The Vital Message | Page 5

jealousy and revenge. The
conception pervades every book of the Old Testament. Even in the psalms, which are
perhaps the most spiritual and beautiful section, the psalmist, amid much that is noble,
sings of the fearsome things which his God will do to his enemies. "They shall go down
alive into hell." There is the keynote of this ancient document--a document which
advocates massacre, condones polygamy, accepts slavery, and orders the burning of
so-called witches. Its Mosaic provisions have long been laid aside. We do not consider
ourselves accursed if we fail to mutilate our bodies, if we eat forbidden dishes, fail to trim
our beards, or wear clothes of two materials. But we cannot lay aside the provisions and
yet regard the document as divine. No learned quibbles can ever persuade an honest
earnest mind that that is right. One may say: "Everyone knows that that is the old
dispensation, and is not to be acted upon." It is not true. It is continually acted upon, and
always will be so long as it is made part of one sacred book. William the Second acted
upon it. His German God which wrought such mischief in the world was the reflection of
the dreadful being who ordered that captives be put under the harrow. The cities of
Belgium were the reflection of the cities of Moab. Every hard-hearted brute in history,
more especially in the religious wars, has found his inspiration in the Old Testament.
"Smite and spare not!" "An eye for an eye!", how readily the texts spring to the grim lips
of the murderous fanatic. Francis on St. Bartholomew's night, Alva in the Lowlands, Tilly
at Magdeburg, Cromwell at Drogheda, the Covenainters at Philliphaugh, the Anabaptists
of Munster, and the early Mormons of Utah, all found their murderous impulses fortified
from this unholy source. Its red trail runs through history. Even where the New
Testament prevails, its teaching must still be dulled and clouded by its sterner neighbour.
Let us retain this honoured work of literature. Let us remove the taint which poisons the
very spring of our religious thought.
This is, in my opinion, the first clearing which should be made for the more beautiful
building to come. The second is less important, as it is a shifting of the point of view,
rather than an actual change. It is to be remembered that Christ's life in this world
occupied, so far as we can estimate, 33 years, whilst from His arrest to His resurrection
was less than a week. Yet the whole Christian system has come to revolve round His
death, to the partial exclusion of the beautiful lesson of His life. Far too much weight has
been placed upon the one, and far too little upon the other, for the death, beautiful, and
indeed perfect, as it was, could be matched by that of many scores of thousands who have
died for an idea, while the life, with its consistent record of charity, breadth of mind,
unselfishness, courage, reason, and progressiveness, is absolutely unique and superhuman.
Even in these abbreviated, translated, and second- hand records we receive an impression
such as no other life can give--an impression which fills us with utter reverence.

Napoleon, no mean judge of human nature, said of it: "It is different with Christ.
Everything about Him astonishes me. His spirit surprises me, and His will confounds me.
Between Him and anything of this world there is no possible comparison. He is really a
being apart. The nearer I approach Him and the closer I examine Him, the more
everything seems above me." It is this wonderful life, its example and inspiration, which
was the real object of the descent of this high spirit on to our planet. If the human race
had earnestly centred upon that instead of losing itself in vain dreams of vicarious
sacrifices and imaginary falls, with all the mystical and contentious philosophy which has
centred round the subject, how very different the level of human culture and happiness
would be to- day! Such theories, with their absolute want of reason or morality, have
been the main cause why the best minds have been so often alienated from the Christian
system and proclaimed themselves materialists. In contemplating what shocked their
instincts for truth they have lost that which was both true and beautiful. Christ's death
was worthy of His life, and rounded off a perfect career, but it is the life which He has
left as the foundation for the permanent religion of mankind. All the religious wars, the
private feuds, and the countless miseries of sectarian contention, would have been at least
minimised, if not avoided, had the bare example of Christ's life been adopted as the
standard of conduct and of religion. But there are certain