The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-21

pher Having finished his denuncl;,-
ton of the eyangelists as ignorant
and forgetful men, he said: There
VIII be found remaining the most
ST. linie and benevolent code of NOR
ais which has ever been offered TO
man. Speaking of his morocco bound
Iscrapbook he called it the most sub.
lime edifice of morality. To friends
he often wrote of his book. calling it
the Morals of Jesus The Philosoo
ply Jesus extracted from the texts OF
the Eyangelists,' The Life and Nor
ais of Jesus of Nazareth To one
friend he called il y Precious Morsel
of Ethics He added: 1t Is a docu-
ment in proof that | am real Chris
tan, that is to say, disciple of the
doctrines of Jesus.
ut is to be observed in all these
names and in ali his praise that
Thomas jefferson never spoke of Jesus
as the Christ, as the Son of God, as the
divine Savior of men from their sins
or in any sense, in which the Lorn
Jesus ever spoke of himself from the
beginning till the end of his public
career With him the gospel was a
great philosophy a high code or
ethics a sublime edifice of morality,
something more pure and correct than
lever given by ancient sage" but it was
not the glad tidings OF glorious spir-
itual redemption.
Afraid of Ruzzin9 Insects.
|. 'As a statesman none was more
courageous and outspoken for the
ri~ht than the man in question; but
in matters of religion he had none or
this In 1903 Mr.. Jefferson sent 10
DR.. Rush his syllabus of the doctrines
of Jesus and said: In confiding ii 10
the malignant peryersion of those who
make every word from me a text for
new misrepresentation and calurn-
MES. On another occasion he said: i
am, moreover, averse to the COM
munication of my religious views 10
the public Again: I'not only write
nothing OH religion, but rarely permit
myself to speak on it. At another
time he declared he wus very cautious
about having the syllabus get out in
connection with his name being UNI
willing TO draw on himself swarm OF
insects whose buzz is more disquieting
than their bite
What Is the Criterion?
LET me now call attention to the
table Of contents which is from the
pen Of jefferson. 1t contains eighty
one selections. But u complete harm
'ony of the four gospels contains 16I
parts Thus the Jefferson Bible omits
.one-half Of the recorded facts of the
life of Christ. Turning to the six
teenth page of the introduction we
find this from Jefferson's pen: 4 have
made for my own use an extract from
the eVaugeIists of the texts Of Jesus
morals, selecting those only whose
style and spirit proved them genuine.
and his own. Thus il is seen that IN
making this book the United States
government has issued from WASH
ngton, its famous author rejected as
spurious eighty things which the
evangelists recorded as the product of
Christs speech and working
power
"3y what criterion. think you, did
Thomas Jefferson make his selection.s.
calling this one genuine and this one
spurious? He rejected everything
that was profoundly spiritual The
Temptation of Jesus. the testimony o.
Peter to him being the Son of God.
his trausfguration the resurrection.
and the whole of Johns gospel ex-
cept the account of his trial and death.
The book leaves Jesus in the grave
anu the world to-day bereft of a living
Christ. Being q great philosopher. Il
great moral teacher, Jesus died as do
others and the story Of his rising from
the dead is spurious,
"Very wise was this man in all
matters of state. but his work done
in the New Testament was much like
that of 4 bull iii Il china shop.
Faith Broken With Dead.
There is one thing to be said in
his faYor-he did not want his Life