Atonement, II

ATONEMENT. BY PRESIDENT JOHN G. M'QUARRIE, OF THE EASTERN STATES MISSION. II. While the undeveloped child and the matured man stand at the opposite extremes of life, we must remember that there is a natural growth, or unfolding, that assists in bringing about the reconciliation referred to above. There is another kind of development, a development in which the natural growth lends but little assistance, and to illustrate this phase of uplifting, and the principle that enters into it, I will relate a true story by Florence Kimball Russell: An officer stationed on the southeast coast of Mindanago, the second largest island in the Philippines, had occasion to make a reconnoisance into the mountains back of Davao, and stopped over night in the Bogobos. The chief of these natives did the honors with savage dignity. The town was dirty beyond belief. The people were lazy, even in their curiosity. But one item of interest was pointed out to the Americans by their host; a collection of human skulls, which decorated the dwelling, indoors and out.' These were trophies of war, he explained to the officer. The next morning, on leaving, the officer thanked the chief for his hospitality, and asked to return the visit. The savage accepted the invitation. A short time later, he arrived in Davao, accompanied, not by an escort of a paltry half dozen, as the officer had been, but by the major part of his tribe. * * * Durnig his visit the Bogobos were one and all delighted with the military life of the post, the drills and parades and routine of daily duties. Then, too, the cleanliness of the khaki-clad soldiers. * * * But perhaps nothing so filled them with awe and admiration as the ceremonial raising and lowering of the garrison flag. Tbey never missed seeing it, especially at evening, when the band played the Star Spangled Banner,

398 IMPROVEMENT ERA. and the flag fluttered slowly down the staff, while the troops stood at attention, with bared heads. So impressed was the chief, that on leaving Davao, he asked the officer to give him an American flag that he might take the custom into his own village. This was granted, and the presentation of the Stars and Stripes was made the occasion for a little sermon, in which the head of the Bogobos was informed that he and his people were under the protection of the American government; that he, as chief of the tribe, represented American authority in his village, and that it would become him to set an example to his people. Then he was informed that in the United States the custom of decorating houses with skulls no longer prevailed ; and that they seriously objected to such practices. Consequently, it behooved him, as a representative of the American government, to keep abreast of the times in this regard. The chief listened very gravely, but made no answer. On a subsequent visit to the little village, the officer was greatly surprised to see what weight his words had carried, and what effect the Star Spangled Banner had on the savage people. Soldiers were drilling under the green trees; sanitation had been adopted, sweeping, heretofore unknown, had become a custom in the village, the skulls had been removed from the ' 'Executive Mansion, ' ' and every evening the chief and his standing army failed not to face the flag, as it was slowly lowered from a bamboo flagstaff, where, during the day, it had floated over a village it had redeemed from seeming hopeless savagery. Though mankind presents hideous extremes of condition, and yawning gulfs open between men, still there are mysterious cords binding us together, like a cable stretching from continent to continent. The ideal man can touch at some point every phase of life, and understand all conditions. The cultured, intelligent American could realize the immense depth of that abyss, in which the native islander wallowed in ignorance, filth, and sin; on the other hand, the ''Big Chief," accustomed to his savage surroundings, proud of a collection of skulls to testify of martial prowess, self-satisfied, and lapped in vanity, wholly ignorant of the enlightened condition of others, and wholly unsuspicious of superiority, in either priest or soldier; what could he see respecting the necessity of development or reconciliation? He would have remained in his benighted condition forever, had not some helping hand been extended to him from the heights above. The great American entered into his life, invited him to his home, showed him a higher ideal, made him feel that he was related to a better race, and that it was not only his privilege but his duty to live a more beautiful life. There is a tie between us,

ATONEMENT. SOU he said; our privileges and duties are similar; we find security beneath the same flag; we are each permitted to take part in the same great government. The chief was "born again," like a beggar suddenly thrust into the society of cultured ladies, he realized that he was filthy, blind and ignorant; new faculties were quickened within him; a love for the flag was kindled in his heart, and a higher ideal was photographed on his mind. How natural was the regeneration, that the streets and huts put on a cleaner appearance; that the new symbol of power and freedom should be seen floating over the village, and that the chief and his people should meet night and morning to honor it; and that the hideous skulls should give place to more artistic decorations, these are miracles quite within the ken of man. It is only the operation of natural principles, they say, that is gradually raising the tribe from their abyssmal darkness, upward into the sunlight of a better life. By experience, in developing the child in the home and the school, we find it necessary to have dependence, vicarious work, and sacrifice, in order that love, the true controlling and directing force, may be awakened. Then, as a guide to development, it is necessary to have definite rules prescribed, high ideals to work to, and good examples to follow. When ideas and theories of right are fixed in the mind, then the character should be tested, and these ideas matured by personal contact with the world, by actual experience with law. Such is the teaching of the incident related above; moreover, another important principle is pointed out by it, which is, that a man must feel he is related to higher things, and that there is something great in him, before anything great can come out of him. If we should find, from revelation, that God, our Father, is suffering us to pass through our present experiences for the purpose of developing our powers, and that he has incorporated into his plan of redemption these very principles and conditions that the experiences of life have proved so effectual for developing, should we say he is unjust, or that the plan is too deep to be understood? When God determined to carry out his eternal purpose, which

