The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-03-31

comforted. Fatherhood lay heavier mp
on him than sovereignty. We do not
read of his weeping when be was driven
into exile, because he had lost his throne.
But he did cry, 20 Absolom, would to
God had died for thee, D Absolom, my
son, my son!" We should say that the
| ruler whose throne was worth more TO
him than his children WAS lacking in
heart. And are we not charaeterizing
our God as heartless, If we place His
Sovereignty above Hi Fatherhood?
1t might be said that Jesus compare
tive silence of admitted relations TO
God as sovereign was due to the fact
that as one with God, yes, as God him.
self, he could not of course enter into
that relation with the Father, and natur-
ally dwelt upon that relationship which
he knew by personal experience. But
surely he would not mislead or misrepre-
sent! When he alludes to God from the
standpoint of the disciples, though often
we find him in solemn language speak
ing, as for instance, Of fearing ''Him who
is able to cast both soul and body into
hell" he never speaks to his followers of
God as Your Sovereign or Create, but
| "YoUR HEAVENLY FATHER
knoweth that We have need of these
things" And though we find Jesus de-
nouncing his malicious prosecutors as in
sense "children of your father the Dew
ill.," 1t is the same who said, speaking of
any lost one, even such as they EVEN
so it is not the will of your Father which
ia in Heaven that one of these little ones
should perish"
| Ill. 1t may be interesting now to in
| quire how these standpoints of empha-
SIS have borne upon the conception or
modes of foundation of some of the doc
trines of Christianity, and in what ways
present conceptions Of them have altered
from those of the past. As the term
''New Theology is comparatively mean
ingless, since the religious thought of
every age has at some time been new,
and is often used in an invidious sense,
prefer the term present Theology
which means whatever it actually does
mean, even though it is not capable OF
exact definition in many cases. It la not
definite in detail for it has never yet been
true that all Christians. any more thar
all people or nations, have thought alike
Yet there Is sufficiently distinct trend
of thought manifest TO enable one tc
speak of the present trend Of Christian
thought as
ssTHE THEOLOGY OF THE DIVINE FATHER
a HOOD"
: In distinction from that being gradually
. and surely undermined, If indeed it hal
not already toppled to it's fall, the The
ology of the DEGREES, which can also bt
, called Hyper Calvinism, which wal
characteristic more or less of the period
d from the Reformation down to within
the present century.
We may proceed now to speak Of some
d of the doctrines which have been affect
/; ed by the theology Of the Divine Father
J hood.
T. L. First of all, the doctrine OF ssthi
Divine Sovereignty" has been, not over
i thrown, but relegated properly TO sec
ondary place in Christian thought. Go,
J, is still Sovereign, but ne is first and fore
J. most "our Father" This has brough
Y about considerable change in the pre-
r vailing attitude of the mind toward God
e The chief motive for conversion ia n,
Q longer u fear of hell, but that, since 60,
g ia love, ii ID mean and ungratefui not Il
Q yield to His loving wishes. What shall
i I render unto the Lord for all his benefit
! toward ME
q II it be charged that men do not nov
t. fear God az they ought, it can be replie
e that they did not then love Him as the,
It Rht. Both are needed, but after al
g love is the properly dominant motive
o Fear should be present, but in the back
ss ground, not an animatinR, but q restrain
e ing principle. This is what the Apostl
John means when he says, ssperfect Low
d casteth out fear, because fear hath tot
z ment.' Jesus reminded his follower
i that they should not forget to fear God
.. but he did not dwell on the terrora OF th
r Lord, except to bold and hardened sir
v ners like the Phariaees. Yet even 0
) them he said, 80 Jerusalemi How OF
Ie ten would have gathered thee AZ he
q gashereth her chickens under be
Il wingsi'' But the keynote OF his preach
r ing WAS invitation and encouragement
Is and Of bis life that he was the Son 0
d God. The parable of the prodigal 10
. defines his conception of The primary ~