Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07
Living as Christ.
Rev. Dr.. Pence of Michigan Declares the Effort to
Live as Savior Will Lead Doer Into the High
est Possible Spiritual Experience.

that we have no record of what He did
as a carpenter in Nazareth; all of that
period lies In obsurty. We may surmise
about what He probably did as car
penter in NAZARETH. but let it be remem-
bered that we build up our surmise from
materials drawn from the later period OF
three public years when His motives are
set forth in as fierce light as ever beat
upon a throne
Some one put it this way a few years
ago when Mr.. Sheldons book was SO
widely commented on: Were Christ living
today. or in 1898. would He have COM
manded the American fleet in Manila bay
| on that May morning.? That is quite in
conceivable; but it is equally conceivable
that He should have approved the mo-
tives in Admiral Dewey that morning.
Would Christ have commanded the bat
tleshfp Texas that July morning In 1898,
off the coast of Cuba? Hardlyi but the
American people instantly perceived the
ChriStlikeness in brave old Capt Phillips,
who implored his men to cease their
cheers because those Spanish sailors were
dying
Genius of Religion.
Truth to tell, If Christians have not ut
terly Inexperienced the genius OF their
religion, every Christian has been all his
years of disciplesllip trying this expert
ment proposed by the Cleveland people.
1t has been commented that two weeks
attempt is altogether inadequate; that it
Is a reflection upon the great body or
Christians that such an attempt should
set the experimenters forth as singular
and unique. Every Christian ought to be
or is supposed to have been trying to do
what Christ wanted him to do. Every
preacher in Christendom, who has been
at all intelligent in reading his commits
sion, has been trying to persuade his
hearers to start at trial or to make a
better effort at trying to do what Christ
would want him to do.
I'm all of which. let it be remembered.
there is promised an earnest and honest
mind, judgment being constantly edu-
Gated in the acuteness by which II de-
termines what is right and what is wrong.
and then a moral senSitiyeneSS moving a
determined will toward right. Evangeli-
cal Christianity promises man out OF
the ample assurance of holy writ and
from the experience Of multitudeS that
he shall be abundantly sustained In all
his strivings after good.
Ideal Was Helpfulness.
1.-THE truth is. that the Old Testament
morals, summed up in the Ten Command
ments. are largely negative. expressed in
series of Thou shalt nots.' Where the
Ten Commandments said. Thou shalt
not KILL Christ turned the negative to q
positive, commanding men to save. to
build up, to construct life in others.
Where the commandment forbade steal
ing, Christ enjoined that men give, that
they minister. Where the commandment
enjoined men from Tying, Christ made 1t
duty to live as well as tell the truth.
In word, His ideal was 'helpfulness.'
not merely 'harmlessness.'
Utterly uncritical of the motive in the
Cleveland people who gave this move
ment its initiative, yet the precise truth
and principle involved SO far, involves In
turn the very elemental facts about Chris
tian conduct and its motive, that 1t Is to
be hoped that strong and sane guidance
may be given to it, and that it's devout
motive may be directed to positive gain
in Christian achievement and in public
morals