The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-05-14
Saturday Digit
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RELIGION AND
CHRISTIANITY
international Bible Lesson for
May 16, 'oo-(Acts "a: I-2S).

Christian lands that people can be
found who are neither religious nor
Christian. The missionary who goes
to heather lands to preach the gospel,
does not have to teach those darkened
minds the iuea of worship. In that
particular they are all ready for him.
The objects of religious alteration are
among the most conspicuous things.
Heather Worship.
Those lands are full Of temples, al
tars, sacrifices, priests, devotees. One
Of the first things a heather mother
teaches her child is to pray. Every
home has its idol god, every trade
| and profession its patron divinity.
They have religion enough in all con-
science, but their religion is the pro-
duct of superstition, of fear, Of lust, OF
murder, earthly, sensual, devilish.
! Natural religion everywhere teaches
men that they are sinners and that
some rite, sacrifice or service is need
| ed to propitiate an outraged divinity.
More Gods Than Men.
Greek and Roman mythology, the
| Epic of Homer, which was the Greeks
Bible, reveals to US the heather mis-
| Interpretation. AS we read these
| pages we see gods and men, not quite
| in equal numbers, mingling in the
| fray, and sweeping in bloody combat
| about the walls of fated Troy. In that
! ancient world each fountain had its
| nymph: each brook it's naiad; each
wood it's dryad; each wind had its
| presiding god. and a deity was at the
| beginning and end of diversified hui
| man experience. The sea was heaved
| by them, the earth teemed with them,
the air swarmed with them. The uni
verse. as they knew it, was believed
! to be filed with deities, inferior and
superior: and every natural occur
renee which they could not explain
was supposed to be a direct interfer-
ence of the gods. Vast amount of re-
| liEon, but no Christianity.
When the apostle Paul was on his
first missionary journey he came into
contact with this phase of natural re-
ligion at the city of Lystra. Having
| performed a miracle in the healing OF
|
people straightway jumped at the CON
clusion that he was a divine being in
the guise of a man. They Surmised
| that Barnabas, on account of his per-
sonal appearance was Jupiter himself,
| and that Paul was Mercury, because
he was the chief speaker. And there
fore, before the apostles knew what
| f1n off nf W. c
| prepared, the garlands were woven
and the oxen were being led out to
sacrifice. They said, THE gods have
come down to US in the likeness Of
men"
Become Like Their Gods.
But the character of their religion
was speedily shown up. For the mo-
mant they discovered their ludicrous
mistake they turned upon the men
they were just about to worship, and
permitted their Jewish enemies to
stone Paul to death. The extremely
pious worshippers Of Jupiter one mo-
ment, became a riotous, murderous
lynching party the next. 1t was gar
lands of roses at first; it was the
stones of the highway, maledictions
and curses the next. Religion, nat
ural religion stretches out its hands in
the darkness, feeling after God, but it
has no answer for the souls cry for
help, it has no Transforming power
over the soul. They become like the
gods they worship.
But Paul was not the first, nor the
last man, to realize the shifting ma.
ture Of public opinion. Many a preach.
er knows what it Is to be fawned
upon at first and scratched later on.
Nothing is too good for him at his
coming; nothing is too harsh for him
at his going In one sermon he can
make lifelong enemies. In one trans
action he can accumulate a stock OF
animosity that is exhaustless. Men
VINO refuse to wear the worlds gar
lands, must expect to feel the worlds
cruelties.
Public Opinion Weathervane.
Public opinion is like a weathervant
which whirls about whichever way the
wind blows, and has no other property
than to point out its direction. Such
; considerations should cause us t.
properly estimate its value. No mar
should be puffed up when garlandi
are woven for his brow, and no mar
should complain when he is made the
target Of abuse. Paul had not the
least idea that he had any godlik,
qualities when they said he was Ger
tainly Mercury, the spokesman Of Jupi
ter and he had no words Of harsl
vituperation when they said he wa'
a fraud. an imposter. and dragged hi
mangled body through the streets.
We shall all get along better in this
, life. II We put the world in its propel
, place, neither pufted up with its nat
, terry, nor depressed with it's power. l
we keep on good terms with the Gre
ator and our own hearts, we need no
fear the effect either Of adulation o.
e condemnation. Let the wind blow
, | ia -