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THE THEOLOGY OF THE SAVIOR.
THE CONVENTION SERMON, PREACHED
AT CHATTANOOGA, BY C.
A STAKEI.Y, D D.
“And one of the scribes came and
* * * asked him Which is the first
commandment of all? And Jesus an
swered him: The first commandment
of all is, Hear. O, Israel, the Lord our
God it one Lord; and thoushalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind and with all thy strength." Mark
12: 28-30.
With this passage of scripture for a
text it is proposed on this occasion to in
stitute a brief inquiry into the doctri
nal position of the Savior, in so far at
least as it can be made out from His
own words and acts Theological dis
cuasion is growing more and more
closely every year around the historic
Christ. It is believed by many that
after all Jesus himself is both the an
alysis and the test of the religion which
he came to establish. The words of Je
bus, as distinguished from those of the
evangelists and the apostles, are both
subjected to a new scrutiny, and His
acts are scanned afresh for any new
light which they may throw upon His
position as a teacher. To those of us
who are his disciples this test should
not be unwelcome, though we may be
conscious of the fact that it is not al
ways made with an unmixed motive,
and has sometimes led to an underes
timate of the apostles and all those por
tions of the sacred scriptures which are
distinctly involved But if the appeal
to the Savior himself be invited, to
the Savior let us go. If we cannot join
with those who wish to construct a new
theology on the basis of the Sermon on
the Mount, we cannot be unwilling to
strike the truth at the fountain head
and to receive from him, who spake as
never man spake, his own views, as far
as He was willing to express them, of
the religion which he came to estab
lish.
Dr Broadus, in his excellent little
work on Jesus of Nazareth, has in
three lectures presented our Lord in
his personal character, his ethical
teachings, and his supernatural works.
It would have been of incalculable
value to our ministry throughout the
country if the distinguished ami la
mented professor had added a fourth
lecture, presenting Jesus of Nazareth in
his doctrinal belief That our Lord
was a theological, no less than an ethical
teacher, could go without saying. In
the range of his instruction he cer
tainly covered many of those matters
that are usually embraced in theologi
cal discussions. His ethical teaching
was the outcome of his theological be
lief. It *was precisely because he be
lieved as he did with reference to God
and man, and the relations between
them, that he taught as he did with
reference to human discipline and duty.
If his theology had been different, he
would have presented to the world a
different system of ethics
In considering the theology of the
Savior let us notice: (1) Its sources. (2j
Its contents, and (3) The method ofa
its presentation I
ITS SOURCES. I
The scribe who approached the Lord]
with his question touching the greatest!
of the commandments was probably noifl
surprised at the action of our Lord iB
quoting from one of the books of thß
(lid Testament. The Savior had sources!
of belief, There were grounds upon!
which die rested his teachings. Tiienß
were authorities to which he appealed]
in vindication of its claims. A careful]
study .if his words and acts will showj
that the sources of his theology wereO
natural, historical and direct. It. isM
evident from some of his allusions that!
He beheld in created objects, in prov ■
idence and in the human mind and con
science the three divisions into which
the book of nature falls not only some
subordinate lessons of truth and duty,
but the footprints of an originating aid
directing power. When He spoke of
the sun rising on the evil and the good,
the rain falling on the just and unjust,
of day and night, of heat and cold, of
moist and dry, of seed time and harvest,
of the clothed grass of the field and of
the fed birds of the air. it was to inti
mate that in His belief all these are in
stinct with a divine idea Our Lord
may be regarded as brother to all who
in the spirit of reverence “Look through
nature up to nature's God."
But He recognized a higher source
than the book of nature. He respond
ed to the thought that God had spoken
to the world by revelation and inspira
tion. He looked upon the canonical
scriptures of his countrymen as the ora
cles of God. In the wilderness He van
quished the devil. -Standing up in His
own synagogue at Nazareth. He read
from the sixty first chapter of Isaiah.
He said reprovingly to the Pharisees,
“Ye make void the law of God by your
traditions," and-to the Sadducees, “xe
do err, not knowing the Scriptures."
He appealed to Malachi in vindication
of John the Baptist. He foretold a part
of the destruction of Jerusalem in the
language of “Daniel, the prophet." His
fourth saying on the cross was a pierc
ing sentence from the 22d Psalm, and
after His resurrection, “beginning from
Moses and all the prophets He ex
pounded unto them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning himself " By
quotation and reference. He covered
more than two-thirds of the thirty nine
books of the Old testament, and this is
all the divisions of the Old Testament
which were common at that time. He
referred to the Lrw and the Prophets.
