The St. Louis Republic., 1900-12-03

4
| thus De- justified before the end of time.
| And the conception Of Il glorious parsonage.
! tn herald uf that golden .rd, IL whom the
| hopes # ages lurkci. was hut "a form! Of tn:.t
uHceasnG hero Worship that has ever been
! q t'ain.irInS AMI magnet 10 draw multi
tC'ics Of men in churc n and state to follow
q commanding cause.
Their Wa ;tl.-o :, certain rough philo>--
dphy III lifc. prnductiv" of tnis b.Iicf Th.
/ majority "f wills. men felt. Were tin, results
| "f human iHiirm.ty. negligence. miSg,ycra-
! Inciit, sin lh"y were removable by the a"-
] non al men. They woud disappear in an
! i"''h system "f society, when Religion Won i
] 10" paramount justice supreme. and the wal-
! idr' 81 each the concern of All And Ger
tah Theological t!nSc cniOr'd this rc,t~GIis z.
T. I" . N-Il Ette date the JOYS dlU mot
! H'' 'irN" in future Nta. except in the pow
! 81, - VIis-i,.sS existence of Sh.ids- in IN.
| @i'nnI "f tn na'!,S they called Shcul. All
! ~ r'i,"i happiness ami compensation.
| Therefore. must b. IN this lif". in tins
/ world And IN" kingdom OF God that they
/ .Nr,ri"h SiSniiicantly unlike that Of The
christian theology that followed. Was here.
! ~ on tElS "arih. whrr" = purihed ana en-
I n"hl"d humanity. alike free from Suiferjn;,
and Sin. sh"ul! inaugural. at Last 4 rnillal-
/ MUM OF pace
In an elementary form W may remark
| TINS idea has been universal Th, Hin,iIS
IN" American ahOrieincs, the NvxiCans. the
! fcruvians. almost all primitive people. have
ar om'r n n,si"h 81 Il s"!den age either before
1f behihi th"m. ami the hero that * i,s
! herald and leader. In such instances f. ha-
been suggested that perhaps the majestic
! panorama OF nature inspired the dream, or
! served At least as its splendid emblem
But the Jews dianified and perpetuated
their Mcssiafic faith by its spiritual
not simply To be an earthly Paradise Of
lnduirrut ease, but its rare and unique
Excellence was TO be ills reign Of righteous
ness. for he who WAS to usher in this pr
anoirtei Of God.
Indeed the whole conception OF lIessi-
aHir kinSstip was but Il minor pl;Is4 az
their larger anticipation of an ideal COM
m"nTtd!th. wherr the ancient Slorics
should return. and worldwide dominion BE-
secured and the spiritual asccndancy of
riSht and truth prevail throughout the
But in tines Of national anguish and
bitter cppre ssion. the prophets glowing
visions wer. interpreted with hard literal
mess. The House of David was to be he
dynasty OF the Messianic kingdom. The
hharisees. believing that the national mis-
fortunes Were the fruits Of national apcs-
lacy. crew the lines tighter, and sought
I" wtaken the dom: Of the incOmpe-
tent HaSmonean rulers. by laying stress
ola the legitimacy of David's house. The
l'opl, nceced leader against Rome, a
d' liycr5r from the SadGucean aristOcracv.
And 50 the hopes of a Messiah ran high.
Indeed it became then. and not till then. a
central doctrine Of Judaism. And after the
fall of Jerusalem it was strengthened
partly because in the general disaster tn y
Clun@ desperately TO their only hope. and
partly hecause the rising faith Of the
Christians with the assumption Of a Mes
siah Of quite a different character. intensi-
fled the Hebraic emphasis on both tbs
time and function OF their longed-for Re-
deemer
1T may shed some light on parallel devel-
opments to note that the idea of the resur-
lection Of the righteous dead preceded belief
in their Immortality. and arose with the
ccus that had PASSED away were to live
again. and thus an intense personal eN-
pectation was aroused. an impassiOned in
terest in the anticipated Messiah
1T was at this period that q claimant
named Jeshu. 4 form OF Joshua. in Greek |
Jesus. came forth IN Galilee. He belonged
formers. W no believed that the degeneracy of
the Sttte was due to corrupt social condi-
formal religious laxity. The Essences Were |
Socialists. holding all in common, believing |
the solution of the awful problems current |
WIS IL be found in relieving the downtrod- |
the most revolutionary and communistic |
measures. Many Of Jesus's sayings are thus !
