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u Christianity as Taoght by Christ.”
A GREAT SERIES OF BRILLIANT, EARNEST SERMONS BY REV. H. S. BRADLEY, D. D., WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE DAILY AND WEEKLY
CONSTITUTION, BEGINNING NEXT WEEK. THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF CHRIST WILL BE THE BASIS OF THESE PULPIT LESSONS,
WHICH WILL BE PRINTED WEEKLY FOR ONE YEAR UNDER A SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH DR. BRADLEY
THE FIRST SERMON WILL BE PUBLISHED NEXT WEEK
'N the restless theological age
in which we live, the most
| prominent and hopeful sign
I is the cal! for greater sim
[ plicity. “Back to Christ”
has been, and is still, the
i one clear rallying cry.
‘ We are living in a busy
■ world. Men and women,
who find themselves im-
S
mersed in the myriad details of our
complex civilization, have grown im
patient with much of the weaving of
theological spinners. They are saving:
"If it requires an octavo volume to de
fine faith and a library to make plain
the way of salvation, then, we are
gone.”
\\ hen Jesus was here the “common
people heard him gladly.” and thev are
read} to hear him again. A wise
teacher cannot afford, and does not
wish, to disregard this demand for the
Ample words of life. Indeed, he wel
comes the wholesome and tonic atmos
phere that is produced bv the great
popular demand. If the air is electric
' ith demands tor simple truth, the
preachers’ sentences should snap.
In answer to this call there will come,
a clarified teaching that will tone down
denominational differences and soften
se. :.!: :an asperities. I'he differences of
ominational creeds have not sprung
n m different interpretations of the
w rds of Jesus, but from hair-splitting
i>ver matters which Jesus regarded as
■ Anciently unimportant to warrant I1 is
- deuce. Who ever heard of a man
—ied for heresy because he did not he
li ■re what Jesus said?
Proportionately, too great emphasis
Iras been laid upon words of sonic scrip
ture writers who had not the gift of
lucidity of statement as Jesus had it.
1 hi 'logical teachers have too often fat
ii ned on the philosophic statements
it are “hard to be understood," while
WHY THE CONSTITUTION PUBLISHES THIS SERIES
HE CONSTITUTION, in its constant search
for those things that will prove of most in
terest and value to its large constituency, has
purposed to neglect no field in which mental
endeavor is making progress for the better
ment of humanity.
We believe The Constitution possesses to
day as large and serious-minded body of read
ers as is reached bv anv other one newspaper
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in America. Whether we speak of the home
'■ the school, the lawyer's office or the statesman's
•id.'. the farmer's porch or the preacher’s pulpit, we
■>w of scores of thousands in every calling and estate
• weekly look to the columns of The Constitution for
data and discussions that will surely keep them
reast of the discoveries and progress of modern life.
THE HOME LIFE.
Because the American Home is the true cell-life of the
■American republic, the nesting place of patriotic virtues
. nd the cradling place of citizenship of whatever char
; ter. the kindergarten of the manhood and womanhood
of a conquering nation. The Constitution has
always put a supreme emphasis upon such literature as
would help to strengthen the house-bonds, to stimulate
reverence for the rooftree, to make happiness at the
hearthstone and graduate from the homestead the mas
ters and matrons <>f a virile and virtuous people.
IN AGRICULTURE
Knowing full well the primary significance to the na
tion of a widely-diffused, industrious and prosperous
agricultural population The Constitution has
catered more completely and confidently to the farmers'
homes of the country than perhaps to any of their
neighbors.
We confess to have done this carefully because of the
limitations which farming necessarily puts upon its
votaries, preventing that they should enjoy the com
moner recreations and educations of town and city com
munities. Ry supplying their lack in those particulars
The Constitution has the satisfaction of know
ing that its efforts have been appreciated and now enjoy
a vast popularity.
THE INDUSTRIAL ADVENT.
