The San Francisco call., 1909-03-27
EVENTS COUNTIES BORDERING OF SAN FRANCISCO
CHRISTIAN FAITH
WROUGHT CHANGE
Bryce SO States in
Lecture of Theological
Interest

BERKELEY. March 26.-Before an
audience fully as large as that which
greeted him last night when he opened
the series OF z. T. Earl lectures under
the auspices of the Pacific theological
seminary. Ambassador James Bryce de-
iivered the second of the series of lee
lures on Ethics and Religion in Mod
ern Life" tonight. President j. K. Nc
Lean of the seminary presided. The
third lecture will be delivered March %.
Having in the previous lecture told
of the relations between ethics and re-
Iigion prior TO the Christian era DR..
Bryce declared his purpose tonight of
lnquiring as to the erect and character
that Christianity had on ethics. and as
TO the nature and impulse given to
huenced those classes among whom
morality has been unconnected with re-
ligion.
TREADs ON COMMON GROUND
He repeated the caution of the first
lecture that he did not intend TO treat
Of dogmatized' religion. but would tread
upon common ground and thus break
away from all denominational differ
ences; that he would not touch upon
Christian doctrines. as this subject did
not fall within the present scope of the
lecture he had in mind
He said he would explain how the
new ideas and spirit introduced by
Christianity effected ethical theory and
human action.
In speaking of Christianity, DR.. Bryce
said:
we must not forget how much Of
what we call by that name had ex-
listed before Christ's coming, and is TO
be found in the old testament, es-
pecially in the Prophets and the
Psalms The conception of the right
eousness and holiness of God, of the
love of God for his creatures, of the
longing of the soul for God, are all
10 be found often expressed with the
greatest power, in those parts of the
scriptures, and they become parts or
Christianity as it was preached to the
Gentiles. The relations of moral pre-
cepts and moral conduct to religion
were profoundly altered by Christianity,
because il based all morality and the
whole of human action upon religion;
that is, upon obedience to Gods Will
and the love of God and OF Christ. The
revelation Of Gods will became the
standard OF moral conduct, and the
sense OF duty and love became the
handspring of action"
NEW COURSE OF ETHICS
This resulted in a new course of
ethics. the lecturer declared, bearing
closely upon the relations OF man to
the Deity.
DR.. Bryce talked at length on the
dignity and worth which was added
to human nature by this new idea con-
ceived OF religion and morality In
fused by the teachings of Christ. He
said that man set an ideal for himself
upon his conception of a perfect life
the pattern being the life of Christ
himself, upon the doctrine OF morality
and the future state
Christianity, he continued, had either
created or brought out into a fuller
meaning such virtues as those of hu-
mfIity fraternity and self-sacrihce. The
love of ones neighbor was conjoined
with the love of God. The relations
of the sexes were raised to a far
higher level. and woman made in the
spiritual and social field the equal of
man. So, too, all inequalities of race
were abolished so far as religion was
concerned; all the children of God were
to be brethren and equal Thus, under
] A-l cl1dAlLss CA--A1S O. NbSOAOO W
and became a part OF religion, a rela-
tion quite unlike that which had ex-
listed in the heather world; while at
the same time this faith, including both
ethics and religion, was preached to
all classes and difused among the
poor and ignorant equally with the
richer and educated This was the
greatest moral and social change that
had ever appeared in history.
SPEAKS AT UNIVERSITY
In addressing the students of the
university at the bimonthly meeting
of the student body in Harmon GYM
nasium this morning DR.. Bryce de-
clared that as he grew older he had
come TO doubt the value of his own
opinions. The time has come" he
said, for me to listen rather than
be listened TO. The possession of any
opinion to be expressed aggressively
is the happy privilege of youth, and
I wish to congratulate you upon the
possession of this excellent custom of
meeting together in this democratic
manner.
We have nothing like this at OK
ford; there is no meeting at all where
the students gather from time TO time
to sing and talk and I wish we had
this custom there.
1T is something worth while, this
college spirit. and I would advise you
TO preserve it after you have severed