The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-04

the fifteenth chapter of the First Epfs-
Tie TO the Corinthians, as from the
buried grain of wheat there springs UP
the golden corn, so the body, which is
soWn In corruption, shall be raised the
lncorruptible vesture of the immortal
| SOUL
Abandoning all hope of the resur-
| rectlon Of the body, the theosophy of
| To-Day abandons also the hope of man
| hiho planted in the human heart at
.ne beginning of human history a hope
winch, founded in the love of God,
became sure and certain after the
the birth and death, the resurrection
ana ascension of Jesus Christ were ac-
compiished facts. That hope is sum-
med up in these words: God SO loved
the world that He gave his only be-
gotten Son that whatsoever believeth in
ann should not perish, but have ever
| iastns lie. Theosophy robs you of
TINS nope; it closes the door to all aspI-
rallons after those joys of which It Is
! written; Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God
hath prepared for them that love
Him"
| AND what does il offer YOU instead7
An endless renewal of temporal exist
ence In this world, for which it has no
/ evidence to offer until at length you
reacn 'nirvana," which is practically a
| condition of non-existence, whatever
about it.
What spelling" what a leading
INTO captivity it is for one who has
once stood in the clear light and
knowledge of God revealed in Christ to
De Drawn away by the vain deceit of
religion which has been described as
a philosophy of despair!
! II would take too long to give Won
the history of Buddhism, which Is the
source from which the teachings of
theosophy are derived.
But as you viii be told that Rudd
hlsm Is an older religion than Chris
tianlty, and, therefore, has stronger
claims of allegiance of mankind. a. few
words on this point should be said
As there is but one living and true
God, so there is, and only can be
one true religion The Bible contains
the history of this religion. which has
ITS starting point in the covenant rela-
lion established between God and man
by the promise of a Red,aemer. at the
time of the Fall. Christianity, so far
from being new religion founded by
Jesus Christ, is the flower of the true
religion, the progress of which to-
wards this full expansion NAV be trac-
ed IN the pages of the bible through
! the history of four thousand years.
study the Sermon on th.. Mount and
you viii find that our Sa.viors teach
ing was an unfolding and revealing of
the spirit which till then had been
shut up in the letter,
There is then no cause for surprise
that the instructions or (Sautama five
hundred years before Christ contain
many excellent moral precepts fncul-
Gated by Christianity For the moral
obligations by which man is bound
were written in the beginning on the
human conscience, and SO ara the
property Of the whole human race.
Moreover, these same obligations, de-
! llVered in ten commandments, had
been proclaimed from Mount Sinai
and written by the finger of God upon
two tablets of stone, nearl va thou
SAND years before the time of Gauta-
ma SO, If the appeal is to ANTIQUITY
the sanctions to which Christianity an
peals are far more ancient than those
or Buddhism, from which 1t follows
that there is nothing surprising to find
some of the precepts of this moral law
In the code of Buddhism For what
ever truth 1T contains Buddhism is in
debted TO the one true religion. Chris
tlanlty owes nothing to Buddhism
When You compare the practical
teaching of Buddhism with that of
christianity you will find that the Ten
commandments of Buddha only cover
the region occupied by commandments
OF the Second Table of the Decalogue,
touching the duty of man to man. OF
the duty Of man to God it has never a
word For il has no belief In God
Consequently it has no authority 70
appeal to by which to enforce the full
hlment of its precepts. 1t can fmpart
no sense of duty, when it knows no
one to whom duty is owed Hence It
h2r md n
erless TO regenerate the nations that
nave embraced 1t, and how can it when
1t leaves them without God in the
world?
Such is the source from which the
theosophy of today draws its inspira-
ton. If you have been led away bv
It's promises of enlightenment, if any
have been attracted to it in the belief
that II would lead them to hidden
springs of knowledge revealing to
them secrets of the spiritual world, let
me point out TO such that the Gospel
can satisfy all this longing and de-
sire to penetrate into the mysteries
that surround us. The Gospel has
depths OF hidden wisdom which can
never be fathomed here, and can only
be gazed into by the pure in heart
What is the wisdom of Eastern NH
losophy compared with "aIl the treas
ures OF wisdom and knowledge that are
hid in Christ ?'' He is the true source
of the hidden wisdom you are in search
of Remember how st. Paul wrote to
the Corinthians: I'VE speak the wis
dom Of God in a mystery. even the
hidden wisdom which God ordained
before the world unto our glory" And
how he wrote in another. place that the
Gospel which he preached was ..tbe
revelation Of a mystery which was
kept secret since the world began
Let me then entreat you not to he
allured by the false lights with which
those who lie in wait to deceive seek
TO draw you away from the true light
that lighteth every man that cornetF1
into the world. They win only lead
you TO destruction. BUT the true light
Of the sun of righteousness win reveal
10 you the mysteries of Gods eternal
love made known by the redernnffon or
Ihe NotIa, mysteries which the angels
desire to look into
Yours affectionately in Christ
ALFRED WILLIS.
WHY HE COLLAPSED
What" he exclaj ,1oad ~ -