Skip to main content

Full text of "Christ Jesus; endorsement by prominent persons and essays"

See other formats


NYPL  RESEARCH  LIBRARIES 


3  3433  07955948  4   ■ 


JESUS 


oo 


NT 


a 


* 


•  u 


\>. 


CHRIST    JESUS 

Endorsement 

by 

Prominent  Persons 

and 

Essays  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich 

PUBLISHED    BY 

B  .    A .     ULRICH 

Sold  by  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.,  Chicago 

• 

\ 

ESSAYS   ON   CHRIST  JESUS 


INTRODUCTION. 


Paul  says :  "My  speech  and  my  preaching  were  not  in  per- 
suasive words  of  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and 
of  power,  that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men, 
but  in  the  power  of  God." 

"Howbeit  we  speak  wisdom  among  the  perfect;  yet  a  wisdom 
not  of  this  world,  nor  of  the  rulers  of  this  world,  which  are  coming 
to  nought;  but  we  speak  God's  wisdom  in  a  mystery,  even  the 
wisdom  that  hath  been  hidden,  which  God  foreordained  before  the 
worlds  unto  our  glory;  which  none  of  the  rulers  of  this  world 
knoweth  ;  for  had  they  known  it,  they  would  not  have  cruified  the 
Lord  of  glory." — I.  Cor.  ii.,  4-7. 

In  writing  and  compiling  these  essays,  it  is  my  intention  to 
concentrate  the  thought  of  the  reader  upon  the  central  character, 
Christ  Jesus.  I  have  given  some  of  the  so-called  miracles,  and  used 
material  from  the  revised  edition  of  the  New  Testament  of  1881, 
published  by  Henry  Frowde,  7  Paternoster  Row,  Oxford  Ware- 
house, London,  England.    Sold  by  A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co.  at  25  cents. 


I  have  quoted  liberally  from  Christ  Jesus'  own  sayings  as  His 
apodictical  principles  or  teachings  have  fallen  into  entire  desuetude 
among  many  who  should  in  this  age  know  and  understand  them 
thoroughly. 

The  central  figure  of  these  essays,  like  Moses  and  Zoroastei, 
had  I  lis  advent  into  the  world,  when  the  principles  He  proclaimed 
were  far  in  advance  of  the  spiritual  status  and  intelligence  of  the 
people  of  His  age.  The  demonstrations  of  Christ  Jesus,  in  whom 
was  manifested  the  divine  character,  which  instantly  healed  the 
sick  and  in  some  cases,  raised  the  dead  and  reformed  mankind, 
like  the  mathematical  and  astronomical  demonstrations  proving 
the  correctness  of  the  Copernican  system,  are  now  above  and,  be- 
yond controversy.  He  taught  the  precept  of  brotherly  love,  pro- 
claimed by  our  martyred  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  last 
centurv,  when  he  said:  "With  malice^  towards  none,  with  charity 
for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God  givesus  Light  to  see  the 
right."  Many  of  His  exalted  principles  have  been  incorporated  in 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  this  country,  directly  and  indirectly, 
and  will  never  be  effaced  so  long  as  this  government  stands.  It 
would  fall  to  pieces  if  these  elevating  and,  eternal  principles  were 
eliminated. 

The  followers  of  Christ  Jesus  in  the  early  ages  of  their  his- 
tory, like  an  army  with  banners,  overthrew  the  temples  of  heathen 
gods  and  the  ancient  empire  of  pagan  Rome  and  placed  the  bannet 
of  the  cross  upon  the  throne>  of  the  Caesars. 

Many  books  have  been  written  which  try  to  prove  the  impossi- 
bility of  the  miracles  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  many  more  have  been 
produced  defending  the  demonstration  of  the  healing  power  oi 
Spirit,  but  the  best  argument  to  use  in  meeting  the  objections  of 
doubters,  is  the  cure  of  the  sick  today  as  well  as  the  reformation  of 
the  sinner  through  the  demonstration  of  the  power  of  God — as 
Christ  Jesus  did,  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  ago. 

The  world  has  learned  many  things  of  vital  importance  to 
mankind,  in  the  earth  beneath  and  the  heavens  above,  since  the 
Torah  of  the  Hebrews  was  written,  or  the  five  books  of  Moses, 
or  the  books  containing  the  prophetic  writings,  or  the  hagiographa, 
comprising  other  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  or  the  Talmud  of 
later  date.  Many  more  important  facts  will  be  revealed  in  the 
future,  which  it  will  be  vain  to  dispute,  even  if  not  mentioned  or 


prophesied  of  in  these  books. 

It  was  the  Jews,  or  an  enlightened  portion  of  this  nationality, 
who  wrote  the  greater  part  of  the  New  Testament  and  founded 
the  Christian  church  in  the  first  century  of  this  era.  It  is  not  at  all 
surprising  that  the  old  Jewish  church,  with  its  established  forms, 
did  not  accept  the  teachings  of  Christ  Jesus,  which  were  in  con- 
flict with  it.  The  Jewish  church  would  have  also  rejected  the 
revelation  of  the  Copernican  system,  which  came  later.  This  was 
not  that  of  the  early,  revelation.  The  forefathers  of  other  nation- 
alities of  remote  ages,  were  no  more  tolerant  in  regard  to  innova- 
tions as  to  their  ideas,  and  acted  in  many  cases  in  a  barbarous, 
inhuman  and  bigoted  manner,  as  reported  in  history. 

Had  the  present  well-established  facts  in  relation  to  astronomy, 
been  revealed  to  this  people  and  other  nations  of  early  times,  show- 
ing the  velocity  of  the  earth  in  its  diurnal  rotation  and  its  annual 
revolution  around  the  sun,  and  the  revolutions  of  all  the  planets 
of  the  solar  system,  it  might  have  terrified  them  and  have  been  far 
beyond  their  comprehension.  The  man  or  men  who  had  dared  to 
proclaim  such  a  startling  theory  in  those  early  times,  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  stoned  by  the  people  of  that  date,  or  treated 
as  laboring  under  a  delusion.  The  vast  and  complicated  system  of 
mathematics,  evolved  through  pure  metaphysics ;  the  centripetal 
and  centrifugal  forces;  electricity,  in  all  its  wonderful  accomplish- 
ments; the  far-reaching  metaphysical  phenomena,  as  demonstrated 
by  Christ  Jesus  not  known  before,  have  been  revealed  to  the  in- 
telligence of  man,  as  advanced  understanding  enabled  him  to  as- 
similate these  discoveries  and  revelations.  More  and  greater  dis- 
coveries and  new  revelations  are  to  come,  especially  in  the  realm  of 
metaphysics. 

It  is  stated  that  Zoroaster  established  the  Magi  in  the  most 
remote  and  prehistoric  times  of  the  Madabadian  period.  It  was 
through  the  prophecy  of  Zoroaster  that  the  Magi,  or  the  wise  men 
of  the  East,  who  were  astronomers,  learned  through  the  signs  of 
the  Zodiac,  the  time  of  the  advent  of  Jesus  and  were  guided  to 
Bethlehem  at  the  time  of  His  birth,  by  a  new  star.  Matthew 
ii:l,  2.  Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judaea  in  the 
days  of  Herod  the  king,  behold,  wise  men  from;  the  East  came  to 
Jerusalem,  saying:  " Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews? 
for  we  saw  his  star  in  the   East,  and  are  come  to   worship  him." 


"They  brought  with  them  gifts  of  gold,  frankincense  and  myrrh." 
Sir  Edwin  Arnold  in  his  "Light  of  the  World"  refers  to,  the  birth 
of  Jesus  in  this  way : 

"Peace  beginning  to  be, 

Deep  as  the  sleep  of  the  sea 
When  the  stars  their  still  gleams  glass 

In  its  blue  tranquility; 

Hearts  of  all  upon  earth 

From  the  first  to  the  second  birth 
To  rest  as  the  wild  waters  rest 
With  colors  of  heaven  on  their  breast. 

Love  which  is  sunlight  of  peace 

Age  by  age  to  increase, 
Till  anger  and  hatred  are  dead, 

And  sorrow  and  death  shall  cease ; 

'Peace  on  earth  and  good-will !' 

Souls  that  are  gentle  and  still 

Hear  the  first  music  of  this 

Far-off  infinite  bliss !" 

Copyright  1909  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich,  108  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  111. 


ESSAYS  ON  CHRIST  JESUS. 

No-  '•  Price  ic. 

THE  DEMONSTRATION   OF  CHRIST    TESUS 

OR 

THE  POWER  OF  THE  WORD  OVER  SIN,  SICKNESS  AND 

DEATH. 
In  the  Twentieth  Century  Dictionary  the  following  definitions  are 
given:  Demonstrate— "To  derive  from  admitted  premises,  by  steps 
of  reasoning  which  admit  of  no  doubt."  Demonstration— "To  teach 
by  example.  Manifestation,  as  demonstration  of  love.  A  process  of 
mathematical  reasoning  such  as  leads  to  an  absolute  certain  conclusion  " 
It  is  written  that:  "Jesus,  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  returned  from 
the  Jordan,  and  was  led  by  the  Spirit  in  the  wilderness  during  forty 
days,  being  tempted  of  the  devil.  And  he  did  eat  nothing  in  those  days': 
and  when  they  were  completed,  he  hungered.  And  the  devil  said  unto 
him,  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  command  this  stone  that  it  become 
bread.  And  Jesus  answered  unto  him,  It  is  written,  Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone.  And  he  led  him  up  and  shewed  him  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  world  in  a  moment  of  time.  And  the  devil  said  unto  him, 
To  thee  will  I  give  all  this  authority,  and  the  glory  of  them:  for  it 
hath  been  delivered  unto  me :  and  to  whomsoever  I  will  I  give  it.  If 
thou,  therefore,  wilt  worship  before  me,  it  shall  be  thine.  And  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  It  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve.  And  he  led  him  to 
Jerusalem,  and  set  him  on  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  said  unto 
him,  If  thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thyself  down  from  hence:  for 
it  is  written, 

He  shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning  thee, 
to  guard  thee : 
and, 

On  their  hands  they  shall  bear  thee  up, 
Lest  haply  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 
And  Jesus  answering,  said  unto  him,  It  is  said,  Thou  shalt  not  tempt 
the  Lord  thy  God."     (Luke  IV:1-12.    Revised  Ed.,  1881.) 

Through  overcoming  all  these  temptations  Christ  Jesus  demon- 
strated the  power  of  Spirit  over  human  sensuous  desires.  He  overcame 
hunger,  greed  of  material  power,  love  of  riches,  worldly  ambition,  and 
rose  supreme  over  all  earthly  temptations,  which  come  to  mankind  in 
every  age. 

He  was  always  perfectly  confident  of  success.     He  acted  by  a 
definite  plan,  mathematical  in   its  exactness  and  conclusions. 
His  Coming  Proven  by  His  Healing  Power. 

Prophesied  by  Isaiah: 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me;  because  the  Lord  hath  anointed 


me  to  preach  the  good  tidings  unto  the  meek;  he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the 
broken-hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the 
prison   to   them  that  are  bound." 

"To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  and  the  day  of  vengeance  of 
our  God ;   to  comfort  all   that  mourn." 

"To  appoint  unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  unto  them  beauty  for 
ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of 
heaviness ;  that  they  might  be  called  Trees  of  righteousness,  The  planting  of 
the  Lord,  that  he  might  be  glorified."     (Isaiah  LXL,  1,  2,  3.) 

(Luke  IV,   17-21.) 

"And  there  was  delivered  unto  Him  the  book  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah.  And 
he  opened  the  book,  and  found  the  place  where  it  is  written : 

"The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me. 

"Because  He  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to  the  poor,  He  hath 
sent  me   to  proclaim  release   to   the   captives. 

"And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind. 

"To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised. 

"To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord." 

"And  he  closed  the  book  and  gave  it  back  to  the  attendant  and  sat  down : 

"He  said  unto  them,  today  hath  this  scripture  been  fulfilled  in  your  ears." 

"The  disciples  of  John  told  him  of  all  these  things.  And  John  calling 
unto  him  two  of  his  disciples,  sent  them  to  the  Lord,  saying,  Art  Thou 
He  that  cometh,  or  look  we  for  another?  And  when  the  men  were  come  unto 
Him,  they  said,  John  the  Baptist  hath  sent  us  unto  Thee,  saying,  Art  Thou  He 
that  cometh,  or  look  we  for  another?  In  that  hour  He  cured1  many  diseases 
and  plagues  and  evil  spirits;  and  on  many  that  were  blind  he  bestowed  sight. 
And  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go  your  way,  and  tell  John  what 
things  you  have  seen  and  heard;  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  the  lame  walk, 
the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  the  poor 
have  good  tidings  preached  to  them.  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall 
find  none  occasion  of  stumbling  in  me."     (Luke  VII,  18-23.) 

In  John  IX  the  record  of  healing  the  blind  man  is  given.  "Jesus 
spat  on  the  ground  and  made  clay  of  the  spittijg  and  annointed  his 
eyes  with  the  clay,  and  said  unto  him,  Go  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam. 
He  went  away  therefore  and  washed  and  came  seeing."  It  certainly 
was  not  necessary  for  Him  to  use  clay  mixed  with  His  spittc.  for  He 
cured  many  without  material  means.  It  was  the  word  which  healed 
in  every  case,  and  the  Word  was  Spirit.  It  was  the  power  of  God 
demonstrated  by  Christ  Jesus.  The  Word — Truth,  Love  and  Life — 
was  the  power  of  God.  The  real  man  being  spiritual,  not  material, 
he  is  governed  by  Spirit — God — not  by  matter,  and  thus  through  the 
power  of  God,  he  is  able  to  overcome  the  seeming  ills  of  the  transitory 
ever  changing  elements  composing  what  through  the  senses  seems  to  be 
the  material  body. 

Schleiermacher,  in  his  lectures  on  the  life  of  Jesus  says  that,  "The 
divine  power  of  Christ  Jesus  first  acted  in  these  cases  (healing  the 
sick)  through  the  Word;  the  Word  acts  naturally  on  the  mind  of  the 
hearer,  this  again  upon  his  organism;  and  it  is  impossible  to  fix  a 
limit  of  how  far  the  influence  so  originated  may  extend.  So  that  the 
cures  wrought  by  Jesus  were  really  supernatural  and  miraculous,  inso- 
much as  no  one  could  have  wrought  them  but  one  in  whom,  as  in  him, 
the  overmastering  and  sole  impulse  was  divine;  yet  they  were  also 


natural,  because  the   supernatural  influence  attained   its  end  entirely 
through  natural  means." 

He  says  that  "to  take  the  whole  as  mythical,  i.  e.,  as  a  poetical 
fiction  formed  within  the  circle  of  Christendom,  is  impossible,  since 
there  is  no  mythus  in  the  New  Testament;  myths  are  the  product  of 
ante-historic  times." 

Hase,  in  his  life  of  Jesus,  has  designated  the  miraculous  endow- 
ment of  Christ  Jesus  "as  a  clear  dominion  of  the  Spirit  over  nature, 
originally  conferred  upon  man  at  his  creation,  and  regaining  its  original 
force  through  the  sinless  purity  of  Jesus,  to  quell  sickness  and  death ; 
so  that  there  is  no  interruption  of  nature's  laws,  but  only  a  restoration 
of  her  prestine  harmony  and  order." 

The  Rev.  Gerhard  Uhlhorn,  D.  D.,  in  his  life  of  Christ  Jesus, 
answering  Renan  and  Strauss,  says : 

"He  who  came  to  put  away  sin,  and  with  it,  all  evil — sickness  also, 
and  death,  as  the  consequence  of  sin — heals  the  sick  and  raises  the  dead. 
He  who  came  to  restore  the  disturbed  development  exercises  power 
over  nature,  turns  water  into  wine,  and  stills  the  tempest.  His  miracles 
are  at  once  prophecies  of  the  consummation,  anticipations,  prototypes, 
of  what  shall  take  place  at  the  end  of  days,  when  the  miracle  of 
redemption  shall  be  expressed  in  the  completion  of  all  things,  and 
everything  shall  become  new." 

Throughout  the  arrest,  trial,  conviction  and  crucifixion  of  Christ 
Jesus,  we  are  shown  the  complete  mastery  of  human  passions,  fear, 
and  weakness  by  spiritual  power,  or  divine  M  ind.  It  was  a  triumphant 
demonstration.  In  the  face  of  the  angry  uncontrolled  mob,  demanding 
his  crucifixion  after  he  was  declared  "without  fault"  by  Pilate,  denying 
him  a  reasonable  trial,  crying  "Crucify  him !"  a  young  man,  only  thirty- 
three  years  old,  in  the  full  glow  of  health  and  vigor,  he  remained  calm, 
unmoved,  courageous,  a  mighty  hero,  standing  alone  against  the  world. 
He  knew  that  all  material  things  are  transitory  and  that  nothing  lives 
eternally  but  the  spiritual.  Therefore,  he  placed  no  dependence  on 
transitory,  material  things.  He  knew  that  only  his  own  knowledge  of 
God  and  his  Word  which  had  guided  him,  and  was  possessed  by  him 
individually,  could  remain  and  live  with  him  eternally. 

He  knew  from  the  beginning  that  his  opponents  would  not  be 
satisfied  until  they  had,  in  their  belief,  destroyed  his  body.  It  was 
the  most  that  they  could  do  to  gratify  human  hatred.  They  could  not 
endure  the  rebuke  of  his  purity  and  goodness.  But  nowhere  during 
the  events  leading  to  his  execution  did  he  fail  to  meet  and  overcome 
every  human  fear,  every  sense  of  retaliation,  thus  demonstrating  the 
power  of  Spirit  over  pain  and  humiliation.  He  had  fearlessly  delivered 
a  message  of  Truth,  a  divine  instruction  to  a  sinful  world,  but  men 
were  not  ready  to  hear  and  appreciate.  Instead  they  desired  to  destroy 
this  Messenger  of  Truth,  who  convicted  them  of  sin. 


"Jesus  answered  them,  Do  ye  now  believe  ?  Behold,  the  hour  cometh, 
yea,  is  come,  that  ye  shall  be  scattered,  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall 
leave  me  alone :  and  yet  I  am  not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me.  These 
things  I  have  spoken  unto  you  that  in  me  ye  may  have  peace.  In  the  world  ye 
have  tribulation;  but  be  of  good  cheer;  I  have  overcome  the  world."  (John 
XVI,   32-33.) 

His  followers  are  to  repeat  the  same  glorious  message  of  Truth 
to  a  sin-sick  world,  regardless  of  the  opposition  and  sneers  of  the 
unbelieving.  They  must  also  demonstrate  the  power  of  the  Word 
over  sin,  sickness  and  death,  like  him.  To  the  weary  and  heavy  laden 
he  says,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for 
I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  *-est  unto  your  souls. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light."     (Matt.  XI:28-30.) 

In  view  of  the  power  of  God  possessed  by  Jesus  the  Christ,  as 
shown  by  his  healing  the  sick,  raising  the  dead,  his  wisdom  and  his 
vivifying  words,  it  is  vain  to  suppose  that  this  divine,  living,  acting, 
loving,  and  regenerating  spiritual  force,  the  real  Christ,  could  be  nailed 
to  a  cross  and  slain,  although  his  body  was.  This  spiritual  power  lives 
and  will  live  throughout  eternity  and  could  not  be  crucified,  destroyed, 
extinguished  or  buried,  therefore  the  demonstration  over  death  was 
the  greatest  manifestation  of  spirit  over  matter  ever  accomplished  on 
earth. 

He  had  previously  said,  "Destroy  this  temple  and  in  three  days  I 
will  raise  it  up."  (John  XI:19.)  He  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body. 
(John  11:21.     Rev.  XXI  :22.) 

Paul  says  in  I  Cor.  XV:1-11  (written  A.  D.  59)  : 

"Now  I  make  known  unto  you,  brethren,  the  gospel  which  I  preached 
unto  you,  which  also  ye  received,  wherein  also  ye  stand,  by  which  also  ye  are 
saved;  /  make  known,  I  say,  in  what  words  I  preached  it  unto  you,  if  ye  hold 
it  fast,  except  ye  believed  in  vain.  For  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that 
which  also  I  received,  how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
scriptures;  and  that  he  was  buried;  and  that  he  hath  been  raised  on  the  third 
day  according  to  the  scriptures;  and  that  he  appeared  to  Cephas;  then  to 
the  twelve ;  then  he  appeared  to  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once,  of  whom 
the  greater  part  remain  until  now,  but  some  are  fallen  asleep ;  then  he  appeared 
to  James;  then  to  all  the  apostles;  and  last  of  all,  as  unto  one  born  out  of  due 
time,  he  appeared  to  me  also.  For  I  am  the  least  of  the  apostles,  that  am  not 
meet  to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  persecuted  the  church  of  God.  But  by 
the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am:  and  his  grace  which  was  bestowed  upon 
me  was  not  found  vain :  but  I  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all :  yet 
not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  which  was  with  me.  Whether  then  it  be  I  or  they, 
so   we    preach,   and   so   ye   believed." 

Also    in    1    Cor.    XV,    20^21: 

"But  now  hath  Christ  been  raised  from  the  dead,  the  first  fruits  of 
them  that  are  asleep.  For  since  by  man  came  death,  by  man  came  also  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  Fori  is  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made 
alive." 

Copyright  1909  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich,  108  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago,  111. 


ESSAYS   ON   CHRIST  JESUS 

No.  Two.  Price  ic, 

THE  ADVENT  OF  CHRIST  JESUS. 


When  we  compare  the  heroic  and  triumphant  life  of  Christ  Jesus, 
who  was  proclaimed  the  Messiah,  and  His  absolute  supremacy  in 
Mind  or  Spirit,  over  the  sensual  and  material,  with  the  lives  recorded 
in  the  scriptures  and  in  all  history  of  the  first  Adam-man  and  all  his 
descendants,  with  this  one  exception,  we  are  startled  at  the  remarka- 
ble contrast. 

History  attempts  to  eulogize  the  alleged  great  men  of  passing 
centuries,  but  lingers  surprised  and  overpowered  for  the  moment,  at 
the  unaccountable  appearance  of  this  exalted  and  divine  personage,  so 
unlike  all  other  men  in  His  perfection  and  God-likeness. 

