Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1898-01-13
that more unbelievable than the :

hood miracle that changed common water
q marriage beverage? Or tho unin.
spired story that two sick children were re-
covered by bathing in the water where
than the manhood miracle BY which
the woman, twelve years q complete in
valid, should have been made straight by
touching the fringe OF Christ's coat? Il
that more wonderful than the manhood
by which Christ terminated the
dead again and again without going where
were Or even seeing thems
From the naturalness, the simplicity,
the freshness OF His parallels INC Smiles
and metaphors in manhood discourse l
know that He had been a boy OF the fields
and had bathed in the streams ant heard
the nightinCale's call. and broken through
the lowery hedge aud looked out OF the
embrasures OF the fortress, and drank
from the wells IND chased the butterflies"
DR.. Talmage referred to Christ in the
mechanics shop, having been taught the
carpenters trade by His father, Joseph.
His hammer pounding. His saw vacil-
lating. His axe descending and the per-
SEPARATION from His work standing On His
brow"
Then said the preacher: II show you Q
more marvellous seene-Christ, the smooth
w~hite-haired. high-foreheaded ecclesias-
tics OF the Temple"
Following other events recorded in the
apocrypha, the preacher asked il they
were more wonderH..t than event recorded
In the New Testament.
III Christ were divine was He not able
at ten OF twelve years to describe the
human system as we'll as though He had
been fifty years standing at an operating
table or in a dissecting room? In other
words, while do not believe that any part
of the so-called apocryphal New Testament
is inspired, l believe much OF it Is true, jdst
as l believe Il thousand books, none OF
which is divinely ms pired."
"a child twelve years old, surrounded by
se~ptuaSenarians. He asking His own ques-
tions and answering theirs. Let me intro
duce you to some OF these ecclesiastics.
This Is the great Rabbjn Simeon! This is
the venerable Hillel! This is the famous
Shammai! These are the sons OF the dis
tinguished Betirah. The first time in all
their lives these reigionists have found
their match, and more thar their match.
Though so young, He knew all about that
Temple under whose roof they held that
most wonderful discussion of all history.
He knew the meaning Of every altar, OF
every sacrifice, OF every golden candle
stick, Of every embroidered curtain, OF
every crumb Of shrew bread, OF every drop
Of oil in that ss.ored epiice. He 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 Hs
made it. He knew oil worlds, forthey were
only the sparkling morning dewdrops on
tho lawn in front Of His heavenly palace.
"Put these seven Bible words in a wreath
Of emphasis: Both hearing them and ask
ing them questions / am not SO much
interested in the questions they asked Him
as in the questions He asked them. He
asked the question not to get information
from the doctors, for He knew it already,
but to humble them by showing them the
height and depth and length and breadth
Of their WI 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 rightto ask them. The more he asks,
the better. Alas for the stupidity Of the
child without inquisitiveness! It is Christ
like to ask questions. Answer them if you
can Do not say: I can't be bothered
now 1t is our place to be bothered with
questions. If you are not able to answer,
surrender and confess your incapacity, az
l have no doubt did Rabbis Simeon, and
Hil!el, and Shammai, and the sons OF Be-
tirah when that splendid boy, sitting or
standing there, with a garment reaching
from neck to ankle, and girdled at the
waist, put them to their very wits end.
1t is no disgrace to say 1 don't know
The only being in the universe who never
needs to say I don't know is the Lord
Almighty.
"But while I see the Did theologians
standing around the boy Christ, / am i'm
pressed rs never before with the fact that
what theology most wants is more Of
childish simplicity. Why should you and
l perplex ourselves about the DEGREES Of
God? Mind yOur own business and God
| will take care of His. In the conduct Of
the universe l think He will somehow man
age to get along without US. If you want
to love and serve God, and be good and
useful and get to heaven, 1 warrant that
nothing which occurred eight hundred
quintillion Of years ago will hinder you a
minute. It is not the DEGREES of God that
do us any harm; it is our own DEGREES Of sin
and folly.
You need not go any further back in
history than about one thousand eight
hundred n sixty-four years. Something
occurred on that day under an eclipsed
sun that sets US all forever free, if with our
whole heart and life we accept the tre-
mendous proffer. Do not let the Presby-
terrain 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 fix
up old creeds, all Of them imperfect, rs
everything man does is imperfect. Our
own denomination made itself absurd by
trying 20 revise it's creed made hundreds
OF years ago. You might as well try orc
wise your Srandmother's love letters. I
move a new creed for all the evangelical
churches OF C~hristendom, only three arti-
cles in the creed, and no need of any
more.
III bad all the conseerated people OF
all denominations Of the earth on one great
plain, and l had voice loud enough to put
1t to a vote. that creed Of three articles
would be adopted with a unanim Gus vote.
This is the creed / propose for all Christen-
DOM:
"Article frst-'God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whatsoever beiieveth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life
Article second-'This is n faithful say.
Ing. and worthy OF all acceptation. that
Jesus Christ came into the world to save
sinners, even the chief
ARTICLE third-'Wortby is the Lambthat
was slain to receive blessings and riches
and honor and glory and power, world
without end
But you go to tinkering up your old
creeds, and patching and splicing and