Orange County observer., 1905-05-18

it's grand exponent Each Christian is
a matriculate in the preparatory school
and when the term time Of life shall
end will receive certificate into the
University of Heaven. Laws are being
constantly changed in order that they
may be adapted to the varying condi-
tions of mankind. Amendments to the
Constitution have been added one by
one. Statutes are subject to frequent
revision. Provisions that have proved
injudicious have been struck out. Nee
essary notifications and additions have
often been made. Can anything be
added to the system Of religion which
Jesus introduced into the world? Has
! the Sermon on the Mount" ever been
improved? Can it be? AS well at
tempt to add to the radiance of the
midday sun or the majesty of the heav-
ing ocean. The necessity Of change
would imply weakness, crudeness, i'm
perfect knowledge. 81 am the Lord,
change not" and Christianity is the
creed of Jehovah-the system of Him
who said, II am the truth" Who shall!
say that Christianity can ever need
modifica ton?
10 what age of the world, to what
| nation, to what government, to what
human conditions has it not been
| adapted? Still, in its beginning, it
| seemed Of small and weak proportions.
| From human standpoint, what could
appear more uncompromising? It
seemed like Lilliput arraying itself
against host of giants. We are SO
! constituted that we look for causes
which shall seem adequate to given
effects. Who in the first century could
have conceived as ever possible the
scenes which in these latter days greet
our eyes and the facts which thrust
themselves upon our attention? Christ
Himself was poor and obscure Naza-
rene peasant, without prestige or i'm
mediate pedigree OF note. His disciples
were, with few exceptions, lacking in
culture and of but limited influence.
The new religion had in it nothing to
win the oLulent OF the influential. It
ministered not to the caprices of men,
but cOmbatted their strongest preju-
dices. It brought not "peace, but a
sword Judged by ordinary stand
ards, it seemed doomed to failure. We
need not turn to the grand treatises OF
the Buffers, the Paleys, the Dwights
lreSiStlesS as their arguments seem; the
sublime history of Christianity during
these nineteen centuries offers might
ier and more eloquent plea for it's di
vine origin and character, a perfect
Gibraltar, against which all the shafts
of infidellty seem but paper pellets
But as we turn again to the inspired
narrative of the dream Of the Baby
lonian king, we read that after th'
image was smitten and the iron, The
clay, the brass, the silver and the golc
were broken in pieces, becoming ik'
the chaff Of the summer threshing floor
the stone which destroyed the imag
became a great mountain and fllet
the whole earth.
f Thus in mystic symbolism was tn
: truth revealed that the kingdom, Whic
j at length Jehovah should set up, wa
. destined to universal prevalence. No
4 are we limited in this view to the lar
: guage of symbols. ''Ask of Me and
e will give thee the heather for thine il
D heritance and the uttermost parts Q
e the earth for thy possession" Th
y earth shall be full of the knowledge G
G the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
y Thus David and Isaiah, peerin
: through the perspective of comm
years, beheld the wondrous ascendenc
!, of the kingdom Of Emmanuel. Whs
r appeared to these prophets Of the olde
Z / Iluc Ill V1S1OA dppCdlO " uo ~
: into history, glorious with the gran
e achievements Christianity has wrough
il Magnificent victories have followed i
f banners. Territory after territory hs
: been added to its dominions. Despi
q the opposition which its represent
tives have met, the fiery persecution
not limited to the period of Its intr
- duction, but blighting the records
;. ten centuries. and, indeed, times lol
e after the "dark ages its growth b.
been phenomenal; aye, more than ths
divine. Palestine has become t
le moral centre of the world. The pray
= which Jesus has taught, sThy kingdo
Gomez is being graciously answere
3 Judging from the history Of Christia
20 ity and reasoning from analogy, had ,
=, not the promises Of the Sacred Wol
~ we should be compelled to anticips
:. ~ the ultimate triumphs Of THE T
- denmer's canse."
Of Iron was discovered in Virginia (t