Evening journal., 1923-02-14
PUT ON Christ,
BISHOP COOKS
LENTEN TOPIC
CONTINUED From First Page,

CONTINUED From First Page)
that when an ordained minister says
he must do this ne best stop preach
Ing as an ordained minister. II he
can accept only such parts as hts
own mind receives, and feels under
compulsion to reject the rest, when
he feels he has reached the place
where ne knows more about who
Christ IS and the circumstances of
hts ministry than those who were his
friends and followers and wrote the
account. Then, however. free he
may be to continue 10 speak 10 write
his place in a church that accepts
the Creed would seem TO be at an
end.
And yet most OF our people feel
that neither are they IN position
to defend their belief in an expert
way, dogmatically and theologically.
The whole thing Is too involved.
Few perhaps could explain what is
meant by st. Johns statement, the
eternal Word became flesh and dwelt
among u.s. Had Christ a divine or a
human Will: a divine or human /
mind; or had he both? These are
things that belong TO the expert |
We are not dogmatsts, but plain |
men and women trying hard TO be !
Christians. And we have a notion |
that Christianity is something dif- |
ferent from this-and we are right. |
''It Is not surprising that many |
should want to make this the test |
The world is constantly doing 1ust |
that sort OF thing. II Ats into the !
worlds disposition. So few are
really capable of thinking through. |
The vast majority are mentally inert /
and intellectually lazy. They are |
happy to be saved the trouble of |
finding out the truth for themselves. |
They are glad to be relieved of the |
anguish Of reaching a decision. |
They say, Tell us what TO believe
and we will accept It. Give us some
thing infallible, an infal1tble Church.
an infallible Book, an infallible
Creed Leaders play upon this
weakness. If a church is simply
thinking Of itself. It's growth and its
this is the most expedi-
ent policy It can adopt. !
This is what has been done out
in the East where the political pre-
,epts of ConfuCius and the phil
osophy OF Gustama Buddha have
been accepted as the fixed and un-
changeable guides Of life. These are
fixed and static principles. and the
East remained for centuries fixed
and static in its life. knowing no
Vi a ~ ~ Te q =
people of Arabia and the Turks have
done with the teachings OF Moham-
met the prophet It IS what the Jews
aid with the Law of Moses creating
such men as the Scribes and Phar-
sees, who would not stir from the
1dty of the law and condemned
Christ as an innovator and icono-
clast.
THE trouble with It Is that It is
not Christian.
Christ never gave US a fxed and
inal formula OF truth; He gave US
a living personality. He
never affirmed He had given US the
whole truth: He did promise that II
We accept Him He would, through
he power Of the Holy Ghost, lead
IS into all truth. He never said He
.ad solved all our problems for US
,ut He has promised 20 help us 70
olive our own problems. He has
Tot done our work for US. He helps
Is in our work. AS Ruskin says IN
me of his brilliant flashes, God
owes mere beggars as little as we
o.
There IS little IN common be-
ween even the statement of who and
that Christ is, however accurate and
rue. and that faith which He de-
lares saves US. Faith IS a very
ifferent thing There is somewhat !
he same relation between belief OF
his sort and faith that there is be
ween a prescription and the rnedi-
inc the prescription calls for. We |
lay or may not be able 10 read the
Probably we shall not.
DR. that is the work Of an expert.
ut II we take the medicine It will
ave the same effect, whether we
now how to read the prescription
r not. Belief is the ability to de
ne Christ. Even the devils believe
nd tremble. Faith IS the ability
, take unto ourselves the power Of
cd in Christ Jesus, TO make him the