St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1906-01-24

port. When Simeon took the child in
his arms and hailed him as "a light for
revelation to the Gentiles" as wella "the
glory of thy people Israel" he spoke as
one who knew the Hebrew Scriptures
When John the Baptist, last in the line Of
the old covenant prophets, proclaimed
Jesus as ''the lamb OF God that taketh
away the sin of the world" he simply
showed that he had not studied Hebrew
prophecy in vain. And since the church
OF Christ was to follow the Christ, since
its life was to be continuation of
Christ's life on earth, it too must be ''the
light OF the world" its function was to
be "the salt of the earth" AS the Father
had sent Christ into the world, even so
He tells His disciples that He sends them
into the world. In the close of Luke's
gospel we read how it was ordained for
the Christ that He should suffer, and
none the less ordained for His church
that she should preach, in His name,
forgiveness of sins unto all the nations.
In the close OF Matthew's gospel we read
the great commission, go ye therefore,
and make disciples of all nations" la
their obedience to this command His
disciples would find His promise fulfilled,
10 l am with you Away" There is
no promise of His presence and blessing,
no reason to expect them, If the church
does not move forward with Him, shar-
ing His labors as He conquers the world.
How true was the early church to this
trust? At first it was nobly true. The
out. pouring of the Holy Spirit made the
work clear and the heart ready. The
initial momentum was something prodig-
ious. We see the disciples scattered every
where, preaching the Word. The story
of Philip proclaiming Gods message to
the multitudes at Samaria, and after
wards to the lonely traveller in the
desert, is but sample OF what was
going on wherever Gods providence
took the men to whom Christ had said,
"Ye shall be my witnesses" We see the
two great figures OF the book of Acts
Peter, who brings the gospel to the
Gentle Cornelius; Paul, the man chosen
Of God to carry the gospel steadily west
ward until it is FIRMLY planted at Rome.
The new faith comes to be definitely
distinguished from Judaism; it has clipped
it's Hebrew shell, and is known as
christian" The powers of idolatry set
themselves to destroy it; but the blood
OF the martyrs is the seed of the church,
and the great work of confession goes
on with increased vigor. Christianity is
aggressive, turning the world upside
down." steadily it wins its way until the
great cities are taken for Christ, and only
the villagers, "pagans," the jewellers OF
the distant heath, "heathen," still cling
to the discredited superstitions OF idola-
try. The great empire that had set its
whole strength to the extirpation OF
Christianity is obliged to cry in defeat,
ooh Gallilean, thou hast conquered"
And Constantine sits upon the Roman
throne, recognizing in the Christian
church bis chief ally, and accepting the
cross as the sign of victory.
THE DEFEAT OF DUTY.
But worldly success has ever been the
greatest peril of the Christian church,
and the faithfulness which could defy
persecution succumbs before prosperity.
The ENHANCEMENT OF church and state
was fruitful in evil. First a long strug-
gle tor freedom from state control, then
long struggle for supremacy over the
state; the greed of temporal power
jealousies, ambitions, political methods
of the worst sort to secure ends that
claimed to be OF the best. Again an
elaborate ceremonialsm, kind OF mix
ture OF Judaism and heathenism, bap-
tized into nominal Christianity.
Every appeal was made to the eye and
ear, and a religion OF sensuous worship
blended easily with the temper of that
sensual time. Formal theology again,
undertaking to find out God by logic, to
confront the in6del with argument that
was irrefutable. The philosophical con-
ceptions underlying the despotic govern
ments OF the time were wrought into the
foundation OF a theology that presented
a God radically different from the one
revealed by the Jesus of the New Tesla
ment. Christ Himself disappeared
behind a multitude OF intermediates
presented by the church. Once again
religion was moribund, and the people
were as sheep without shepherd. For
NAL, mercenary, corrupt beyond any con-
cepton of this better time, the organ
lied official church OF the middle ages
could not possibly be recognized or
honored or obeyed as embodying the
plan OF God. No longer acknowledging
itself to be "sent forth" to preach the
Gospel it lost its apostolic succession"
and ceased to be the holy church universal.
THE REFORMATION IDEAL.
Yet the mission of the church had not
been forgotten, though its leaders had
forgotten it. Much work was brought
to its doors by the successive invaslons
of Northern barbarlans. Devout mis-
sionaries had even received a kind OF
political encouragement, though daring
reformers who sought the actual purity
of the church had been ruthlessly sup
pressed. At last came time when sup
preston was no longer possible. and the
reformation broke out. For the
Reformed Church the whole fabric oil
priestlv assumption was swept away
The power of the priest to forgive sin,
the power of the pope or of the church to
come between the humble reader and the
word of Scripture, was broken forever
The writ of accommodation lost its
terrors, and the pope's bull could be
burned with no fear of the flames of he'll
resulting. For justification by faith
the true and simple acceptance OF Christ
as Saviour and Lord, set man as man
once more before his God. Any man
could exercise faith, anywhere in this
world. No priest was necessary to EN-
power him for this act, or to assure him
that the act was performed. 1t was
most wonderful, this new discovery Of
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