Moses and the Prophets, the Law. the
Prophets and the Writings, the Holy
Scriptures, the Scriptures Still fur
ther, He accepted those four things
which constitute the body and the life
of these Scriptures. Their history, their
code of laws which he recognized as in
complete, their system of sacrifices, and
prophecy’ and their Messianic idea.
With reference to the history of the Old
Testament. He appears to have singled
out for special reference most of those
well known parts,which have made the
greatest draft on human credulity, the
story of Adam ami Eve. of Noah and
the flood, of Sodom and Gomorrah, of
Moses and the burning bush, of Elijah
and the closed up heavens, of Jonah
and the great fish. He made His appeal
to the Scriptures. He claimed to ex
pound them. and to live and
die and rise again according
to their teachings They were
part and parcel of His theory, and
between the Old Testament
and Himself stood the mission and min
istry of John the Baptist which He in
dorsed and to which He appealed in
vindication of certain of his claims
But Jesus claimed to be in direct com
munication with heaven. Said He:
“No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son, which is in the
bosom of the Father, He hath declared
him.” And again: “No man hath as
cended np to heaven but he which came
down from heaven, even the Son of
Man which is in heaven ” While he
read with interest in the book of nature
and appealed with confidence and as
suran :e to the Old Testament Scriptures
and the ministry of John the Baptist,
He was also in such personal relation to
the mind and heart of God that He
could claim to be the highest and di
rectest interpreter of the same.
ITS CONTENT.
The sources of man's belief being as
certained. we may takeup with a bet
ter intelligence an investigation of the
belief itself The questioning scribe
must have gathered from the first part
of the reply which he received, that our
Lord entertained a theological belief.
In considering this we are at once
brought face to face with a content as
comprehensive as it is rich, and, under
the circumstances, we will have to be
satisfied with only a bare summary of
its leading points The the< logy of Je
sus appears to have gathered around
two conceptions which constituted the
staple of his ministry, the kingdom of
heaven and the future life, and in His
exposition of these He dealt more or less
specifically with such subjects as the
Divine Being, creation and providence,
the kingdom of evil, man and salvation,
the church and religious worship, death,
resurrection and the judgment, and
heaven and hell.
To begin with, the Savior had a doc
trineof God, and as was natural in the
case, it determined the genins and char
acter of His teachings Our Lord was
not atheistical nor agnostic. He did
not deny 'hi being of God and was not
in the position o'one who could neither
confirm nor deny The words “Lord"
and “God" and “Father" were frequent
ly on His lips, and His entire ministry
was conducted in intelligent and sym
pathetic recognition of the one to whom
they referred The God of Jesus is a
personal rather than an elemental pres
ence. Jesus represented him as pos
sessed of intellect and will, as full of all
efficiency, as capable of moral displeas
ure, as exerting conscious influence and
as given to conscious activity, as open
to the voice of prayer and as the su
nreme object of worship and service
In His conversation with the Samaritan
woman He declared His God to be not
only personal, but spiritual, thus con
tradicting all pantheistic and material
istic conceptions of God. When in an
swer to the scribe Jesus said, “Hear, O,
Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord,”
He declared the divine unity. He pro
nounced against polytheism in all its
phases and against every form of wor
ship to which it leads. But with this
belief in the unity of God, our Lord
coupled a belief in thedivine-tri unity. He
used the expression, “the Father,” “the
Son" and “the Holy Spirit" with a pe
culiar association and a peculiar empha
sis. With Him they stood for personal
distinctions in the Divine Being “I
will pray the Father and He will send
you another comforter that He may
abide with you forever, even the spirit
of truth.” In another conre tion He
represented the Son as possessing the
attributes of eternity and omnipresence,
as Lord of the Sabbath, as having power
to forgive sins, as worthy of divine
honors; and the Holy Spirit as so really
divine that a certain form of blasphemy
against Him was absolutely beyond the
reach of divine forgiveness The tin
pardonable sin was a sin against the
Holy formula
111 ■ • spirit
“Glorify thou me self,
with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was " “ Thou lovest
me before the foundation of the world.”
There was a time when the universe
was not. a time when it was given a
foundation or brought, into existence,
when angels of heaven, of whom
Jesus spoke often and always with most
beautiful allusion, its numberless forms
of inanimate nature, and its vast king
dom of sensuous life culminated in
man And against the position that
God, in his completion of the work of
creation withdrew from what he had
made, leaving it alone or to carry on
itself according to such laws as he had
put on it. he himself being related to it
only as a distant, self contented specta
tor, our Lord inveighed with all the
force that he could put into words and
acts. Nothing is clearer than that
Jesus recognized the superintendency
of God over the works of nature. He
represented that superintendency as
universal and particular.
