Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-17
IN
WORLDS AFFAIRS
Jesus Has Been Omnipresent
Factor of AL History, Says
DR.. w. s. Marquis.
PLANS IN SHADOW OF CROSS
His Influence Felt in Liberation of
Oppressed Peoples, Settlement
of Warfare, Etc.

World Movements in Which Chris
tianity Is Playing a Part was the sub
lJect of the sermon delivered yesterday
morning by DR.. w. s. Marquis, pastor
of Broadway Presbyterian church. The
| verses from which the text was taken
are John 3: 1917 and read, For God
so loved the world that he gave His
tonly begotten Son, that whatsoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life. For God sent
not His Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world through
him might be saved" DR.. Marquis
said in part:
presence of such facts to pronounce
the religion of Jesus Christ "A white
mans religion The very thing that
marks the religion of Christ as super
natural and divine is that it is limit
less in scope and timeless in it's dura-
ton. Think for a moment of the sub
lime-the audacious reach of ChriSt's
mission. This humble NaZarene car
lpenter set for himself the task of re
creating the human race ana restoring
lit to God in the unity of a spiritual
Kingdom (-Bushnell)
Review the work of the great law
kgivers from Moses, Solomon and JUS
Itinian. Study the systems of philoso-
iphy propounded by philosophers who
have moulded great masses of human
fity, Socrates, Plato, Epictetus, Con-
luscious, Marcus Aurelius. Care
fully compare the teachings of the
founders of Ethnic religion-Budd-
[ oh do
amism-and you will not discover
anywhere one who hade the courage
to set before himself the spiritual
Regeneration Of the race.
"You will also find that everyone
of these great leaders has been in
Isome way limited to his own race
and times, but that Jesus is as the
Bishop of Ripon has said, The con-
Temporary of all ages; the omnipres-
ent factor Of all history, the omnipot-
emit force Of the centuries, the guild
| ing spirit of the race. His religion
/ is indigenous to every soil and at
fhome everywhere Even in the
shadow of His cross, He planned for
this spiritual conquest of the world
and taught His disciples a sweet and
simple sacrament to be obeyed until
He should come.
Spiritual Victories of Gospel.
THE first three centuries Of the
Christian era were filled with the
spiritual victories of the gospel. 1t
was carried to all nations, and show
ed itself the power of God unto sal
walton. Then came great tempta-
ton, and a great fall. 1t was the
same temptation that came to Jesus
when Satan said to him, Fall down
and worship me- 1t was the tempta-
ton to win the world by authority
and force and worldly methods and
not by the spiritual power of Gods
truth and Christ's sacrifice. The en-
peror Constantine led in this tempta-
ton. He made Christianity the state
religion. He welded the church and
the temporal power. The church
had been prosecuted and pure, had
tasted the poison of imperial favor
and power, the spiritual mistress of
the world was lodged in her breast,
and she gradually arrogated to her.
self the pomp and glory and author
ity of both the spiritual and temporal
realms. And then came the dark
ages flled with tyranny and terror
in the name of the gentle Christ.
1.-THE Protestant reformation reviv-
ed the spiritual life of the church.
1t led men back to the fountain of
truth, to the presence of the Great