"And  the  child  (Jesus)  grew  and  waxed  strong,  filled  with 
wisdom ;  and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon  Him." 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  after  three  days,  they  found  Him  in  the 
temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing  them  and 
asking  them  questions." 

"All  that  heard  Him  were  amazed  at  His  understanding  and  His 
answers." 

"And  He  said  unto  them,  How  it  is  that  you  sought  me?  Wist 
ye  not  that  I  must  be  in  my  Father's  house  ?" 

"And  Jesus  advanced  in  wisdom  and  stature  and  in  favor  with 
God  and  man."     (Luke  11,  40,  46,  47,  49,  52.) 

From  the  spiritually  endowed  infant,  born  at  Bethlehem,  Judea, 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  there  came  the  perfect  manhood,  the  long 
expected  and  long  cherished  Christ,  the  true  Messiah. 

He  was  the  personification  of  the  eternal  and  divine  power  of 
God  manifested  in  man.  -^ 

In  after  years,  His  disciples  were  to  eagerly  strive  and  possess 
the  Power,  revealed"in  the  Mind  of  the  Lord"(I  Cor.  II,  16), "the 
Mind  of  Christ." 

His  daily  life  was  the  antithesis  of  the  Adam-man,  dominated 
by  materiality  and  the  senses.  He  demonstrated  the  sovereignty  of 
"Spirit,  or  the  Power  of  God,"  over  humanity,  and  through  its  mani- 
festation he  carried  healing  and  life  to  weak  and  erring  mankind. 


One  man,  the  "Adam-man,"  as  it  is  written  (Genesis  1-28,  and  I 
Cor.  IV,  45  and  47),  was  placed  upon  this  planet,  and  at  first  given 
supreme  power  over  it,  and  all  creatures  existing  upon  it,  but  he  was 
not  equal  to  the  responsibility.     (Gen.  I,  26  to  27;  Rom.  V,  12;  Luke 

III,  38.) 

Christ  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  the  New-Man,  created  in  the 
divine  image  (I  John  IV,  9,  and  Eph.  XVIII,  24),  sinless,  perfect, 
endowed  spiritually  with  divine  power,  uncorrupted  and  untrammeled 
by   destroying   customs,   or   elements   which   He  overcame   (Hebrews 

IV,  15),  resisting  all  temptations,  and  a  living  example,  came  from 
the  Father  to  demonstrate  the  Truth,  upon  this  same  revolving  planet, 
desecrated  by  the  first,  so-called,  Adam-man,  and  his  successors. 

The  words  he  uttered  while  here,  came  forth,  not  from  any  in- 
heritance of  a  so-called  Adam-man,  filled  with  pride,  revenge,  greed 
of  power  and  wealth,  but  from  a  pure  and  divine  realm  of  thought, 
ever  in  harmony  with  the  Mind  of  His  and  our  Father-God.  "The 
Word  which  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  which  was  God"  (John 
I,  1),  which  Christ  Jesus  spake,  impressed  all  who  heard  Him,  and 
today  His  words  shine  with  ever  reviving  light,  as  clear  and  bright  as 
when  at  first  spoken.  He  said  "heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but 
my  words  shall  not  pass  away."  (Matthew  XXIV,  35).  He  moved 
among  men  of  all  classes  with  conscious,  spiritual  superiority.  He 
was  illumined  continually  by  the  Light,  Love  and  Truth  emanating 
from  the  ever  present  and  "Eternal  Spirit"  (Heb.  XX,  14),  and  "His 
faith  stood  in  the  power  of  God"  (I  Cor.  II,  5),  "The  Father"  (Eph. 
I,  17.) 

The  world  of  the  so-called  Adam-man,  which  will  eventually  dis- 
appear and  be  forgotten,  like  the  world  before  the  deluge,  described  in 
Genesis  VI,  was  debased  around  Him,  a  large  portion  being  dominated 
by  the  Roman  Empire  and  the  power  and  lust  of  sensuous  man,  but 
He  came  to  bring  Life  and  Light  into  the  world,  and  reveal  the  Truth 
to  all  mankind.  He  said,  "I  am  the  light  of  the  world"  (John  VIII, 
12).  All  His  personality  radiated  with  the  presence  of  divine  Love, 
which  created  spiritually  a  heaven  within  Him  on  earth. 

The  little  kingdom  of  Judea  was  under  subjection  to  the  cruel 
dominion  of  the  material  and  idolatrous  kingdom  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire, ruled  by  a  race  of  tyrants,  whose  wickedness  was  unrestrained, 
and  whose  greed  of  power  had  conquered  nearly  the  entire  then  known 
world.  The  old  Roman  Empire  has  now  passed  away,  but  Christ 
Jesus'  kingdom  has  not  passed  away. 

Although  surrounded  by  all  that  was  revolting  to  a  pure  and  divine 
character,  He  lived  uncontaminated  by  it,  and  sought  to  change  the 
course  of  thought  and  action,  and  elevate  mankind  through  the 
"demonstration  of  the  power"  of  His  heavenly  Father,  as  taught  by 


Him. 

This  divine  operating  power,  or  cause,  existed  before  as  well  as 
after  the  advent  of  Christ  Jesus  on  earth,  but  mankind  did  not  fully 
understand  it. 

He  cured  diseases  instantaneously — "Jesus  stretched  out  His  hand 
and  touched  him,  saying,  I  will;  be  thou  made  clean.  And  straight- 
way the  leprosy  departed  from  him"  (Matthew  VIII,  3.) 

"Jesus  said  unto  the  centurian,  Go  thy  way  ;  as  thou  hast  believed, 
so  be  it  done  unto  thee.  And  the  servant  was  healed  in  that  hour  " 
(Matthew  VIII,  13.) 

"Jesus  said  unto  His  disciples,  why  are  ye  fearful,  Oh  ye  of 
little  faith?  Then  He  arose  and  rebuked  the  winds  and  the  sea;  and 
there  was  a  great  calm."     (Matthew  VIII,  26.) 

"But  Jesus  turning  and  seeing  her  said.  Daughter,  be  of  good 
cheer;  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.  And  the  woman  was  made 
whole  from  that  hour."     (Matthew  IX,  22.) 

'He  said,  Give  place;  for  the  damsel  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth. 
And  they  laughed  Him  to  scorn.  But  when  the  crowd  was  put  forth, 
He  entered  in,  and  took  her  bv  the  hand,  and  the  damsel  arose  " 
(Matthew  IX,  24,  25.) 

"There  was  brought  to  Him  a  dumb  man  possessed  with  a  devil. 
And  when  the  devil  was  cast  out,  the  dumb  man  spake;  and  the  multi- 
tudes marveled,  saying,  it  was  never  so  seen  in  Israel."  Matthew  IX, 
32,  33.) 

Today,  by  following  out  the  example  and  teachings  of  Christ 
Jesus,  by  putting  on  the  New-Alan  (Eph.  IV,  24),  and  through  the 
demonstration  of  the  power  of  God,  the  sick  can  be  healed  and  the 
sinner  redeemed  and  saved. 

Christ  Jesus  said,  'The  Comforter  which  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom 
the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  He  shall  teach  you  all  things  and 
bring  to  your  remembrance  all  that  I  said  unto  you."'    (John  XIV,  26.) 

Jesus  appeared  when  the  race  of  man  in  the  world  was  under  an 
eclipse  of  material  darkness,  when  spiritual  light  seemed  to  be  en- 
tirely shut  out.  "In  Him  was  life ;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men ; 
And  the  light  shineth  in  the  darkness ;  and  the  darkness  comprehended 
it  not."     (John  I,  4,  5.) 

The  spiritual  light  and  impulse  brought  into  the  world  by  Jesus 
replaced  darkness  with  light,  and  in  a  great  measure  ended  the 
material  eclipse  that  had  hung  over  the  spiritual  vision  of  humanity 
for  centuries.     (I  Cor.  15:44;  I  Cor.  12,  V-10.) 

St.  John  and  St.  Paul,  with  other  followers  of  Jesus,  labored 
hard  and  suffered  much  to  disseminate  this  light,  that  all  might  see. 

Athens  and  Rome,  then  the  centers  of  learning:  and  art,  became  in 


time  the  centers  of  religious  thought  and  activity. 

Nineteen  hundred  years  after  the  advent  of  Christ  Jesus  we  find 
mankind  still  lingering  under  a  partial  eclipse,  and  the  race  has  not 
progressed  as  it  should,  beyond  its  spiritual  status  at  the  beginning 
of  this  era.  While  the  material  forces  of  the  world  have  been  con- 
stantly developed  in  the  various  departments  of  war,  commerce,  and 
education,  man  has  not  spiritually  progressed  in  like  proportion. 
(Matt.  XXIII,  23-39.) 

Everything  possible  should  be  done  to  advance  the  spiritual  growth 
of  mankind  in  the  coming  centuries.  Great  material  achievements 
have  been  accomplished  often  at  the  expense  of  spiritual  progress. 

St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  by  preaching  the  immaterial  and  spiritual 
teachings  of  Christ  Jesus,  broke  down  the  old  idolatrous  and  material 
mythological  beliefs  of  the  Romans  and  Greeks.  The  worldly  glory 
of  the  Caesars  has  passed  away,  as  well  as  the  material  grandeur  of 
that  age,  but  the  spiritual  influence  promulgated  by  these  two  Apostles 
still  lives  where  they  suffered  martyrdom,  and  many  of  the  first  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  Jesus,  were  publicly  burned  by  the  Emperor  Nero. 

Commercialism  is  synonymous  with  materialism,  and  seems  to  be 
the  dominant  force  of  this  age.  Powerful  corporations  formed  for 
business  purposes  are  devoid  of  those  spiritual  attributes  which  should 
prompt  men  to  regard  the  welfare  and  rights  of  their  fellow  men, 
as  they  would  have  their  own  rights  respected. 

The  influence  of  the  schools  and  universities  in  the  domain  of 
literature,  art  and  science,  and  especially  the  spiritual  attainments  of 
the  age,  will  live  after  the  great  steel  structures  of  commerce  and  the 
palaces  of  the  rulers  and  millionaires  of  earth  have  crumbled  and 
perished. 

Art,  music  and,  above  all,  the  Truth,  as  it  was  taught  and  demon- 
strated in  Asia  Minor  by  Him?  who  was  the  "Light  of  the  world," 
will  live  throughout  the  coming  ages.  The  power  and  glory  of  the 
spiritual  will  eventually  overthrow  the  reign  of  commercialism  and 
material  supremacy. 

Copyright  1909  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich,  108  Dearborn  Street, 
Chicago,  Illinois. 


ESSAYS  ON   CHRIST  JESUS 

No.  Three.  Price  10. 

THE  PARABLES  OF  CHRIST  JESUS. 


The  parables  and  various  recorded  utterances  of  Christ  Jesus, 
should  form  a  conspicuous  part  of  the  regular  education  of  all.  These 
clear,  logical  and  inspired  teachings  should  be  taught  as  a  mental  and 
a  moral  training.  Thus  the  Chinese  have  for  ages  committed  to 
memory  the  writings  of  Confucius,  and  the  Greek  and  Roman  students 
have  studied  Homer,  Virgil  and  other  great  authors  of  ancient  times. 

As  Benjamin  Franklin  revealed  to  his  fellow  man  the  long  hidden 
power  of  electricity,  and  Isaac  Newton  discovered  the  force  of  gravi- 
tation, so  Christ  Jesus  made  clear  to  our  understanding  the  Truth  and 
Power  of  God,  as  well  as  the  love  of  the  Father.  All  will  admit  that 
He  was  possessed  of  extraordinary  wisdom,  of  a  pure  and  superior 
character ;  that  He  was  given  power  by  the  divine  Intelligence,  which 
He  exercised  to  teach  and  to  heal.  His  complete  similes  will  give 
clearness  and  strength  to  the  mind  and  invigorate  the  understanding, 
as  well  as  deliver  us  from  wrong  thoughts  and  actions. 

If  Virgil,  Cicero  and  the  works  of  ancient  and  modern  writers  on 
mental  philosophy  and  political  economy  are  taught  in  our  schools, 
colleges  and  universities,  why  should  not  the  teachings  of  Christ  Jesus 
be  promulgated  in  institutions  of  learning,  so  they  could  be  universally 
practiced  ?  What  instruction  could  be  given  more  beneficially  than  the 
parables  of  "The  Sower,"  (Matthew  XIII)  ;  "The  Prodigal  Son," 
(Luke  XV)  ;  the  "Ten  Virgins,"  (Matthew  XXV)  ;  "The  Lost  Sheep," 
"The  Hidden  Treasure,"  (Matthew  XIII);  "The  Goodly  Pearl"  and 
"The  Leaven?"  What  more  vital  principles  could  be  unfolded  to  the 
young  student  than  the  Beatitudes  (Matthew  V) — the  rules  of  conduct 
given  for  man  to  follow  in  his  relations  with  man?  What  oration  in 
all  the  ages  is  more  profound  than  the  "Sermon  on  the  Mount,"  deliv- 
ered by  the  great  Orator,  "who  spake  as  never  man  spake  before"  or 
since?  (Matthew  V,  VI,  VII).  These  sublime  utterances  will  supply 
a  foundation  to  the  intellect  that  no  other  teaching  can  give.  They 
reflect  the  divine  Intelligence  and  the  healing  power  of  God — the 
Father,  all  susceptible  of  constant  demonstration  here  and  now.  They 
will  bring  to  light  more  spiritual  conception  of  life.  Be  not  content, 
O  man!  wandering  in  darkness,  seeking  for  Light,  until  you  have 
gathered  all  these  priceless  gems  of  thought  into  your  consciousness ; 
until  you  have  assimilated  them  into  your  mind.  They  will  create 
a  light  in  you  that  will  illuminate  your  pathway  along  the  narrow  road 
which  leads  from  earth  and  earthly  things  to  Zion,  the  Eternal  City, 
which  is  illuminated  by  the  glory  of  God.  (Rev.  XXI).  His  mis- 
sion was  to  build  up  a  Spiritual  Kingdom  here.  Into  this  Kingdom 
the  race  of  man,  to  whom  He  revealed  the  Truth,  must  be  brought. 


The  Life  and  the  purity  of  Mind  of  the  Divine  Father  must  be  estab- 
lished within  and  take  entire  possession  of  man.  Man  must  be  freed 
not  only  from  sickness,  but  also  from  sin.  He  must  be  liberated 
from  the  power  of  corrupting  and  destroying  influences  with  which 
centuries  of  unrighteous  living  have  entangled  the  race;  he  must 
be  liberated  from  mesmerism  and  ignorance.  He  must  realize  that 
ill-gotten  gain  brings  discord,  and  the  pleasures  of  the  senses,  sorrow 
and  pain.  Christ  Jesus  said :  "It  is  the  spirit  that  quickeneth ;  the 
flesh  profiteth  nothing;  the  words  that  I  have  spoken  unto  you  are 
spirit,  and  are  life."     (John  VI  :6). 

The  Divine  Spirit  restoreth  and  giveth  life  and  maketh  fruitful 
the  barren  spots ;  but  we  are  living  in  a  material  age,  where  the 
intellectual  and  spiritual  are  often  considered  the  visionary  and  the 
impracticable. 

Let  us  ever  be  conscious  that  Spirit  clothes  mankind  anew  with 
the  garment  of  righteousness. 

When  we  thoroughly  understand  the  spiritual  meaning  of  the 
Word  of  God,  as  revealed  in  the  Bible,  and  are  nourished  spiritually 
by  the  Word,  which  "is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven," 
as  demonstrated  by  Christ  Jesus,  who  said:  "I  am  the  living  bread 
which  came  down  out  of  heaven"  (John  VI:51),  we  will  be  freed 
from  disease,  sin  and  moral  death ;  therefore,  we  should  try  to  live  in 
the  Spirit  and  not  in  the  flesh. 

Christ  in  Harmony  with  God. 

In  speaking  of  Christianity,  we  should  regard  it  as  the  particular 
religion  developed  and  propagated  by  Christ  Jesus,  who  is  the  em- 
bodiment of  Truth,  thus  revealing  man's  harmony  with  his  Creator. 
He  speaks  to  us,  as  God  Himself  would,  in  contact  with  whose  thoughts 
we  are  directly  brought  when  studying  His  word.  He  said,  "I  and 
the  Father  are  one."     (John  X:30). 

We  must  regard  His  teachings  independently  and  spiritually,  draw- 
ing our  conclusions  from  the  divine  principles  laid  down  by  Him. 
In  the  study,  therefore,  of  this  sublime,  far-reaching  and  divine  subject, 
known  as  Christianity,  we  must  drink  deeply  from  His  thoughts,  as 
shown  and  recorded  by  His  disciples  in  the  four  gospels,  which  have 
been  proven  to  be  authentic.  The  more  we  consider  His  clear,  forceful 
and  wise  expositions  of  Truth,  the  better  able  we  shall  be  to  compre- 
hend the  New  Light,  which  broke  upon  the  world  through  Him. 

Christ  Jesus  manifested  "the  Power  of  God"  to  perfection.  (I 
Cor.  11:5).  Therefore,  His  mind  was  perfect,  His  character  complete. 
"I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of 
Him  that  sent  me."  (John  VI:31).  Here  then  we  are  brought  to  the 
fountain  head  of  all  light  and  wisdom,  as  the  source  of  "the  Power 
of  God,"  by  which  we  should  be  governed. 

Jesus  was  condemned  by  the  High  Priest  Caiaphas  who  said,  "I 
adjure  thee  by  the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be  the 


Christ,  the  Son  of  God?"     Jesus  said  unto  him,  "Thou   hast  said." 
(Matthew  XXVI:63-65). 

If  God  was  the  Father,  then  He,  Christ  Jesus,  must  have  been  the 
Son.  (John  X:34-36).  All  men  are  "Children  of  God"  (I  John 
111:1),  in  a  spiritual  sense,  as  Christ  Jesus  has  shown,  for  "God 
created  man  in  His  own  image."  God  is  a  Spirit;  and  they  that 
worship  Him  must  worship  in  Spirit  and  Truth  (John  IV:24). 

Christ  Jesus  was  more  highly  gifted  in  this  regard  than  other 
men  and  so  revealed  to  men  the  great  truth  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God, 
"In  Him  was  Life,  and  the  Life  was  the  Light  of  men."  (John  1:4). 
He  clearly  illustrated  "the  Work  of  God,"  and  God's  will  on  many 
vital  points  (John  VI:28). 

When  questioned  by  the  shrewd  lawyer  as  to  the  meaning  of 
neighbor  in  the  law  commanding  a  man  "to  love  his  neighbor  as  him- 
self," (Lev.  XIX  :18),  how  does  He  answer?  By  the  parable  of  the 
Good  Samaritan  (Luke  X:30-37).  He  tears  off  the  mask  of  religion 
worn  by  the  Priest  and  Levite  and  shows  the  brotherly  kindness  of 
the  Samaritan,  thus  revealing  the  power  of  Love,  which  should  govern 
the  world,  advocating  the  perfect  brotherhood  of  man. 

No  philosopher,  or  prophet  ever  flashed  forth  so  brilliant  £n 
illustration  of  this  divine  command  "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself"  as 
Christ  Jesus  did  when  He  quoted  from  the  XIX  chapter  of  Leviticus, 
18th  verse  (see  also  Matt.  XXII  :39),  and  spake  the  parable  of  the 
Good  Samaritan.  Then  all  human  government  will  be  perfect  and 
fraud  and  tyranny  will  be  unknown.  Freedom  to  do  right  will  become 
the  privilege  of  all.  Poverty,  misery  and  want  will  vanish.  The  earth 
will  become  one  vast  Paradise,  filled  with  glad  hearts,  clear  consciences, 
and  faces  beaming  with  smiles.  Then  all  useful  knowledge  will  cover 
the  earth,  as  waters  cover  the  sea. 

"With  love  for  his  neighbor"  abounding  in  his  heart,  the  learned 
man  will  seek  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  so  that  all  may  rejoice  together 
in  the  light  of  true  wisdom. 

Is  there  any  result  in  mathematics  more  self-evident  than  this? 
"By  a  process  of  mathematical  reasoning,  we  are  led  to  an  absolute 
certain  conclusion."  Should  we  not  act  as  confidently  upon  this  prin- 
ciple of  Christianity,  knowing  the  results  will  always  be  correct? 

Today,  by  following  out  the  teachings  of  Christ  Jesus,  who  under- 
stood and  worked  out  the  healing  power  of  God,  the  sick  can  be  healed 
and  the  sinner  reformed. 

He  said  to  His  disciples,  "Go  preach,  saying,  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  raise  the  dead,  cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out 
devils;  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give."  (Matt.  10:7-9).  He  likewise 
said,  "If  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  heavenly  Father  will  also 
forgive  you.  But  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will  your 
Father  forgive  your  trespasses."  (Matthew  VL14-15).  We  are  to  obtain 
pardon  for  our  trespasses,  as  we  follow  the  divine  method,  and  exercise  a 
forgiving  disposition  towards  our  fellow  men,  and  thereby  stop  sinning. 

Instead  of  regarding  our  neighbors  as  objects  of  distrust,  envy 


and  hatred,  we  must  realize  that  they  are  our  brothers  upon  whom  it 
is  of  vital  importance  to  us  that  we  should  bestow  the  highest  marks 
of  regard,  charity,  love  and  mercy.  In  this  way  our  own  characters 
will  be  elevated,  purified,  and  we  will  act  in  harmony  with  our  heavenly 
Father.  We  should  realize  that  all  power  is  in  God's  hands  and  should 
rely  on  spiritual  and  not  material  help. 

Freedom  From  the  Bondage  of  Sin. 

Remember  "God  cannot  be  tempted  with  evil  and  He  Himself  tempteth 
no  man,  but  each  man  is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  by  his  own  lust 
and  enticed  (James  1:12-14).  Jesus,  therefore,  said  to  those  Jews  which  had 
believed  Him,  "If  ye  abide  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  truly  my  disciples, 
and  ye  shall  know  the  Truth,  and  the  Truth  shall  make  you  free."  (John 
VIII:31-32).  We  Americans,  who  were  never  in  bondage  to  any  man, 
repeat  with  the  Jews,  "How  sayeth  thou,  ye  shall  be  made  free?"  Jesus 
answered,  "Every  one  that  committeth  sin,  is  the  bond  servant  of  sin." 
If,  therefore,  the  Son  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free  indeed."  (John 
VIII:34-36). 

