The Neshoba Democrat., 1910-03-03

~E areth. That baby of poor
w. parents, born in stable
in little village in an OBJ.
scure corner of the Roman empire, is
token of the divine energy in what
we call Christianity. When we think
that this has been secured in spite
| of poverty, the enmity of his con-
temporaries, the Indifference of the
| political powers under which he lived
and the humble origin of his first fol,
lowers, the wonder of the result grows
When we also remember that this
reality has come to pass not by de.
pendence upon the forces upon which
world movements have relied, such as
| arms, wealth, intellectual powers, and
social prestige, but purely through the
inherent might of Jesus religious
ideals, the marvel reaches it's maxi.
mum.
To produce this result, two great en-.
v1ronments had to be affected. Ju
daism's venerable system of piety al
ready fixed in Journalism and legalism
had to be displaced by a religion OF
vitalities which substituted love
for law, and allowed love to use
it's own forms of self-expression
Heathenism, which was lacking in
ethical content, had to be permeated
| by visions of living Righteousness
which would virtually create a pure
code of morals, and lead the great
world outside of Judaism to the knowl
| edge Of hitherto unknown God who
is holy and loving.
A Superb Dream Made Real.
No citizen of the world ever had
such a dream as filled the heart OF
Jesus. He saw the kingdom of Cod
that social condition of humanity in
which all men should live as sons OF
the heavenly Father, and therefore as
brothers with one another. This ideal
was to express ITSELF not in churches
or ecclesiastical organizations, but in
all social life. The realms of industry
the home, the parlor, government, and
all other organizations in which man
kind expresses it's social instincts
were to be the spheres in which this
superb dream was to be made a liv
ing reality. So far as Jesus thought
OF churches, they were to be, not
Noahs arks into which few of the
elect were to be brought to save them
from impending disaster, while the
rest of mankind was committed tc
the flood, but social energies com
posed of those who shared his match
less dream, and who were to work
to make actual his unique vision
every individual of them in,the realms
in which he lived.
This great achievement was to be
realized, not by legislation nor by
mechanical and political means, but
by the transforming power of human
lives made over again so that the,
could themselves see and enter into
this kingdom. The children of the
kingdom were the good seed in the
field of the world. No one before him
had ever dared to imagine that hu
manity could be transformed by the
simple power of such goodness as was
due to sincere filial relation to God
incarnated in the lives of men. He
rested the entire future of his work ir
the hearts of few disciples, and be
lieved that they, and others in sue
cessive generations, would so live
what he himself had stood for, that
at last every human being would enter
into his kingdom, and thus his hope
should be realized.
Faith the Means of Conquest.
No less striking is the means upon
which he relied to accomplish this
vision. He called for simple faith in
himself. In doing so, he leaned upon
the most commonplace, the most en-.
ergizing and the most rational power
which we know. All men have conf.
dence In some others, or some things,
Every man knows that faith is the
most vital thing in the world, for
| nothing comes to pass unless some one
believes that it is possible. 1t is the
most rational thing that humanity
knows, for it begins with the child
on the mothers breast and contin.
ues through all the relations of life,
and thus has the sanction of universal
experience to vindicate it's reasonable.
ness. This faith does in religion what
it does everywhere else. First, it gives
us the vision of an ideal 1t yields
conviction of the reality of unseen
things, and gives substance to things
hoped for. The man of faith sees as
concrete what is only vision. Again,
faith opens the life to all outside in
fluences that can assist it in realizing
this vision. To this, witness the child
in the school, and all forms of our
communication with others, and the
whole story of education and com
merce. Faith in the realm of religion
opens mems souls to the power OF
God that pours itself through count
less channels into every heart that
has the hospitality born of confidence
Again, faith stirs all energies within
US. All things are possible to him who
believes. Faith stimulates our intel
lects to devise, moves our feelings and
enthusiasm to vitalize, and stirs our
wills to act. When Jesus, therefore