The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-06

i
man would embrace who cndeavorcd 10
follow Jesus.
Eut with ueais we are 20 have nothing
| whatsoever 20 do. 10 o. not the character
of the ideal 90 which mon object but ihe
| necessity for any suoh ideal as q standard
and goal OF their living. This brings us
face 20 face with one OF the great causes
or doubt in tho world today. Men do not
| deny the validity Of service and sacrifice
as We have already noted
They DO not question The fundamental
teachings ~ morality. Hat thcy DO ques-
| ton tho relation that religion bears 90
| morality. They arc anxious 60 know why
il is necessary 10 have an ideal 10 the
eud that one may do their duty. In other
words how much better Is The man who
follows jesus Christ than The man who
simply docs his duty without reference 20
any such ideal or n an ideal be accept
cd what claim has Jesus Christ upon the
| minds and hearts of men OF THIS genera
! tion? Why follow Him more than thou
sand men who have lived and died since
His time2
u is one thing TO note fact and an
other thing 90 explain g. Tho latter f.
! extremely moro difficult yet in this dav
| aud age infinitely more important. Men
| OF all ages had noted that there was re-
/ lationship be;Wenc The sun and our plan
| e. IL remained for the scientific mind to
| begin 90 wonder and 60 ask what and
!
| law of GraWtatiou
1 Every department OF human thought re-
sponded To that explanation Physics be-
| San anew, aStrology gave way % astron-
| onT. The Heaven AMI Hell OF Dante's
| creation, that had given color 10 the the
| ology OF the middle ages ana that still in
| nucnccs our thought. began 20 fade and
| grow uncertain. Men found themselves i'm
| a new world
The fact Ia connection with Jesus Christ
| Is this. That coming into the world lie
eXerted upon His generation and innu-
| ence that has been felt for nineteen CEN
| turies. Our art is largely Christian art
our literature beats and flows with the
sympathy and love of Jesus our institu-
tons today are impreeuated with His life
ana men feel that The best we have in the
world rs an incarnation Of His spirit. This
| Is the fact. IL must be recognized
No explanation OF any phase of thought
or action during the past nineteen cen
| tnries can be explained while the influence
| of this life IL unnoted But why? That Is
| the ever-recurring question WHY this in
| huence. why this persistence Of this one
man above all other men. why can lie
lav reclaim 10 any leadership?
| To refer to the authority OF Scriptlrc
I'm this day would be 90 reduce our argu-
! ment to an absurdlty 10 appeal Ia his di-
Ninity would be only 90 make an appeal 10
| something many do not believe ana that
! Few make any pretence 10 understand or
| explain.
LEADERSHIP or THE LORD.
! Ills position as leader n 10 be
| found In the union OF two things that ir
J most lives arc separate In His they were
| one. There is tho life onfone hand ana the
| teaching on the other, Without the one,
| the other would have been soon forgot
| ten. Without the teachings Ills lire
| would have soon been a thing OF the past
| Without His life the teaching would
| nave only developed or degenerated
| whichever you chose into a new system
| or philosophy In either case we should
(, have no ideal Ills immortality is due 20
| the Tact that Ia Ills lifc these two were
| one. lie taught as lie lived. lie lived as
! He taught Ills teaching was only tho
verbal expression OF His living
! Bot this does not fully explainIt Is only
/ the beginning of an explanation The
iouhdaton as II were The nature OF that
| Ire ana that teaching must be noted
| There Is no law that Is more sure and
| certain In us working than tho law az
| natural selection. IL is not necessary to
4 go back To the past to prove g. Every
! man can see IL illustrated every day i'm his
| business and professional llfe An things
/ have submitted themselves willingly or un-
/ willingly to that law. II ls as universal
/ and eternal as grayitation Tt is easier
! proven To that law Jesus Christ could
/ have been no exception, lie lives today.
/ lie rules mems lives. lie IS their ideal OF
/ manhood because Tie was nt TO live and
rule and direct
/ His teaching Is tn, highest ana hest we
/ know, To Is The deepest aud most fundn-
/ intulN. It's lito. then. since this teach
7 ing is buT rs CXUrcssfon is fh, host iire
/ known among men.
UNDIsPUTEp IDEAL or LIFE.
| Roihschild may be an ideal in business.
| Nahul ON I'm war. Shakesuearc ju Utef.t-
/ ture. Kant in thought. but Jesus christ is
| the weI-neh undlSuuted htal OF lifc A
/ man highest idcal is The best me- knows
! jesus Christ is that.
! " II this. th ID, thai gives him hIs right
\ and title tu leadership ~ D. not tbc-
! olosN. II w. not theory, ~ is not author
/ NY oI Blhle or church. it ly not guosscs
\ about his nature, ID ls an eternal LAW nf
| this world 10 which YOU ana mo are dallv
7 subject, the law uf natural selection
/ Grant al this says the world but tho
/ old question returns. why should I accept
I amy ldeAt DutN is Tho imperative thing,
| me, neral i,ts y what Is demanded
| present knowledge God, n be Is iugt can
ask nothing more. How many mon aruilo
| thus with themselves. u Is tho spirit of
| our times. IS a thought that has
| crept IN the church. and there i- not "a
| man here this morning who has not at
! some time questioned iust what Nirtuc
! there Is in faith ia religion. in am ideal
WHOM works and deeds were tho one thing
necessary.
rev mon nave NlhNNu inlS gospel of
the tinlrs 20 its logical Concluslon TO
assert that there g. uo need of these othcr
thngs u 10 assert that nau is not \
religious heinz that he ~ creature
moulded alone by hts surrDuudinps: that
sccitty is responsible for him. Eat drink
aud bc merry, then. Tor tomorrow We die
The materialistic socallsfs nf Germany
are the cNponents 90 this doctrine in its
most highly devcloned form. Their motto
ls. Tell me What You cat aud ! viii tcu
You what YOU are This is the logical
| conclusion To n tesChing that denies that
We arc all born from above.
Yet these mon are not ignorant The
I leaders arc neu 30 keen intellect They
| understand the teachinas 20 philosophy
| and the nature cf society. There A. truth,
| too. IN their statements. Nor arc they
| ignorant of the tsibchirg of Jesus Christ
| and the character uf his nfe Instead 81
| thrir philosophy beina u warning, may ~
| not ee merely an Illustration ~ the way
| ln which Ns are al g0iIgY ~ certainly
! ln the way ~ their King Ia the world and
/ ~. NounR men ~ thts generation lvinG
1 Ni tne nlmnENhfrr ~ treFc time are
/ Wnru and frff, H.sf -