By  this  argument  is  proven  the  true  meaning  of  personal  freedom. 
We  regard  our  national  constitution  as  the  safeguard  of  our  liberties 
and  consider  it  a  rich  legacy  left  to  our  nation  by  the  founders  of 
our  government.  Beneath  its  protection,  we  look  upon  ourselves  as 
free  men.  Christ  Jesus  showed  us  how  to  become  perfectly  free  from 
r.in,  but  it  was  not  to  enlarge  our  liberty,  so  that  we  could  live  wrong 
or  right  lives  as  we  desire,  thus  in  many  cases  defeating  His  plan  for 
man's  deliverance  from  sin.  A  scrutinizing  view  of  our  nationa\ 
affairs,  will  lead  us  to  believe  that  libertv  without  the  control  of  Truth, 
is  dangerous,  as  sin  often  abounds.  It  tends  to  anarchy,  general  cor- 
ruption and  discord,  but  the  Truth  firmly  implanted  in  every  citizen^ 
will  alone  assure  permanent  happiness,  success  and  durability  of  the 
state.  Under  our  system  of  government,  severe  law  may  be  made 
to  punish  crime,  but  criminals  often  escape  through  the  lax  execution 
of  the  law.  Those  in  office  are  often  influenced  by  corrupt  means  and 
shield  the  guilty. 

Truth,  as  taught  by  Christ  Jesus,  acts  upon  man's  heart,  or 
thoughts,  and  works  out  his  purification.  It  separates  man  from  the 
control  of  sin  and  wrong  desires.  It  is  evident  that  when  man  be- 
comes freed  from  slavery  to  a  corrupt  heart  or  nature,  through  the 
teachings  of  Christ  Jesus,  as  expounded  in  His  life  and  set  forth  by 
the  Apostles  in  the  New  Testament,  he  does  enjoy  perfect  liberty. 
He  must  be  filled  with  love  for  God  and  his  fellow-man  and  under- 
stand and  obey  God's  will.  He  will  not  abuse  his  liberty,  or  permit  it 
to  carry  him  headlong  into  the  depths  of  infamy  and  death.  If  a 
citizen  is  freed  from  sin,  or  the  sin  in  him  is  cured  through  the  power 
of  Truth  as  taught  by  Christ  Jesus,  he  will  not  commit  evil  deeds,  or 
encourage  others  in  crime. 

Copyright  1909  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich,  108  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  Ills. 


ESSAYS  ON  CHRIST  JESUS. 

No.  Four.  Price  ic. 

CHRIST  JESUS   AND   THE  WATER   OF  LIFE. 


When  Christ  Jesus  was  on  the  earth,  He  said :  "If  thou 
knewest  the  gift  of  God  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  give 
me  to  drink,  thou  wouldst  have  asked  of  Him,  and  He  would 
have  given  thee  living  water."  (John  IV,  10.)  "Whosoever  drink- 
eth  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the 
water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  become  in  him  a  well  of  water, 
springing  up  unto  eternal  life."      (John  IV,   14.) 

The  words  of  Christ  Jesus,  quoted  above,  are  preserved  so 
that  all  men  who  are  athirst  may  freely  drink  of  this  living  water. 
The  man  thirsting  for  strong  drink  can  quench  the  craving  desire 
forever  by  cherishing  the  Word  spoken  by  Christ  Jesus  through 
reading,  studying  and  committing  His  sayings  to  memory,  and 
learning  from  Him  how  to  overcome  the  sensuous  desires  of  human 
nature.  The  power  of  God,  which  animated  Christ  Jesus  when 
on  earth,  lives  today  and  will  live  throughout  eternity.  This,  if 
demonstrated  according  to  Jesus'  example,  will  preserve  man  from 
the  deadening  influence  of  strong  drink,  disease  and  moral  death. 
God's  love  is  ever  present  and  will  lift  up  into  a  higher  life  the 
man  who  cherishes  this  saving  power,  and  it  will  keep  him  from 
destroying  habits,  giving  him  health  and  happiness. 

All  loyal  followers  of  Christ  Jesus  in  this  great  free  country 
of  America  should  strive  to  build  up  the  supremacy  of  truth  as 
demonstrated  by  Him  and  comprehend  more  clearly  this  spiritual 
kingdom. 

It  is  said  by  Mobed  Savosh,  "If  thou  didst  but  know  the 
pleasure  of  abandoning  pleasure  thou  wouldst  never  more  talk  of 
the  pleasures  of  sense." 

Love  Your  Enemies. 

Christ  Jesus  said:  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine  enemy;  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your 
enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you,  that  ye  may  be  sons  of 
your  Father  which  is  in  Heaven;  for  He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on  the 
evil  and  good  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  the  unjust.  For  if  you 
love  them  that  love  you.  what  reward  have  you?  Do  not  even  the  pub- 
licans the  same?  And  if  ye  salute  your  brother  only,  what  do  ye  more 
than  others?  Ye.  therefore,  shall  be  perfect,  as  your  Heavenly  Father  is 
perfect."     (Matt.  V,  43-48.) 

He  goes  even  further  than  merely  to  withhold  man  from  evil 
and  teaches  us  a  superhuman  virtue — a  virtue  belonging  to  the 
divine  intelligence,  unrecognized  by  human  philosophy  or  laws 
instituted  by  man.    Harsh,  uncharitable  and  perverse  human  nature 


will  often  be  conquered  by  the  practical  and  continual  appliance 
of  an  exalted  principle  of  conduct  like  this,  which  brings  our 
thoughts  into  unison  with  the  only  true  God,  thus  making  us 
realize  the  marvelous  workings  of  His  mind.  In  this  way  we  are 
taught  to  think  and  act  in  harmony  with  the  laws  through  the 
operation  of  which  the  immortal  Creator  displays  His  eternal 
motive,  His  supreme  and  perfect  method.  The  world  is  filled  with 
unrest  and  lack  of  harmony,  but  the  divine  Father  is  complete 
composure,  harmony,  quietness,  peace  and  love.  These  He  imparts 
to  man,  who  is  thus  enabled  to  rise  above  the  earthly  atmosphere 
of  discord,  revenge  and  hatred,  and  so  return  good  for  evil,  love 
for  hate,  as  taught  by  Christ  Jesus. 

Christ  Jesus  said,  "Ye  have  heard  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time, 
thou  shalt  not  kill;  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be  in  danger  of  the 
judgment:  but  I  say  unto  you  that  every  one  who  is  angry  with  his 
brother  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment;  if,  therefore,  thou  art  offering 
thy  gift  at  the  altar  and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  aught 
against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy  way,  first 
be  reconciled  to  thy  brother  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift."  (Matt. 
V:21-24). 

The  meaning  of  brother  here  is  as  general  as  the  term  neighbor 
in  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan.  He  teaches  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  eradicating  the  cause  of  evil  thoughts  and  purposes.  He  shows 
the  Truth,  that  no  superficial  or  external  artifice  will  save  a  man 
from  sin  and  its  consequences.  He  prompts  men  to  overcome  tempta- 
tion, immorality  and  intemperance,  thus  causing  them  to  be  both  tem- 
perate and  pure.  He  teaches  man  that  he  cannot  cheat,  or  conspire 
to  deprive  a  fellow  man  of  his  rights,  without  injuring  himself. 

If  a  man  deliberately  manipulates  a  railroad,  gas  or  electric 
plant,  so  that  the  citizens  of  an  entire  community  are  defrauded  of 
their  rights  and  benefits,  his  act  will  redound  and  afTect  not  merely  his 
moral  welfare,  but  likewise  his  health,  and  if  not  corrected,  will  eventu- 
ally undermine  and  destroy  him. 

A  man  is  liable  for  the  acts  of  his  business  firm,  or  his  monopolistic 
corporation,  and  any  wrong  committed  will  have  a  reflex  and  potent 
influence  upon  all  connected  with  the  same.  No  hypocritical  display  of 
religion  or  gift  giving,  will  keep  ofT  the  deadly  effects  of  wily  schemes 
for  money  getting  at  the  expense  of  other  men.  The  millionaire's 
money  cannot  keep  out  the  deadly  storm  that  is  created, while  he  is 
promoting  his  company's  welfare,  by  sacrificing  the  interests  of  his 
fellow  man. 

"For  they  have  sown  the  wind  and  they  shall  reap  the  whirlwind," 
(Hos.  VIII :7).  "For  what  shall  a  man  be  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  forfeit  his  life,"  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange 
for  his  life."     (Matt.  XVI :26). 

Let  us  remember  how  the  Saviour  was  awakened  by  the  fright- 
ened mariners,  who  were  trying  to  guide  the  ship  through  the 
tempestuous  waves,   when  "He  arose  and   rebuked  the   winds  and 


the  sea,  and  there  was  a  great  calm."  (Matt.  VIII,  26.)  Oh! 
that  the  eternal  and  all-powerful  Spirit,  God,  would  move  now 
upon  the  world  and  dispel  fear,  saying  to  the  tumultuous  waves 
of  popular  tempest-tossed  passions,  "Peace,  be  still!"  Would  that 
harmony  might  obtain  among  the  different  nations  of  the  world, 
and  that  the  clash  of  war  that  is  often  heard  upon  the  earth  would 
cease  to  be  heard  any  more!  An  agreement  between  all  nations 
for  military  disarmament  for  a  fixed  period  would  accomplish  this 
end. 

When  the  teachings  of  Christ  Jesus  are  fully  understood  in 
their  spiritual  sense,  and  the  underlying  principle  governing  them 
fully  appreciated,  it  will  be  seen  that  He  promulgated  a  clear  and 
scientific  principle  manifested  in  what  he  accomplished.  If  a 
man  follows  out  what  He  teaches,  he  will  obtain  the  same  results. 
The  healing  power,  for  instance,  exercised  by  Christ  Jesus  proved 
His  teachings  to  be  true. 

Paul  says:  "Now  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  spirit. 
And  there  are  diversities  of  ministrations,  and  the  same  Lord.  And  there 
are  diversities  of  workings,  but  the  same  God.  who  worketh  all  things  in 
all.  But  to  each  one  is  given  the  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  to  profit 
withal.  For  to  one  is  given  through  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom; 
and  to  another  the  word  of  knowledge,  according  to  the  same  Spirit; 
to  another  faith,  in  the  same  Spirit;  and  to  another  gifts  of  healings,  in 
the  same  Spirit;  and  to  another  workings  of  miracles."  (I.  Cor.  XII,  7-10.) 
"Truly  the  signs  of  an  apostle  were  wrought  among  you  in  all  patience, 
by  signs  and  wonders  and  mighty  works."     (II.  Cor.  XII,  12.) 

Man  has  held  too  tenaciously  to  propensities  of  the  so-called 
old  Adam-man,  even  since  the  advent  of  the  New-man,  Christ 
Jesus,  who  came  to  teach  and  to  save.  Consequently  the  world 
has  remained  in  sin  and  tribulation,  though  some  have  believed 
and  followed  His  teachings.  The  races  inhabiting  the  entire 
continent  of  Europe,  who  have  been  given  the  Light  and  shown 
the  way  of  Truth  for  centuries,  have  failed  to  participate  as  they 
should  in  the  glorious  promises  of  God,  made  through  His  Son. 
The  east  of  Asia,  as  well  as  the  continent  of  Africa,  is  dull  of 
hearing  and  still  sleeping  in  comparative  blindness  to  the  true 
Light. 

The  so-called  enlightened  races,  who  were  taught  Christianity 
and  who  took  possession  of  the  New-World  in  the  Western  hemis- 
phere and  its  resourceful  territory,  although  developing  its  material 
resources,  soon  marred  its  glory  in  a  moral  and  spiritual  sense  the 
same  as  Europe  was  spoiled  through  the  old  Adam-man's  lust  for 
wealth,  power  and  the  gratification  of  the  senses.  But  the  day 
will  come  "unto  you  that  fear  my  name,  when  the  Son  of  Right- 
eousness shall  arise  with  healing  in  His  wings,"  saith  the  Lord. 
(Mai.  IV.  2.)  "But  according  to  His  promise,  we  look  for  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness."  (II. 
Peter  III,  13.) 


The  Will  of  God. 

Christ  Jesus  says,  "Not  my  will  but  thine  be  done."  "Thy  will 
be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  To  do  God's  will,  one  must 
study  Christ  and  possess  oneself  of  His  mind.  His  mind  must  live 
in  us  if  we  wish  to  be  able  at  all  times  to  do  God's  will.  His  mind 
is  open  to  us  in  the  four  Gospels,  and  here  we  can  study  it.  Our  wills 
are  usually  controlled  by  our  minds,  and  if  they  are  embued  with 
Christ's  mind,  it  will  influence  our  wills  and  enable  us  to  do  God's  will. 

God's  will  is  perfect  and  Christ's  mind  is  in  perfect  harmony 
with  it.  He  said,  "I  seek  to  do  the  will  of  my  Father,  who  is  in 
heaven."  "I  and  my  Father  are  one."  If  we  have  Christ's  mind  in 
us,  we  will  not  stop  to  question  God's  will.  God  wills  that  the  earth 
revolves  upon  its  own  axis  once  every  twenty-four  hours.  If  man 
objects  to  this,  it  makes  no  difference,  "the  earth  still  moves,"  as 
Galileo  said  after  he  had  been  compelled  to  deny  his  theory  or  forfeit 
his  life.  Man  may  as  well  do  and  fall  in  with  God's  will  in  everything, 
for  it  will  be  done  however  man  may  rebel  against  it  in  one  case  or  a 
thousand.  If  we  rebel  against  His  will  we  injure  ourselves.  His  will 
remains  the  same  for  others  to  follow  out,  and  they  will  rejoice  in 
doing  it.  Whole  nations  have  perished  and  disappeared  from  the  face 
of  the  earth  that  failed  to  do  God's  will. 

Man,  alone  or  in  combination  with,  other  men  in  governments  or 
associations,  may  as  well  lift  his  puny  hand  and  attempt  to  alter  the 
position  of  the  stars,  or  his  voice  and  order  the  earth  to  change  its 
accustomed  course,  as  to  attempt  to  thwart  God's  will,  or  live  happily 
in  opposition  to  it.  Man  must  obediently  conform  to  God's  will  here 
as  is  done  in  heaven.  It  is  necessary  to  have  implicit  faith  that  His 
will  is  perfect  and  that  both  safety  and  happiness  depend  upon  abso- 
lute obedience. 

In  order  to  attain  perfect  manhood  we  must  reach  up  to  the  standard 
prescribed  by  the  Creator  and  attain  to  the  full  magnitude  of  His  will 
in  our  lives.  If  we  fail  to  do  this  and  fall  short  of  the  height  He 
would  raise  us  to,  by  neglecting  to  comply  therewith,  we  do  not  reach 
perfection,  and  are  dwarfed  and  weakened  in  proportion  as  our  lives 
are  out  of  harmony  with  His  will. 

Copyrighted    by    Bartow    A.    Ulrich,  108    Dearborn    St.,    Chicago,    111 


ESSAYS  ON  CHRIST  JESUS. 

No.  Five.  Price  ic, 

CHRISTIANITY   VS.   PANTHEISM. 


The  principle  inculcated  by  Christ  Jesus  is  the  antithesis  of 
pantheism  and  consequently  creates  controversy,  when  coming 
in  contact  with  material  opinions  as  opposed  to  spiritual.  Pan- 
theistic beliefs,  when  under  the  guise  of  Christianity,  are  forced 
upon  those  who  are  seeking  to  follow  in  the  path  of  Him  who  is 
"the  Way  and  the  Truth  and  the  Life,"  the  result  is  antagonism, 
as  shown  by  the  history  of  the  world.  This,  however,  does  not 
prove  Christ  Jesus'  teachings,  as  some  contend,  to  be  imprac- 
ticable. 

If  the  principles  contained  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
were  now  advocated  in  an  absolute  monarchy,  they  would  create 
opposition  and  strife,  but  this  would  not  prove  the  impracti- 
cability of  equal  rights  and  personal  independence,  but  would 
simply  show  that  the  government  of  that  country  is  not  advanced 
sufficiently  to  accept  these  principles.  So  here,  if  this  spiritual 
belief  is  opposed  by  the  people,  or  any  class,  it  merely  proves 
that  they  are  too  materialistic  and  not  yet  ready  to  receive  it,  and 
we  must  wait  patiently  until  they  are  further  advanced. 

Spinoza,  the  great  apostle  of  pantheism,  tells  us  in  his  Ethics 
that  "We  thus  comprehend  not  only  that  the  human  mind  is 
united  to  the  human  body,  but  also  the  nature  of  the  union 
between  mind  and  body."  Pantheism  represents  mind  as  acting 
through  material  substance,  as  being  in  and  part  of  it.  This  is 
the  Adam-man's  view  of  the  human  race,  when  unregenerated  through 
the  coming  of  the  New-man,  Christ  Jesus,  in  the  power  of  God. 

The  following  is  the  pantheistic  belief  of  creation:  Gen.  11-7: 
"And  the  Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground  and 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  and  he  became  a 
living  soul." 

Gen.  Ill,  19:  "In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread 
till  thou  return  unto  the  ground;  for  out  of  it  wast  thou  taken; 
for  dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt   thou  return." 

This  allegory  of  man's  creation  is  purely  pantheistic  and 
would  limit  man  to  a  material  clod  of  earth,  animated  for  a  brief 


period  with  the  breath  given  him  from  God.  The  real  spiritual 
and  intelligent  man  is  forgotten,  or  ignored,  who  was  created  by 
God,  "in  His  own  image,  —  in  the  image  of  God  created  He 
him ;  male  and  female  created  He  them."  (Gen.  I,  27.)  God  being 
an  intelligent,  originating  entity,  cause  and  Creator,  man  in  His 
image  must  also  be  an  intelligent  being  like  Him.  He  necessarily 
must  rule  over  all  material  objects,  but  is  no  part  or  parcel  of 
material  objects.  It  is  only  through  a  pantheistic  delusion  that 
man  or  God  is  considered  in  any  way  identified  as  being  a  part 
of  materiality.  Man  harnesses  the  lightning  and  compels  it  to 
speak  his  thoughts  over  oceans  and  continents  through  space.  He 
thinks,  originates,  constructs,  and  he  controls  water,  air  and  ani- 
mate and  inanimate  objects  with  a  masterful  intelligence.  He  is 
not  a  man  of  dust,  but  an  intelligent,  thinking,  responsible,  creative 
entity,  the  center  and  propelling  power  of  a  world-wide  activity. 
He  has  accumulated  the  history  of  the  world  for  thousands  of 
years  prior  to  this  age  and  has  an  eternity  of  spiritual  life  before 
him. 

Pantheism  is  the  doctrine  that  the  universe,  taken  or  conceived 
of  as  a  whole,  is  God — "The  doctrine  that  there  is  no  God,  but 
the  combined  forces  and  laws  which  are  manifested  in  the  existing 
universe."  Jesus  Christ  said,  "The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth, 
and  thou  .  .  .  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it 
goeth :  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit."  Spinoza  has 
undertaken  in  Part  I  of  "Ethics"  to  analyze  God,  or  his  conception 
of  God,  as  he  would  analyze  water,  or  quartz,  writing  down  his 
analysis  in  a  book. 

Now,  Spirit,  or  God,  cannot  be  analyzed,  or  circumscribed  in 
books  or  creeds.  Spirit  is  independent,  intangible,  indivisible,  not 
adulterated  by  material  elements,  and  moves  untrammeled  by 
changes  in  suns  or  planets,  by  time  and  space.  God,  or  Spirit  is 
omnipotent  and  omnipresent,  controlling  the  universe  throughout 
eternity!  A  power  which  cannot  be  restrained  by  material  ele- 
ments, or  opposed  by  human  governments,  or  gigantic  commercial 
monopolies,  or  secular,  or  religious  organizations.  Mind,  or  Spirit 
is  a  force,  or  vital  essence,  free  to  all  men,  which  cannot  be 
monopolized,  patented  or  copyrighted  by  human  agency.  The 
supremacy  of  the  Mind  or  Intelligence  of  God  is  absolute  and 
everything   is   subservient   to   this   power. 


A  friend  of  the  writer  states  that  "The  exaltation  of  the 
spiritual  must  be  the  crowning  idea  and  the  subjection  of  the 
material  to  the  spiritual  is  what  every  one  will  be  forced  to 
acknowledge  eventually.  The  following  of  the  life  of  Christ  Jesus 
in  every  detail  of  our  existence  is  the  essential  requirement.  We 
need  the  Christ  idea,  or  Truth,  firmly  implanted  in  the  work  and 
achievements  of  man  today.  The  spiritual,  if  demonstrated,  will 
overcome  all  physical  as  well  as  mental  ailments.  All  bodily  in- 
firmities will  yield  to  the  power  of  the  spiritual,  and  it  will  meet 
all  our  requirements." 

If  God  is  "all  in  all"  (I.  Cor.  XV,  28),  the  only  governing 
Intelligence  in  the  universe.  (See  Psalm  LXVII),  there  can  be  no 
other  real  or  permanent  Mind.  For  "He  is  the  One  Mind  (Job 
XXIII,  13s)  which  cannot  be  claimed  by  pantheism  or  be  united 
to  the  material,  unregenerated  so-called  Adam-man,  but  may  be 
reflected  by  the  New-man,  "for  the  Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea, 
the  deep  things  of  God."     (I.  Cor.  II,  10.) 

"There  is  a  spirit  in  man;  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth 
them  understanding."  (Job  XXXII,  8;  see  Eph.  I,  17-18.)  Man  can  have 
imparted  to  him  intelligence  direct  from  God,  who  is  pure  Spirit  and 
ever  present.  Therefore,  there  is  no  other  source  of  perfect  and  true 
thought.  "For  the  thoughts  of  the  righteous  are  right."  (Prov.  XII,  5.) 
"For  the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God, 
to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds,  casting  down  imaginations,  and  every 
high  thing  that  is  exalted  against  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  bringing 
every   thought    into   captivity   to   the   obedience  of  Chirst."     (II.  Cor.  X,  4-5.) 

"How  precious  also  are  thy  thoughts  unto  me,  O  God!  How  great  is  the 
sum  of  them!"     (Psalm  CXXXIX,  17.) 

"Have   this   mind   in   you,   which   also  was  in  Christ  Jesus."     (Phil.  II,  5.) 

