1879.] ^-iO [Chase. 



authority such as had never been known before. Claiming to be the 

 anointed leader for whom the Jews had long been looking, representing 

 his mission to be the fulfilment of " the law," which was "a shadow of good 

 things to come, and not the very image of the things," he sought not to 

 destroy aught that was good or true in previous systems. Still pointing to 

 God as the source of all truth and all power, still finding the highest wis- 

 dom in the great truths of religion, he counted all earthly knowledge and 

 all earthly possessions as dross in comparison with the heavenly inherit- 

 ance. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, 

 and lose his own soul '?" 



We thus see that in all the most highly civilized nations of antiquity the 

 wisest men, almost without exception, believed in some means of commu- 

 nication between man and his Maker, and looked upon the ministers of re- 

 ligion as the special recipients of divine oracles. The true followers of 

 Jesus of Nazareth have uniformly claimed that their system of religion is 

 the highest system that has ever been promulgated, appealing both to the 

 intrinsic excellence of its doctrines and to the results of their lissemination 

 for evidence that their claims are well-grounded. They may, therefore, 

 naturally regard the Philosophy of Christianity as the highest of all phi- 

 losophies, and as the most profitable study to which human attention can 

 be directed. 



Christ himself, although he taught "as one that had authority, and not 

 as the scribes," gave continual evidence of great personal modesty and 

 humility. Although never derogating in the slightest degree, from the 

 conscious dignity of his divine mission, he often rejected the flattering 

 tributes with which his disciples sought to honor him, directing them to 

 the Father whose will he came to accomplish. He did not even attempt to 

 found a church or to frame a consistent system of doctrines during the time 

 of his own ministry, but he left his hearers to make such application of his 

 teachings as would best satisfy their various individual needs and promote 

 their spiritual growth. The wisdom belonged to him ; the philosophy to 

 his disciples. His gospel, "good tidings of great joy," was the announce- 

 ment of a Saviour, who should "save his people from their sins." His pur- 

 pose was neither to destroy nor to change the divine methods of education, 

 but to fulfil typical prophecies; to throw a stronger light upon the relation- 

 ships of man to his Maker ; to temper personal independence by a clearer 

 sense of personal responsibility ; to communicate a knowledge of the per- 

 sonality of God, His personal interest in His intelligent creatures, and 

 the personal help, which He vouchsafes to all who feel a need of help and 

 are willing to accept it. Free grace and free will ; the offer of all requisite 

 guidance ; the power of choice whether the guidance shall be received or 

 rejected ; the voluntary assumption of all the risks which may attend a 

 wrong exercise of the choice ; and "the way of salvation " through him 

 in whom "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;" such are 

 some of the chief lessons of Christianity. 



" Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness ; for 



