The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-01

there were indeed disciples. there was in
deed a christ. there was I'm truth Gospel
history, but we had not got the rightful
| record OF these in our Gospels. These
| Gospels were not written to give the rec
| ord but to color II for the party purposes
| Of the age I'm which they were written.
| Most OF all was this the case with the
| fourth Gospel IL was written, not 70
tell us what Christ really said and did In
fact. the man who wrote 1t 100 years or
more after Chrlst's time could not have
known what Christ had done and said.
| He could only have guessed at IL, and his
guessing was determined by the time in
| which he livtd himself. by it's great prob.
| lens I'm thought and life, by It's great
| controversies In the church, by Its great
| philosophers in the world. indeed, his
words was to make them tell against
| what he considered wrong In these phil
| osophes and these disputes. He created
! his Christ according to what he wanted
| Him TO be. not according to what lie
| actually was.
| II seemed plausible thing for criti-
| cism to say. No author writes without
| being more or less influenced by the age
| in which he writes. Here was this stranx e
| Gospel, called by the name of the BE-
| loved Disciple, this Gospel OF marvellous
etaPA ysicaI Ideas EthIa- Gospel of -woli-
derful philosophical conceptions, this
Gospel which was neither a Gospel of
| Pauline Geniilism nor Gospel OF Pc
| tronic Judaism, but splendid COM
! promise between these lines OF thought.
WHAT OTHER EXPLANATION?
What other explanation OF IT was there
| than that IL had come from an age In
| which the churchs thinking had got
| away from simple thoughts of Christ and
:, had come TO be dominated by metaphysi-
! cal and philosophical ideas--an age IN
| which the old controversy between the
! Paul and Peter factions had been forgot
! ten and the church was coming TO a tune
! or peace.
| But such an age war In the second
| century and not the first. Such a gos-
| pei as this fourth Gospel was. was not
history, but Action. founded, IL you
| WILL upon facts, but still a fiction that
| gives. not the Christ who was, but that
| gives the Christ who was desired for
| the partison emergencies OF a hundred
| years afterwards.
| For a time this explanation swept the
critical field. and there were but few who
were 80 poor to do this Gospel rever-
| ence.
| But again times have changed The
| thinking OF the world is different its
| PHILOSOPHERS have brought God back
again into It's heart and life, and men
are turning toward the Bible with a
hunger OF their soul for the Christ and
| the God whom II reavels. The conviction
| OF Gods presence in the world has ne> rr
been so great "a Il Is today; that OF ms
personal influence on the life and being
| of the race has never been so profound
as IL is today: the value of his revera-
| tion OF himself to the soul OF man has
never been 40 high as IL Is today An 20
men have never turned with more eager
ness than they are turning today TO the
Bible. and In the Bible to the Gospel OF
| John.
WHAT rs 1T MIrN FIND?
But what is It that men find when
they turn this wuy7 They find a book
the characteristic thing In whose con.
tents IL it's wonderful discourses OF Jesus
| say wonderful. because when one com
pares them with the talks OF Jesus m
the Synoptic Gospels he sees at onc. q
| striking difference. The synoptic taiKs
are on the level Of everyday speech. they
are given largely in the form OF homely
parallels, they gather around the varied
copies OF practical hfe.
| Tile discourses OF this Gospel on the
other hand. are far above the level Of
everyday speech, they are clothed In the
subtler form OF allegory. they gather al.
most exclusively around the topic OF Jesu.
himself and around him in his relation tc
the unseen universe and to God
called ~ a striking dlfference-It mign
almost he called startling one. Here
lis the great day Of Parallels by the Sea oi
Galilee tgivcn In the laih chapter OF Mat.
| thew. With Jesus beautiful picturing oi
the Kingdom OF God--the parable or the
| Sowcr. The parable OF the Tares and
Wheat. the Mustard Seed. the Drag Net
the Pearl OF Great Price. the Lcavcn
Here f. that q her day OF days OF parab
on Jesus last Journey To Jerusalem 1giver
In the 18th TO the 18th chapters OF Luke)
with Jesus'' iouching portrayal OF the
heart OF God and the soul OF man--th,
parable OF the Lost Sheep. the Lost Coin
the Prodgal Son, the Unjust steward
the Rich Man and Lazarus. the Pharisee
and the Publican.
WONDERFUL WORD SKETCHES.
These are wonderful word sketches nt
great facts and trusts. But put thes,
chapters over against such chapters IN
| John as the 9Th. Sth, 10TH. nth. 18th and
18th, and you will find yourself standlns
before something fer beyond the other
80 high above ID. tha. II VIII lay hold ol
you rs from another being than man
| and from another wori0 than rs w. wh.c ct
we dwell. 81 am the Bread of Life. Hs
| that comcth to me shall not hunger. and
he that believeth on mo shall neve,
thirst" "a am the true Bread wh,rt
came down from heaven - am tns
lAgh of tho world "For Judgment AR
come into this world. that they which
see NO; might see. and they which 80.
n; ght Re blndci. T." n am the door ot
ne sheep. ny me n any man enter I'm
he shall be saved" II am the Good
Shepherd. The Good Shepherd layetf
down his life for his sheep" II am TIA,
true vine. and my father r. the husband
! man" II am the Reeurrec ION and tn,
] Life. We that belieseth IN me. though n.
die yet shall he live" Il and the Fathei