All  material  things  are  transitory.  Nothing  lives  eternally 
but  the  spiritual.  "For  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal, 
but  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  Therefore  place 
no  permanent  dependence  on  transitory  or  temporal  things.  Only 
one's  own  knowledge  of  God  and  His  Word,  controlled  and  pos- 
sessed  individually,   remains  with   one   eternally. 

Pure  metaphysics,  like  mathematics,  is  a  revelation  from  an 
intelligent  source.  The  pure  metaphysical  teachings  of  Christ  Jesus 
were  revealed  to  Him  by  His  Father. 

John  V,  19:  "Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
'Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself, 


but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  do ;  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth, 
these  the  Son  also  doeth  in  like  manner." 

He  says,  "When  ye  pray,  ye  shall  not  be  as  the  hypocrites,  for 
they  love  to  stand  and  pray  in  the  synagogue,  and  in  the  corners 
of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of  men.  Verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  they  have  received  their  reward.  But  thou,  when  thou  pray- 
est,  enter  into  thine  inner  chamber  and  having  shut  thy  door,  pray 
to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in 
secret  shall  recompense  thee."     (Matt.  VI,  5-6.) 

Following  is  the  Lord's  prayer,  interposed  with  the  Beatitudes, 
as  suggested  by  St.  Augustine,  who  said  "the  first  seven  of  the 
'Beatitudes'  correspond  with  the  seven  leading  passages  in  the 
Lord's  prayer." 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit ;  for  theirs  is  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.     (Matt    V,  3.) 

Thy  kingdom  come,     (Matt.  VI,  10.) 

Blessed  are  they  that  mourn ;  for  they  shall  be  comforted. 

Thy  will  be  done.     (Matt.  VI,  10.) 

Blessed  are  the  meek ;  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

On  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven,     (Matt.  VI,  10.) 

Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness; 
for  they  shall  be  filled.     (Matt.  V,  6.) 

Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.     (Matt.  VI,  11.) 

Blessed  are  the  merciful ;  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

Forgive  us  our  debts.     (Matt.  VI,  12.) 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart ;  for  they  shall  see  God. 

Lead  us  not  into  temptation.     (Matt.  VI,  13.) 

Blessed  are  the  peacemakers :  for  they  shall  be  called  sons  of 
God.     (Matt.  V,  9.) 

Deliver  us  from  evil.     (Matt.  VI,  13.) 

These  quotations  illustrate  the  spiritual  characteristics  of  the 
teachings  of  Christ  Jesus  as  He  was  taught  of  God.  His  instruc- 
tions appeal  to  man  as  a  spiritual,  intelligent  being.  There  is  no 
pantheism  in  His  entire  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  including  the  Lord's 
prayer.  They  are  the  antithesis  of  pantheism,  or  the  material 
philosophy  of  the  unregenerated,  material,  so-called  Adam-man. 

Copyright  1909  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich,  108  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  Ills. 


ESSAYS   ON   CHRIST  JESUS 

No.  Six.  Price  lc. 

THE  OLD  LAW  AND  THE  NEW. 


Schopenhauer  says :  "Judaism  originally  was  the  sole  and  only 
pure  monotheistic  religion,  teaching  a  real  God — creator  of  heaven 
and  earth.  Buddhism,  whose  adherents  number  three  hundred  and 
seventy  million,  know  no  eternal,  uncreated,  single,  Divine  Being, 
existent  before  all  time,  and  who  created  all  things  visible  and  in- 
visible." The  Chinese  constitute  two-fifths  of  the  human  race.  Yet 
there  was  no  word  in  the  Chinese  language  to  express  God  and  crea- 
tion until  obtained  from  Jewish  or  Christian  nations.  The  Vedas  also 
teach  no  God-Creator,  but  a  world-soul,  called  Brahm. 

Ormuzd,  who  represents  light,  life,  and  all  that  is  pure  and  good 
in  the  ethical  world  of  law,  order  and  truth ;  and  Ahriman,  his  anti- 
thesis, who  stands  for  darkness,  death,  lies,  lawlessness  and  all  that 
is  evil,  are  the  good  and  evil  gods  of  the  dualistic  philosophy  of  the 
Zend-Avesta  of  Zoroaster  Christ  Jesus  recognized  ONE  GOD  and  no 
more.  He  said :  'Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God  and  Him  only 
shalt  thou  serve."  (Luke  vi,  8).  This  ONE  and  only  God  is  absolute 
in  His  eternal  and  omnipresent  dominion  and  divides  his  authority 
and  power  with  no  one. 

In  this,  Christ  Jesus  differs  from  Zoroaster  who  recognized  two 
Gods,  Ormuzd,  good,  and  Ahriman,  an  evil  god. 

A  friend  of  the  writer  calls  attention  to  "the  doctrine  of  the  ab- 
solute supremacy  of  good  as  a  means  of  healing,  sin  and  sickness, 
thus  complying  with  our  Lord's  demand  to  overcome  evil  with  good" 


and    showing    that    there    can    be    no    real    evil     god    as    claimed    by 
Zoroaster. 

Scotus  Erigena  sought  Truth,  and  to  free  himself  from  local 
dogmas  surrounding  him.  He  teaches  in  "De  Divisione  Naturae" 
"the  return  of  all  things  to  God  and  the  metaphysical  unity  and  in- 
divisibility of  all  humanity."  The  question  he  could  not  answer  was, 
''Where  does  sin  remain?"  "If  humanity  is  saved  eventually  in  its 
entirety,  there  would  be  none  to  go  to  an  alleged  permanent  hell." 
A  spiritual  and  clear  understanding  of  the  teachings  of  Christ  Jesus 
will  enlighten  us  on  this  subject. 

"The  Parsees  believe  it  impossible  for  man,  by  the  force  of  in- 
tellect, or  the  energy  of  the  spirit,  to  comprehend  the  exalted  essence 
of  the  Almighty  and  holy  Lord.  Entity,  unity,  identity,  and  all  His 
divine  attributes  of  knowledge  and  life,  constitute  the  fountain  of 
His  holy  essence.  He  is  in  the  most  comprehensive  sense,  the  para- 
mount, omnipotent  Lord  over  all  things,  whether  considered  collec- 
tively, or  in  the  changes  incident  to  their  component  parts."  Christ 
Jesus  revealed  the  eternal  God  and  Father  to  man. 

Kant,  Locke,  Condillac,  Spinoza,  Descartes,  Schopenhauer,  and 
many  other  philosophers,  educated  in  modern  Christian  nations,  were 
instigated  to  think  on  new  lines  of  metaphysical  phenomena,  directly 
and  indirectly,  by  the  spiritual  forces  originally  set  in  motion  by 
Christ  Jesus.  They  were  all  seeking  light  and  freedom  from  a 
material,  sensuous,  transitory,  ever-moving  world,  which  is  not  eter- 
nal or  real  like  the  spiritual  world. 

"Locke  and  Newton,"  says  Schopenhauer,  "regarded  matter  as 
absolutely  dead,  passive,  will-less,  endowed  with  mechanical  force  and 
subordinate  to  mathematical  laws.  In  the  light  of  modern  scientific 
research  matter  is  subject  to  complete  annihilation.  Leibnitz  at- 
tempted to  inject  something  of  the  spiritual  into  the  fundamental 
elements  of  matter.  Kant,  however,  advances  a  step  further  and 
teaches  a  transcendental  philosophy,  stating  that:  'The  whole  world 
is  only  given  us,  in  a  secondary  manner,  as  presentment,  or  image 
in  our  head,  or  brain  phenomenon,  while  our  own  will  is  given  im- 
mediately in  self-consciousness,  and  hence  a  separation  or  indeed  an 
opposition  exists  between  our  own  existence  and  that  of  the  world'." 
Man,  though  seemingly  in  and  part  of  the  material  world  about  him, 
is  really  an  independent  entity,  separate  and  superior  to  it. 


If  we  leave  philosophy  and  go  direct  to  the  teachings  of  Christ 
Jesus,  we  find  a  higher  and  brighter  light  for  those  who  understand 
and  trust  His  apodictical  principles,  which  have  fallen  into  disuse, 
among  many  who  should  understand  them  thoroughly.  Diseases 
should  be  healed  now  as  in  the  time  of  Christ  Jesus,  through  the 
demonstration  of  the  spirit  and  power  of  God. 

Each  one  produces,  or  creates  in  himself  the  heaven  of  peace,  or 
the  hell  of  inharmony  which  exists  there,  and  sin  will  always  receive 
its  due  penalty  and  good  its  reward. 

The  Phoenicians  had  no  God,  in  their  history  of  creation,  to  com- 
mand, as  in  the  Jewish  history  in  Genesis,  "Let  there  be  light."  "Only 
one  very  small  nation,"  says  Schopenhauer,  "has  possessed  pure  mono- 
theism, or  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  through  revelation,  but 
not  through  philosophy." 

But  this  God  should  not  be  regarded  as  a  Tribal  God,  or  an 
Anthropomorphic  God,  but  Spirit,  in  the  light  of  later  revelations, 
through  Christ  Jesus,  who  declared  the  One  God  to  be  Spirit. 

Because  Judaism  did  not  fully  comprehend  God  in  the  early  times, 
as  Spirit,  and  as  the  Spiritual  Life  and  Father  of  man,  as  revealed 
by  Christ  Jesus,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  subsequent  revelation 
through  Him  is  not  true.  Judaism  did  not  know  or  recognize  in  the 
Genesis  of  Creation,  originally,  the  now  well-established  fact  of  the 
Copernican  system,  which  has  all  the  more  influenced  mankind,  to 
believe  in  a  universal  and  omnipotent  controlling  Power,  who  reg- 
ulates the  universe  and  exercises  Love  and  Good  towards  His  children, 
as  taught  by  Christ  Jesus. 

He  recognizes  the  omnipotent  will  of  God,  an  originating  and 
omnipotent  acting  mind,  when  He  said,  "Not  my  will,  but,  thine,  be 
done." — (Luke  xxii:42.) 

This  sonship  of  man  and  the  universal  fatherhood  of  God,  in- 
dicated an  omnipotent  power  in  the  realm  of  Mind,  and  not  a  Tribal 
God ;  also  mankind's  spiritual  relationship  to  One  God,  not  only  tem- 
porarily in  the  economy  of  this  world,  but  throughout  eternity.  This 
fact  existed  just  the  same,  although  not  fully  understood,  under  the 
old  and  prior  revelation.  All  nations  were  subject,  however,  to  the 
divine  law  in  its  entirety,  the  same  as  they  were  subject  to  day  and 
night,  through  the  rotation  of  the  earth  upon  its  own  axis  every 
twenty-four  hours,  of  which  they   knew  nothing,  and  which  was  re- 


vealed  later. 

The  old  and  original  records  of  Jewish  law  and  revelation  should 
not  by  any  means  be  considered  a  completed  book. 

Many  scholars  have  since  discovered  wonderful  things,  as  A.  A. 
Michelson.  who  received  the  Nobel  Prize  of  1907  for  his  discovery 
of  the  length  and  velocity  of  light  waves,  traveling  at  the  rate  of 
180,000  miles  a  second.  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  an  Englishman,  who  dis- 
covered the  force  of  gravitation  and  Marconi,  an  Italian,  who  in- 
vented a  wireless  telegraph.  So  the  revelation,  of  Christ  Jesus,  of 
the  Fatherhood  of  God,  the  immortality  and  salvation  of  mankind, 
and  his  disenthrallment  from  the  bondage  of  sin,  through  Him,  and 
the  understanding  of  Truth,  is  now  generally  known  and  is  revolu- 
tionary in  its  consequences. 

Zoroaster,  according  to  Hermippus  of  Smyrna,  lived  five  thousand 
years  prior  to  the  Trojan  war,  and  Xanthus  fixes  the  date  six  thousand 
years  before  Xerxes. 

Some  writers  fix  the  date  at  only  six  hundred  years  before  Jesus' 
advent.  Plato  in  the  fourth  century  B.  C.  spoke  of  Zoroaster,  which 
is  the  first  reference  made  to  him  in  Greek  literature,  at  a  period  when 
the  spiritual  condition  of  mankind  was  overclouded,  and  superstition 
and  idolatry  as  well  as  the  worship  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars  pre- 
vailed. 

Zoroaster  at  this  remote  time,  however,  recognized  the  superiority 
of  the  spiritual,  as  he  vaguely  understood  it,  over  the  material,  pro- 
claiming a  religion  of  brotherly  love  and  obedience — constructing  one 
hundred  ideal  gates  leading  into  the  world  of  Truth  and  the  celestial 
kingdom.  On  him  the  Almighty  graciously  bestowed,  the  Zend- 
Avesta  (a  book  claimed  to  be  inspired,  which  he  wrote),  and  through 
divine  knowledge  he  comprehended,  in  the  Dustur  Shah  Zadah,  in 
the  volume  of  One  Hundred  Gates,  all  things  from  eternity  to  in- 
finity. 

This  is  the  One  Hundred  Gated  city  constructed  from  the  world 
of  Truth,  that  is,  the  Celestial  Volume. 

"The  mighty,  through  means  of  the  Asta  Zand  and  Pazand, 

Have  constructed  on  its  outside  a  hundred  gates, 

Behold   what   a   system   of   Belief   Zardusht    (or   Zoroaster) 
has  introduced. 

In  which  a  hundred  gates  give  admission  to  his  city  of  Faith." 


Gate,  the  second.  "It  is  necessary  to  be  ever  vigilant  and  always 
looking  on  a  trifling  sin  as  one  of  magnitude,  to  flee  far  from  it ; 
because,  if  the  virtuous  deeds  exceed  the  sinful  acts  by  even  the 
point  of  one  of  the  hairs  of  the  eye-lashes,  the  spirit  goes  to  paradise; 
but  should  the  contrary  be  the  case,  it  descends  to  hell." 

It  is  claimed  that  "The  several  demonstrations  of  Zardusht,"  or 
Zoroaster,  "and  his  wondrous  works,  gave  the  people  of  his  age," 
"an  abundant  proof  of  his  faith." 

Zoroaster  was  also  familiar  with  the  wisdom  of  the  Magi  of 
th'e  Perso- Iranian  people,  who  were  noted  in  their  day  for  their 
knowledge  of  astronomy,  and  astrology,  and  claimed  to  read  the  des- 
tiny of  individuals  by  the  position  of  the  stars. 

Moshau  Fani,  an  Iranian,  was  the  author  of  the  Dabistan,  which 
contains  statements  of  twelve  different  religions.  (He  died  about 
A.  D.  1670.)  Besides  giving  an  account  of  the  Zoroastrian  cult, 
and  that  of  the  Parsees,  and  Buddhist,  the  Hindoo  system,  and 
the  Jewish  religion,  etc..  he  also  writes  about  the  Christians  (the 
Aisuvans  ) . 

For  complete  translation  of  the  creed  of  Zoroaster  and  the  twelve 
religions  mentioned  in  the  Dabistan,  see  Oriental  Literature  in  Uni- 
versal Classics  Library. 

Should  Christ  Jesus  go  back  to  the  remote  age  of  Zoroaster  and 
inspect  all  the  religions  to  his  time,  and  then  come  down  through 
the  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  inspecting  its  various  beliefs,  He 
would  find  that  the  truth  in  them  was  contained  in  the  teachings  pro- 
mulgated by  Him,  as  He  was  taught  by  the  Father,  God,  but  that  His 
teachings  were  free  from  the  error  mixed  with  all  of  them. 

"Christ  Jesus  said,  'I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life;  no  one 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  ye  had  known  me,  ye  would 
have  known  my  Father  also."    John  xiv,  6,  7. 

"Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in 
me?  The  words  that  I  say  unto  you  I  speak  not  from  myself;  but 
the  Father  abiding  in  me  doeth  His  works."    John  xiv:10. 

"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door 
into  the  fold  of  the  sheep,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same 
is  a  thief  and  a  robber."    John  x:l. 

"I  am  the  door:  bv  me  if  anv  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved, 


and  shall  go  in  and  out  and  find  pasture."    John  x:  9. 

"I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep."    John  x:l  5. 

"No  one  taketh  it  away  from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I 
have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again."  John 
x:18. 

"Enter  ye  in  by  the  narrow  gate"  (not  a  hundred  gates)  ;  "for 
wide  is  the  gate  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  destruction, 
and  many  be  they  that  enter  thereby.  For  narrow  is  the  gate  and 
straitened  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  be  they  that  find 
it."     Matthew  vii:13,  14. 

"Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me  for  I 
am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart ;  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light." — Christ  Jesus.  Matthew 
xi  :28-30. 

Copyright  1909  by  Bartow  A.  Ulrich,  108  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  111. 


THE  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT 

Delivered  on    Mount    Kicrun  Hat  tin:  called  the 
Mount  of  the  Beatitudes 

by 

Christ  fesus 


Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  :  for  they  shall  be  comforted. 

Blessed  are  the  meek :  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth. 

Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness :  for  they  shall  be 
filled. 

Blessed  are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 

Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see  God. 

Blessed  are  the  peacemakers :  for  they  shall  be  called  sons  of  God.    . 

Blessed  are  they  that  have  been  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake :  for  theirs 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  reproach  you,  and 
persecute  you,  and  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake. 
Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad :  for  great  is  your  reward  in  heaven :  for  so  per- 
secuted they  the  prophets  which  were  before  you. 

Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth;  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  its  savour,  wherewith 
shall  it  be  salted?  it  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  cast  out  and 
trodden  under  foot  of  men.  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city  set  on  a  hill 
cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men  light  a  lamp,  and  put  it  under  the  bushel,  but  on 
the  stand;  and  it  shineth  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house.  Even  so  let  your  light 
shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven. 

Think  not  that  I  came  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets :  I  came  not  to 
destroy,  but  to  fulfil.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass 
away,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  away  from  the  law,  till  all 
things  be  accomplished.  Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one  of  these  least 
commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  shall  be  called  least  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;  but  whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them,  he  shall  be  called  great  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  For  I  say  unto  you,  that  except  your  righteousness  shall 
exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  and 
whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment :  but  I  say  unto  you, 
that  every  one  who  is  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment; 
and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council ; 


and  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  hell  of  fire.  If 
therefore  thou  art  offering  thy  gift  at  the  altar,  and  there  rememberest  that  thy 
brother  hath  aught  against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy 
way,  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift.  Agree 
with  thine  adversary  quickly,  whiles  thou  art  with  him  in  the  way;  lest  haply 
the  adversary  deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer, 
and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  Thou  shalt  by  no  means 
come  out  thence,  till  thou  have  paid  the  last  farthing. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery :  but  I  say 
unto  you,  that  every  one  that  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  com- 
mitted adultery  with  her  already  in  his  heart.  And  if  thy  right  eye  causeth  thee 
to  stumble,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee :  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that 
one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  thy  whole  body  be  cast  into  hell. 
And  if  thy  right  hand  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from  thee : 
for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  thy 
whole  body  go  into  hell.  It  was  said  also,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his  wife, 
let  him  give  her  a  writing  of  divorcement:  but  I  say  unto  you,  that  every  one 
that  putteth  away  his  wife,  saving  for  the  cause  of  fornication,  maketh  her  an 
adulteress :  and  whosoever  shall  marry  her  when  she  is  put  away  committeth 
adultery. 

Again,  ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not 
forswear  thyself,  but  shalt  perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths :  but  I  say  unto 
you,  Swear  not  at  all ;  neither  by  the  heaven,  for  it  is  the  throne  of  God ;  nor  by 
the  earth,  for  it  is  the  footstool  of  his  feet;  nor  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  city 
of  the  great  King.  Neither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy  head,  for  thou  canst  not 
make  one  hair  white  or  black.  But  let  your  speech  be,  Yea,  yea ;  Nay,  nay :  and 
whatsoever  is  more  than  these  is  of  the  evil  one. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth : 
but  I  say  unto  you,  Resist  not  him  that  is  evil :  but  whosoever  smiteth  thee  on 
thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  And  if  any  man  would  go  to  law 
with  thee,  and  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloke  also.  And  whosoever 
shall  compel  thee  to  go  one  mile,  go  with  him  twain.  Give  to  him  that  asketh 
thee,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour,  and  hate  thine 
enemy :  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute 
you ;  that  ye  may  be  sons  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  :  for  he  maketh 
his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  the  un- 
just. For  if  ye  love  them  that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do  not  even  the 
publicans  the  same?  And  if  ye  salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye  more 
than  others ?  do  not  even  the  Gentiles  the  same?  Ye  therefore  shall  be  perfect, 
as  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect. 

Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  righteousness  before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them  : 
else  ye  have  no  reward  with  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

When  therefore  thou  doest  alms,  sound  not  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as  the 
hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may  have  glory  of 
men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  received  their  reward.  But  when  thou 
doest  alms,  let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth :  that  thine 
alms  may  be  in  secret:  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  recompense 
thee. 


And  when  ye  pray,  ye  shall  not  be  as  the  hypocrites:  for  they  love  to  stand 
and  pray  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be 
seen  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  received  their  reward.  But 
thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thine  inner  chamber,  and  having  shut  thy 
door,  pray  to  thy  Father,  which  is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in 
secret  shall  recompense  thee.  And  in  praying  use  not  vain  repetitions,  as  the 
Gentiles  do:  for  they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking. 
Be  not  therefore  like  unto  them :  for  your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have 
need  of,  before  ye  ask  him.  After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye :  Our  Father 
which  art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be 
done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earth.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive 
us  our  debts,  as  we  also  have  forgiven  our  debtors.  And  bring  us  not  into 
temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  the  evil  one.  For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  tres- 
passes, your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you.  But  if  ye  forgive  not  men 
their  trespasses,  neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses. 

Moreover  when  ye  fast,  be  not,  as  the  hypocrites,  of  a  sad  countenance :  for 
they  disfigure  their  faces,  that  they  may  be  seen  of  men  to  fast.  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  They  have  received  their  reward.  But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint 
thy  head,  and  wash  thy  face;  that  thou  be  not  seen  of  men  to  fast,  but  of  thy 
Father  which  is  in  secret :  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret,  shall  recom- 
pense thee. 

Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  the  earth,  where  moth  and  rust 
doth  consume,  and  where  thieves  break  through  and  steal :  but  lay  up  for  your- 
selves treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  consume,  and 
where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal :  for  where  thy  treasure  is,  there 
will  thy  heart  be  also.  The  lamp  of  the  body  is  the  eye :  if  therefore  thine  eye 
be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light.  But  if  thine  eye  be  evil,  thy 
whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness.  If  therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be 
darkness,  how  great  is  the  darkness !  No  man  can  serve  two  masters :  for  either 
he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  one,  and  despise 
the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon.  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Be 
not  anxious  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink;  nor  yet  for 
your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more  than  the  food,  and  the 
body  than  the  raiment?  Behold  the  birds  of  the  heaven,  that  they  sow  not, 
neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  and  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth 
them.  Are  not  ye  of  much  more  value  than  they?  And  which  of  you  by  being 
anxious  can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature?  And  why  are  ye  anxious  concern- 
ing raiment?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow;  they  toil  not, 
neither  do  they  spin :  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  But  if  God  doth  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field, 
which  today  is,  and  tomorrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?  Be  not  therefore  anxious,  saying,  What  shall  we 
eat,  What  shall  we  drink?  or,  Wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?  For  after  all 
these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek;  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye 
have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  seek  ye  first  his  kingdom,  and  his  righteous- 
ness; and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.  Be  not  therefore  anxious 
for  the  morrow :  for  the  morrow  will  be  anxious  for  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the 
day  is  the  evil  thereof. 

Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.  For  with  what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall 
be  judged :  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  unto  you.    And 


why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the 
beam  that  is  thine  own  eye?  Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Let  me  cast 
out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye:  and  lo,  the  beam  is  in  thine  own  eye?  Thou 
hypocrite,  cast  out  first  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye ;  and  then  shalt  thou  see 
clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye. 

Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither  cast  your  pearls  before 
the  swine,  lest  haply  they  trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  and  rend  you. 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and  it  shall 
be  opened  unto  you :  for  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth ;  and  he  that  seeketh 
findeth;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  Or  what  man  is  there  of 
you,  who,  if  his  son  shall  ask  him  for  a  loaf,  will  give  him  a  stone;  or  if  he 
shall  ask  for  a  fish,  will  give  him  a  serpent?  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask  him?  All  things  therefore  what- 
soever ye  would  that  men  should  do  unto  you,  even  so  do  ye  also  unto  them : 
for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets. 

Enter  ye  in  by  the  narrow  gate :  for  wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way, 
that  leadeth  to  destruction,  and  many  be  they  that  enter  in  thereby.  For  narrow 
is  the  gate,  and  straitened  the  way,  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  be  they  that 
find  it. 

Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you  in  sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly 
are  ravening  wolves.  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  Do  men  gather 
grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles?  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth  forth 
good  fruit;  but  the  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit.  A  good  tree  cannot 
bring  forth  evil  fruit,  neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  Every 
tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire. 
Therefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto 
me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that  doeth  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord, 
Lord,  did  we  not  prophesy  by  thy  name,  and  by  thy  name  cast  out  devils,  and  by 
thy  name  do  many  mighty  works?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never 
knew  you  :  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity.  Every  one  therefore  which 
heareth  these  words  of  mine,  and  doeth  them,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  wise  man, 
which  built  his  house  upon  the  rock :  and  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came, 
and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house;  and  it  fell  not:  for  it  was 
founded  upon  the  rock.  And  every  one  that  heareth  these  words  of  mine,  and 
doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  which  built  his  house  upon 
the  sand :  and  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and 
smote  upon  that  house ;  and  it  fell :  and  great  was  the  fall  thereof. 


The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  should  be  studied  and  committed  to  memory 


A  SYMPOSIUM. 


PROOF  OF  IMPORTANT  EVENTS  IN  CHRIST  JESUS'  LIFE 
OUTSIDE  OF  NEW  TESTAMENT. 

What  Josephns  says,  Ant  Jews  B.  XVIII,  Ch.  Ill,  Sec.  3,  "Now, 
about  this  time  lived  Jesus,  a  wise  man,  if  indeed  it  be  lawful  to  call 
him  a  man.  For  he  was  a  doer  of  wonderful  works,  a  teacher  of  such 
men  who  received  the  truth  with  pleasure  and  drew  over  to  him  both 
many  of  the  Jews  and  many  of  the  Gentiles.  He  was  the  Christ,  and 
when  Pilate,  at  the  information  of  the  principal  men  amongst  us,  had 
condemned  him  to  the  cross,  those  who  loved  him  at  the  first,  did  not 
cease  to  do  so.  For  he  appeared  to  them  alive  again  the  third  day,  as 
the  divine  prophets  had  foretold  this  and  ten  thousand  other  wonderful 
things  concerning  him  and  the  tribe  of  Christians,  so  named  from  him, 
are  not  extinct  to  this  day."  This  was  written  by  Josephus  within  fifty 
years  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus,  and  is  conclusive  testimony  of  his 
existence  and  earthly  character.  Renan  admits  the  statement  to  be 
genuine,  but  some  dispute  it.  A  reference  to  this  passage  is  made  in 
Tac  Annal  (Lib.  XV,  ch.  4,  L.  IV,  A.  D.  110),  and  in  (A.  D.  147). 

Justin  Martin  refers  to  it  in  Dialog  Cum  Tryphop,  230.  It  is 
frequently  referred  to  afterwards.  The  testimony  of  Tacitus  is  that 
the  Christians  derived  their  name  and  origin  from  one  Christ,  who 
in  the  reign  of  Tiberius  had  suffered  death  by  the  sentence  of  the 
procurator  Pontius  Pilate  (Annals  XV,  44).  The  younger  Pliny  in 
the  second  century  had  learned  that  the  numerous  Christian  com- 
munities in  Bithynia  were  accustomed  to  honor  Christ  as  God,  but 
he  shows  no  knowledge  of  the  life  of  Christ  beyond  what  must  be 
inferred  concerning  one  who  caused  men  "to  bind  themselves  with  an 
oath  not  to  enter  into  any  wickedness,  or  commit  theft,  robberies,  etc., 
or  falsify  their  word  or  repudiate  trusts  committed  to  them.  (Epistles 
X,  96). 

RUSH  RHEES  IN  HIS  BOOK  "JESUS  OF  NAZARETH," 

says :  "The  incarnation  means  that  God  chose  to  reveal    the  divine 

through  a  human  life  rather  than  through  a  series  of  propositions 
which  formulated  Truth.  (Heb.  I,  1-4).  The  most  perennially 

refreshing  influence  for  Christian  life  and  thought  is  perennial  disciple- 
ship  to  that  Revealer  who  is  able  today  as  of  old,  to  exhibit  in 
humanity  those  qualities  which  compel  recognition  of  God  manifested 
in  the  flesh." 


MORAL  GRANDEUR  OF  CHRIST. 

DR.  THOMAS  C.  HALL  HOLDS  UP  THE  NAZARENE  AS 

IDEAL  FOR  JAPANESE. 

APPEALS  TO  ORIENTAL  MIND  TO  GIVE  WORLD  NEW 
AND  HIGHER  CONCEPTION  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


Special  Cable  to  the  Chicago  Daily  News,  Chicago. 
Tokyo,  March  16.— The  subject  of  Dr.  T.  C.  Hall's  third  lecture 
in  the  series  which  he  has  been  giving  to  Japanese  audiences  was  the 
distinctive  moral  grandeur  of  Christ  in  religion.  He  portrayed  Chris- 
tianity as  a  religion  of  character  with  a  primary  ethical  principle. 
Christ's  person  introduced  new  life  in  the  world,  working  a  funda- 
mental change  in  the  previous  materials  of  religious  knowledge. 
Christianity,  said  the  speaker,  refuses  to  accept  absolute  idealism  as  a 
complete  solution  of  the  problem  of  existence  and  emphasizes  the 
individual  self — the  moral  person  responsible  for  his  acts. 

What  Christianity  Stands  For. 
It  distinguishes  good  from  evil,  enjoins  a  holy  love  wherein  the 
highest  ideal  of  ethical  consciousness  awakens  the  loftiest  aspirations 
and  answers  the  cry  of  the  soul  with  the  fact  of  Christ  proved  in  a 
three-fold  manner.  First,  his  life  purpose  is  shown  historically  by 
his  visible  ministry ;  second,  the  continuous  power  of  Christ  is  shown 
in  experience;  third,  the  divinity  of  Christ  revealing  God's  heart, 
though  subjected  to  all  the  tests  of  the  pride  and  sin  of  men,  is  one 
of  the  essential  truths.  The  historical  and  mystical  Christ  completely 
proved,  said  the  lecturer,  should  appeal  to  oriental  consciousness. 

Oriental  Consciousness  as  Theme. 
Dr.  Hall's  fourth  subject  was  oriental  consciousness  in  the  world- 
wide kingdom  of  Christ.  This  was  the  climax  of  the  series.  He 
deplored  the  aspects  of  western  social  and  religious  thinking  which 
tend  to  diffuse  a  superficial  estimate  of  the  deeper  truths  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  most  progressive  of  civilizations  is  selfish,  aggressive 
and  violent,  and  the  prestige  of  nations  blinds  the  eye  of  the  soul. 
The  present  situation  needs  the  corrective  of  a  deeper  religious  spirit 
from  the  Christian  mysteries  to  which  the  qualities  of  western  civiliza- 
tion are  blind,  but  which  the  qualities  of  oriental  consciousness  are 
divinely  empowered  to  interpret. 


What  gives  access  to  these  mysteries  ?  The  answer  is  threefold, 
beginning  with  the  historical  fact  and  life  purpose  of  Christ;  next 
advancing  to  the  experience  of  Christ's  power  by  the  individual,  and 
finally  reaching  the  revelation  of  the  divinity  of  Christ. 

Western  Civilization's  Defects. 

The  lecturer's  peroration  follows : 

"I  have  presented  the  so-called  oriental  aspects  of  Christianity, 
involving  the  mystical  and  subjective  relations  between  God  and  the 
soul  and  reaching  the  highest  perfection  wherever  the  divinity  of 
Christ  is  most  profoundly  entertained.  As  the  student  of  religion  will 
observe,  certain  civilizations  are  adaptable  and  others  unadaptable  to 
these  aspects  of  Christianity.  Western  civilizations  have  many  noble 
qualities  contributing  indispensable  elements  to  the  religious  develop- 
ment of  the  world,  but  they  are  deficient  in  the  theory  of  religion  and 
the  metaphysics  of  life  involving  the  fundamental  questions  of  being. 

Religion  Needs  Oriental  Ideas. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  see  Japan  imbibe  the  passion  for  progress, 
however  important,  or  see  the  Japanese  spirit  occidentalized  at  the  cost 
of  parting  with  its  great  inheritance  of  sublime  qualities.  The  religious 
development  of  the  world  needs  greatly  the  influence  of  oriental  ideas 
in  reinterpreting  Christianity.  Great  reconstructions  of  the  world's 
relations  are  imminent.  The  time  summons  the  east  to  new  rivalries 
of  mind  and  spirit.  Will  the  oriental  consciousness  place  its  sublime 
qualities  at  the  service  of  Christ  and  become  unto  the  twentieth  century 
the  prophet  of  the  highest  Christianity?  The  east  may  re-evangelize 
the  west  by  co-operating  to  lead  the  world  out  of  the  confusion  and 
grossness  of  sin  into  the  peace  and  purity  of  Christ." 

The  series  of  lectures,  which  closed  today,  make  a  profund  im- 
pression. They  were  excellently  adapted  to  Japanese  needs  and  ap- 
pealed to  the  hearts  of  scholars. 

WHAT  THE  REV.  DR.  CARTER,  OF  NEW  YORK,  SAYS  ON 

LOVE  OF  GOD. 

"I  believe  that  the  great  and  true  God  is  infinitely  and  exquisitely 
good  and  gracious ;  that  the  one  thing  that  we  can  neither  fully  receive 
nor  declare  is  the  boundless  love  of  God ;  that  all  the  noblest  exhibitions 
of  human  love  are  but  bright  and  beautiful  sparks  from  that  intense 
and  divine  flame — the  love  that  through  ages  and  generations  has  been 

3 


leading  men  by  the  fullest  wisdom  and  most  tender  providence  to 
heights  of  knowledge,  love,  and  boundless  hope  that  far  transcend  all 
human  thought. 

"I  lift  up  this  overwhelming  divine  love  before  my  fellow  men, 
believing  that  this  alone  will  draw  all  men  unto.  Him. 

"The  God  whom  I  love  today  has  become  to  me,  beyond  all 
bounds,  beyond  all  limits.  It  is  infinite,  unsearchable  in  its  profound 
depths  of  goodness.  I  wish  above  all  things  to  give  this  joy  to  others. 
'God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  son,  that  who- 
soever believed  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.' 
Any  man's  philosophy,  any  plan  of  salvation  authoritatively  enjoined 
seems  mere  impertinence  when  placed  beside  this  simple,  sublime 
declaration.  In  this  I  rest.  .  .  .  The  endless  punishment  of  the 
wicked  I  can  in  no  way  make  fit  in  with  the  love  of  God.  The  dogma 
of  endless  torment  for  sins  committed  in  this  life,  so  long  as  I  keep 
my  reason  and  my  trust  in  the  infinite  love  of  God,  is  the  most  im- 
possible of  all  things  to  believe." 

Taken  from  newspaper  repo.it  of  sermon. 

JENKIN     LLOYD     JONES     POINTS     OUT     DEATHLESS 
CHARM  IN  NEW  TESTAMENT  DRAMA. 

"After  all  the  theories  of  inspiration,  revelation,  divine  oracles 
and  heavenly  guarded  guide  books  have  been  broken  down  or  cast 
aside,  the  Bibles  of  the  world  will  stand,  strong  and  sure  by  virtue 
of  their  inner  strength,  an  internal  potency,"  said  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones 
at  All  Souls  Church  yesterday  in  his  sermon  on  "The  Twentieth 
Century  Value  of  the  New  Testament." 

"When  their  credentials  as  oracles  of  God  are  challenged  and 
perhaps  disproved,  their  credentials  as  human  classics,  the  golden 
utterances  of  earth's  chosen  ones,  the  gnomic  sayings  of  the  sages  and 
the  high  prophecy  and  poesy  of  the  great  bards  of  humanity  stand. 

"The  growth  of  thought  has  led  to  a  distrust  of  the  claims  made 
for  the  book,  the  position  given  it  in  the  creeds,  and  the  pretensions 
of  the  churches.  This  distrust  has  brought  about  a  temporary  neglect 
of  its  contents. 

"The  unmistakable  verdict  of  history  puts  the  New  Testament 
on  the  shelf  where  the  world's  classics  are ;  its  parables  and  its  pre- 
cepts have  been  woven  into  the  subsequent  literature  of  the  humanity 
of  the  world.  They  have  permeated  the  thinking,  the  rhetoric  and 
logic  of  modern  life. 

4 


"Would  we  appreciate  this  classic  we  must  give  to  it  its  fitting 
background  of  history  and  humanity.  It  is  one  act  in  the  Jewish 
drama  that  reaches  from  the  building  of  Jerusalem  under  Solomon 
to  the  sacking  of  the  same  by  Titus,  the  drama  of  a  thousand  years. 
Only  as  we  put  it  into  this  Judean  landscape  will  its  pages  grow 
fragrant  with  the  rose  of  Sharon,  the  daisies  that  bloom  on  Mount 
Hermon. 

"Such  a  study  of  the  New  Testament  in  its  proper  settings  will 
show  that  it  was  grown  out  of  hearts,  coined  out  of  the  bitter  experi- 
ences and  deathless  hopes  of  a  people  who  had  passed  in  succession 
under  the  persecuting  hands  of  Egypt,  Assyria,  Babylon,  Persia,  Mace- 
donia and  Rome ;  a  people  whose  thoughts  had  been  colored  by  the 
lore  of  Assyria,  Media  and  Greece,  the  wisdom  of  Egypt,  the  philos- 
ophy of  the  Greeks  and  the  politics  of  Rome." 

REV.  MELBOURNE  P.  BOYNTON,  PASTOR  LEXINGTON 

AVENUE   BAPTIST   CHURCH,   DECLARES   THE 

HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  SHOULD  BE 

FIRST  TO  RESTORE. 

January  8,  1908. 
Mr.  Bartow  A.  Ulrich, 

108  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago. 
My  dear  Sir: — 

Your  favor  of  the  6th  relative  to  some  utterance  of  mine  with 
regard  to  the  Bible  and  the  higher  schools  of  learning  is  in  hand.  I 
shall  be  very  glad  to  have  you  make  such  use  of  that  sentiment  as 
you  may  deem  wise.  I  wish  you  success  in  your  endeavor,  which,  I 
take  it,  is  to  restore,  in  some  measure,  our  Bible  to  its  rightful  place 
in  our  scheme  of  education. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

M.  P.  BOYNTON. 

THE  BIBLE. 

That  the  exclusion  of  the  Bible  from  nearly  all  the  schools  of 
the  country  has  resulted  in  more  crime  among  our  children,  was  a 
declaration  made  yesterday  by  Rev.  Melbourne  P.  Boynton  in  a  pre- 
lude to  his  evening  sermon  at  the  Lexington  Avenue  Baptist  Church. 

The  pastor  had  taken  "The  Bible  and  the  Schools"  as  his  subject, 
and  one  of  his  strong  charges  was  that  "the  one  supreme  blunder 

5 


that  has  been  committed  by  the  public  school  system  of  this  republic 
is  found  in  the  exclusion  of  the  Bible  from  the  schoolroom. 

"One  of  the  appalling  facts  of  modern  history,"  said  the  preacher, 
"is  the  increase  of  crime  among  children.  Youthful  criminals  are 
a  menace  to  society.  What  is  the  cause  of  the  astounding  increase  of 
criminality  among  boys  and  girls?  It  is  found  in  the  lax,  indifferent, 
almost  compromising  attitude  toward  morals  on  the  part  of  our  public 
school  policy.  This  laxness  is  not  characteristic  of  any  one  section 
in  our  republic,  but  is  quite  generally  the  case  everywhere. 

Points  to  Only  Cure. 

"What  is  the  cure  for  such  indifference  toward  ethical  training? 
The  cure  will  be  found  in  the  restoration  of  the  Bible  to  the  public 
school.  The  Bible  has  been  since  time  immemorial  the  fountain 
head  of  morality  and  effective  ethics. 

"The  decline  of  faith  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  traceable 
almost  directly  to  the  widespread  ignorance  of  the  Bible.  This  con- 
dition is  found  not  only  in  the  public  schools,  but  also  in  the  colleges 
and  universities. 

"When  the  boy  and  the  girl  most  need  training  in  the  word  of 
God  they  are  fed  on  the  dry  husks  and  the  death-dealing  dust  of  the 
classics.  They  are  made  to  wear  a  weary  path  over  the  stony  wastes 
of  the  past.  Our  Christian  college  student  comes  away  from  the 
colleges  with  a  better  acquaintance  with  the  heathen  gods  and  their 
immoral  practices  than  he  has  with  the  one  true  God  and  His  match- 
less programme  for  endless  life. 

"The  English  Bible  should  be  the  chief  text-book  in  the  study  of 
our  language  and  in  the  study  of  English  literature.  There  is  no 
reason  in  the  world  why  the  Bible  should  not  be  the  supreme  text-book 
of  every  Christian  school.  The  place  to  restore  it  first  of  all  in  our 
schools  is  in  the  higher  institutions  of  learning.  Then  the  public 
schools  will  follow. 

"To  say  that  knowledge  of  the  Bible  in  the  public  schools  tends 
to  make  a  certain  type  of  Christianity,  and  to  hurt  and  damage  an- 
other type,  is  one  of  the  most  fatal  absurdities  that  ever  found  cur- 
rency in  American  life.  The  one  supreme  blunder  that  has  been  com- 
mitted by  the  public  school  system  of  this  republic  is  found  in  the 
exclusion  of  the  Bible  from  the  schoolroom  on  such  flimsy,  unreason- 
able grounds  as  those  to  which  I  have  referred. 

6 


"Next  to  the  establishment  of  this  splendid  republic  as  an  achieve- 
ment in  the  world's  history  is  the  creation  of  our  public  school  system. 
Our  government  is  secure  only  as  we  keep  this  source  of  our  national 
life  pure.  It  cannot  be  kept  pure  in  the  absence  of  the  Bible  from 
the  schools." 

RECENT  DISCOVERED  SAYINGS  OF  CHRIST  JESUS. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Archaeological  Institute  of  America,  Pro- 
fessor H.  A.  Sanders  of  the  University  of  Michigan  reported  on  four 
manuscripts  of  the  Bible,  now  in  the  possession  of  Charles  L.  Freer, 
of  Detroit.  The  manuscripts  were  bought  by  Mr.  Freer  early  in 
1907  in  Egypt.  They  were  probably  buried  or  lost  at  the  time  of 
the  Moslem  conquest  in  639  A.  D.  At  any  rate  the  manuscripts  all 
antedate  that  period,  nor,  in  the  opinion  of  Professor  Sanders,  do  they 
contain  any  marks  of  a  second  hand  even,  which  can  be  placed  later 
than  this  date.  Two  of  the  manuscripts  are  in  large  uncial  hand,  two 
in  small,  and  there  are  other  variations  sufficient  to  convince  Professor 
Sanders  that  the  individual  manuscripts  were  written  at  different  dates, 
ranging  from  the  third  to  the  sixth  century.  He  refers  to  the  manu- 
scripts by  the  Roman  numerals  I.,  II.,  III.,  and  IV.  Manuscript  I. 
now  contains  Deuteronomy  and  Joshua ;  Genesis  to  Numbers  inclusive, 
which  it  once  contained,  are  missing.  It  is  next  to  the  oldest  of  the 
four  manuscripts,  and  presents  an  exceptionally  accurate  text  of  this 
portion  of  the  Septuagint.  Manuscript  II.  contains  the  Psalms. 
Although  it  is  the  oldest  manuscript  of  the  four,  and  is  badly  decayed 
large  portions  of  every  Psalm  will  prove  recoverable.  A  comparison 
of  a  portion  of  the  text  shows  that  it  is  one  of  the  best  manuscripts  of 
the  Psalms  in  existence.  Manuscript  III.  contains  the  four  gospels 
entire.  It  was  probably  written  in  the  fifth  or  sixth  century,  and 
contains  many  interesting  variant  readings.  It  is  most  important, 
however,  because  it  contains  the  following  extra  paragraph,  Mark 
16:14a: 

"And  they  answered,  saying  that  this  age  of  unrighteousness  and  unbelief 
is  under  the  power  of  Satan,  who  does'  not  permit  the  things  which  are  made 
impure  by  the  (evil)  spirits  to  comprehend  the  truth  of  God  (and)  his  power. 
For  this  reason,  "Reveal  thy  righteousness  now,"  they  said  to  Christ,  and  Christ 
said  to  them :  "The  limit  of  the  years  of  the  power  of  Satan  has  been  fulfilled, 
but  other  terrible  things  are  at  hand,  and  I  was  delivered  unto  death  on  behalf 
of  those  who  sinned  in  order  that  they  may  return  to  the  truth  and  sin  no 
more,  to  the  end  that  they  may  inherit  the  spiritual,  indestructible  glory  of 
righteousness    (which)    is  in  heaven." 

