II. THE RELIGION OF THE WORLD WITH ITS CLEAN-CUT NAME. 78. "After the Road, which they call a sect, so serve I the God of our Fathers, believing all things which are according to the Law, and which are written in the Prophets." "Any that were of the Road. "Instructed in the road of the LORD. "Some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Road. "And I persecuted this Road unto the death.1 I. ENTRUSTED WITH THE ORACLES OF GOD. 79. There is no intention in the space of this little book, to describe the good things of Christianity; for that, book stores have whole libraries. Bad things, not in any exaggerated style, but actual bad things are exposed, and the need of . repentance and of the religion of God is shown." Christianity may perish, on account of the evils which it sanctions and tolerates; as ancient Judaism and the Græco-Roman systems perished, and out of the wrecks of which Christianity arose. On the great stone wall of a vast Mohammedan mosque, in Damascus, the traveler Mr. Marsh found this inscription: "Thy kingdom, O Christ, 1Acts. 24:14; 9:2; 18:26; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4. 80. 2 There are good people and good churches everywhere; but that does not change the general conditions and the fearful apostacies, 1 Kings 19:10-18. is the kingdom of all ages, and thy dominion is from generation to generation;" and that was the only trace left in the city where St. Paul first learned of the Road, of the ancient existence of a Christian church. This example, and the extinction of all the churches planted by the Apostles, shows that God takes no pains to preserve Christianity, more than any other cultus, when it becomes corrupt. 81. What advantage then has Christianity over Buddhism, or any other religious cultus? "Much every way; first of all that it has been entrusted with the oracles of God." God has blessed Christianity as a Bible circulating medium; and that is the chief and almost exclusive work to which missionaries should give themselves.2 Other religions all over the world, are being improved by the knowledge of our Scriptures. Japan, for example, has already forty Christian sects; and, notwithstanding the harm which this sectarianism has done, they have accomplished great good by circulating the Bible. 3 82. The Buddhists know the wrong of divisions. One leader says: "It is a surprise to us that they do not agree together better." Many Pagans are intelligent and distinguish between sectarianism and the teachings of Jesus, which say: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." No one does anything in any land to obey "the great commission" who 1 Rom. 3:2. 21 Pet. 4:11. 3 Count Otani Kozui, in New York Independent, Dec. 27, 1900. 4 John 13:35. Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8; 10:47; 11:19. does not give forth this love and Brotherhood conception of Jesus' Gospel; and the Scriptures, which contain this truth, will incline the heathen toward Jesus, as we see in Japan, where many Buddhists acknowledged Jesus to have been a Buddha, and as we see among the Brahmo Somaj in India, who also have knowledge of Jesus. The effect is thus produced which Jesus himself indicated: "As thou didst send me into the world, even so I send them into the world that they may all be one that the world may believe that thou didst send me.' * * * * * * 99 1 84. In its outward expression the religion which Jesus entrusted to his disciples was to manifest him, the Savior and Friend of man, as he had manifested the Father; and in this great service they were to keep his commandments, by doing as he himself had done. No sects were to be torn down, and no sect was to be built up. They were to preach Christ, and held no commission to supercede other systems by a new ritual, ordinances, and a new statutory religion. Jews were not to be perplexed by opposition to their customs, and Gentiles were to have placed upon them no yoke of bondage by ceremonial code. There was no clergy; but deacons in their ministrations went to the houses of the poor, and naturally became the first preachers, like Stephen and Philip. And thus was started the glorious work which has resulted in the solid and durable institutions of Christian beneficence. The two 83. John 17:18-23. The union of disciples and the world's conversion go together. The meaning of "that the world may believe," is "so that the world, etc." A result is meant. churches which became the most noted, Rome and Antioch, were originated by laymen; and the former, for twenty-five years, was managed by laymen. 85. The Brotherhood of the community of believers more and more came to be composed of both Jews and Gentiles, and in the course of two generations the church of Jesus became a separate body from necessity. The other religions were tribal and national; and they opposed the Gospel when it was understood that its message was to all men alike. At this point there was great danger that the Old Testament would be dropped, along with Judaism, and we cannot be too thankful that the Christian Gentiles in this severe crisis, joined with the Christian Jews to claim the Old Testament. The world's religion was now understood to be anti-national and antijudaic, and to sustain its position, constant appeals had to be made to the prophets. This kept the Old Testament in constant use, and it became a part of the fixtures of the church. The Bible is the magnificent heritage of modern Christianity from Judaism and Rome; and it is the crowning glory of Christendom, that it is in a position to offer to every man on the earth a whole Bible. On the one hand is this magnificent opportunity of Christianity; and on the other hand is the dark outlook by worldliness, ecclesiasticism and cowardice. 2. IT SHALL BE CALLED THE ROAD OF THE HOLY ONE. 86. Isaiah thus describes the glory of Jesus' religion for the world: "An highway shall be there, the Road, and it shall be called the Road of the Holy One, the unclean shall not pass over it; and because He shall walk the Road, even the simple ones shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon, they shall not be found there; and the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion." 1 88. The Road was to be so good and safe that common people could travel it with perfect safety. How exalted is the conception of religion in the following passages, which we will best understand by substituting the word Road for "way:" "My people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity; and they have caused them to stumble in their ways, in ancient paths to walk in by-paths, in a way not cast up." "Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." "Thou wilt show me the path of life. In Thy presence is fulness of joy; At Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." "See if there be any way of wickedness in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." 87. 1Isaiah 35:8. This remarkable verse is poorly translated in the English Bible. The Hebrew is so emphatic and points so clearly to a person, that I think the Prophet meant "Holy One" instead of "holiness" and I so translate it. "The Road" is emphatic also. The help by the example and presence of the Holy One in the Road, as the example of Jesus helps one to live right, is the reason why "simple" ones find it easy to keep the Road. This passage refers to the Messianic kingdom, and should not be limited to refer only to the road of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem. Oppression, cruelty and war, represented by wild beasts, have no place in Jesus' kingdom. |