He addressed his Father as ‘' Lord of
heaven and earth, " and represented him
as manipulating the sunshine and the
rain, as clothing the lilies of the field
with a glory more splendid than Solo
inon’s, as holding careful and sympa
thetic watch over falling sparrows, and
as numbering the very hairs of the heads
of his children All things, thought
Jesus, from the highest star that sings
its tenor in the music of the spheres to
the tiniest form of infinitesimal life
that may be found in a disappearing
dew drop, are under the superinten
dency of God. Nor with views like
these should it be regarded as a matter
of wonder that lesus believed in that
particular manifestation of Providence
which is commonly called miracle ? In
reply to a certain question which dis
ciples of John the Baptist had brought
to him from their Master, Jesus said :
“ Go and show John again those things
which ye do hear and see; the blind re
ceive their sight and the lame walk;
the lepers are cleansed and the deaf
hear; the dead are raised up, and the
poor have the gospel preached unto
them " And when asked for a sign in
proof of the divine authorization of his
mission, he gave unto a faithless and
adulterous generation the sign of the
prophet Jonas. " As Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's
belly so shall the Sou of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of
the earth; " thus unqualifiedly staking
his own veracity as a teacher, the jus
tice of hisclaims and the worthiness of
his cause, on the fact of his own resur
rection from the dead: so if there is noth
ing in miracle there is nothing in Christ.
The celebrated saying of Keats that
“ Beauty is truth, truth beauty." has
its untrue side, as all these glittering
generalizations must have. There are
phases of truth which are far from
beautiful, and excite quite other than
pleasurable sensations: our Lord rec
ognized the kingdom of evil. He took
note of this kingdom in its organization,
the spheres of its operation, and its des
tiny “ Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one ” He
taught his disciples to pray. At the
head of this kingdom he beheld an evil
power denominated by him Beelzebub,
ths wicked one. the prince of this world
—satan—and the devil; a personality
a being represented by our Lord as pos-
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX: THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1896.
sensed of intelligence and will, as con
scious of moral guiltiness, as capaci
tated for and actually adjudged to
punishment, having certain powers
over the souls and bodies of ’men, and
the embodiment of all that our Lord
could cone ive of as bad. “Ye are of
your father, the devil," said Jesus to
some of his malignant enemies, “ and
the lusts of your father ye will do; he
was a murderer from the beginning and
abode not in the truth because there is
no truth in him When he speaketh a
lie he spesketh of his own, for he is a
liarand the father of it.” While the
God of Jesus is holv, and righteous and
good, Sata’', or the adversary is the
source of all untruth, all temptation to
evil, and all cruelty. Associated with
Satin as his subject emissaries are
angels or demons steeped in conscious
malignity against God, and placed in
the same category with the est vil him
self regarding the punishment of fire.
Our Lord was a witness to the reality
of demoniacal possessions, and he
associated them with Satan him
self. When the seventy returned and re
lated with joy how the demons had
been subject unto them. Jesus said : “I
beheld Satan falling as lightning from
heaven." So Jesus recognized the ex
istence of these foes, organized and ma
lignant. defiant of God, and in their re
lation to the world introducing dark
ness and misery and bent upon the de
struction of every soul. Yet our Lord
taught that Satan and all his host would
eventually be overcome, confined and
punished. He spoke of an everlasting
tire prepared for the devil and his
angels.
In his doctrine of man, our Lord con
templated the creature in nature, in so
ciety, and in the fall. He recognized
in him the climax of the earthly and
the work of God. He acknowledged
unto him in his natural state moral re
sponsibility, dominion over the lower
animals, and immortality. He never
spoke one word in disparagement of
man in the natural powers of his mind
and heart. Not unlikely he looked
upon the human intellect with admira
tion and pride, even as genuine sweet
ness of human sympathy and love. He
took little children into his embrace
and said, “Os such is the kingdom of
heaven,” and his wonderful heart went
out in instantaneous affection to the
amiable young ruler. He received and
reciprocated human friendship, and
helil in good esteem the ordinary ameni
ties of life. T1 e social feature also he
r<cognized. Marriage and the family,
neighborhood and the State were given
a conspicuous place in his teachings.
Would that the lawmakers of our conn
try could lend a reverent ear to what
he said on the subject of divorce;
would that all the people could take to
heart his instructions on the dignity and
authority of the political power But
alas I a daik, dark shadow forced
itself into the Savior's doctrine of man.
