Year: 1877

What is God men asked The Stoics
answered the question, and said "God is
the impersonal soul of the universe. God is
everything, and everything is God. Matter
is divine. The soul is but mere ethereal
matter. Stones and mountains, trees and
animals, men and women, are but manifesto
tions of the deity. The universe itself is
only period in the development of God.
All things are as they are by insuperable
necessity. Storms must blow on till they
exhaust themselves, and if you are caught
in them, there can be nothing for you but
to take your chance. The only support for
life is granite will. Indifference is re-
ligion. Pleasure is no good pain is no evil.
The noblest man is he who dwells apart, in
sublime apathy, unmoved by any change,
unstirred by any passion; asking no assis-
tance, wasting no sympathy, gazing from an
iron earth toward brazen heaven"


What is God men asked again. The
Epicureans answered the question, and said
"Pleasure is the end of life. If animal in
diligence be the highest pleasure, be it so
enjoy yourself. Ii the action and culture of
the intellect be the loftest pleasure, be it so.
But self-indulgence is the end. All things
center in the self. And so it follows that
the deity, ii deity there be, is necessarily a
being whose chief desire is his own felicity.
What cares he for the sorrows darkening the
world The ocean of his indifference must
be too broad for any ship of assistance to
reach a struggling soul. The deity dwells
in bridgeless separation, selfabsorbed, un-
mindful of


Blight and famine, plague and earthquake,


Roaring deeps and fiery sands,


Changing fights and flaming terrors


Sit,lri inf frahf and tarn nvif haf Ia


What is God men asked again, and the
Pharisee replied: God is being who, in
any case, has no care for publicans and sim
ners. His complacency is great toward such
an one as myself. | fast twice in the week
| bear his law about me written on my gar.
ments; pray long and often on the street
corners ! bid the trumpet blazon on my
charities. Manifestly God must immensely
care for me; but toward gentle, alien, sin.
ner, God has certainly no thought whatever


And yet again men asked the great ques
ton, and found the answer in the life of him
who was God manifest in the flesh.


The Being who walked the sorrowful path
through Galilee and Samaria and Judea was
distinguished by no more marked popularity
than this-a specific loving attention to all
thronging him, whether jew or gentle, pub
ican or Pharisee, ruler or slave. A pooI
sick woman in the crowd could not touch
the utmost fringe of his garment but that
he would notice it. When the sisters OF
Bethany are weeping Jesus must mingle his
tears with theirs. Nor could little children
be brought within his presence except the
Lord would take them up into his arms, put
| his hands upon them and bless them.
have seen wood cut of an old Wanna
cameo representing the apotheosis of the
| Emperor Augustus. He is seated on q
| throne. The gods surround him. He hold.
the emblems of dominion in his hands
| The laurel wreath is just about to be laiC
upon his brow. And below him there i,
represented the misery and the sorrow of tn,
world. Men stagger under great burdens
or sit, with head in hand, bewailing thei
distress. lleadess trunks lie prone ON bat
tlefelds Old age beseeches war for mercy
vainly tender maidens and little children
lift up imploring hands but are ruthlessll
struck down. And all the time Augustus
now become god, sits unnoved, never turn
ing so much as one pityng glance earthward
but gazing always straight away in stole
unconcern. Such was mans idea of Goo
till Jesus came.


have seen another picture. 1t is callet
Christus Consolator. Christ is seated on
throne. lie is Lord of all. Before him ar
gathered the outcast and miserable of tn
world. The aged man bent beneath tn
burden of a century, the sick man wasting
with slow disease, the slave lifting hand
heavy with chains, the mother weeping owe
her dead babe-all these are there, and he i
speaking heed and care and help for ALL


1t is such God men need-the God mad
manifest in Jesus Christ. Prayer into hi
heart is nightly real. There is shinin
hope amid the densest darkness since God
such God.-ChriStidn Union.