The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1909-03-26

is in us, to be guided by the living
light and to let the dead bury their
dead.
All that which is good aud whole
some in the past will be preserved, but
there is no need OF binding ourselves
to an evil thing simply because it Is
old.
Leave the superstitions, the cant, the
hypocrisy. the greed. the tyranny. the
war, the class and sectarian divisions
the injustice to those who l~abor-leave
all these heritagcs of the ages that are
dead and follow the living Christ.
For he is living and as truly leads
his people today IS he did his disciples
nineteen hundred years ago.
But we have hedged him around by
a mass of cant creeds, formalities, SEE
tarianism, tinsel halos, Mammom wor'
ship, pagan force and murder, rub
Dish that We have gathered from all
the world and called by his sacred
name. Clear away the barriers and
let mankind look on the real Jesus.
10 HUI VSIclNS NVulSSIA. A!S 'AGp
ticism and new thought Of today are
not so much an antagonism to true
Christianity as they are to that which;
some are pleased to label Christianity
Humanity is turning more and more
to the simple and sublime faith Of the
NaZarene. The world is eager to re-
ceive the truths which he taught.
Are we not ready to abandon the
dead forms, the old dogmatic huSks,
the hatred and s~ellishness. the ancient
spirit of brutal force, the golden Idols,
the worship of money, and to turn to
the spiritual light, the doctrine Of love
and brotherhood, the gospel of self
remuneration, as presented by the Man
of Galilce?
Vows amount to little If the heart
Is not right. They are from the lips
outward and are broken rs lightly as
made. If we wish to abandon our
evil habits we must eradicate them
from our lives by taking a higher ami
nobler view, by seeking to render serv-
ice to others, by entering into the love
of good for its own sake.
AS with individuals. SO with society
at large. Laws are the vows of ma
lions. But if they come not from the
hearts of the people they avail moth
ing. You cannot permanently reform
the world by legal enactment. You
must eradicate the evil customs from
the popular life. You must spread
morality and intelligence, especially
among those in power and place. You
elevate the national ideals. You
must inculcate the spirit Of Christ i'll
the body polite. e'
In order to get rid of the wrongs OF
the past. the racial habits of evil. we
must get the racial heart right.
Before we can teach right. however.
we must be right ourselves.
The way to be right is to go to the
fountainhead. We must study Jesus
as he was-free from the accumulated
prejudices Of the centuries.
We must study his truths as lie
taught them, not as they have been
filtered through nineteen hundred
years Of creedism.
The Interpretation that answered in
the fifteenth century will not answer
in the dawn Of the twentieth.
The world wants the full gospel of
the Master, not the medieval concep-
ton thereof.
There is no danger from all the dis
cussion. investigation, higher criticism
and even doubt of this age.
Truth never permanently suffers
from the onslaughts made upon her.
but above the babel of voices rises
tranquil and triumphant.
Like nature, Christ's teachings con-
tain worlds as yet undiscovered. The
vast outlines are now beginning to
emerge into view. The race is coming
to catch new meanings and to see old
meanings in a new light. 1t is dis
corning spiritual depths and beauties
undreamed before. 1t sees the bear
ings of the Masters gospel on social
and Industrial questions. 1t is learn
ing that the reforms needed in this
age were foreshadowed by him nine
teen hundred years ago.
The result of all this will be a great
err and broader Christianity than has
ever before been known.
The man made doctrines and in
terpretations are disappearing. The
Christ made doctrines are rising more
and more into view.
Full of light and music and beauty
they are, and they will grow as men
grow more and more into their percep-
ton.