The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-11-07
TALK ON CHRIST
Lecture at Centenary Church
BY Rev. M. G. Shuman.
Jesus, a Superhuman Personality
Clothed With Divine Authority
and Power-Questions.

The Rev. N. g. Shuman, in his
lecture at the Centenary Methodist
church last evening. said. in sub
stance: Those who heard Jesus teach
and preach were impressed with his
unusual ability. The obscurity of his
birth and disadvantages of his early
life, con- pired against him. His hear
ers said, Never man spake like this
man." They could not account for
him. The rabbis were the product of
the rabinnical schools, but those
schools fail to explain the transcend
ept ability and power of the Gslilean
carpenter. Those who denied his di-
vinity would not and did not deny the
evidence of his ability and power.
The denial of the existence of the his
tCrical Christ is thing of the past
We prove the existence of God by the
existence of world whose creation
can only be explained in this way.
The facts of the universe demand the
existence of being large enough to
create and control it. So the existence
of the carpenters son may be proved
by cetrain religious phenomena not
explainable without him; see the
testimony of sch men as Leckey,
Gibbon ard Napoleon. who were not
in sympathy with Christianity. If di
vine, Jesus uust show superhuman
power; as teacher, as transformer
OF mems lives. in his influence on the
whole range of human thought and
activity. We judge him by the test he
himself proposes, tree is judged by
it's fruits" He proclaimed himself
the light of the world. To an ever
increasing multitude he has become
such. Not all the worlds other great
teachers exercise a 1.-THE of the infiu-
ence he Yields. All those movements
which seek the betterment of mankind
spring from his life and gospel. He is
everywhere hailed above prophets
while scholars sit at his feet TO learn
of him. and kings. princes and poten-
tates bow before him. To his honor
and for his worship hundreds and
thousands of temples of worship have
been erected. No name in the worlds
history is so familiar as his. He is
the teacher of all men. His gospel in
f1uences legislation. and it changes
for tie better our social conditions.
It has and does influence art, littra-
ture and history. Rousseau has we'll
said that Socrates died like a philoso-
pher, but Jesus like God. There is
a contageon about His death. It has
made men and women anxious to die
for Him. Re fills the soul of men
with an impsssioBed love for Him
selr, and for their fellow creatures.
He presents to the world its one per-
feet ideal character. 10 everything
He rises so UNNECESSARILY superior
to the most perfect type of human
character. that He cansbe explained
only as "The Christ the Son of tine
Living God.
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A good audience listened to Mr..
Cores lecture on the Bible at the M.
E. church Tuesday. By way of preface
to his address, he answered two ques-
ons growing OFT of his discussion
Monday evening. One question was.
Ibid the Hebrew prophets clearly
forsee and predict the coming and
work OF Jesus Christi" Mr. Cone said
in substance that the Hebrew prophets
were made optimistic bv their moral
feeling and religious faith. and con-
fidently expected the triumph of the
right, and the final vindication of
their oppressed and prosecuted nation.
They also expected for themselves
glorious moral regeneration. They
believed that these things would be
accomplished through some heaven
sent person. So far they were cor
rect but we're mistaken in supposing
that he would work out his mission
in the sphere of war and politics, as
their previous ueliverers had done.
They failed to comprehend the great
ness of the Cbrist's personality, and
the method of his work. He failed to
fulfill prophetic anticipstions only by
being greater and grander than they
ever dreamed.
To the question whether he regard
ed the other historic religions, such as
Buddhism and Mohammedanism re-
suits of a providental movement, he
replied in substance that he did, that
those movements had expressed and
conserved the religious element in
man, ard had been benefit to the
people, ia bringing them nearer to the
light than they had been before, and
really furnished, as many missionaries
are now telling us, foundation for
the teaching of Christianity.
90
Rev. Shuman will lecture tonight
on the theme THAT Chri stianify is
the supreme religion and will become
the faith of all nations.