The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-05-28

we should wipe out Professionalism No body knows that better than the Pope of Rome. Reason Is always critical, or asleep. Because 1t wouldn't stay asleep for Martin Luther and his like; because he and they permitted 1t to stay awake we are today members of our Protestant churches.
 And, whenever we conclude that our Christian religion demands reason asleep rather than awake, that moment we eon- fess that Protestantism itself is anti Ch1stian-the biggest spiritual blunder of the agesl Again let me insist that Pro- testantiSn can not prove it's claim against 1 Ronanism of superior fidelity to the let | ter of scripture. There is just as much | authority in the letter or scripture for the priest as the anti-priest, for the 1 Pope as the anti-Pope. As protestants, we can plead in self-justfication noth- l ing else than superior reasonaibleness in | Interpreting the letter of scripture-noth- ing else than a more reasonable fidel- 1 ity to the great fundamental truths ot the scripture-record.
 Fundamental Gospel.
 l Now suppose we do not ignore these particular words ascrbed to Christ. "Whose soever sins ye forgive they are forgiven, etc." but regard them as not less authentic than any sentence of the Sermon on the Mount. Then, in or der to maintain reasonable fidelity to His fundamental gospel, we are eompell- 1 cd to interpret them not In accordance with their obvious meaning. For consider the result, If we declined to adopt this course: Obviously. here were just eleven men authorized to decide in the case l of all other men, whether they should i be sinful or sinless in the sight of God; obviously, Peter, James or John, could confront any of his felIowmen, say to him. Your sins are forgiven" or your l sins are retained" and the sentence in any case would be ratified in heaven. But to suppose that Peter, James or John 1 had such authority as that given to them, would involve us in astounding moral contradiction and absurdity. The suppo sition would do away at once with the personal reality of sim would make of 1t a thing to be overcome not by moral faith and herosnl, but by a magical for mua.
 Christ taught no gospel at all if He didnt teach that to be freed from his sins and their consequences man must be freed from his sinfuness; and slnfulness is es- l sentially d quality, state, an attitude, of the mind, heart. will, personality, of a man toward God and his fellowmen. How then could anybody free me of my sinfulness by repeating a formula? How fix the attitude of my soul toward God and my fellowmen by exercising an off cial prerogative? The very chiefest of the apostles might say to me in the most solemn apostolic tones imaginable: Your sins are forgiven;" but, if I at the time was soul-faced toward iniquity, what could the words be but wasted breath in Gods sight? And, if any apostle should say to me: Your sins are re- tained." at time when the utmost en- ergy of my will was bent upon righteous ness. what possible hurt could his words l uhict upon me in Gods sight?
 So there can be no morally conceivable remission of sins for any man, except he face God and his fellowmen in the at titude of one who would be the friend of righteousness and the foe of iniquity and no retention of sins for any man, except he choose for himself the attitude of the friend of niquity and the foe of right eousness The souls sinfulness can be no more spoken into existence by human words than the soul itself And its sins must be lived away-they can not be pronounced away All priesthood 10 the contrary, are mere magic mummers in a realm where there is nothing magical
 Living Example.
 In light of a remarkable Christianity, not at all startling are the Masters s words by which He commissioned His dis cples to forgive and retain human sins, if we simply suppose that there was up- permost in His mind not any priestly pre- rogative of the men to whom He spoke, but the great, cleansing, saving, spiritual truth He had imparted to them. They were to remit the sins of their fellowmen. How? Why just as you and may remit inc sins of our fellowmen, and of one another everyday--by proclaiming by living out, before them and one another. the sin-destroyng truth of the redemp- tive gospel And, as there is no other truth by which men can be cleansed and saved than the Christ-truth; no other way on which men can journey heaven ward, than the Christ-way-the way of high fellowship with God and humanity those who should hear that truth and deny it, those who should behold that way, and reject 1t, would have their sins retained. And just as you and l may re- init the sins of our fellowmen, every day, by living out before them the | Christ gospel in sincerity and truth, so YOU and I are retaining the sins of our fellownlen, every day, to the extent that we are not living out that gospel before them in sincerity and truth-to the extent | that what we are living out is some un- lovely repeling caricature of it.
 Jesus himself had tested the gospel He committed to His disciples; it was no mere theory for Him; He had lived it, sinless; had passed through death to larger life with 1t, the Son of God; He knew it as the power of His own salva- ton. His own triumph; and. so I say | thinking of that eternal gospel commit ted to His disciples, not, of any mere pro- | prietary transferable. priest!y preroga- tive: identifying with His sin-destroying, | saving truth, them, His first chosen wit | nesses of it, He said to them "Whoso- 1 ..x, tbax- aro