()ur Lord was compelled to behold the
race in its fallen estate His doctrine
of the new birth implied the appalling
depravity of the creature. In other
connections he represented him as sick
unto death and in danger of perishing
forever. “ The Sonof Man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost. ”
“ Except ye repent ye shall all likewise
perish ' " Fearnot them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul;
| but rather fear him which is able to de
] strov both soul and body
I We should not be surprised, then,
I that his doctrine of salvation .was in es
I sential respec ts the exact counterpart of
n his doctrine of man. In his belief no
II power under that of God could make
I adequate provision for the race in such
a wretched and undone condition
Hence he preached a salvation whose
origin was in God. No salvation in his
judgment could do all that needed to
■ be done for man which did not so
I change man's divine relation to divine
I justice as to remove his exposedness to
I the future wrath, so revolutionize his
J depraved soul as to bring it back into
Lchildship to God, and so elevate the
■ife at last as to give it a place of en
joyment and service in heaven He,
therefore, proclaimed a salvation in
whose content were to be found full,
free and eternal power, the regeneration
an 1 sanctification of the soul, and the
final admission of the soul, together
with its resurrected body, into the
realm of the blessed. But salvation as
to its method was to be through a
mediator, even the Divine Son “I am
the way. the truth and the life. No
man cometh unto the Father but by
me.” This Son. in the ministry of his
life on earth, in the ministry of his
death, and in the ministry of his res
urrected and ascended self, was declared
by Jesus to be the mediator between
God and man, with all the functions
and powers of a Savior. His death, so
far from being accidental, was the su
preme purpose of his advent. “And I,
if 1 be lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men unto me.” The sufferings
of our Savior were vicarious. “The
Son of Man is come not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.” “This is my
blood of the New Testament shed for
many for the remission of sins. ” When
our Lord in his conversation with the
two disciples on the way to Emmaus
said; “Oh, foolish ones, and slow of
heart, to believe all that the Scripture
hath saidj must not Christ have suffered
and entered into his glory?” to what
could he have referred but to those pas
sages in Isaiah which set forth the suf
sering Messiah as wounded for our trans
gressions and bruised for our iniquities.
Our Lord did not die the death of a
martyr Speaking of his own life, he
said: “I have power to lay it down and
1 have power to take it up again." He
lived in order that he might die, and
he died in order that he might expiate
the guilt of the world. In the applica
tion of this salvation our Lord taught
that there wire divine and human ele
ments. “Those whom my Father hath
given me will come to me. and him that
cometh unto me I will in no wise cast
out." “No man can come unto me ex
cept my Father, which hath sent me.
draw him.” “Ye must be born again "
In these and other passages our Lord
taught election, effectual calling and
regeneration. While in passages more
numerous he called upon man to repent
and believe. Said our Lord, “He that
believeth'On the Son hath eternal life."
and “as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness even so must the Son of
Man be lifted up.that whos >ever beli v
eth in him shall not perish but have
eternal life." Repentance and faith are
the human elements to salvation.
Passing over Jesus' to the
church and religious worship, it should
be said that he had a doctrine of last
things. He spoke of death and of res
urrection. “I ain the resurrection and
the life." were his words to one of the
sisters at Bethany. “He that believeth
in me. though he were dead, yet shall
he live." “The hour is coming." said
he, in another connection, “in which all
who are in the graves shall hear hie
voice and shall come forth —they who
have done good unto the resurrection of
life, and they who have done evil unto
the resurrection of damnation.” No
man can read the twenty-third chapter
of Matthew without seeing that Jesus
taught the doctrine of his own second
coming. On the subject of general
judgment he declared himself with an
emphasis that must be felt by all who
have made a reverent study of his words.
And he taught the doctrine of heaven,
the home or the blessed and hell, the
eternal abode of the lost The severest
utterances on the subject of future
punishment fell from the lips of Jeans
himself It was Jesus that spoke of the
worm that dieth not of the fire that is
not quenched It was Jesus who spoke
of the weeping and the wailing ana the
gnashing of teeth. No person was ever
so sympathetic as he no person ever so
full of love and grace and tenderness;
no person ever so anxious that all men
should lie saved; but it was Jesus him
self, the Redeemer of men. who repre
Rented the separations that will take
place at the judgment, and the Judge
upon the throne saying to those upon
his left hand, “Depart, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire prepared for the Devil
and his angels."
ITS PRESENTATION.
