The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-03-19

was the Messiah. To the Jews, the Mes
siah was . man. In latsr time, they BE-
lisved that be rsAppearsd After death and
that be would come again n thsir own
life time 10 judgs the world. There wss
no crssd In our medeFn sans Of the
weird. The bond ives love. They held
only spinionA They were tela "By this
shall all msa know that ys ars my
disciples, II - have love one 10 another"
Thsrs was no dostrine Of che Trinity,
nsr Of AtsnsmsnA nor pisnsEy inspira-
item Of the Scriptures There was no
bishop nor preshytsr nsr priest in that
Church Of Christ-ths church OF the
early dayG Let me call great scholars 10
bear witness. Lee men read the great
book Of DE-. Arthur Oushman Me0iHsrt
on "Ths Apostolic Asa" No wonder
hisIbrothss Prsshytsrians wish 10 drive
him out Of their church. Lss them read
Dr.. Edward Hatch's mastery book on
"The Infiusnos Of Gresk:Idsasland Ussses
on the Christian Church" Let them
study the monumsntal book Of DE-. James
Msrtinsau on "Ths Seat Of Authority
In Rsiigion."
But Christ was followed By theologians
learned, devoted. holy. They changed
the definition Of the church. First came
Paul, 90 great In soul, 90 mystic and
metaphy sical In intsllscs. He taught that
the Church of Christ consisted only Of
thoss who were united by faith with
Christ in mystic union. He taught that
they only had Immortality who ware
made alive In Him, the cSucifsd and
risen one. DE-. Orello Cones most MASTER
IL book ON "Paul tine Man. the Mission
arr and the Tsschsr," shows che thso-
iogy Of the great apostle. On his thso-
Iogy, Augustine and Calvin built. Their
churches wars the churches Of the theolog.
ians and not OF Christ. The unknown
author Of the Gospel Of John was another
theologian. Into the church came Greek
philosophers. They became theolosians.
They gave us the Nioine creed with
Christ declared TO DO very VOC on very
Cod. Greek and Roman Catholic churches
and Lutheran and Calvinistie built upon
their words. These are the churches OF
the theologtAns.
Today We have the High Church party
in the Church of England and Of the
Ing they are Catholic. They say their
church In refusing allegiancs 70 the
pope is NO less Catholic. They WISH men
to accept their church IS the Mother
Church. Their cnurch too, 10 Q church
Of the theologians. In l7oI NOME soui,
in hsaven-that he was commissioned
to found q new church. Men must oe-
| lievs Ia the divinity of Jesus Christ-that
He IL Jehovah-in the holiness .of Scrip
lures, with their intsrnal meaning; In
life of charity. This too 10 church
Of theologian and not Of Christ. Les
us get back to Christi Past Calvin.
Augustins, Origen, Paul-back 20 Christ.
Men are talking still OF the MO Their
Church. 1t Ii an irfeliceto0s phrase for
that the Mother Church 81 Jerusalem
was narrow church. The Catholics are
calling for o return TO the Mother
Church. It was q poor kind Of q mother
that sanctioned the massacre OF 81.
Bartholomew and the murder OF the
recently risen before men. Its founders
colossal egotism and ignorance are mani
est in a preposterous book: Scholarship
will brush 1t aside. Not to Mother
Church, but to Christ should men return
Nay we In this ohurch-may all the
churches Of Maine go back TO him May
they study Briggs and Mcdinert and
Hatch and Gone and Martineau, and see
THAT Christianity, a. def ned or under
stood In all the churches which formulate
ie, mas been mainly eVSlVeu run wDno
Is transient and perishable In Its
sources; from what Is unhistorical In Its
traditions, NEUROLOGICAL In les precon-
captions and misapprehended In the
oracles of its prophets. So writes James
Martineau In the Seat Of Authority In
Religion, page $50. He warns the church
Of the thsologians that the intellect OF
the world is turning away from them.
He pleads for q Christianity (which is
the personal religion Of Jesus Christ, and
30 stands clear OF all tn perishable
elements and realizes the true relation
between man and God"
May God speed the day when men shall
turn from the churches Of the theoligiana
to the Church Of Christ