The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-16

through every mind that we are put into
this world in order to grow" we are not
universally interested in speculatlons about
Niryana, or about atonements, or ABOUT
the Survival of the fttest," nor IN the
discussion as to the proper aim, Wnetner
for happiness or virtue. Perhaps every
one is interested in one or another or
these means to the end, but we. are all IN
terested in the outcome-salvatlon lot t1e
human race. 1t is universal longing. IL
is one of the permanent things OF religion.
Then mankind has been universally IN
terested in another thing-the lncarnatlon;;
Ever since man became man and learned
that there was power outside OF hlmsei
to which he was bound, he has thought OF
this power as in some way entering INTO
and becoming the guiding power OF some
object of the visible world. At trst IL
was mere stick or stone, tree or river
or wild beast that was the chosen dwelling
place of deity. Then in good time the feel
ing grew that none but man would make
suitable habitation for the Creator; so we
hear of the Greek heroes, descendants OF
the gods" of Druidc and Delphic oracles
and of prophets in all lands whose speech
was controlled in an especial way by DEITY.
We hear of perfect incarnation OF Deliy
in Buddha. born of virgin, with his d.
vine parentage attested by miracles OF va
rious kinds, and teaching that there are
many incarnations similar to his own;
that whenever the world has advanced to
a condition in which its needs are dIterent
from the old, God incarnates Himself IN
mortal who thereupon becomes a great
leader and prophet: Our minds, OF course,
now revert to another incarnation, that OF
r1l - 1uhn a1c there
are many incarnations; who prayed that
His disciples might be one with God as He
Himself was one with Him. And again we
see the tendency of men to obscure the
great truth by the particular example. The
truth which has most obviously appealed
to men is the incarnation of God IN a SIN
gle man, or, formerly, in a class OF men,
as prophets or priests. The truth Of that
endures. and that has been pointed out
by Jesus and all the greatest leaders OF
men is that of perpetual and universal IN.
carnation. God has breathed the breath of
life and has lit the spark of divinity IN
mankind, for we are His children, made IN
His moral image, inheritors Of His divinity
because we are natural sons and heirs.
This is the tremendous fact toward which
the world is cropping. 1t explains the now
proven fact that mankind's trend Is up
ward rather than downward. 1t gives us
the courage for going on, for keeping up
the struggle when to our restricted view
the obstacles seem insuperable. 1t com
pels us to believe that this world Is found
ed upon good, that the good is Fastening
on toward immortality" while evil is self
destruction. If Gods in His heaven"
Gods in His world as we'll, the guarantor
of it's fundamental integrity, the insplrer
of every good thing in the heart OF man. :,
Do you not see how intimately connected
are the two ideas, the incarnation Of God
and the divinity of man? Both ideas are
everywhere recurrent in the theologies OF
the world, though their particular express
sion in one faith is utterly different from
that in another, and it is the difference in
the isolated expressions of the truth that
keeps men apart. The permanent thing,
the larger truth must wait upon our tur.
ther enlightenment and broadening OF view
before it can bring Ys together. we are
learning, it is true. The existence of an
religion, the modern armation of the
universally of spirit shows that we are
catching some glimpses of the larger truth
that lies behind our incarnations and
atonements, our theophanies and oracles,
our Buddhas and Jesus of past time. II
we had heard the real message of Jesus and
the prophets and poets we should long ago
have discovered this truth To be man
is to be descendant of God, to be de-
scendant of God is to be His prophet, His
incarnation, the inheritor of His divinity;
this is the larger permanent truth. one
which is prepared for by every religion
that the world has ever known.
After having agreed that to do right ls
the end of conduct, can we not take each
other by the hand in the fellowship Of that
profession, even though we may differ as
to the adoption of means to that end? 1t
we all recognize the fact that the salvation
of humanity is the permanent object OF all
religious effort. then our various methods
of attaining salvation will soon take their
proper places as subordinate elements of
faith and variable according as the needs
Of men vary. The creed then will be not
a Shibboleth by which to save one and to
exclude another, but covenant OF kindred
minds bent upon a common object and
drawn together by the natural sympathy
Of similar beliefs. Religion will be no
longer made up of reEgions-some false,
some true-but will be recognized as fun
damentally unit wherever man has lifted
up his head and called on the power that
is above him. We shall see that the essen
tial elements of religion are not the differ
ences that divide, they are the permanent
and fundamental things upon which all
forms of religion are founded, and which,
if we but let them, will unite men in the
sympathy of common aspirations and in
spiratioDs. ..... ...