oXplcdLle. He was the great democrat OF |
his age, a religious Socialist. tribune of the /
people. But he cl2imed to be more He be- /
IiGyed himself to b" the ph;opheoied Messiah.
iy judge through the haze of credulous |
legend. He believed that he would come
shortly again. very speedily. certainly with L
in the lifetime of his disciples, and establish |
the kingdom of God on earth.
Whether this sublime enthusiast was the /
Messiah from the ancient standpoint,
whether Ee ushered in the kingdom of God. |
can readily be answered even hy the faith
prevailed for eighteen centuries. of course
their efficacy is self-eviGent Naturally war
has ceased and the disarmament of nations
has restored the sinful millions of COM |
Eatanis to their peaceful ayocations. 1t
mus. be So. fo- the doctrine of nonresist-
ance. of turning the right cheek To- the
smiter, is gospel command and Il messianic
symptom Poverty Is 10 more; there Is no !
rich and no poor: possessions are equal. |
There is no hate now in the world. Tne
Presbyterian lion and Unitarian lamb lie j
down together, the Church of Rome and
the Protestant sectS embrace at last with |
tenderness and tears. and the fondest af-
~e,f ,fh hpt Catholics and prDtpSt1ntS |
are bounteously showered upon the guile /
less Israelite. Yea, the reign Of peace and
good will having been announced nearly |
1890 times. must certainly have arrived. Our
;,?ols perishing with disuss. are in RUNS.
guardians of the peace are dismissed sure
" after nineteen centuries OF trldl. thlS /
mesSianc era must certainly have trans |
formed and regenerated the world.
But II there he any shadow OF doubt
as 10 this blessed contamination. perhaps |
there may be power of guidance left in the
ancient dream of Israel. and as the world |
i'm belief is stripping off doSmatic .ncrusta- J
tons and returning to the severe simplicity |
nf Gods unity. confirmed by science. at
tested by philosophy. 50 in aspiration 1t
may return to the prophetic vision of the |
kingdom of God. that is yet to be establish
81 among men.
1t is not to bc built up as the Church OF
Rome for ages proclaimed. by ceremonial. |
~ temporal power. Icy the potent arm of |
i,sh Nor shall it he the fruitage of creed.
'hurch Of I.uther. the voice Of Protestant
sm. pruciaims. They have failed. signally
allied with their ceremonial, with their |
reed. to regenerate society. to ieaven the |
\ orld with Il conque rirs spirit OF righteous
ness. They hare failed. in this world at ,
east. Ia make cve! the profesSed words OF |
potent with the faithful: they
Iavc not. even in its rudest clements. |
,rOught about the kingdom of God upon |
irth.
III the religion of ceremonial has failed. |
ND the religion OF creed why should not |
he world cease to PNalt secondary things | .
= II they were primary, and turn back 20 |
he aUstere grandeur of the primeyal faith !
e man
we claim still after nineteen centuries
ont teHtioa that conduct is above creed. |
bpve ceremonial: character is above piety. | ,
boNc orthodoxy. above subscription to con-
ssSionS of faith. Society will never be
transformed by .Cdtechisms. hy ceremonies, |
ut by a higher moral code, by passionate ]
"rSiStent emphasis upon the highest law; |
hat it may b" cultivated as tn. most i'm
nrtant thing in the vorl1 that il may he !
tvcr$"I as the hcliest thing in the world. |
hat for II may sacrifice all else and |
'4rm ID cupauiy toUCht'' |