The Indianapolis journal., 1903-06-22
SOME EXCUSE FOR JEWS
THEIR REJECTION OF CHRIST WAS
A NATTER OF NATIONAL BELIEF.
They Had Been Led to Expect a Pow
Lowly SAcrihce-smfth's Sermon.

W expect a monarch OF entirely different
nature was responsible, in part at least.
for their spurning the Messiah. At the
tabernacle yesterday Mr.. Smith said
The power of believing is as much a
matter OF natural endowment as the power
OF poesy or architecture social queen
MOOD. Some are stinted in ability to run
capacity for realizing the unseen and when
reinforced by strong brain and kindlng
enthusiasm they become the natural lead
ers or the world.
Isaiah was marvellous in the imagin-
ative quality touched with reverence. His
landscapes lay In the loveliest vistas. He
was at home in the future as some are in
the past. His power of forecast was due
70 MS large poetic faculty, that grasped
the trend of things and also the inspira-
faculty
Like his countrymen Isaiah saw ahead
q glorious period with the central figure
OF the Messiah bringing on the bright
days. So far his countrymen re-echoed
his prophecy. Tell ten men that a happy
fate awaits them and nine will welcome
cause he is bilious and gloomy on every
thing. So far Isaiah carried the people
with his brilliant and patriotic horoscope.
was to be POOR lowiy, condemned, stained
with blood, desecrated with crime, hound
ed to death. At once a cry of revolt was
heard. Can we blame the people for their
outcry against such prophecy?
EXCUSE FOR THE JEWS
Mere theology brands it a crime. Bible
students trace their rebellion to the dearth
of faith. But many men know their Bibles
so well In poor way and the laws of ma
ture and human development so slimly that
they miss the cream of their Bibles. The
Jews were not open to criticism because
they repudiated a Messiah of poverty and
reproach and felonious accusation.
Now why? Because simply at their stage
OF ethical development the association of
pomp and blazing splendor with q throne
was natural, but the association of altru-
ism and sacrifice with monarchy was abb
normal il not hideous Physical power was
then at premium. A king who led armies
10 frenZied victory and returned trophied
with foreign banners carried the populace.
To-day we have not altogether outgrown
our cradles and the worship of mere brute
force has not died out; still the reign of
love has and will come more and
more, and true greatness rises to it's zenith
when 1T allows itself to be eclipsed in the
way of helping others to their fullness
Inis city Is 1uiI OF men and women OF
extraordinary talent and fertile suggestion
who care little to cut social figure be-
cause they love some others so profoundly
that they reap their veriest joy in serving
them even in obscurity
Society is crazy. People run after plaus-
ible nonentities and Nightmares and gilded
sicken heart. The god OF conspicuity is a
cheat. The devotees of capricious fashions
die OF nausea. Right alongside of these
frantic types chasing illusions are the thou
sands who have found that a life of selfish
ness leads to the grave of every dear hope
and that only life of consecrated love and
the sacrifice 1t may entail will reward
eventually.
WORLD is SWINGING sROUND.
$50 the world is swinging around, as
ships at anchor face one way in the morn
ing and the very opposite in the afternoon,
when the tide changes. To-day love and
sacrifice the throne. Consequently
an incarnate God who shared our woes and
met our death conforms to our ideas. We
could believe no fearless Christ. We exalt
Him for the very reason that cruder ages
crucifed Him.
The boy on the street admires the volun-
teer in his fine uniform, and probably imi-
tates his walk and military air. He has
the boys ideas and the boys lust for the
spectacular. When older he will feel the
who is MANNED for life because he fought
for the flag in Spain. He carries no glitter
ing mark except his wounds or shattered
limb. But these are memorials OF self-devo-
tion and Quenchless courage Heroism and
sacrifice are synonyms. One man asks: If
Jesus was Cod how could Ne have allowed
and misrepresentation. and be assassinated
as a cutthroat public malefactor? Such
question is worthy of the primitive barbaric
days, when muscular heroes were glorified
by the multitude. Such question is out of
order when motherhood, when patriotism,
when love that is blind to itself and bears
grief because lost in the pain of another,
are the crowning attributes of humanity.
To-day we ask: How could Christ be God
if He had shirked the cross?
TWO WAYS OF THOUGHT.
There are two ways in our higher
thought. The one is to ascend from the
base to the summit of the mountain. The
other way is to descend from the summit to
the base. The two paths are the same and
the two distances equal. The direction
alone is different. The first way is to begin
at the summit Of the universe, at the ma
ture of God, and reason downward from
His disclosed character to human events
that would flow forth from such a nature
of unbOunded love and holiness Given God,
to find world such as He would create
process. We learn the maple and then
prophesy the running sap in late winter
We learn the quarry and then predict the
sort of building in the near city. We
learn the man and then reason out his ca
reer We learn our God and then venture
our prescience of His policy. This is sani-
tary provided We always remember that ig-
norance'lies around our little sunlit circle of
knowledge about Him as the shadowy
forest lies around the cabin and cleared
space on the frontier.
..The other plan is to ascend from the
base to the summit; in other words. to
begin with the world as We see 1t and then
| climb up TO the nature OF the unseen Being
embowered in His mystery; TO start with
facts on our own plane and then toll up
to the infinite governor and overwhelming
force. We humans have shares, but God
holds the controlling stock. / love this
transcendency of God If His name is love.
| If He is Father we can pillow on His provi-
dence and see rainbow on every storm
| cloud To doubling men of sincere tenn
| perament let suggestion be made They
| will usually prefer TO argue from the base
| upward as far as they can follow the trail.
| With such the starting point is fact. Let
| us then begin with life as il is.
AS HUMANITY RISES.
| 'Is II not fact that as humanity rises by
evolution toward the richer coronal elements
| the enthusiasm goes out toward the intel
| lectual and spiritual. toward men and
| women who are capable of adding some
| thing to the world and being brave enough
| to endure what their contribution calls for ?
By popular verdict, is not the great man a
man VINO can endure suffering and caiumny
because he is a giver of some truth to the
| world that does not know yet how to
| prize that discovery? Is not love admit
| tedly the divine power? If so. let us rea-
| son up from this fact in human evolution
| to the nature Of Him who presides over our
drama and gives birth to every holy i'm
pulse Is not the best we know pretty
sure measurement of the infinite Best we
are tying to know? Is not this the Likelihood
-. ta7 Cod is not like in some