7 


This  new  paragraph  was  known  to  St.  Jerome,  and  the  first  few 
lines  of  it  are  cited  in  Latin  translation.  It  has  long  been  held  that 
Mark  xvi.,  8-20,  was  a  later  addition  to  the  Gospel,  thought  to  have 
been  borrowed  from  some  other  unknown  Gospel  near  the  end  of  the 
second  century.  This  new  manuscript  probably  presents  the  original 
form  of  that  part  of  the  lost  Gospel,  which,  mutilated,  was  added  to 
Mark.  The  reason  for  the  omission  is  quite  apparent,  as  the  new  verse 
contains  the  statement  that  the  destruction  of  sin  in  the  world  is 
near  at  hand.  This  idea  is  found  in  the  epistles  of  Peter  and  Paul, 
but  the  four  Gospels  do  not  have  it,  and  it  is  avoided  by  the  later 
church  writers. 

Manuscript  IV.  is  only  a  badly  decayed  fragment.  It  once 
contained  Acts  and  the  Epistles,  but  not  Revelations.  It  is  an  older 
and  better  manuscript  than  the  four  Gospels,  and  its  readings  will  be 
of  value  to  the  text  wherever  they  can  be  deciphered. — The  Nation, 
Jan.  2,  1908. 

ANOTHER  FRAGMENT  FOUND  OF  SAYINGS  OF  CHRIST 

JESUS. 

"Let  not  him  that  seeketh  cease  from  his  search  until  he  find,  and 
when  he  finds,  he  shall  wonder ;  wondering,  he  shall  reach  the  kingdom 
and  when  he  reaches  the  kingdom  he  shall  have  rest." — Jesus  saith. 


THE  LIFE  AND  WORDS  OF  CHRIST. 
By  Cunningham  Geikie,  D.D. 

D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York,  1906. 

"The  Life  was  the  Light  of  Men,"  John  1.4. — Quotation  from 
Chapter  One. 

"The  life  of  Christ  Jesus  must  ever  remain  the  noblest  and  most 
fruitful  study  for  all  men,  of  every  age.  It  is  admitted  even  by  those 
of  other  faiths,  that  He  was  at  once  a  great  Teacher,  and  a  living 
illustration  of  the  truths  He  taught.  The  Mahometan  world  gave 
Him  the  high  title  of  the  Masih  (Messiah),  and  set  Him  above  all  the 
prophets.  The  Jews  confess  admiration  of  His  character  and  words, 
as  exhibited  in  the  Gospels.  Nor  is  there  any  hesitation  among  the 
great  intellects  of  different  ages,  whatever  their  special  position  towards 
Christianity;  whether  its  humble  disciples,  or  openly  opposed  to  it, 
or  carelessly  indifferent,  or  vaguely  latitudinarian. 


We  all  know  how  lowly  a  reverence  is  paid  Him  in  passage  after 
passage  by  Shakespere,  the  greatest  intellect  known,  in  its  wide,  many- 
sided  splendor.  Men  like  Galileo,  Kepler,  Bacon,  Newton,  and  Milton, 
set  the  name  of  Christ  Jesus  above  every  other.  To  show  that  no 
other  subject  of  study  can  claim  an  equal  interest,  Jean  Paul  Richter 
tells  us  that  "the  life  of  Christ  concerns  Him,  who  being  the 
holiest  among  the  mighty,  the  mightiest  among  the  holy,  lifted  with 
His  pierced  hands  empires  off  their  hinges,  and  turned  the  stream 
of  centuries  out  of  its  channel,  and  still  governs  the  ages."  Spinoza 
calls  Christ  the  symbol  of  the  Divine  wisdom;  Kant  and  Jacobi  hold 
Him  up  as  the  symbol  of  ideal  perfection,  and  Schelling  and  Hegel 
as  that  of  the  union  of  the  divine  and  the  human.  "I  esteem  the 
Gospels,"  says  Goethe,  "to  be  thoroughly  genuine,  for  there  shines 
forth  from  them  the  reflected  splendor  of  a  sublimity,  proceeding  from 
the  person  of  Christ  Jesus,  of  so  divine  a  kind  as  only  the  Divine  could 
ever  have  manifested  upon  earth."  "How  petty  are  the  books  of  phil- 
osophers, with  all  their  pomp,"  says  Rousseau,  "compared  with  the 
Gospels !  Can  it  be  that  writings  at  once  so  sublime  and  so  simple 
are  the  work  of  men?  Can  He  whose  life  they  tell  be  Himself  no 
more  than  a  mere  man?  Is  there  anything,  in  His  character,  of  the 
enthusiast  or  the  ambitious  sectary?  What  sweetness,  what  purity  in 
His  ways,  what  touching  grace  in  His  teachings !  What  a  loftiness 
in  His  maxims,  what  profound  wisdom  in  His  words !  What  presence 
of  mind,  what  delicacy  and  aptness  in  His  replies !  What  an  empire 
over  His  passions?  Where  is  the  man,  where  is  the  sage,  who  knows 
how  to  act,  to  suffer  and  to  die  without  weakness  and  without  display? 
My  friend,  men  do  not  invent  like  this ;  and  the  facts  respecting  Soc- 
rates, which  no  one  doubts,  are  not  so  well  attested  as  those  about 
Christ  Jesus.  These  Jews  could  never  have  struck  this  tone,  or  thought 
of  this  morality,  and  the  Gospel  has  characteristics  of  truthfulness  so 
grand,  so  striking,  so  perfectly  inimitable,  that  their  inventors  would 
be  even  more  wonderful  than  He  whom  they  portray."  Yes,  if  the 
death  of  Socrates  be  that  of  a  sage,  the  life  and  death  of  Christ  Jesus 
are  those  of  a  God." 

Thomas  Carlyle  repeatedly  expresses  a  similar  reverence.  "Jesus 
of  Nazareth,"  says  he,  "our  divinest  symbol !  Higher  has  the  human 
thought  not  yet  reached."  "A  symbol  of  quite  perennial,  infinite 
character,  whose  significance  will  ever  demand  to  be  anew  inquired 
into,    and    anew    made    manifest."      Dr.    Channing,    of    Boston,    the 

9 


foremost  man  in  his  day  among  American  Unitarians,  is  equally  marked 
in  his  words.  "The  character  of  Jesus,"  says  he,  "is  wholly  inexplicable 
on  human  principles."  Matthias  Claudius,  one  of  the  people's  poets 
of  Germany,  last  century,  writes  to  a  friend,  "No  one  ever  thus  loved 
(as  Christ  Jesus  did),  nor  did  anything  so  truly  great  and  good  as  the 
Bible  tells  us  of  Him  ever  enter  into  the  heart  of  man.  It  is  a  holy 
form,  which  rises  before  the  poor  pilgrim  like  a  star  in  the  night,  and 
satisfies  his  innermost  craving,  his  most  secret  yearnings  and  hopes." 
"Christ  Jesus,"  says  the  exquisite  genius,  Herder,  "is  the  noblest,  and 
most  perfect  sense,  the  realized  ideal  of  humanity." 

"No  one  will  accuse  the  first  Napoleon  of  being  either  a  pietist  or 
weak-minded.  He  strode  the  world  in  his  day  like  a  Colossus,  a  man 
of  gigantic  intellect.  Conversing  one  day  at  St.  Helena,  as  his  custom 
was,  about  the  great  men  of  antiquity,  and  comparing  himself  with 
them,  he  suddenly  turned  round  to  one  of  his  suite  and  asked  him, 
"Can  you  tell  me  who  Christ  Jesus  was?"  The  officer  owned  that 
he  had  not  taken  much  thought  of  such  things.  "Well,  then,"  said 
Napoleon,  "I  will  tell  you."  He  then  compared  Christ  Jesus  with  him- 
self, and  with  the  heroes  of  antiquity,  and  showed  how  He  far  sur- 
passed them.  "I  think  I  understand  somewhat  of  human  nature,"  he 
continued,"  and  I  tell  you  all  these  were  men,  and  I  am  a  man,  but 
not  one  is  like  Him ;  Christ  Jesus  was  more  than  a  man.  Alexander, 
Caesar,  Charlemagne,  and  myself  founded  great  empires ;  but  upon 
what  did  the  creations  of  our  genius  depend?  Upon  force.  Jesus 
alone  founded  His  empire  upon  love,  and  to  this  very  day  millions 
would  die  for  Him."  "The  Gospel  is  no  mere  book,"  said  he  at  another 
time,  "but  a  living  creature,  with  a  vigor,  a  power,  which  conquers 
all  that  opposes  it.  Here  lies  the  Book  of  Books  upon  the  table 
(touching  it  reverently)  ;  I  do  not  tire  of  reading  it,  and  do  so  daily 
with  equal  pleasure.  The  soul,  charmed  with  the  beauty  of  the  Gospel, 
is  no  longer  its  own ;  God  possesses  it  entirely ;  He  directs  its  thoughts 
and  faculties ;  it  is  His.  What  a  proof  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  Jesus ! 
Yet  in  this  absolute  sovereignity  He  has  but  one  aim — the  spiritual 
perfection  of  the  individual,  the  purification  of  his  conscience,  his 
union  with  what  is  true,  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  Men  wonder  at 
the  conquests  of  Alexander,  but  here  is  a  conqueror  who  draws  men 
to  Himself  for  their  highest  good ;  who  unites  to  Himself,  incorporates 
into  Himself,  not  a  nation,  but  the  whole  human  race!" 

10 


"I  might  multiply  such  testimonials  from  men  of  all  ages  and 
classes,  indefinitely  ;  but  let  me  give  only  one  or  two  more. 

"Among  all  Biblical  critics  of  Germany,  no  one  has  risen  with  an 
intellect  more  piercing,  a  learning  more  vast,  and  a  freedom  and  fear- 
lessness more  unquestioned,  than  De  Wette.  Yet,  listen  to  a  sentence 
from  the  preface  of  his  Commentary  on  the  Book  of  Revelation,  pub- 
lished just  before  his  death,  in  1849:  "This  only  I  know,  that  there 
is  salvation  in  no  other  name  than  in  the  name  of  Christ  Jesus,  the 
Crucified,  and  that  nothing  loftier  offers  itself  to  humanity  than  the 
God-manhood  realized  in  Him,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  which  He 
founded — an  idea  and  problem  not  yet  rightly  understood  and  incor- 
porated into  life,  even  of  those  who,  in  other  respects,  justly  rank  as 
the  most  zealous  and  the  warmest  Christians !  Were  Christ  in  deed 
and  in  truth  our  Life,  how  could  such  a  falling  away  from  Him  be 
possible?  Those  in  whom  He  lived  would  witness  so  mightily  for 
Him,  through  their  whole  life,  whether  spoken,  written  or  acted, 
that  unbelief  would  be  forced  to  silence." 

I  have  only  quoted  a  few  paragraphs  from  this  author,  which  give 
a  glimpse  to  the  reader  of  his  valuable  and  instructive  publication, 
which  should  be  carefully  read  by  those  seeking  information  on  this 
subject. 

December  4,  1907. 
Mr.  Bartow  A.  Ulrich, 

108  Dearborn  Street,  Chicago,  111. 
Dear  Sir  : —  .... 

Your  favor  of  the  29th  ult.,  addressed  to  Mr.  M.  Walter  Dunne, 
Washington,  D.  C,  has  been  forwarded  to  us  as  we  have  succeeded  to 
the  business  formerly  conducted  by  Mr.  Dunne  and  own  all  copyrights 
granted  to  him  pertaining  to  the  Universal  Classics  Library. 

It  gives  us  great  pleasure  to  grant  you  the  desired  permission 
to  use  any  part  of  these  Universal  Classics  in  the  work  which  you  are 
about  to  publish. 

Respectfully  yours, 

ST.  DUNSTAN  SOCIETY, 
G.  E.  Wagoner,  Treasurer. 


11 


PROOF  OF  THE  GOSPELS. 

THE   EPISTLES   OF   PAUL   PROVE   THE   CORRECTNESS 

OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

I  quote  from  "The  Modern  Representations  of  the  Life  of  Jesus," 
by  Dr.  Gerherd  Uhlhorn,  First  Preacher  to  the  Court.  Translated 
from  a  third  German  edition  by  Chas.  E.  Grennell,  Boston;  Little, 
Brown  &  Co.,  1868. 

"Let  us  start  from  the  ground  that  is  undisputed — from  the  four 
Epistles  of  Paul,  which  the  most  extreme  criticism  has  been  obliged 
to  allow  to  stand.  These  are  the  epistles  to  the  Romans,  the  two 
epistles  to  the  Corinthians  and  the  epistles  to  the  Galatians.  That  they 
are  genuine  writings,  really  composed  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  is  estab- 
lished beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt.  Let  us  see  what  they  contain 
concerning  the  history  of  Jesus. 

"By  collecting  what  the  epistles  give  in  this  way,  we  get  the  chief 
facts  of  the  life  of  Christ  Jesus — His  descent  from  the  family  of 
David  (Roman  1,  3)  ;  his  birth  of  a  woman  (1  Cor.  XX,  23  et  seg.)  ; 
his  crucifixion,  death,  burial  and  resurrection  (1  Cor.  XV,  1-9).  We 
can  infer  still  more  with  perfect  certainty.  The  way  in  which  Paul 
speaks  of  baptism  (Romans  VI,  4  ;  1  Cor.  XII,  13;  Cor.  1-17;  Gal. 
3,  27  et  al.),  certainly  leads  us  to  the  inference  that  he  recognized 
it  as  established  by  Christ  Jesus,  and  when  he  traces  to  the  Lord,  the 
miraculous  power  of  the  apostles  (1  Cor.  XII,  et  al.),  he  must  regard 
Christ  Jesus  as  the  most  original  and  the  richest  possessor  of  this 
power.  Paul  gives  few  details,  for  the  reason  first  stated;  but  those 
which  he  gives  agree  entirely  with  the  evangelical  accounts,  for  in- 
stance, that  the  rulers  of  Israel  were  guilty  of  Christ  Jesus'  death 
(1  Cor.  II,  8)  ;  that  he  was  betrayed  (1  Cor.  XI,  23)  ;  that  he  arose 
again  the  third  day  (1  Cor.  XV,  4).  Paul's  whole  representation  of 
Jesus  is  precisely  the  same  as  that  of  the  gospels.  Christ  Jesus,  in 
his  view  is  not  merely  the  sinless  holy  man  (1  Cor.  XV,  21),  he  is 
more  than  man.  He  is  the  Son  of  God  (Rom.  1,  4;  Gal.  IV,  4  et  al.), 
and  the  Son  of  David  who  was  rich  in  divine  glory,  and  for  our  sake 
became  poor  (2  Cor.  VIII,  9).     (See  1  Cor.  XV,  21,  and  Rom.  11,  19). 

"He  is  the  mediator  in  the  creation  of  the  world  (1  Cor.  VIII,  6)  ; 
the  man  from  heaven  (1  Cor.  XV,  47),  who  now  sits  at  the  right  hand 
of  God  (Rom.  VIII,  34),  and  shall  come  back  from  heaven  to  judge 
the  world  (Rom.  11,  16)  ;  he  is  the  Lord  in  the  highest  sense,  the  object 

12 


and  substance  of  faith  and  of  worship.  We  need  only  read  these  four 
Epistles  of  Paul  to  become  convinced  that  the  Christ  Jesus  of  Paul  is 
the  Christ  Jesus  of  the  Four  Gospels,"  and  a  different  person  from 
him  whom  Renan,  Strauss  and  Schenkel  offer  us  as  a  true  historical 
Christ. 

"Paul  was  not  the  only  individual  who  believed  in  this  Christ. 
Add  to  his  epistle  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter,  which  all  sober  criticism 
must  admit  to  be  a  genuine  epistle  of  this  apostle.  Here  also  is  the 
same  idea  of  Christ.  Take  the  Revelation  of  John,  which  according 
to  modern  criticism  passes  for  a  genuine  writing  of  the  apostle. 
Whether  it  is  really  his,  or  the  work  of  another  John  (opinions  still 
differ  about  it),  at  all  events  it  is  a  writing  of  the  apostolic  age,  and 
it  gives  no  other  idea  of  Christ.  In  it  he  is  the  first  and  living  One, 
the  Alpha  and  the  Omega  (Rev.  1,  8-11  et  al.),  the  object  of  divine 
veneration  and  worship  (Rev.  1-17  et  al.).  The  church  can  comfort 
herself,  therefore,  with  the  assurance  that  her  own  idea  of  Christ  is 
that  of  the  apostolic  age;  is  that  of  Peter  and  Paul,  and  of  the  apostolic 
man  who  wrote  the  Apocalypse. 

"Polycarp  A.  D.  180,  in  the  letter  to  Philippious  in  New  Testament 
Epoch  7  p.  hel.,  speaks  of  Paul  as  follows  :  Chapter  11-2.  'For  neither 
can  I,  nor  any  other  such  as  I  am,  come  up  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
blessed  and  renowned  Paul,  who  being  himself  in  person  with  those 
who  then  lived  did  with  all  exactness  and  soundness  teach  the  word  of 
Truth ;  and  being  gone  from  you  wrote  an  epistle  to  you,  into  which 
if  you  look,  you  will  be  able  to  edify  yourselves  in  the  faith,  that 
has  been  delivered  unto  you ;  which  is  the  mother  of  us  all,  being 
followed  with  hope,  and  led  on  by  a  general  love,  both  towards  God 
and  towards  Christ,  and  towards  our  neighbor.' 

GOSPEL  OF  MARK. 

"Let  us  now  turn  to  the  Gospels.  To  begin  with,  Mark.  The 
oldest  tradition  testifies  unanimously  that  he  composed  his  gospel 
under  the  special  influence  of  Peter,  whose  interpreter  he  was.  Papias, 
according  to  Eusebius  (Church  History  111,  39),  says,  'Mark,  after 
he  had  become  Peter's  interpreter,  wrote  out  accurately  as  much  as 
Peter  remembered  of  the  sayings,  the  words  and  works  and  actions 
of  the  Lord.  This  was  not  done  according  to  historical  order;  for 
he  had  not  heard  the  Lord  and  had  not  been  one  of  his  followers,  but 
had  subsequently  become  a  disciple  of  Peter,  who  arranged  his  dis- 
course to  supply  the  wants  of  the  moment,  and  not  as  if  he  had  intended 
to  make  a  regular  collection  of  the  Lord's  sayings.' 

13 


"Christian  antiquity  goes  in  many  ways  so  far  back  as  to  treat 
Mark's  Gospel  as  a  Gospel  of  Peter.  According  to  external  and  inter- 
nal arguments,  it  cannot  have  been  written  later  than  about  A.  D.  65. 

"The  Gospel  of  Luke  has  its  surest  evidence  in  the  Acts.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  these  two  writings,  making  as  they  do  one  whole, 
are  the  work  of  a  single  author.  The  author  of  the  Book  of  Acts 
appears  in  it  as  a  traveling  companion  of  Paul;  and,  although  he 
nowhere  mentions  his  own  name,  antiquity  testifies  unanimously  that 
he  was  Luke.  This  agrees  with  the  thoroughly  Pauline  tone  of  the 
Gospel  of  Luke.  According  to  many  signs  this  gospel  was  first  written 
after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  The  Gospel  of  Matthew  is  in  a 
somewhat  different  condition,  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  church. 
Papias  says  (Eusebius,  Church  History  111,  39)  :  'Matthew  put  the 
sayings  of  the  Lord  together  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  or  Aramaic,  and 
everyone  interpreted  them  as  he  was  able.'  Irenaeus,  Origen,  and 
many  others,  also  testify  that  an  original  Hebrew  writing  is  the  basis 
of  the  Greek  Gospel.  This  collection  was  then  enlarged  to  a  complete 
gospel  and  in  this  form  was  translated  into  Greek. 

"The  Gospel  itself  in  its  Greek  translation,  according  to  external 
and  internal  evidence  must  be  placed  within  sixty  years  preceding  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem. 

"We  find  on  summing  up  the  results,  that  our  Synoptic  Gospels 
(these  three  first  gospels)  were  written  in  the  Apostolic  Age,  to  mark 
the  time  only  very  generally,  between  A.  D.  60  and  75,  and  although 
no  one  of  them,  as  we  possess  it,  is  the  work  of  an  immediate  disciple 
of  Jesus,  they  still  point  indirectly  to  such  persons,  the  first  to  Mat- 
thew, and  the  second  to  Peter.  They  were  written  in  a  perfectly 
historical  age.  In  the  fourth  gospel  we  have  evidence  which  is  still 
more  direct.  If  this  was  written  by  John  it  gives  us  an  account  of  the 
life  of  Jesus,  than  which  there  could  be  no  better — the  account  of  one 
of  his  most  intimate  disciples.  Let  us  start  from  that  point  when  it 
was  generally  acknowledged  and  used  in  the  church  as  an  apostolic 
writing.  This  was  A.  D.  180.  At  this  time,  Irenaeus  used  it  in  Lyons ; 
and  the  Church  in  that  place  cited  it  in  a  letter  written  on  the 
occasion  of  the  great  persecution  of  177.  This  gospel  belongs  to  the 
undisputed  scriptures." 