When the evolution first began in the south to mix
manufacturing and industrial interests more proportion
ally with those of planting and politics The Consti
tution, as is now famously known, even by the facile
and fascinating pen of the lamented Grady, injected into
the spinal column of southern courage the first strong
stimulants of hope and endeavor.
The splendid progress of three decades of industrial
increment, making the manufactures of the south worth
more in money value annually than all its agricultural
products, is a result in the making of which The Con
stitution must ever hold a conspicuous place of
THK WEEKLY OONSTTHmONt ATLANTA. GA- MOAD.a SEPTEMBER 28, 1903.
AN INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR
their hearers have starved for lack of
the bread of life.
It has been repeatedly affirmed, and,
I believe. never successfully contradict
ed, that the .Apostle Paul has had a
hundred times as much to do with
shaping the creeds of Christendom as
Jesus himself has had. 'l'he Apostle
was a great philosopher and probably
the greatest Christian the world has
seen, but if the above statement is true,
he lias still had an influence too great
when measured by the matchless doc
trines of his Master. t
1 believe that the resolute determina
tion to get back to the simple teaching
of Jesus will result in making religion
intelligible to many who are befogged,
and will, at the same time, promote
quiet godliness.
I'ortunateiy for us. this demand for
the essentials, the simple words of
Jesus. can better be met today than
ever before, and for this reason: Dur
ing the past generation there has been
deeper and more painstaking research
bv scholars than ever. As many man
uscripts, tablets, etc., bearing on the
Bible, were found during the last half
century as had been found before dur
ing the * hristian era. Xot only that,
but all the manuscripts have been ex
amined by scholars who were better
qualified for their task than those who
went before them. These scholars have
carried a temper into their work, too,
that, while giving us at times uneasi
ness, has resulted at last in increasing
our confidence in the "Words of Life.”
If the democratic idea, that lays large
stress upon the individual, that is
sweeping round the world, and the sci
entific spirit, that calls everything into
honor. If we said this much of our own motion it would
be plain egotism, but we are pleased to say it because it
is the verdict accorded this paper bv all just commcnta
tors upon southern industrial conditions during the life
time of The Constitution.
IN THE EDUCATIONAL FIELD.
II id The Constitution no other claims upon the favor
of its readers the one alone that could suffice it is the
consistent and persistent policy of this paper to plant
and propagate, in season and out of season, for a broader
ami better education of the masses of the people, 'the
wisdom that can keep a nation's liberties must be as
widely diffused as the courage that can win them or de
fend them when menaced. An educated constituency is
necessary to state, and commerce and church. The
difference between Atlanta and Alentia can be measured
by their alphabets : the angle between Bashonaland and
Boston is measured by the back of a book and the full
bulk of the volume. Civil government, social order and
Christian principles are possible to us in proportion as
the common people can understand them with drilled
and devoted brains. Hence The Constitution lias always
contended that the royal ready relief of every southern
problem is in the three R’s—the fundamentals of an effi
cient education.
THE POLITICAL ARENA.
Since politics is “the science of government” and this
journal had its genesis in an era when it was necessarv
to combat unconstitutional methods of government, its
principal mission since has been to stand and fight for
right American principles in this country. The Consti
tution has never desired to contend for radicalism of any
sort in dealing with public questions. It has strenuously
stood for those men. those measures, those policies that
it deemed best for the southern people as a part of the
great general constituencies of the nation. Certain it is
that the political work' of The Constitution has been ac
cepted for decades as thoroughly representative of the
highest intelligence, patriotism and conservatism of the
south. Our endeavor is always to deal with every great
political problem with perfect honesty and sincere fore
seeing patriotism.
A SWEEPING SUMMARY.
of the past volumes of The Constitution, we arc con
vinced, will sustain the common verdict that this paper
has at no time neglected the vital interests of its readers.
From its towers the whole broad, checkered field of
literature, arts, sciences, industries and professions has
been carefully kept in view and every new appearance
signalled.
