Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1913-08-14

eye. The most Of
US drop out OF life and not ripple OF
interest is created on the surface OF
society. On the other hand as we
look at man as he is seen In his real
being. as he Is represented to Us in
the scriptures. how great does he ap-
pearl Only little lower than the
angels. crowned with honor and glory.
and given dominion over the creatures.
An old poet has very we'll expressed
our thought in this way:
/ An heir Of glory frar child OF dusti
Helpless, immortal insect infinite
\ worm a god I tremble at myself.
And IN myself am lost"
We must keep in mind that the
I question is. What is man that thou
art mindful of him? II Is God that
is in mind here. his estimate of man.
In the first place man Is mortal. that
is. he is like all beings composed Of
fesh. bones and blood: he is born, he
lives. he dies. Now II that we're all
could We say that God has put his
mind upon him, What has God done
for man as an ANIMAL II man would
obey Gods laws would he not be |
stronger. more comedy In person.
would he not be better housed, have |
more beautiful and pleasant surround |
ings2
But man is a moral being. and here
we are approaching the image Of God
Here we may include In the likeness
OF God the intellect also. As a moral
being man is accountable to God.
Here Is also the realm OF conscience.
the capacity OF distinguishing between
right and wrong And here We may
ind that the thoughtfuIness OF God
emphasis Every provision
IS made for mans moral perfection.
II conflict arises between the mere
y physical and the moral. the moral
IS preferred. and rightly so. because it
IS in this that the relationship be-
tween God and man is more clearly
shown. Every man has a conscience
unless indeed he may have put IL 20
death by his own neglect or abuse OF
u And God does not leave man with
the capacity of distinguishing between
right and wrong without a criterion
Of right. and We have the Bible. We
nave. too. the advantages that come
from association with men and women
OF nish moral character. and We have |
the fmmacuiAts life Of Jesu. Chrt.s
which a late writer has spoken Of in
the term. the moral glory OF Jesus
Christ
There IS no use denying that man
thinks very highly OF himself. and IL
Is the spontaneous disposition OF man.
when asked as to his moral or spir-
itual state. TO say that he is perfectly
right The redemptive work OF Jesus
Christ throws the searchlight on man,
aud he sees himself as God sees him.
and gets the correct answer to the
question. What Is man that God should
think upon him and visit him? In the
first place he is not right He is not
Just slightly wrong Taking the teach
ing Of the only book that has ever
fairly depicted man. We must concede
that the picture is gruesome and sad.
AT the very beginning Of the race
when man had not gotten far from
the state OF perfect innocence. II was
said that every Imagination OF the
thoughts Of his heart was only evil
continually. Job said that II he at.
tempted to justify himself his mouth
f would condemn him David said that
all men are gone astray. that they had
+ altogether become filthy. that there
was not one that did good. no. not
one. Isaiah saw that all OF man pro
fessed righteousness Was as filthy
rags. and that his iniquities like the
u-fr1 49,
Christ spoke OF some men as a gen
Grafton OF .vipers. and questioned
whether out OF them. being evil. auy
good thing could come. The picture
that Paul gives In his letters 10 the
Romans and Galatians Is one that
makes US shudder. Thus Is man as
God thinks on him. and there Is moth
ing less that God could do for him
but TO redeem him out OF his wretch
eaness and misery and death. As God
thus saw him he saw in him the most
glowing possibilities OF future great
ness and glory. The glory OF the
Christian religion is that It makes pro-
vision for mans regeneration. not sim
ply mis- spiritual inward regeneration
but the regeneration OF man In his
whole being. Twiceborn men can be
numbered this minute by the tens Of
thousands. men whose present ia al
different from the past as day is from
night. God sees in every man how
ever low, an angel that Is more beam
tiful than the angel that the sculptor
sees in the block OF marble.
In the history of the human rzee
God has visited them in Judgment. in
mercy. In the person Of Jesus Christ
God visited Jerusalem about nineteen
hundred years ago. and the saddest
moment in the history of Israel vas
when she did not recognize the day OF
her visitation. and TO this day God IA
visiting Israel in Judgment. Az Goa
now sees man in his sinful condition
and thinks on him. he wants 10 VISIT
him. and wishes to see in man his own
image now so marred restored. To
show this thoughtfulness and des,ra
to visit man in mercy he made the
greatest sacrifice that # was possihla
for him to make. even that of nj,
| son.