In conclusion, let us notice tne theol
ogy of Jesus in the method of its pre
sentation. From the particular form
of his reply to the questioning scribe.and
those special phases of the truth which
were presented, it must have been no
ticed that Jesus had his own method of
teaching. It was natural to him that
he should have a style peculiarly his
own. It is certain that he never taught
after the method of the schools. He
never adopted a theological form. He
never drew up articles of faith in logi
cal order after the style of the West
minister confession or the catechism of
the council of Trent. Though he had a
faith, as has been seen, a faith which he
clearly distinguished from all other
faiths, and laid upon the conscience of
his disciples, he deliberately left it to
be gathered by careful investigation
from his scattered words and acts, as
astronomy from the stars, or botany
from the plants As has been seen, he
expressed himself upon the great theo
logical subjects, emphasizing at times
his position upon those particular phases
of belief which it has been found most
difficult for men to accept, but it was not
put together in any connected scheme,
and was delivered as occasions called it
forth. “The teaching of the Lord in the
Gospels," says Bernard, in tracing the
progress of doctrine in the New Testa
ment, “includes the substance of all
Christian doctrine. Never was teaching
more natural than his. It was drawn
forth by occasions as they arose. It
shaped itself into the character, the
words and the aejs of those whom he
met in the highways of the world. It
borrowed its image from the circum
stances and scenery of the moment.
Such teaching as this would not seem
likely *to embrace the whole circle of
truth We should expect to find it par
tial and fragmentary; full in some
points, deficient in others, according as
the occasion for evoking it had or
had not arisen.". We are impressed
therefore, by its fragmentariness and
incompleteness. Indeed, it was his
avowed intention not to leave a com
pleted teaching. The development of
his doctrine and the fuller revelation of
truth were expressly referred by him to
the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the
apostles. "I have yet many things to
say unto you, but ye cannot bear them
now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, has come he shall lead you into
all truth.” The ministry of the apostles
was appointed by him and by him certi
fied. It was to be a continuation and com
pletion of his own The superstructure
which thye should rear upon foundations
laid by him would be his. He referred,
as occasion suggested, to the higher na
tore of the Son of God. ft remained for
the apostle John to develop the splendid
doctrine of the Divine Logos. When he
said, "This is My blood of the New
Testament, shed for many for the re
mission of sins," the author of the Let
ter to the justified in elab
orating the doi-4«M|k-H-i Christ's eternal
priesthood.
The letter to the Galatians is an en
largement of his idea of the dignity and
privilege of the children of God, while
that to the Ephesians, setting forth the
union of the Jews and Gentiles in the
blessings of the gospel, is only an expan
sion of his great commission Go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature.'
The purpose of our Lord in his teach
ing was not only to state the truth, but
to teach the people with the truth. He
was indeed no caterer to popular weak
ness. but with him it was all important
for the common heart and mind to be
reached. The dominating idea in Mil
let's “Angelas” is not in the form and
dress of the peasant couple that stand in
the foreground, not the beautiful tran
quility that seems to rest upon the vil
lage in the distance from whose tower
the vesper bells are ringing, nor in the
mysterious gold of the sunset which the
artist has tempered and diffused with
so marvelous a genius. It is the sug
gested spiritual exercise that is going on
in the soul of those who appear to inter
cede. The highest of thoughts descends
and makes its residence in the humblest
of hearts. Our Lord was not only the
mediator between God and man but also
mediator between divine thought and
the hearts of the people Accordingly
his method of instruction was character
ized by a most beautiful simplicity. In
the phases of truth presented, as well as
in the form of expression employed, he
was a master indeed. The common peo
ple heard him gladly. The woman at
the well was no less at home with him
when he talked with her about the
spirituality of God than was the intelli
gent Nicodemus when the Master dis
coursed to him in private on the sub
ject of the birth from above. Our Lord
lost no thought in rhetoric He was never
labored nor artificial. He cared nothing
for superficial effect. This enthusiasm
for simplicity which was one of his
characteristics, probably had as much
as anything else to do with forming his
habits —of stating the inherently myste
rious without discussion and leaving
paradoxical truth to take care of itself.
He entered into no discussion on the
subject of the Triniiy. He simply de
clared that God is one. and that the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are
God. How election and human
free will come together in the sal
vation of a soul, or how regeneration
and the faith are associated with a soul's
entrance into the Kingdom of God, he
did not discuss. The paradox of the ages.
He never sought to remove. He taught
election, free will and regeneration, and
called upon men everywheie to repent
and believe. It was as though he said
to the people, if you are able to behold
all truth in the perspective, only har
mony would be seen
It must be said in conclusion that Je
sus, in the unfolding of his theological
belief, was always and intensely practi
cal. He was not a proclaimer of truth
in the abstract. Truth to be of
value to men must be operative.
