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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 r j -•■ ■ ■ I >3 I ..... ..... ... ... t ... .... 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 ■u 11 WI . .Hill ill ■■llli 111 II w II ■■ wCTyiA S- /*' h -A '■■ M"”' 'TI y '’•wefec-' ■■, s ■ k .AT ■ > tr. v |f| i 0 f i Bi 0 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. 9