The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-06-05
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN INTERESTING DISCOURSE BY
OR. LYMAN AeeoTT.
Subject The secret OF Chrisnsnity-Not
Fine Windows and Music, Nut Making
the World Wiser sud Better-A Chris-
tan's Duty Summed Up In One Law.

preached Sunday morning on The Secret
OF Christianitv He took for his text
Luke ii: IL Unto YOU Is horn, this tay.
in the city OF David. a Saviour, which Is
Christ the Lord. and said:
In the Anglo Saxon version OF the New
Testament the word Saviour" is ren.
dered for the Ang,o-Saxon word helper.
You know also that the word Christ -
not proner name. but a title equivalent
10 The Messiah'-the Lord.
Every great movement has at the hear.
ot il some secret. which II we can discover
il. will disclose 10 We the secret OF that
great movement. What is the secret al
the heart of Christianity. which has made
il the great mower that II isg In asking
YOU 20 consider this question you will un-
derstand OF course. that l am not under
taking in half an hour 20 answer the entire
question; | am only going 10 try IN that
half hour 20 indicate the essence OF Chris.
tianitv-the secret of its vitality. The
Jewish neop'e were IN more than one sense
"a reculiar people" Among other things
in this That their faces were turned to-
ward the future All other nations look
backward for their golden age. but these
"peculiar neople" looked forward for theirs
They believed that a time was coming
when there would be peace instead of war
and for themselves nrosner,ty instead ot
universal poverty. They believed that this
great time would come through their own
nation and that Jerusalem would become
the holv city and the mistress Of the world
And their prophets even pointed forward
10 this divine consolation. and they lndi-
Gated that il would come through some de-
livercr. Sometimes they regarded the ma.
tion itself as that deliverer: sometimes a
succession of prophets; sometimes single
prophet; sometimes single man, a. king
or nrinCe, as a teacher as priest. as n
Man OF Sorrows. and acquainted with
grief" However different or incongruous
or inconsistent those prophesles might be.
they pointed the minds of the neople for
ward 10 n great delivery and delivered so
the shepherds perfectly well understood
the angels when they said The deliverer
has come: the helner Is here. Nou VIII hnd
Him crldled in the manger." When Jesus
began His ministry His first sermon. Of
which we have n record. was preached in
the synagogue at Nazareth. He went into
the synagogue. a roll was open before Him
and He read one of the prophecies nf the
great deiverer who was coming and then
said: This dav is this Scrinture fulfilled in
your ears | have come. / am that deliv-
erer" Having begun His ministry IN this
way He went out 10 be n helper and fed
the hungry. taught the ignorant and healed
the sick and diSnensed the gospel OF hope
Once John the Baptist, perpleXcd 10 know
If this was the Messiah. for things went on
much the Same and no great thing seemed
10 he ACCOMPLISHED sent Him a message
saving. "Art Thou the Messiahf" and
Christ said 10 the messengers "Wait here
see what YOU will see. and then 20 and tel
your master" The waited and saw. and
then Christ told them: "Go your wav and
tell John what things We have seen and
he9rd: how that the blind see. the lame
walk the lepcrs are cleansed. the deaf hear
the dead are raised, TO the poor the gospel
is preached"
No nan can undertake 10 help his fellow
men really sincerely. on large scale, with
out coming IN contact with men who do
no. want the help. those who are making
something out Of the misfortunes OF their
fellow men. Christ came in contact with
such, and thev leagued themselves together
TO destroy Him. He was arrested and
brought before the Jewish tribunal and
asked "Are Nou the Messiah" And un.
der a solemn oath He said. II am" Plate
said. "Are You a king" He said. Il am. .
To both the Jewish tribunal and the Ro
condemned 10 die and for Il He died
When He died the hopes Of His disciples
dissipated They said. "We thought He
was 10 be the great deiverer. but evidently
He was not" Bumors Of His ascension be
gan 20 circulate, and. little by little they
became convinced. and then they said
"Ah. He is the deiverer. after all" II you
OF the sermons there YOU will see that was
the burden Of all the apostolic ministry
No new theology. ethic or law. Their mes.
sages were all the same: The deliverer is
come He is here; the deliverance has be.
gun"
In the first century rule was hv absolute
despotsm. Gradually government has been
transformed. until now il is completely es.
tabIshcd. and there Is no government in
EurOrp Vsp pf hat a.
least recognize the fact that government is
not for the government, but for the gov.
erned All industry was servile. Half the
Roman population were slaves. and the
other half were on the edge Of famine and
only kept alive by the largess of others
Wherever Christianity has gone the chain
has dropped from the slave and labor has
been emancipated. There were no schools
IN Rome and none among the Jews, except
those connected with the synagogue. but
wherever Christianity has gone IL has es-
tablshed schools and wealth has been diff
fused among the people This is called an
age OF concentrated wealth. That Is not so
There never was an age and that is espe-
clally true of America when wealth was
more distributed. There are charities
everywhere. The church has also changed
the conception OF punishment, go that pun.
ishment has become reformatory. The oh.
iect OF the old pagan religion was not %
helm man; II was 10 appease the wrath OF
God or 10 purchase the favor Of a corrupti.
bic God Christianity has altered all that
with various degrees Of success. The church
Of Christ is engaged in the work of lifting
the burdens Of men, in inspiring them with
courage and nobler purposes. Christianity
is not a mere sum of doctrines. n new
method OF worship or a new law OF morals
IL is a great historical movement.
Flowing down through the centuries with
ever widening and docpening current. bless
inc every land it has touched and carving
with u some measure or helpfulncss. CHRIS.
tianity has done. through the centuries.
what Chris. did IN those four short Years
IL has helped the helpless. fed the hungry.
taught the ignorant. given courage 20 the
despairing and brought glad tidings 10 the
Door. The secret Of Christianity. then. -
helpiulncss. This IL Is that distinguishes
the theology Of the Christian religion from
the theology Of all other religions II is n
new doctrine respecting God-not absolute
ly 20. but still new contrasted with the
teachings Of other religions Everywhere
on the globe men believe in the aid of
God and in the power Of God The dis
tinction between the Jewish religion and
Paganism was not that one called God
Jehovah and the other Baal. II was that
one worshiped justice and the other
power. The message Of the PaV3n religion
was Of an omnipotent power back Of the
affairs Of nature AMI life. The message Of
Judaism was that God is righteous God
and demands Righteousness OF His children
Still We need 20 understand that God ex.
rects righteousness from us, and nothing
Jess viii satisfy Him. in later Judaism
there came the greater message. No longer
God az a powerful. just God. but God a. =
God who will help you 90 be righteous
The message of the later prophet was
mercy Nerr- go barlr.to Horrcr Conft.