It was not out of any love for theory
that our Lord taught as he did. Every
part of his theology was deemed capable
of being converted into convictions,into
experience and into life. He declared
the doctrines of God that he might en
force the commandments of God. He
proclaimed the purposes of God that he
might support the promises of God.
Back of God's promises are his purpos
es, and back of his commandments are
his doctrines of truth. The salvation
and enlightenment of men. their subor
dination to the will of God and tht ir
equipment for worship and service were
the ends which Jesus sought in his
teaching. He said to the inquiring
scribe: “The Lord our God is one Lord. "
because he was proceeding to say. “and
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy- mind, and with all thy
strength ” To the woman at the well
he said: “God is a Spirit," in order that
he might divert her mind from Gera
zim or Jerusalem as a central place of
worship, and teach her that in the new
dispensation every spot on the earth can
be made an altar of the Most High, and
is therefore holy ground. It was upon
the perfection of God in the attribute
of mercy that he commanded the disci
ples to love their enemies “Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you', do
good to them that hate you,and pray for
them which despitefully use you and
persecute you, that ye may be the chil
dren of your Father which is in heaven,
for he maketh his sun to shine upon the
evil and upon the good and sendeth his
rain upon the just and the unjust Be ye
therefore perfect as your Father tn
heaven is perfect.” And when finally,
just before his ascension, he announced
afresh to his disciples that mediatorial
authority which he had derived from
God ana his own divine ability to lie
with them, even unto the end of the
world, it was only a divine whereas to
the greatest and sublimest of all com
missions: “Go ye therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them
into the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you ”
This commission is large, because of
the theological conceptions that are in
it. God is the God of all the earth.
Jesus Christ is his mediator between
himself and men. The gospel to be
proclaimed is his power unto the salva
tion of all who believe. Sin is in the
world making ruin and death. It can
be overcome by the cross of Christ. A
salvation has been provided sufficient
for all. efficient for those who accept it.
Let the work of executing the com
mission, called by the Duke of Welling
ton “the marching orders of the Chris
tian ministry,” go on Let the gospel
continue until every wind and wave
shall murmur songs of redemption and
knowledge of the story of the Lord shall
cover the earth as the waters cover the
sea.
Pen Droppings.
BY l. l. v.
In that terrible presentation of
Jesuitism called “ The Wander
ing Jew,” by Eugene Sue, there
is a colloquy between an Indian
Thug and a Jesuit priest in re
gard to their respective creeds.
“ You,” says the Thug, “are
worse than we. It is our belief
that a dead body is an accepta
ble offering to our Deity, and we
accordingly kill people whenever
and wherever we can. You claim
that a dead soul is an acceptable
offering to your Deity, and you
therefore aim at killing souls.
Your practice is as much worse
than ours as the soul is more val
uable than the body.” The point
of the Hindoo was according to
our apprehension well taken. It
is the aim of Romanism to brush
out all freedom of thought. It
demands that the church orders
shall be accepted without chal
lenge or inquiry. Jesuitism goes
a little farther in that it requires
those who take its oaths to re
sign entirely the control of their
own actions. What they shall
do, where they shall go and how
they shall deport themselves,aie
questions about which they have
no part in deciding. As Loyola,
the founder of the Order, says,
each member should be as a
“dead body, the moving prin
ciple of which shall be the will
of his superior.” Such a sys
tem is utterly destructive of any
thing like true manhood. Sub
ordinating as it does every other
quality to blind unquestioning
obedience, it effaces all individu
ality and converts the person
into a mere machine. That this
gives the organization efficiency
there can be no doubt. The
whole force of the whole mass
can be wielded with energy and
directness of a single will. No
time nor strength is wasted in
discussion. What is determined
can be immediately performed.
But this promptness in the exe
cution of a purpose is gained at
too great a loss. It destroys all
freedom of thought, speech, and
action. No form of slavery has
ever been devised so utterly
deadening in effects. Horrible
as is the creed and practice of
the Thug, it is not more at war
with the great doctrine of human
right than that of the Jesuit.
One who, having been a disciple
of Confucius or of Brahma, be
comes a Q disciple of Ignatius
Loyola cannot be said to have
made an unmistakable advance.
The United States census for
1890 shows that in every 100,000
persons there are fifty-eight
shut up in prisons and jails in
the prohibition States, 191 in
high license States, and 212 in
low license States. In prohibi
tion States there is one person
in prison or jail for every 4,138
of the population; in high-license
States there is one person in jail
for every 2,140, and in low
license States one- person in
prison for every 1,829. — hide
pendent.