A GREAT NEW DEPARTURE
is now announced for the further profit of the readers of
the daily and weekly editions of The Constitution. This
time the new field to be entered and exploited is “new”
ortly in the sense that it has never before been occupied
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REV. JI. S, BRADLEY, J}. D-.
WHo Writes the AccwDAnyingf Foreword to 12 is
Forthcoming Articles* “Christianity as
Taught by Christ.”
bv a great newspaper in an endeavor to carry out a con
sistent Christian educational scheme.
Beginning with the first week in October The Consti
tution will publish weekly a series of sermons on
CHRISTIANITY AS TAUGHT BY CHRIST.
These sermons, covering a period of about a year, will
be prepared and preached at the suggestion of The Con
stitution by
REV. H. S. BRADLEY, D. D„
Pastor of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, South,
Atlanta, Ga.
Dr. Bradlev came to his charge in this city from a pro
fessorship in i'.morv college at Oxford, Ga. \\ hile yet a
voting man, in the prime of mental and physical pow
ers, he is also a noted man in his ministry for the
strength and nenetration of his spiritual vision. Learned,
eloquent and consecrated, he stands today as a Boanerges
in a great church.
Because he knows the present conditions of New
Testament lore, is alert with the spirits of modern life,
and has made himself expert in the masterly art of
transposing the notes of harmonious truth to the chang
ing keys of human progress, his sermons possess a value
both unique and practical.
J )r. Bradlev, in a forecast of the general purpose of this
series of sermons, says cogently that, “the time is ripe to
take the discourses of Jesus and display the connected
and symmetrical system of truth which He taught.”
A VAST CONGREGATION.
He also appreciates (he great opportunity The Con
stitution affords him, in doing this work, to reach over
185,000 regular subscribers weekly, or, to say the least,
a half million readers with every sermon 1 Think of
that vast congregation —greater perhaps than was ever
consecutively preached to by any man of any age. unless
we except the late Dr. ’(’almage! But some will ask:
DO PEOPLE READ SERMONS?
Enough newspaper experience in the past has demon
strated that they do. Any man with a great message
can get a full hearing from this world of men. Men
without messages are without hearers or readers. Con
victions as to truth are always captivating; courage to
utter them with noble purpose is always magnetic, and
the genius to express them with eloquence is always
overmastering.
THE SHEPHERDLESS MULTITUDES.
There are millions of people in this country of ours,
especially those who dwell upon the farms and in iso
lated industries, who cannot have the gospel delivered
to them every week, Thousands are not reachable by
the preacher once a month and tens of thousands are
where no evangel appears, perhaps, once in three
months 1
Yet to nearly every farmer's home in America today
the mail carrier can reach his arm at least once a week.
The Weekly Constitution is the only newspaper that
question, have, on the one hand, les
sened the authority of priests and coun
cils, the}- have, on the other hand, given
a firmer grasp on the great funda
mentals of truth, righteousness and
godliness; they have brought the words
of Jesus to the world's attention as
never before, and this is a wholesome
result.
It seems that the time. then, is ripe
to take the discourses of Jesus and dis
play the connected and symmetrical
system of truth which he taught. It is
believed that a series of sermons, hon
estly conceived, that will extend fur
about one year, will, notwithstanding
their imperfection, at least contribute
to the end desired in answering the
question. "What Is Christianity as
Christ Taught 11 ?"
In order to know this it will lie nec
essary to know the circumstances wa
der which Jesus spoke and the local
color of His words, and then, also, to
translate as far as possible those words
into modern speech, and apply them to
modern conditions.
Jesus touched life at practically every
point and bis teaching is correspond
ingly broad.' lie dealt, not only with
matters commonly recognized as relig
ious. but also with those regarded as
outside the sphere of piety.
This study will deal with the great
fundamentals of Christianity. the
Koval Law and How to use it. Moral
Standards of Christ contrasted with
Standards of Judaism, Prominent b’ea
tures of the Kingdom of God, etc.
