The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-02-22


dence in favor Of the conversion OF
Paul was so abundant and clear that
he could not be loyal to the demands
Of a healthy reason and reject it.
When the two friends met to compare
notes they were ready to worship him
whose religion they had sought to dis
credit. Their arguments, published
In a book l have read, are
able, proving that a true %rationalism
which patiently investigates and draws
fair conclusions from established
premises cannot fail to convince the
earnest seeker after truth that Jesus
was all that the New Testament
writer's claim for him.
A Strange Mixture.
The assertion of a Chicago rabbi
that the Apostle Paul produced the
Christ Of Christianity Is certainly COM
~plimentary to Paul until he informs us
that Paul was a poor, honest epilep-
tic, whose conversion was a hallucina-
ton he had during one of his epilep-
tic fits. That bewilders us and sug.
gests that unbelief can believe some
very absurd things. If epilepsy can
make a man like Paul, who in turn
produces such a character as Christ.
institutions for generating and cult
waiting epilepsy for the benefit Of com.
ing generations.
1t was Christ who made Paul, n
without Christ Paul had never been
heard of as a Christian preach
er or writer. Indeed, the only
rational explanation of Paul is the
fact that the risen, living Jesus
met him on the Damascus road and
transformed the fiery prosecutor into
an ardent missionary. However, ii
is to the credit of the rabbi that
he frankly admits the historicity Of
Jesus and the honesty of the apostles.
This shows that he has gray matter
in his brain.
The Only Explanation.
Christianity is a religion Of facts,
which, interpreted by sound reason,
prove that Jesus was not a product of
the age in which he lived, but God in.
carnate. No other explanation salts.
factorily explains him. Every other
explanation is simply an attempt to
explain him away
Jesus claimed that he was the
Son OF Man" and that thought was
not born of the age in which he lived.
He was not Jew enough for the Jew
nor Roman enough for the Roman nor
Greek enough for the Greek.
Jesus claimed that he was the Son
of God" AS the Son of man he was
truly man; and as Son of God he was
truly God. He said: He that hath
seen me hath seer the Father"
John 14:9.) Many men before and
after Jesus have tried to demonstrate
such attempt. His mission was to
manifest God in his own person.
A Unique Claim.
Jesus claimed that he was himself
the antidOte for all evil. Men have
presented their schemes for remedy.
Ing earth's ills, but Jesus stands alone
In presenting not a system, but his
own personality as capable of supply
ing the need of the soul. He said: Il
am the bread of life" Il am the way"
Il am the truth" Il am the life" Il
am the light of the world Come
unto me all We that labor and are
heavy laden and l will give you rest"
A Unique Mission.
The mission of Jesus was to estab.
lish a kingdom not of this world. |
John 1880. Such a thought was not
OF this world. The Jews were looking |
for a temporal king to deliver them
from Roman rule. If Jesus had
taken hold of their idea and used il
for his w advancement he would |
have acted like a man and his sue.
cess could have been explained like
the success of Napoleon and Washing. |
ton. On the contrary, he opposed the |
leaders of public opinion and began
the establishment of a kingdom which
lives to-day after the kingdoms OF
Greece, Rome and Egypt have ceased
to exist. A young man, a Door me. !
chanic, from a mountain village. with
no rich, powerful allies. does this in
three years! And he Ices it by the
deliberate sacrifice of himself. Men
have lied martyrs 10 their mission
But man has never yet planned mar.
tyrdom as a part CT his mission.
Jesus told his disciples that he would
go to Jerusalem and lie crucified and
on the third day rise again Matt.
16:21). He provides for a memo.
rial of his death. Men do not build
monuments to their defeats. The
French have n o monuments to call
Waterloo in mind. But Jesus would
have his followers to remember not
the Mount of TRANSPORTATION, but Cal.
vary; not his glory. but his shame. In.
deed. he makes his shama the test a