Pantheism's destruction of boundaries - pagina 31

Methodlist Review. is

buhjected."

would not signify anytliing if tlic watchers wore fouiul at their post, or, at least, in the Ciunp

Tin's

at the bcjiuidai'ies

But it is well known that the opposite is true. up for its defense are put outside the boundary line. Every boundary of confession is wiped out l)y the pu')proclamation of liberty of doctrine. i;e The Cliurch must be of the Church.

They who

as like a

rise

worldly society as one drop of water

is

Even thoui^h Christ be denied by all the ])eople be named the peo])le's Ciiurch. He wlio believes

like anotlier. it

in

must still no Father

heaven may proclaim unto the people his philosophy as And, when hope is fostered that "believing" theoloijians will rebel against such repulsive contradictions, tlie Vertnittel unf/s-thcologen of every predilection may be seen wilh fully wij)iiig out the confessional boundary and adding ever more freely their philosophic wine to the pure juice of life, as if bent upon the entire destruction of that deeply nuirked boundary line of our Christian mysteries which separates God's holy revelation from our darkened reason. No resistance, therefore, can be looked for from this quarter against what Hermann calls "the spiritual disturbance" of our As long as a spiritual tohu va hohu remains the lauded age. ideal among these leaders no invincible principles of morality; no deeply inculcated convictions of soul, nor any fixcil, general ideas can come to our people from their ecclesiastical guides. But in

(iospol.

the restoration of a iixed point of departure, of a religious and

moral "place where to stand,"

in

view also of the

foretold by our poli-tical meteorologists,

is

social

the only saving

storms

means

by which a footing may be regained by our generation. Recover the faith in a last judgment, and as long as we hold this faith we may calmly witness the constant violation of right in the earth, which is practiced not merely by juiblic offenders, but by legislative boilies and by judges. For our sense of right is secure in that of God, which he himself shall one day avenge. Proceed, liowever, upon the half-truth of the pantheist, that

"the world's history

is

the world's judgment," and

secularize our sense of right

;

that

is,

we may

we must

recognize no

longer any law except that 'which amid constant changes the authorities create and maintain.

And

by

this fluctuating notion

jns const it utum is never at rest) we destroy the majesty of law in the minds of those who live under it.

of right (since the

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