into the mouth
of an insane man, crazy Hamlet. Sen
timent was all otherwise and to have
spoken with Hamlet, until today, there
was danger of being cast out from
society. We have just slipped into 8
new estimate of man and we are to be
the voice of twenty voiceless centuries
Jesus Christ did not care for wealth
position, influence or atf1uence, they be
longed to the accidents and incidents Of
life. What he cared for was man, moi
man plus wealth or honor. This truly
Apostolic thought we have recovered
and it is to be one of the stand points
and the view points determining mans
service in the future.
The paternity of God and the frater
nifty of man are the foci which are tt
determine the movements of our ad
vanced and advancing civilization.
, But from these two truths, at once
central and serviceable, certain impli
cations follow inevitably.
| If God is Father the disciple owes
Him the duties of sonship.
If He, in the Christ Incarnate, came
not to be ministered unto, but to minis
ter; if He declared and illustrated all
, true greatness to be that of service; il
He reached His throne by way of the
J cross the disciple will know nothing
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