These will embrace such subjects for
sermons as: What Jesus taught about
(iod : what He taught about man ; what
He taught about Woman; what He
taught about nature, about life, about
death, about sin, about the devil, about
heaven, about hell, about rites and cer
emonies, about the Sabbath ; what wor
ship is; what prayer is: temperance,
judging others, sympathy, forgiving in
juries, rights of labor and capital, hold
ing property, socialistp. etc.
This short list will give an idea of the
character of the task that 1 set before
myself, but is not intended to give a
complete list of subjects that I shall
treat, it being thought best to leave
some latitude for choice in the selec
tion of themes as the work progresses.
11 is next to impossible to treat the
teachi gs of Jesus without treating
more or less fully His life and times.
What He taught was in large measure
the result, not of philosophic thought,
but of His practical experience. He
first incarnated Truth and then pro
claimed it.
Our studv, then, ought to be helpful
not only in bringing out clearly the
teaching of the Matchless Teacher, but
also in refreshing our minds with the
incidents in the Life of Lives.
These sermons will be preached
from week to week from the Trinity
pulpit to my own congregation, where
I trust that real good will be done, but
in addition to this they will be publish
ed in both The Daily and Weekly of
The Atlanta Constitution, which have
a combined circulation of 185,000. In
this way perhaps even larger good will
be accomplished. The pulpit is a great
factor in our modern civilization but
the newspaper goes each week to mil
lions of readers that are denied church
privileges. To speak to the hundreds
of thousands of readers of this great
southern newspaper every week for a
year is at once a great opportunity and
a great responsibility. It is my sincere
desire to discharge my task in a man
ner that will be acceptable to my Mas
ter. and conducive to the furtherance
of His cause. H. S. BRADLEY.
enters the doors of scores of thousands of such homes
and its columns are eagerly devoured bv the reading
members of the family.
To them a strong, instructive, simple sermon—easy
to read and easy to understand—appealing to faith and
tempting to trial, will prove a God-send whose value
none but an angel's arithmetic can calculate.
It is to this instinctively religious class of readers that
Dr. Bradley's sermons will appeal ami it is primarily to
supply their simple spiritual needs that The Constitution
will provide them for the year to come.
THE MILITANT LIFE.
The Constitution believes that this is essentially an
age when men demand “the facts in the case ” They
do not stand in tradition so much as their fathers used
to do. They want to know, not what “Paul planted”
and “Apollos watered.” but what did Jesus say or do
under conditions analogous with yours and mine of to
dav. The life of Christ is the militant life of the world
All other names and careers wane and lose exemplari
ness as generations pass. His alone increases and today
no other name is more authoritative with men than
His.
THE ZEAL TO KNOW HIM!
Otherwise no man can account for the tremendous
zeal of the most active and civilized men of the world to
know more about Him! The poor are everywhere ap
pealing by His name. The proletariat is conjuring by
His equities misapprehended. Statesmen use His prin
ciples as their first justification or their final argument.
Labor demands that His words be fulfilled in legislation
and government. The socialist says lie is searching for
Him and the capitalist appeals to His parables for the
protection of his own practices. Everywhere men are
eager “to know the mind of Christ!''
IS IT WORTH WHILE?
The Constitution thinks it is worth while to engage
and encourage the services of a great Christian disciple
and expounder, such as Dr. Bradley, in aiding its readers
to a better understanding of the great and changeless
truths of “Christianity as Taught by Christ."
Each sermon will lie in itself a complete discourse.
The series will be as a necklace of many rounded, per
fect pearls. The story from foreword to finish will be a
Christology of immense value.
Nor will this be the only series. Truth bears inspec
tion from every side and “The Man called The Christ”
will be treated by other great preachers of other
churches in future series like to the one about to be in
augurated.
The Constitution has entered upon a propaganda of
years confident that it can contribute no greater good to
its constituency and Christian progress than to continu
ously present [esus and His Principles to the study of
men as the divine ethics of equity and the only eternal
standard of righteousness.
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