Ninety Per Cent.
Os all the people need to take a
course of Hood's Sarsaparilla at
this season to prevent that run
down and debilitated condition
which invites disease. The
money invested in half a dozen
bottles of Hood's Sarsaparilla
will come back with large returns
in the health and vigor of body
and strength of nerves.
Hood's Pills are easy to buy,
easy to take, easy to operate.
Cure all liver ills. 25c.
SKEPTIC
CONVINCED
8Y....
The following ]< tiers show the conviction which must he forced upon lhe
faithful user of the Electropoise.
(Before uring.) N c „ April 9 1W)
Ornllrmen.— The Electropolne receive-! A- I look at thia appareutlv harmless <yii>>oir «
cor.! attached and think of the price I can hardly refrain from Puck’s soliloquy- What tools incse
mortals be." The instrument is what you claim for it—a Curative agent of wonderful po'
or should take its place in history as the most stupendous collosal fraud of the niniteentn cent y.
I shall use it faithfully and without prejudice in my family. If no reeulta follow then looao
I shall attack it in the public print with all the energy at my command. lor the sake or tne sica »
hope to demonstrate your claim. ...
(After using.) Di bham. n. C. Jan. 31, nwa.
Gen/femen <■«»«! find the Electropoise in great favor in this place.. used it •
my own family with marked benefit I prize it very highly and would not be without it tor many
times its cost. Respectfully, ~ ti,cv cost
Shall we send you circulars telling what it cures, how it cures, and all about it iney coat
nothing but will interest you. Write tor them.
Graham & Dußois,
Electric Building, ATLANTA, GA.
Any publication mentioned in this de
partment may be obtained of the
American Baptist Publication So
ciety. 93 Whitehall St., Atlanta, Ga.
When prices are named they include
postage.
The Editors of the Christian Index
desire to make this column of service
to their readers They will gladly
ans ver, or have answered, any ques
tions regarding books If you desire
books for certain lines of reading, or
desire to find out the worth or pub
lisher of any book, write to them.
Turkey and the Armenian Atroci
ties. By Edward Munsell Bliss 568
pp Finely illustrated Hubbard
Publishing Co. Philadelphia *2 00.
The title of this book led us to expect
a tirade against the Turks, and an exal
tation of the Armenians, each duly col
ored by the prejudices of the author
We have been agreeably surprised. In
a very calm, dispassionate way. the
author has given a clear, lucid exposi
tion of the conditions of the Turkish
empire in the past and present, doing
ample justice to the good qualities of
the Turks, and setting forth, with mod
eration, their evil ones, and treats of the
Armenians in the same way Mr. Bliss
is the son of Rev Dr. Bliss, who for
nearly half a century has been one of
the leading missionaries in Turkey, and
has enjoyed exceptionable advantages
for studying the whole subject which
he treats. Any one wishing a clear
plain, satisfactory statement of affairs
in Turkey, together with a clear histor
ical statement of the past of the various
people who go to make up this really
curious conglomerate empire, will find
Mr. Bliss’s book entirely satisfactory
Mr. Bliss, by the way. is the editor of
the Encyclopedia of Missions and was
assistant editor of the Independent and
was assisted in the preparation of his
book by some of the most eminent mis
sionaries and oriental scholars of the
day. *•
The Century for June is before ns.
Lovers of art are favored with illustra
tions from Sargent's paintings, with
accounts of the artist “Sir George
Tressady " is continued. ■ Lights and
Shadows of the Alhambra, with
numerous illustrations recalls Irving’s
charming tale. “Mr. Keegan's Elope
ment” and “The Harshaw Bride" are
for lovers of simpler fiction “Impres
sions of South Africa,” by James Brice,
M. P., continued from last issue, affords
such an instructive glimpse into the
condition of affairs in that interesting
territory, that one anticipates with
pleasure the promised “concluding
article " A study in American city
government is afforded in “Notes on
City Government in St. Louis.” The
Life of Napoltoi is continued, and
“Humor and Pathos of Presidential
Conventions," in its title tells its con
tents, which are interesting.
St Nicholas for June ie full of
things entertaining and instructive.
Besides the usual complement of inter
esting stories, poems, etc . “Old Heads
on Young Shoulders” gives some ac
counts of precocious geniuses. “The
Story of Marco Polo” introduces young
readers to a bit of not often known travel
and discovery which once bordered on
the marvelous. “Talks with Boys and
Girls about Themselves” opens a course
of study on the formation of the body;
while “Whatthe Bugle Tells on a War
Ship” gives some idea of the life and
duties of a man-of-war's min.
