The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-11

very heart Of its purpose: II pertains "a
truth which alone can make Chris-
earth. 80
The world has been slow to GRASP
me mind that was In Christ" For
sses we have lived under the shadow
OF the cross. For two long chiliads
nave men made the wholesome words
OK our Lord Jesus Christ" to be morbid.
oeathiy and benumbing sentences by
winch wicked race was to thread its
uncertain way to better land. A far
on Goo was worshipped. while all the
time He was near. A remote heaven
was sung and sighed for. while all the
time the kingdom of heaven was "at
hand. Through the long night OF
medievalism the world was saying.
VINO shall ascend to heaven, to bring
christ down. or who shall descend into
the deep to bring Christ again from
the dead?" Yet all the time Pauls
WORD numbered In vain against an iron
system OF theology: THE Word is night
tnee' even In thy mouth, and in thy
heart. We have fingered too long at
the cross, chilled there by despair Of
an Augustinian theology that seemed
so true because 1t was as deeply
wretched and black as the human heart
itself. Let US be up and go on to the
open tomb, go on to meet risen Lord,
Who ever liveth, Whose presence
abides with us, Who has come again
that our JOY may be full. The cross
has been degraded to be superstitious
a m I'd of he lie
OF another world. BY reducing saliva
ton to a mere plan" for obtaining Sc
curity for the soul after death there
was made possible all the grotesque
instances Of vile lives that went out
clinging to the sign of the crucifix, as
sured that faith would surely save"
Common sense protested and was told
to be silent and adore. Reason refused
to accept this death's-head theology
and 1t was insulted and trampled into
silence. 1t was held that man could not
understand divine things, that 1t was
natural that mere human intelligence
should be unable to comprehend Gods
| great scheme" 'It is certain because
| II is impossible" said certain father.
| But whereas salvation by mere auto
| matte scheme from future punishment
| thus insults all that natural reason tells
us about God, on the contrary salvation
| from a sinful life by the power Of a
| living immanent Saviour is most sweet
and acceptable to what common sense
| tells us ought to be the nature Of God.
Salvation by the resurrection, by liv-
ing, ever-present God, squares with
Greek philosophy, with Oriental long
ings, and with all the highest express
sion of men everywhere, while salvation
from future pangs by an atonement
scheme is artificial, unreasonable and
| unscriptural The latter was made, not
| by the apostles but by those who con-
structed their theology as special plead
ers with the distinct object of bolstering
the claims of the church; 1t was perpet-
uated by the church after the Reform
alton simply because it had acquired sc
much strength during its long growth
through the middle ages, and had sc
struck it's deadly roots through all the
ology that they were unable to get rid
of ii in their day. The time has now
however surely come when we can be-
gin to see "the truth as it is in Jesus;
to get back to Christ, back to Clement
of Alexandria, and the early Greel
church fathers.
We must bear in mind that the roo
and cause of all the morbidities or re
| ligion in the past has been the making
Of The eternal life" Of the Scripture
to mean only something beginning be
ycnd the grave. This is the dead II!
which, If 1t be in the oitment of an!
conception of the Gospel, causeth it t
stiIk. Given eternal life after dealt
only. and all the distortions natural.
appear, such as salvation by scheme
instead of a personal God, low AM
| legalizing fear of "the judgment seat
a false Importance to death-bed scene
and repentances, vast church profess
ing to guarantee believers security, an
, the whole insurance" idea of the Cos
mel. But when eternal life is thing I
be here and now impaired by presen
Deitv. when this life is called eterna
not because it begins after time, bu
because it is so divine in its nature tina
. death cannot affect it, then we percelv
none of these evil effects. Eternal III
> as a future blessing lays emphasis upo
acceptance of an artificial divin
scheme. and morality Is OF little con
sequence compared with saving faith
hut eternal life as an immediate cond
.. tion to be entered upon by coming unde
the mower of a risen Saviour is fruit
ful of good works, always aboundin
: in the work of the Lord" One quarrel
with morality as a rival; the othe
sbames morality by Righteousness
which exceeds that Of the Scribes an
Pharisees." One is pessimistic, viewin
the world as an evil to be escaped frol
the other is optimistic, going forth
.unernal strength to overcome II
/, world even as He overcame. One lool
! onlv on the earth as a vile planet to I
, burnt at last by an angry Maker Oil
gusted with His failure; the other col
Templates this globe as only waitin
for the manifestation Of the sons
God in order to be wholly redeeme
and made glorious The one gazes pa
oIvzed on sin and the Christ 1t nj
slain: the other rises with streamir
ewes from the open tomb to cry out
J. iovous hope: my Lord and my Godl'
The world Is shaking on as q norr
dream the thoughts Of a far-on @
: WITH a mechanical, Logan plan OF ga
e n.y., "a ~ q salvation only referriY