IRENAEUS  IN  A  LETTER  TO  FLORINUS, 

a  friend  of  his  youth,  who  afterwards  apostatized,  says :  "While 
I  was  yet  a  boy  I  saw^  thee  in  company  with  Polycarp  in  Asia  Minor ; 
for  I  bear  in  remembrance  what  happened  then  better  than  what  hap- 
pens now.  What  we  have  heard  in  childhood  grows  along  with  the 
soul,  and  is  one  with  it ;  so  that  I  can  describe  the  place  in  which  the 
blessed  Polycarp  (who  once  said  T  cannot  at  once  turn  from  good  to 
evil')  sat  and  spake,  his  going  in  and  out,  his  manner  of  life,  and  the 
shape  of  his  person ;  the  discourses  which  he  delivered  to  the  congrega- 

14 


tion,  how  he  told  his  intercourses  with  John  and  with  the  rest  who 
had  seen  the  Lord ;  how  he  repeated  their  sayings  and  what  he  heard 
from  them  respecting  the  Lord,  His  miracles  and  His  doctrine.  As 
he  had  received  all  from  the  eye  witnesses  of  his  life ;  he  narrated  it  in 
accordance  with  the  scripture.  These  things,  by  virtue  of  the  grace 
of  God  imparted  to  me,  I  listened  to,  even  then  with  eagerness,  and 
wrote  them  down,  not  on  paper,  but  in  my  heart ;  and  by  the  grace  of 
God,  I  constantly  bring  them  up  again  fresh  before  my  memory." 
(Neander's  Allgem,  E.  Gesch.  1,  Band,  III,  Abth.  S.  1142.  Torrey's 
Trans.,  vol.  i.  p.  677). 

"Can  we  suppose  that  Irenaeus  would  have  accepted  a  gospel  as 
coming  from  John,  if  he  had  never  heard  of  such  a  gospel  from  the 
men  who  lived  with  John?  We  can  go  still  further  back.  The  next 
witness  we  meet  is  Justin  Martyr,  a  number  of  whose  writings  from 
the  year  138-160,  are  in  our  possession.  Justin  did  not  yet  have  the 
separate  selection  of  our  four  gospels,  but  used  also  several  which  were 
afterwards  not  acknowledged  by  the  church.  He  calls  them  altogether, 
'Memoirs  of  the  Apostles.'  Among  them  was  certainly  the  Gospel  of 
John.  He  quotes  several  passages  which  are  to  be  found  in  this  alone ; 
and,  what  is  more  important,  there  are  many  Johannine  expressions, 
in  his  own  style,  and  his  whole  method  of  teaching  can  be  under- 
stood only  by  supposing  him  to  have  been  familiar  with  John's  Gospel. 

"Since  the  Apostolic  Church  consisted  of  two  great  parts,  com- 
prising Christians  from  the  Jews,  and  Christians  from  the  Gentiles ; 
since  one  who  had  been  a  Jew  and  one  who  had  been  a  Gentile 
naturally  took  different  views  of  Christ — this  difference  appears  in 
our  Gospels.  The  Gospel  of  Matthew  represents  Christ  as  he  appears 
to  a  Jewish  Christian,  who  saw  above  all  else  in  Jesus,  the  fulfillment 
of  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament;  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  on  the 
other  side,  represents  him,  according  to  the  reflections  of  his  image 
in  the  mind  of  a  Gentile  Christian,  as  the  Second  Adam;  so  that  we 
have  the  likeness  of  him  who  should  be  both  the  light  of  the  Gentiles 
and  the  glory  of  Israel.  To  all  this  is  added  the  Fourth  Gospel,  not 
a  record  of  tradition,  but  the  work  of  one  man — of  that  one  of  the 
disciples  who  leaned  on  the  Lord's  breast,  who  had  looked  deepest 
into  the  depth  of  his  nature,  and  therefore,  was  able  to  present  his 
image  as  the  image  of  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  whose  glory  he 
had  beheld. 

"The  parable  of  the  blind  man  given  sight  (John  IX,  1-41),  is 
also  mentioned  in  a  Christian  romance  entitled  'Clementine  Homilies,' 
which  was  written  about  150-160  A.  D.,  taken  from  the  Gospel  of 
John.  A  complete  manuscript  of  this  book  was  found  in  a  Roman 
library,  and  one  of  the  last  chapters  contained  word  for  word  the 
whole  story  of  the  man  who  was  born  blind  from  John  IX.  Through 
this  discovery  we  not  only  gain  undisputed  evidence  for  the  date,  about 
A.  D.  160,  but  also  the  testimony  of  Justin  is  corroborated." 

15 


THE  OUTLOOK, 

287  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York. 
Lawrence  F.  Abbott,  President  Lyman  Abbott,  Editor  in  Chief 

Wm.  B.  Howland,  Treasurer  Hamilton  W.  Mabie,  Associate  Editor 

Karl  V.  S.  Howland,  Secretary  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Contributing 

Editor 

February  18,  1910. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  send  you  by  this  mail  a  copy  of  the  address   from  which  you  are 
welcome  to  take  any  extract  you  like. 

Yours  truly, 

LYMAN  ABBOTT. 
Mr.  B.  A.  Ultich, 

108  Dearborn  Street, 

Chicago,  111. 

The  following  extracts  are  copied  by  permission  from  an  address  de- 
livered in  Appleton  Chapel,  Harvard  University,  on  December  18,  1900, 
by  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  of  New  York. 

"What  has  science  to  offer?  This:  that  we  are  ever  in  the  presence  of 
an  Infinite  and  Eternal  Energy,  from  which  all  things  proceed.  No  longer 
an  absentee  God,  no  longer  a  Great  First  Cause,  setting  in  motion  secon- 
dary causes  which  frame  the  world.  No  longer  a  divine  mechanic,  who 
built  the  world,  stored  it  with  forces,  launched  it  upon  its  course,  and  now 
and  again  interferes  with  its  operation  if  it  goes  not  right,  but  one  great, 
eternal,  underlying  Cause,  as  truly  operative  today  as  He  was  in  that  first 
day  when  the  morning  stars  sang  together — every  day  a  creative  day. 
This  is  the  word  of  science." 

" Christianity  is  not  an  episode.  The  life  of  Christ  is  not  a  historical 
event  completed  in  three  short  years.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  revelation  of  an 
Eternal  Fact,  and  the  Eternal  fact  is  the  Ever  Present  God." 

"  'The  light  that  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world'  was 
always  in  the  world,  and  always  will  be  in  tLe  world  as  long  as  God  is 
Love  and  man  has  need  of  him.  The  coming  of  Christ  to  the  Church  was 
in  order  that  we  might  know  that  God  is.  It  was  the  revelation  of  a  per- 
petual incarnation.  The  revelation  of  an  unseen  but  eternal  presence. 
Too  long  we  have  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  or  at  the  door  of  the 
tomb,  and  not  seen  the  stone  rolled  away,  and  the  triumphant  Saviour 
emerging.    Too  long  we  have  thought   of  the  life  of  Christ  ending  with 

16 


his  passion  and  death.     The  greatest  part  of  His  life  is  his  post-resurrection 
life." 

"For  the  message  of  the  Gospel  is  not  merely  that  Jesus  Christ  lived 
and  died  1800  years  ago,  living  here  for  three  short  years  and  then  disap- 
pearing to  be  an  absentee  Christ.  It  is  that  God  is  always  pouring  out 
his  life  upon  men  and  into  their  hearts,  lifting  them  up  out  of  their  sins, 
succoring  them  from  their  remorse  and  making  them  live  again." 

"Long  before  Christ  lived  the  Psalmist  wrote:  'Bless  the  Lord,  O, 
my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His  holy  name,  who  healeth  all 
thy  diseases,  who  forgiveth  thine  iniquities,  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from 
destruction,  who  crowneth  thee  with  loving  kindness  and  tender  mercies.' " 

"We  are  always  in  the  presence  of  an  Infinite  and  Eternal  Energy, 
from  which  all  things  proceed.  The  message  of  history — 'There  is  a  power 
not  ourselves  that  makes  for  righteousness.'  The  message  of  literature — 
'Speak  to  him,  for  he  hears.  Closer  is  he  than  breathing,  nearer  than 
hands  and  feet.'  'We  are  all  his  offsprings,  he  is  not  far  from  any  of  us.' 
Mn  him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being.' " 

COMMITTING  CHRIST'S  WORDS  TO  MEMORY. 

Canon  Farrar  states  in  his  Essay,  that  John  Quincy  Adams: 
"Beginning  with  the  First  Gospel,  wrote  down  in  a  blank  book  every  word 
of  Jesus  the  Christ,  as  given  by  each  of  the  Evangelists.  This  hook  which 
he  prepared,  he  continued  to  read  and  study  during  the  remainder  of  his  life 
to  great  profit."  

The  writer  and  compiler  of  the  present  book,  since  a  boy,  has  commit- 
ted to  memory  and  made  a  part  of  his  mental  acquirements  the  words  and 
teachings  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  so  that  in  his  mature  years  he  has  them 
at  his  command,  including  the  parables,  sermon  on  the  Mont,  etc.  He 
has  found  them  a  saving  power  to  ward  off  not  only  sickness  but  tempta- 
tions of  every  kind. 

A  professor  of  English  literature  at  Yale  has  recently  advocated 
the  study  of  the  Bible  for  college  entrance  examination.     He  says : 

"The  ignorance  of  college  students  of  Biblical  literature  is  universal,  pro- 
found and  complete ;  it  is  certainly  unfortunate  that  the  best  book  ever  printed 
should  be  so  little  known  and  the  frequent  references  to  it  in  practically  every 
author  should  be  meaningless.  I  would  therefore  refuse  to  allow  any  candidate 
to  enter  a  university  until  he  had  satisfactorily  passed  an  examination  on  the 
Bible.  The  Bible  has  within  its  pages  every  single  kind  of  literature  that  any 
proposed  list  of  English  classics  contains.  Priests,  atheists,  skeptics,  devotees, 
agnostics  and  evangelists  are  all  agreed  that  the  authorized  version  of  the 
English  Bible  is  the  best  example  of  English  composition  that  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  It  combines  the  noblest  prose  and  poetry  with  the  utmost  simplicity 
of  diction.  It  is  deplorable  that  college  students  should  be  so  ignorant  of  the 
great  classics  in  their  mother  tongue." 

17 


TOLSTOI   TELLS   CZAR  TO   FOLLOW   CHRIST. 

Count  Thus   Responds  to   Overtures   to  Reconcile   Him  to   Greek 

Church. 

By  Countess  N.  Tolstoi. 

St.  Petersburg,  Jan.  22. — Since  Count  Leo  Tolstoi  was  excom- 
municated by  the  holy  synod  of  the  Russian  Greek  Church  several 
attempts  have  been  made  to  secure  from  the  Czar  the  imperial  good 
offices  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between  the  author  and  the 
offended  church. 

The  Czar  has  had  several  talks  with  the  Metropolitan  Antonio, 
who  has  suggested  to  the  Czar  to  write  a  personal  letter  to  the  Count. 
The  Czar  has  asked  his  nephew,  the  Grand  Duke  Constantin,  a  noted 
poet  of  the  Czar's  family  and  president  of  various  scientific  organiza- 
tions, to  write  the  letter  to  Count  Tolstoi  making  such  a  proposal  of 
reconciliation. 

Writes  Special  Letter  to  Czar. 

Count  Tolstoi  has  replied  to  this  letter  of  the  Grand  Duke,  inclos- 
ing a  special  letter  to  the  Czar,  the  text  of  this  reading*  as  follows : 
Count  Tolstoi  received  no  reply  to  this  letter. 

Your  Majesty:  A  few  more  days,  weeks  or  years  and  I  am  gone.  Some 
days  or  decades  more  and  your  Majesty  will  follow  my  example.  That  is  the 
eternal  law  of  nature.  But  before  that  occurs  I  desire  to  direct  these  lines  to 
you  as  the  ruler  of  the  Russian  people. 

I  wish  you  could  follow  and  realize  the  words  and  example  of  Christ : 
"Whoso  will  be  master  shall  be  a  servant  of  the  others."  To  rule  a  people 
or  empire  does  not  mean  to  govern  them  by  force  and  violence,  but  to  serve 
them  with  wisdom  and  love,  and  execute  the  highest  ideals  for  the  benefit  of  the 
ruled. 

Neither  Parliament  nor  constitutional  government  makes  a  nation  happy, 
great  or  advanced,  but  the  ideals  for  which  they  strive  and  the  freedom  neces- 
sary to  obtain  those  ideals.  If  you  will  be  a  ruler  as  described  and  realized 
by  Christ,  your  first  duty  is  to  build  your  sovereignty  upon  the  love  of  peace, 
liberty  and  brotherhood.  Build  your  empire  upon  the  religion  of  humanity  and 
peace  and  there  will  be  no  necessity  either  for  prisons  or  enormous  military 
expenses.  Give  freedom  to  every  man  to  think,  worship  or  speak  as  he  likes, 
and  they  will  learn  to  rule  themselves  with  love  and  wisdom. 

Gives  Rules  for  Ruling. 

Therefore  I  beg  to  suggest  to  your  Majesty  these  rules  for  ruling: 

1 — To  follow  the  example  of  Christ  and  become  a  servant  of  the  nation. 

2 — Abolish  the  army  of  violence  and  establish  an  army  of  peace  and  love. 

3 — Give  the  largest  freedom  to  all  the  individuals  of  our  country  to  act  as 
they  think  right  and  proper. 

4 — Renounce  all  the  wealth  and  luxury,  abolish  all  titles  and  particular  privi- 
leges and  proclaim  the  religion  of  Christ  and  humanity  as  the  fundamental 
constitution  of  our  empire. 

Having  done  this  you  will  become  one  of  the  greatest  rulers  of  the  present 
time  and  your  name  will  be  blessed  and  worshipped  by  millions. 

Very  respectfully  submitted, 

Leo  Tolstoi. 

(Chicago  Examiner.) 

18 


LETTERS  FROM  PUBLIUS  LENTULUS  TO  THE  ROMAN 
SENATE  AND  CAESAR. 

These  letters  describe  Christ  Jesus  who  was  seen  by  Publius 
Lentulus,  a  Roman  official,  in  Jerusalem.  Attention  is  called  to  the 
fact  that  another  letter  from  the  same  eye  witness  has  long-  been  in 
the  Vatican.  This  letter  was  written  to  the  Roman  Senate  by  Lentulus. 
The  two  descriptions  differ  somewhat,  but  the  same  in  the  most  im- 
portant details.  Following  are  the  letters  as  published  in  the  Chicago 
Examiner : 


LENTULUS  TO  THE  ROMAN  EMPEROR. 

I  have  learned,  O  Caesar,  that  you  desired  some  information  regarding  this 
virtuous  man  called  Jesus,  the  Christ,  whom  the  people  consider  a  prophet 
and  his  disciples  regard  as  the  Son  of  God,  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth. 

It  is  a  fact  that  every  day  one  hears  wonderful  things  told  of  him.  To 
he  brief.     He  makes  the  dead  rise  and  He  heals  the  sick. 

He  is  a  man  of  medium  size,  whose  appearance  indicates  both  great  sweet- 
ness and  such  an  amount  of  dignity  that  one  feels  in  looking  at  him  that  he 
must  love  him,  and  at  the  same  time  fear  him. 

His  hair,  down  to  his  ears,  is  of  the  color  of  ripe  walnuts  and  hangs  down 
on  his  shoulders  as  a  light  blond  and  clear  mass;  it  is  parted  in  the  middle, 
according  to  the  fashion  of  the  Nazarenes.  His  beard,  of  the  same  color  as  his 
hair,  is  curly,  and,  although  not  very  long,  is  parted  in  the  middle  like  his  hair. 


Eyes  Shine  Like  the  Sun. 

His  eyes  are  rather  severe  and  shine  like  the  sun;  it  is  impossible  for  any 
one  to  look  him  long  in  the  face. 

When  he  scolds  he  inspires  fear,  but  very  soon  he  himself  begins  to  shed 
*ears.  Even  in  his  most  severe  moods  he  is  affable  and  benevolent.  It  is  said 
*hat  no  one  has  ever  seen  him  laugh,  and  that  he  sheds  tears  very  often. 

Every  one  finds  that  his  conversation  is  agreeable  and  attractive.  He  is 
not  seen  very  often  in  public,  and  when  he  appears  he  carries  himself 
modestly. 

His  manners  are  very  distinguished;  he  is  even  beautiful.  It  is  perhaps 
because  his  mother  is  the  best-looking  woman  ever  seen  in  these  parts. 

If  you  wish  to  see  him,  O  Caesar,  as  you  wrote  me  once,  let  me  know  and 
i  shall  send  him  to  you. 

Although  he  has  never  pursued  any  studies,  he  is  well  up  in  every  branch 
of  knowledge. 

He  goes  around  barefooted  and  without  head  cover. 


Tremble  Before  Him. 

Many  people  make  fun  of  him  when  they  see  him  coming,  but  as  soon  as 
they  are  in  his  presence  they  tremble  and  admire  him. 

The   Hebrews   say  that  they  have  never  seen  a  man  like  him,  nor  heard 
teachings  like  those  he  imparts. 

Many  believe  that  he  is  a  god  and  others  assert  that  he  is  thine  enemy, 
O  Caesar. 

These  haughty  Jews  give  me  much  trouble.     They  say  he  has  never  given 
trouble  to  anybody,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  tries  to  make  every  one  happy. 

19 


LENTULUS  TO  THE  ROMAN  SENATE. 

There  hath  appeared  in  these  our  days,  and  is  at  present  living  amongst 
us  in  Judea,  a  man  of  singular  virtue  whom  they  call  Jesus  Christ. 

Of  the  Jews  he  is  accepted  and  believed  to  be  a  great  prophet  of  truth;  but 
his  own  disciples  adore  him  as  being  descended  from  the  immortal  God.  He 
raiseth  the  dead  to  life  and  healeth  all  manner  of  human  maladies  and  disease 
by  the  word  or  touch. 

In  stature  he  is  tall  and  of  perfect  form;  his  countenance  and  air  sweet  and 
reverent,  such  as  the  beholders  may  both  love  and  fear;  his  hair  is  of  a  color 
that  would  be  difficult  to  describe,  something  resembling  the  color  of  the  ripe 
chestnut  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  his  ears,  whence  downward  it  is  more 
of  a  tint  of  golden  hue  and  falls  waving  and  curling  into  ringlets  and  spreads 
itself  into  graceful  profusion  on  his  shoulders. 

Face  Without  a  Spot. 

In  the  center,  from  the  forehead  to  the  crown  of  his  head,  his  hair  is  parted 
by  a  seam  or  partition  and  falls  over  each  ear  after  the  manner  of  the  Naza- 
renes.  His  forehead  is  lofty  and  pale  and  his  face  without  spot  or  wrinkle, 
beautiful  with  a  slight  tinge  of  comely  complexion.  His  nose  and  mouth  are 
formed  with  the  most  admirable  symmetry. 

His  beard  is  thick  and  of  the  color  of  his  hair,  not  of  any  great  length,  and, 
dividing  in  the  center  of  the  chin,  takes  nearly  the  form  of  a  fork.  His  look 
innocent  and  mature.     His  eyes  blue,  brilliant  and  serenely  beautiful. 

In  reproving  he  is  awful  and  majestic;  in  admonishing,  courteous,  sweet, 
friendly  and  persuasive;  and  speaking  or  active  he  is  grave,  temperate,  modest 
and  wise. 

Weeps  Often;  Laughs  Never. 

It  cannot  be  remembered  that  any  have  ever  seen  him  laugh,  but  many  have 
seen  him  weep.  In  a  word,  he  is  a  man  who  by  his  exceeding  great  beauty  and 
divine  perfections  surpasseth  the  children  of  men. 

It  is  claimed  that  these  letters,  which  have  been  published  different  times,  were 
written  in  the  15th  century,  and  are  purely  imaginary.  See  Epist  Lentulus.  They 
are  nevertheless  very  beautiful  descriptions  and  ideals  of  one  loved  by  many.  It  is 
not  essential  to  carry  in  our  thought  a  picture  of  the  personal  appearance  of  our 
Savior  as  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  the  senses,  and  there  is  no  authentic  picture 
of  Him  in  existance,  as  the  people  of  His  nationality  were  opposed  to  making  images 
or  pictures  of  persons.  From  His  character  and  teachings,  as  shown  by  His  work 
and  His  words,  we  can  gain  a  much  better  ideal  of  His  real  spiritual  being. 

A  SHORT  LETTER  WRITTEN  TO  SALLUST. 

You  speak  of  the  growing  sect  of  the  Christians  in  Rome.  Sallust,  to  you 
I  may  confide  my  secret;  I  have  pondered  over  that  faith — I  have  adopted  it. 
After  the  destruction  of  Pompeii,  I  met  once  more  with  Olinthus — saved  alas! 
only  for  a  day,  and  falling  afterward  a  martyr  to  the  indomitable  energy  of  his 
zeal.  In  my  preservation  from  the  lion  and  the  earthquake  he  taught  me  t<? 
behold  the  hand  of  the  unknown  God!  I  listened — believed — adored!  Mv 
own,  my  more  than  ever  beloved  lone,  has  also  embarced  the  creed! — a  creed 
Sallust,  which,  shedding  light  over  this  world,  gathers  its  concentrated  glorv 
like  a  sunset,  over  the  next !  We  know  that  we  are  united  in  the  soul,  as  in  thf 
flesh,  for  ever  and  for  ever !  Ages  may  roll  on,  our  very  dust  be  dissolved,  th' 
earth  shriveled  like  a  scroll;  but  round  and  round  the  circle  of  eternity  roll: 
the  wheel  of  life — imperishable — unceasing!  And  as  the  earth  from  the  sun. 
so  immortality  drinks  happiness  from  virtue,  which  is  the  smile  upon  the  face 
of  God!  Visit  me  then,  Sallust;  bring  with  you  the  learned  scrolls  of  Epicurus. 
Pythagoras,  Diogenes;  arm  yourself  for  defeat;  and  let  us,  amid  the  groves  of 
Academus,  dispute,  under  a  surer  guide  than  any  granted  to  our  fathers,  on 
the  mighty  problem  of  the  true  end  of  life,  and  the  nature  of  the  soul. 