The Dark Day.
IN NEW ENGLAND, MAY 19, 1780.
Old letters of that time make
mention of strange atmospheric
conditions several days before
the dark day. The sun was
clouded and the air close,
with peculiar vapors floating
above the earth. The sun and
moon rose and set in a dull and
uncertain light, and many pre
dicted volcanic eruptions.
The records of that time say
that on Friday morning, May 19,
the air was heavier than at any
time previous, and about nine
o'clock sheets of vapor began
rising from springs and low
lands, forming clouds that rose
above the hills. Cloud after
cloud rose and rolled away to
westward, and still the air grew
denser and gray darkness in
creased. The higher the sun
rose the less light seemed to
reach the earth, and before noon
the darkness was so great that
people were obliged to light can
dles in their houses.
Churches and meeting-houses
were opened, and ministers and
deacons went with lighted lan
terns to conduct religious ser
vices. Also, in many places,
neighborhood prayer - meetings
were held.
It must be remembered that our
country.; at this time, 1780, was
passing through great peril.
Those of you acquainted with
American history will remember
that the Revolutiom>ry war was in
progress, and those undecided in
opinion regarding separation of
the colonies from the British
Government believed that the
terrible darkness was a communi
cation from the Lord, a warning
that separation should not take
place.
Cattle feeding in pastures
jumped fences to get home. Fowls
roosted,thinking night was upon
them. Children went to school,
but ran home groping their way
in the strange darkness.
Neither science nor supersti
tion has read the mystery.
Herschel says: “The dark day in
Northern America was one of the
remarkable phenomena of nature
that will ever be read with inter
est, but whica philosophy is at a
loss to explain ”
But all passed away; for never
did the sun shine more brightly
than on tne morning of May-20.
The birds sang; all nature rejoic
ed. Cattle returned to the pastur
es, men to their labors, and many
were the thanksgivings offered
that the Lord in his goodness had
spared the people.
Hygienic Value of Perfumes.
Doctor Andres,of Philadelphia,
a few years ago, made the dis
covery that the ozone in the at
mosphere, which is the great pu
rifier, was mainly supplied with
blooming flowers, and for this
reason blooming plants were
healthful in dwelling houses, as
well as attractive. Some inter
esting experiments with the odors
of flowers have been made in the
old world, and it is found that
many species of microbes are
easily destroyed by various odors.
The odor of cloves has been
known to destroy these minute
creatures in thirty five minutes;
cinnamon will kill some species
in twelve minutes; thyme in
thirty five. In forty five minutes
common wild verbena is found ef
fective, while the odor of some
g-ranium flowers has destroyed
various forms of microbes in fifty
minutes. The essence of cinna
mon is said to destroy the ty
phoid lever microbe in twelve
minutes, and is recorded as the
most effective of all odors as an
antiseptic. It is now belie’ ed
that flowers which are found i
Egyptian mummies were placet
there more for their antiseptic
properties than as mere orna
ments or elements in sentimental
work.— Trained Nurse and Hos
pital Revietv.
It Will be Dollars to You
If you will bear in mind that
the Western & Atlantic and
Nashville, Chattanooga & St.
Loius Railways are the shortest,
quickest, and best equipped lines
to the North, West, and South
west. Through sleeping-car
from Atlanta to St. Louis on No.
4, making many hours quickest
time between these points.
Through trains to Nashville,
connecting in Union Depot with
vestibule train for Chicago. Call
on or address C. B. Walker,Tick
et Agt., Union Depot, or R. D.
Mann, Ticket Agt., Kimball
House, Atlanta, Ga.,J. L. Edmon
son, Pass Agt., Chattanooga,
Tenn.
CURES WHERE ALL ELSE FAILS. ViT
Im Best C ough Syrup. Tastes Good. Use PW
Cd in time. Sold by druggists. NW
W. L. STANTON.
Atlanta Real Estate Bargains.
6 Choice shaded lots on Gordon Ave.
12 lots and one cottage on Culberson and
Lawton streets.
This property is located in West End, At
lanta’s most desirable residence community
where. Ist. Whisky is forever barred by leg
islative enactment. 2d. Statistics show’the
best health record of any ward in the city.
Pei sons desiring the best facilities for edu
cating their children cannot do better than
locate in College Park, Atlanta’s education
al suburb. The property here Is beautiful
for situation, many of the lots are covered
W’ith native oak and hickory.
Call or write for plats with description,
65 South Broad St.. Atlanta, Ga.