Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-16

vasion Of South Africa, with as deep but more in
tellgent hate, to kill and destroy in more moderI
warfare, his professedly Christian brother, th,
Boer
He whom we review belittles dogma, quote
Jesus as Indifferent to doctrine while despisine
ritual. charging that He suffered persecution be-
cause He would not come to terms with religious
society. II dogma involves authoritative utterance
''never man spake like this man. He spoke as ont
having authority" See John 1886, 5:24, CAT. Al
to ritual He proved Himself Jew in conformity tt
it's requirments as babe, child, man, meeting
every demand Of the law; circumcised the eightf
day, keeping the Passover His last night. 1t wa,
not dogma nor ritual, but hypocrisy which separat
ed our Lord from the Pharisees sHe came tt
save" not to consort with all the diverse religion
lists Of the day toprove His breadth, nor to pampel
their pride by lauding their empty traditions 1
they wanted anything Of Him they could learn it al
His feet, as sinners; but they refused the gift o.
eternal life, while the common people heard Hin
gladly.
Again we are told, without Scrptural authority
that Jesus passed by the respectable in Jericho and
passed the night with Zaccheus, statement which
might pass nnnoticed If the same measure Of mis-
statement did not characterize almost every utter
auce OF this Scotch Doctor Of Divinity. He speaks
Of Inen being perplexed with Jesus; perplexed he
cause rehuked in fathfulness by the One who
could read the heart; there was no perplexity with
Mary OF Bethany; there may have been with the
itch young Ruler. There was no room for per
plexity where there receptivy; religious bgots
despised Him; sin-sick sinners needing compassion
receivedit
Our Doctor in one Of his flights pays a sweet
tribute to Jesus as He turns sinners to saints a
beautiful CLEAN Of white light amidst manysh adows
but uninstructed in the Word, nntaught by the
Spirit he continues to handle the Word OF God
decetfuly he refers to Jesus and the Pharisees.
Jesus calls them whitened sepulchres, denounced
them while sitting in Moses seat and binding bur
dens on men which they would not move with one
Of their fingers. Yet we are told that they were
not bad, but simply looked at things from differ
ent standpoint. He tells us that one day when the
critics we're especially severe. Jesus seized the
occasion and made His great Apology in the fif-
teenth OF Luke. In this connection Jesus is made
to say "the sinners were certainly waste and DANCE
rous stuff but it cupabe waste the result Of i'm
perfect religious process" but nowhere is Jesus
found to give expression to such sentiments Jesus
did not regard them as mere integral parts Of the
body pOlitic dangerous to its peace needing to be
civilized and Christianized for the sake Of the com
munity. Jesus never referred to them as a dam
gerous class because Of their disposition to prey
upon others, or likely to become eurseto any but
themselves
Religion operated in Jesus day as sn insuper.
able obsticae in the way Of reconciliation to God;
sinners saw through it and refused it. No process
can operate to elevate nearer to God than that
which is involved in their BIRTH born after the
flesh, children OF wrath born after the Spirit chill
dren Of God the gift Of God is eternal life, not re-
ligiOn. The more religion men get, the more radi-
CalIy they become what this modern calls ''daDger.
ous stuff.''
The Master is said to make his appeal through
treason, and yet HE presence In the world. His
methods were all above reason and not susceptible
Of being understood any hypothesis suggested BY
man. He never asked for mems upport never
appealed TO men to stand by Him, receive Him, not
because His view was most fitting but because they
were lost without Him; He never made . defense Oi
Himself His principles, Or offered an apology fol
His action.
The silly twaddle abOut the prodigal has the
merit Of originality. he came back neither humble
honest nor patient; among tho swine in his hunger
wretchednessa and hlth Ne Remembered these things