20 


CHICAGO  DAILY  JOURNAL,  SATURDAY,  AUGUST  3,  1907 


HEAD    OF    CHRISTIAN    SCIENCE 

CHURCH   SENDS   SPECIAL 

MESSAGE   TO  JOURNAL 

MRS.  EDDY  TELLS  "WHAT  IS  NEAREST  AND 
DEAREST  TO  MY  HEART  TODAY" 


Mrs.  Eddys  Message  to  the  Journal 

Pleasant  View,  Concord,  N.  H. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Chicago  Journal:  To  your  courtesy 
and  to  your  question  permit  me  to  say  that,  insomuch  as  I  know 
myself,  "what  is  nearest  and  dearest  to  my  heart"  is  an  honest 
man  or  woman — one  who  steadfastly  and  actively  strives  for 
perfection,  one  who  leavens  the  loaf  of  life  with  justice,  mercy, 
truth  and  love. 

Goodness  is  greatness,  and  the  logic  of  events  push  onward 
the  centuries;  hence  the  scripture,  "The  law  of  the  spirit  of  life 
in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  (man)  free  from  the  law  of  sin 
and  death." 

This  predicate  and  ultimate  of  scientific  being  presents, 
however,  no  claim  that  man  is  equal  to  God,  for  the  finite  is  not 
the  altitude  of  the  Infinite. 

The  real  man  was,  is  and  ever  shall  be  the  divine  ideal; 
that  is,  God's  image  and  likeness,  and  Christian  Science  reveals 
the  divine  principle,  the  example,  the  rule,  and  the  demonstra- 
tion of  this  idealism. 

Sincerely  yours, 

MARY  BAKER  G.  EDDY. 


THE  ORIENTAL  CHRIST 


Folloiving  quotations  are  from  the  book  entitled  "The  Oriental 
Christ,"  by  P.  C.  Mozoomdar,  published  in  Boston,  Geo.  H.  Ellis,  141 
Franklin  Street,  1888. 


We  shall  try  to  point  out  here  the  main  views  of  Christ's  mis- 
sion and  character  as  laid  down  by  Keshub  Chunder  Sen,  the  Brahmo 
Leader.  In  his  lectures  on  Jesus  Christ,  "Europe  and  Asia,"  March, 
1866,  Christ's  mission  is  thus  described:  "Sent  by  Providence  to  re- 
form and  regenerate  mankind,  He  received  from  Providence  power 
and  wisdom  for  that  work,  verily,  Jesus  was  above  ordinary  humanity. 
Was  not  Jesus  Christ  an  Asiatic?  I  rejoice,  yea,  I  am  proud,  that  I 
am  an  Asiatic.  He  and  His  disciples  were  Asiatics,  and  all  the  agencies 
primarily  employed  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  were  Asiatic. 
In  fact,  Christianity  was  founded  and  developed  by  Asiastics  in  Asia. 
When  I  reflect  on  this  my  love  for  Jesus  becomes  one  hundred  fold 
intensified.  I  feel  Him  nearer  my  heart  and  deeper  in  my  national 
sympathies.  Shall  I  not  rather  say,  He  is  more  congenial  and  akin  to 
my  Oriental  nature,  more  agreeable  to  my  Oriental  habits  in  thought 
and  feeling  ?  And  is  it  not  true  that  an  Asiatic  can  read  the  imageries 
and  allegories  of  the  gospel,  and  its  descriptions  of  natural  sceneries, 
of  customs  and  manners,  with  greater  interest  and  a  fuller  perception 
of  their  force  and  beauty  than  Europeans  ?  In  Christ  we  see  not  only 
the  exaltedness  of  humanity,  but  also  the  grandeur  of  which  Asiatic 
nature  is  susceptible.  To  us  Asiastics,  therefore,  Christ  is  doubly  in- 
teresting, and  His  religion  is  entitled  to  our  peculiar  regard  as  an 
altogether  Oriental  affair.  The  more  this  great  fact  is  pondered,  the 
less  I  hope  will  be  the  antipathy  and  hatred  of  the  European  Chris- 
tians against  Oriental  nationalities,  and  the  greater  the  interest  of  the 
Asiatics  in  the  teachings  of  Christ.  England  has  sent  to  us  after  all, 
a  Western  Christ.  It  seems  that  the  Christ  that  has  come  to  us  is 
an  Englishman,  with  English  manners  and  customs  about  him 
and  with  the  temper  and  spirit  of  an  Englishman  in  him.  Hence  it 
is  that  the  Hindu  people  shrink  back  and  say,  Who  is  this  revolution- 
ary reformer  who  is  trying  to  sap  the  very  foundations  of  native  soci- 


ety,  and  to  bring  about  an  outlandish  faith  and  civilization  quite  in- 
compatible with  Oriental  instincts  and  ideas?  It  is  a  fact  which  can- 
not be  gainsaid  that  hundreds  upon  hundreds  and  thousands  upon 
thousands  even  among  the  most  intelligent  in  the  land  stand  back  in 
moral  recoil  from  this  picture  of  foreign  Christianity,  trying  to 
invade  and  subvert  Hindu  society;  and  this  repugnance  unquestion- 
ably hinders  the  progress  of  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity  in  this 
country.  Why  should  you  Hindus  go  to  England  to  learn  Jesus 
Christ?  Is  not  Christ's  native  land  nearer  to  India  than  England? 
Are  not  Jesus  and  His  apostles  and  immediate  followers  more  akin  to 
Indian  nationality  than  Englishmen?  Go  to  the  rising  sun  in  the 
East,  not  the  setting  sun  in  the  West,  if  you  wish  to  see  Christ  in 
the  plenitude  of  His  glory  and  the  fullness  and  freshness  of  the 
primitive  dispensation.  Why  do  I  speak  of  Christ  in  England  and 
Europe  as  the  setting  sun?  Because  there  we  find  apostolic  Chris- 
tianity almost  gone,  there  we  find  the  life  of  Christ  formulated  into 
lifeless  forms  and  antiquated  symbols.  But  if  you  go  to  the  true 
Christ  in  the  East  and  His  apostles,  you  are  seized  with  inspiration. 
You  find  the  truths  of  Christianity,  all  fresh  and  resplendent.  Is 
Christ  altogether  human?  Are  we  satisfied  that  there  is  nothing  but 
earthly  humanity  in  Him?" 

"Christ  destroyed  self.  And  as  self  ebbed  away,  heaven  came 
pouring  into  the  soul.  For  nature  abhors  a  vacuum,  and  hence  as 
soon  as  nature  is  emptied  of  self  divinity  fills  the  void.  The  nature 
of  the  Lord  filled  Him  and  everything  was  divine  in  Him." 

The  pre-existence  of  Christ,  as  explained  by  the  Brahmo  Leader, 
is,  that  He  existed  before  His  birth  as  a  part  of  the  divine  plan  for 
the  future  good  of  mankind.  The  omniscience  of  God,  knew  from 
the  beginning  the  destinies  of  men.  He  was  the  thought  and  energy 
of  God,  He  was  the  plan  of  God,  He  was  the  light  of  divine  reason 
and  love,  as  yet  involved  within  the  great  impenetrable.  In  that  sense 
the  whole  universe  was  at  one  time  merely  the  thought  of  Infinite 
Being.  Christ  pre-existed  as  an  idea,  as  a  plan  of  life,  as  the  pre- 
determined dispensation  yet  to  be  realized,  as  a  purity  of  character, 
not  concrete,  but  abstract.  His  perfection  on  earth  was  relative,  His 
perfection  in  heaven  ever  tending  to  the  Absolute.  But,  among  us  to- 
day, He  lives  as  a  great  leaven.  "He  lives,"  says  Keshub,  "in  all 
Christian  lives  and  in  all  Christian  influences  at  work  around  us.  You 
may  deny  His  doctrine,  you  may  even  hate  His  name,  but  you  can- 
not resist  His  influence.  Christ  exists  throughout  Christendom  like 
an  all-pervading  leaven,  mysteriously  and  imperceptibly  leavening  the 


bias  of  millions  of  men  and  women."  He  was  the  Prince  of  idealists. 
His  religion  was  supreme  idealism.  The  East  has  always  been  the 
home  of  idealism.  Zoroaster  on  the  mountain  tops,  the  old  Aryan 
sages  of  India  in  the  deep  wood,  or  romantic  river  banks,  found  the 
whole  world  idealized  before  them,  into  the  purposes  and  perfections 
of  the  Great  Spirit.  The  hymns  of  the  Rig- Veda,  the  mystic  utter- 
ances of  the  Upanishads,  the  Gathas  of  Zend,  the  Psalms  of  David 
and  the  Songs  of  Solomon,  the  wild  strains  of  Jeremiah,  and  the 
ecstatic  visions  of  Isaiah — all,  all  were  inspired  by  a  strange  idealism 
that  pervaded  the  world  of  man.  In  that  luminous  atmosphere,  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  has  been  the  brightest  star.  Before  Him,  and  around 
Him,  there  was  a  great  galaxy  of  enraptured  idealists,  who  foretold 
Him,  saw  Him  in  their  dreams,  and  centered  their  expectations  in 
Him.  And  when  He  came  in  the  fullness  of  time,  His  glory  over- 
shadowed the  glory  of  others.  While  He  increased,  they  decreased. 
The  idealism  of  Christ  is  an  exalted  theme.  His  mind  lived  in  its 
idealized  home,  the  kingdom  of  the  Spirit.  He  reigned  and  ruled  in 
an  ideal  community,  He  wanted  to  establish  an  ideal  kingdom.  These 
ideals  were  so  deeply  opposed  by  the  realities  that  surrounded  Him, 
that  the  opposition  cost  Him  His  life.  None  understood  Him,  not 
even  His  dearest  disciples;  but  only  the  Father  knew  the  Son,  as  the 
Son  knew  the  Father.  Their  mutual  knowledge  was  above  this  earth ; 
it  was  ideal  knowledge,  or,  to  use  a  more  familiar  word,  it  was  spirit- 
ual. It  was  divine.  The  spiritual  and  ideal  were  one  in  Christ,  be- 
cause the  spirit  of  divinity  was  in  Him;  but  the  spirit  of  Christ's 
idealism  never  for  a  single  moment  led  Him  to  destroy  or  ignore  His 
own  personality.  His  self-surrender  meant  self -subjection.  His  per- 
sonal sacrifice  meant  the  utter  consecration  of  His  own  will  and  life 
to  the  will  of  the  Father.  Christ  did  not  come  to  teach  us  to  destroy 
our  personality.  Christ  did  not  teach  the  miserable  doctrine  of  ab- 
sorption and  annihilation ;  on  the  contrary,  Christ  has  perpetuated  and 
glorified  His  own  personality  and  that  of  His  followers  by  establish- 
ing between  God  and  man  the  eternal  relation  of  filial  progress.  Man's 
personality  is,  then,  truly  human  and  complete  when  it  is  not  opposed 
to  God ;  and  being  one  with  the  Father,  is  our  genuine  freedom.  Christ 
lived  in  God,  loved  in  God,  taught  in  God,  suffered  in  God,  that  we, 
too,  might  live,  and  love,  suffer  and  teach,  as  He  did. 


HEALING 

"If  Christ  cured  physical  ailments  now  and  then,  how  often  did 
He  cure  the  blindness  and  death  of  the  spirit?  His  reputation  comes 
down  to  the  generations  of  mankind,  not  because  He  cured  Peter's 
wife's  mother,  but  because  He  sought  and  saved  the  fallen. 

"The  power  of  physical  healing  by  pure,  tender  sympathy  by 
warm,  active,  impulsive,  self-forgetful  faith,  is  discounted  in  these 
days  of  gross  material  medication.  But,  in  point  of  fact,  true  spiritual 
ministry  has  a  remedial  value  both  to  the  mind  and  body.  We  have 
often  delighted  in  the  thought  of  the  holy  preceptor  who  is  skilled  in 
the  art  of  healing  both  the  heart  diseased  and  the  aching,  weary  flesh. 
Such  healing  is  no  violation  of  the  laws  of  nature,  but  only  deeper  and 
truer  conformity  to  those  laws.  And  hence,  in  former  days,  and  in 
these  days  also,  men  who  conquered  their  own  minds  conquered  their 
flesh  also,  and  in  conquering  their  flesh  triumphed  over  the  whole 
world.  They  healed  the  hearts  and  bodily  suffering  of  those  that 
trusted  them. 

"Let  us  in  seasons  of  sickness  and  suffering  bring  to  bear  the 
power  of  our  devotions  and  faith  upon  our  weakened  flesh.  Let  us 
exchange  the  divine  remedy  of  mutual  sympathy  and  brotherly  tender- 
ness." 

"Let  men  awaken  to  sympathy  and  they  will  convert  the  world. 
Let  men  awake  to  love  and  they  will  heal  mankind."    p.  c.  Mozoomdar. 


IMMORTALITY 

Christ  Jesus  said :  "I  am  come  down  from  Heaven,  not  to  do 
mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  and  this  is  the  will 
of  Him  that  sent  me — that  of  all  that  which  he  hath  given  me,  I 
should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up  at  the  last  day,  for  this 
is  the  will  of  my  Father,  that  everyone  that  beholdeth  the  Son,  and 
believeth  on  Him,  should  have  eternal  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at 
the  last  day."— John  VI,  39-40. 

Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth 
Him  that  sent  me,  hath  eternal  life,  and  cometh  not  into  judgment, 
but  hath  passed  out  of  death  into  life. — John  V,  24. 

Jesus  said  unto  her,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life;  he  that 
believeth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live,  and  whosoever 
liveth  and  believeth  on  me,  shall  never  die." — John  XI,  25,  26. 


Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth,  as  the  sun,  in  the  King- 
dom of  their  Father.  He  that  hath  ears,  let  him  hear. — Matthew 
XIII,  43. 

I  am  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega — the  beginning  and  the  end.  I 
will  give  unto  him  that  is  athirst  of  the  fountain  of  the  water  of 
life  freely.  He  that  overcometh,  shall  inherit  these  things,  and  I 
will  be  his  God  and  he  shall  be  my  son. — Rev.  XXI,  6,  7. 

Anaxagoras  taught  that  "the  soul  was  an  aerial  spirit,  but  at 
the  same  time  immortal." 

Diogenes  declared  that  "the  soul  was  a  portion  of  the  substance 
of  God." 

Aristotle  was  of  the  opinion  that  "the  understanding  in  all  men 
is  one  and  the  same  substance. 

Descartes  maintains  that  "the  soul  is  the  same  thing  with  thought. 
He  says  the  Reasonable  Soul  could  by  no  means  be  educed  from  the 
power  of  matter. 

"The  Soul  is  of  a  nature  wholly  independent  of  the  body  and 
is  not  liable  to  die  with  the  body,  and  we  are  to  find  that  it  is 
immortal." 

Socrates. — "When  death  attacks  a  man,  the  mortal  portion  of  him 
may  be  supposed  to  die,  but  the  immortal  goes  out  of  the  way  of 
death  and  is  preserved  safe  and  sound. 

"Soul  is  immortal  and  imperishable,  and  our  Souls  will  truly  exist 
in  another  world." 

Marcus  Aurelius  says:  "There  is  one  light  of  the  Sun,  though 
it  is  interrupted  by  walls,  mountains  and  other  things  infinite.  There 
is  one  common  substance,  though  it  is  distributed  among  countless 
bodies  which  have  their  several  qualities.  There  is  one  Soul,  though 
it  is  distributed  among  infinite  natures  and  individual  circumscrip- 
tions (individuals).  There  is  one  intelligent  Soul,  though  it  seems 
to  be  divided.  Now  in  the  things  which  have  been  mentioned,  all 
the  other  parts,  such  as  those  which  are  air  and  matter,  are  without 
sensation,  and  have  no  fellowship;  and  yet,  even  these  parts,  the 
intelligent  principle  holds  together,  and  the  gravitation  towards  the 
same.  But  intellect,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  tends  to  that  which  is 
of  the  same  kin,  and  combines  with  it,  and  the  feeling  for  com- 
munion is  not  interrupted." 


Dr.  Samuel  Johnston  in  Rasselas  says:  "All  the  conclusions  of 
reason  enforce  the  immateriality  of  mind,  and  all  the  notices  of 
sense  and  investigation  of  science  concur  to  prove  the  unconscious- 
ness of  matter." 

"It  was  never  supposed  that  cogitation  is  inherent  in  matter,  or 
that  every  particle  is  a  thinking  being.  If  matter  be  without  thought, 
it  can  only  be  made  to  think  by  some  new  modification,  but  all  the 
modifications  which  it  can  admit  are  equally  unconnected  with  cogi- 
tative powers. 

"The  immateriality  of  the  mind  or  Soul  seems  to  imply  a  natural 
power  of  perpetual  duration  as  a  consequence  of  exemption  from  all 
causes  of  decay.  That  it  will  not  perish  by  any  inherent  cause  of 
decay  or  principle  of  corruption  may  be  shown  by  philosophy." 

Christ  Jesus  says  (Luke  xx,  37,  39  ) :  "But  that  the  dead  are 
raised,  even  Moses  shewed,  in  the  place  concerning  the  Bush,  when  he 
calleth  the  Lord  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob.  Now  he  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living: 
for  all  live  unto  him." 

St.  John  writes  in  the  Revelation,  xxii,  10,  17:  "And  he  saith 
unto  me,  Seal  not  up  the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book ;  for  the 
time  is  at  hand.  He  that  is  unrighteous,  let  him  do  unrighteousness 
still :  and  he  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  made  filthy  still :  and  he  that  is 
righteous,  let  him  do  righteousness  still:  and  he  that  is  holy,  let  him 
be  made  holy  still.  Behold,  I  come  quickly;  and  my  reward  is  with 
me,  to  render  to  each  man  according  as  his  work  is.  I  am  the  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last,  the  beginning  and  the  end.  Blessed 
are  they  that  wash  their  robes,  that  they  may  have  the  right  to  come 
to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in  by  the  gates  into  the  city.  With- 
out are  the  dogs,  and  the  sorcerers,  and  the  fornicators,  and  the  mur- 
derers, and  the  idolaters,  and  every  one  that  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie. 

"I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things  for 
the  churches.  I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  the  bright, 
the  morning  star. 

"And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come.  And  he  that  heareth, 
let  him  say,  Come.  And  he  that  is  athirst,  let  him  come :  he  that  will, 
let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 


The  Eternal  God 


The  following  Poem,  is  the  Production  of  Derzhavia,  a  Russian  Poet  of  some  note.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  translated  into  Japanese,  by  order  of  the  Emperor,  and  hung  uP,  em- 
broidered in  gold,  in  the  temple  of  Jeddo.  It  has  been  translated  also  into  the  Chinese 
and  Tartar  languages,  -written  on  a  piece  of  rich  silk,  and  suspended  in  the  imperial 
Palace  of  Pekin. 

O  thou  Eternal  One!  Whose  presence  bright 

All  space  doth  occupy — all  motion  guide; 
Unchanged  through  Time's  all-devasting  flight, 

Thou  only  God!  there  is  no  God  beside. 
Being  above  all  beings!  Mighty  One! 

Whom  none   can   comprehend,  and  none  explore! 
Who  fill'st  existence  with  Thyself  alone; 

Embracing   all — supporting — ruling   o'er — 
Being  whom  we  call  God — and  know  no  more! 

In  its  sublime  research,  philosophy 

May  measure  out  the  ocean  deep — may  count 
The  sands,  or  the  sun's  rays — but,  God!  for  Thee 

There  is  no  weight,  nor  measure;  none  can  mount 
Up   to   Thy   mysteries;    reason's   brightest   spark, 

Though   kindled  by  Thy  light,   in  vain   would  try 
To  trace  Thy  counsels,  infinite  and  dark; 

And  thought   is  lost,   ere   thought   can   soar  so   high, 
Even   like  past  moments  in  eternity. 

Thou  from  primeval  nothingness  didst  call 

First  chaos,  then  existence — Lord,  on  Thee 
Eternity  had  its  foundation;  all 

Sprung  forth  from  Thee;  of  light,  joy,  harmony, 
Sole  origin — all  life,  all   beauty,  Thine. 

Thy  Word  created  all  and  doth  create, 
Thy  splendor  fills  all  space  with  rays  Divine; 

Thou    art,    and    wert,    and    shall    be    glorious!    great, 
Life-giving,  life-sustaining,  Potentate! 

Thy  chains  the  unmeasured  universe  surround; 

Upheld   by   Thee,   by   Thee   inspired   with   breath, 
Thou    the  beginning  with  the  end  hath  bound, 

And  beautifully  mingled   life  and  death. 
As  sparks  mount  upward  from  the  fiery  blaze, 

So  suns  are  born,  so  worlds  spring  forth  from  Thee, 
And  as  the  spangles  in  the  sunny  rays 

Shine  round  the   silver  snow,   the   pageantry 
Of  Heaven's  bright  army  glitters  in  Thy  praise. 

A  million  torches,  lighted  by  Thy  hand, 

Wander  unwearied   through  the   abyss; 
They  own  Thy  power,  accomplish  Thy  command, 

All  gay  with  life,   all  eloquent  with  bliss. 
What  shall  we  call  them?     Piles  of  crystal  light? 

Lamps  of  celestial  ether,  burning  bright? 
Suns,  lighting  systems  with   their  joyous  beams? 

A  glorious  company  of  golden  streams? 
But  Thou  to  these  art  as  the  noon  to  night. 

Yes,  as  a  drop  of  water  in  the  sea, 

All  this  magnificence  in  Thee  is  lost — 
What  are  ten  thousand  worlds  compared  to  Thee? 

And  what   am   I,   then?     Heaven's  unnumbered   host, 
Though  multiplied  by  myriads,  and  arrayed 

In  all  the  glory  of  sublimest  thought, 
Is  but  an  atom  in  the  balance  weighed 

Against  Thy  greatness — is  a  cipher  brought 
Against  infinity!     What  am  I,  then?     Naught. 

Naught — but  the  influence  of  Thy  light  Divine, 

Pervading  worlds,   hath  reached  my  bosom  too — 
Yes!  in  my  spirit  doth  Thy  spirit  shine 

As  shines  the  sunbeam  in  a  drop  of  dew; 
Naught!  but  I  live,  and  on  hope's  pinion  fly 

Eager   toward   Thy   presence;   for   in   Thee 
I  live,  and  breathe,  and  dwell;  aspiring  high, 

Even  to  the  throne  of  Thy  Divinity. 


THE   NEW 
REF 

This  book  is 
tak 

YORK  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 
ERENGE  DEPARTMENT 

under  no  circumstances  to  be 
en  from  the  Building 

' 

form  410 

9 WW    II 


Hllllllll!   Ifilll 


III  p