400 IMPROVEMENT ERA. was to bring man into fellowship with himself, and redeem him from the bondage of sin, he commenced in the most logical way. He chose a mediator in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, in whom his love was centered and his character reflected. The mortal stage of life could be acted, or represented, only by one possessed of mortality; and the divine life, the life of God, could be reflected only by a person possessing a divine nature: hence, the necessity of the conception brought about by the power of the highest overshadowing the Virgin Mary, and the result, which was Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Son of God and the Son of Man. As has been observed, in order to develop a true character, we must have a standard by which to measure our actions. We can measure all things only by comparison. When we have heard and become familiar with the sweetest singers and the most logical and eloquent speakers, then we are able to measure the degree of perfection attained in these lines by any of the lesser lights. When we have seen the master-pieces in art, and studied them until all their beautiful colors, their graceful lines, their depth of feeling and purpose become thoroughly photographed on our minds; we can at once judge and compare every effort along that line, and determine its relative worth and fitness, though it may take us years to develop the skill to reproduce such works ourselves. If the character of God is reflected in the life of Jesus Christ, and that true ideal becomes fixed in our minds, it will not only enable us to judge the actions of others, but it will stand as a constant pattern for us to live by. Hence, we may understand, and, as in the case referred to above, we may be able to comprehend a true character long before we have reached perfection ourselves. Paul sums up this philosophy in the following verse: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."— H Cor. 3: 18. The glory referred to in this exquisite passage can be nothing else than the character of God. The meaning is, that we are changed by this simple rule from a bad character to a good one^ and from a good character to one still better.

ATONEMENT. 401 Objects are understood as they appear on the magic mirror of the mind, and they are reflected back in our words, actions and appearance. If we adjust our mind so that any given phase of character, good or bad, is constantly reflected upon it, we will gradually be changed into the very likeness of that character. We instinctively judge a man's environments and associates by his appearance, words and actions. There is another statement made by the inspired writers, that is fully born out, and proved by experience, and that is that "man by his own wisdom cannot find out God;" and not only has the Author of Life remained beyond the reach of our mental vision, but the question of life itself, its origin, its purpose, how it should be lived, and how we might escape the toils of sin, and the pain and death that lay within its folds, these are questions that have baffled the skill of the philosopher. Hence, man was in a condition from which he could not extricate himself, and when Christ undertook the mission to save the whole world, man was. dependent on him for salvation. Christ was to be the head of the Church, as the father is the head of the family, and I think we can see the relative positipn we occupy as children. The child is dependent for physical growth; man is just as dependent for spiritual development. We find here the first condition necessary to develop, that of dependence on the part of man, also one, even Jesus Christ, ready to do a vicarious work; and, endowed with both a human and a divine nature, he is ready to give to man an example, and reveal the mystery of life. In proceeding to the accomplishment of this task, he commenced life at the very lowest point of human experience, and rose step by step, leaving his path clearly defined, meeting every temptation, obeying every law, enduring all sorrow, and sympathizing with others in their afflictions; then revealing the mystery of life and death, proving life to be eternal; and death, to be only a curtain between life and death and a deathless life; finally bridging, with his resurrected body, the chasm between mortality and immortality; and, standing at the head of that shining ladder by which he had climbed from his cradle in Bethlehem to a ^eat on the throne of God, he is asking us to follow in his steps. As our minds gradually unfold to grasp this wonderful reve-

402 IMPROVEMENT ERA. lation, we see a searchlight breaking across the gloomy valley of death; the gulf commences to close up, and the lines of life reach to the other side. We have seen how knowledge has closed up mental and physical gulfs in life; knowledge also throws its lines across spiritual gulfs. In the great example, we see every barrier scaled, every gulf bridged; matter following spirit in the flight. The gulf between matter and spirit is first filled by the knowledge that matter is the organ of spirit; spirit is the impelling force, matter, the means of manifestation; spirit, the enlightened cause, matter, showing the eflfect; each one necessary to the other, for spirit without organization would be diffused power, and matter without spirit would be dead. The gulf between this life and the next is abolished by the conviction that the grave is but a receptacle for the spirit, and therefore no check to advancement; on the contrary, all our lines of experience run directly through it; and far beyond, the light of hope still glimmers, even where our feeble imagination, inflamed by fear and beclouded by ignorance, once painted a region of despair or oblivion. Finally, the mind, borne above the troubled waves by such an agency, gradually extends the lines of life and feeling across the widest ocean open before man — that eternal expanse which reaches, between God and mortal life. We see in God a human element, and in man a divine spirit. The character of God is reflected in the peerless humanity of Jesus Christ; the highest ideals of man, reaches a point where the cords of sympathy are united, the love of God and the love of man being centered in the same soul ; and, feeling the sublime relationship, we cry out, "Abba, Father," and Christ answers, ''Ye are the sons of God, and we are brethren." Ideally we have crossed the chasm, and reached the sublime heights beyond, and witnessed our possibilities, but we must return to life and its realities, like the old chief to skull-bedecked, bamboo hovel. We feel that we have been dreaming, but we need not be discouraged; the mind cannot reach beyond its possibilities; the-

ATONEMENT. 403 wildest fancies of the past have become the common-place realities of the present. The native chief could not remain in the paradise he had visited, nor reach in one bound the higher elevations of this life; but, holding on to the new attachment, he could climb step by step toward the realization of his hopes. Let us hold fast to this line of thought while we examine a little more, in detail, this wonderful example. Jesus Christ was, in the broadest sense of the word, a teacher, but he did not attempt to solve mathematical problems, nor display mechanical ingenuity; he did not even write a scientific treatise on theological dogmas. He simply defined the rules of personal progress, and established a perfect social system, to meet the requirements of community life. He confirmed truth, vindicated justice, proved the beauty and worth of virtue; illustrated, represented and glorified the traits that belong to every man and woman. Christ was, in fact, the ideal man. He could touch at some point every phase of human experience. He could meet the wise men of the Sanhedrin, who felt that they had compassed all knowledge, because they had committed to memory the ' 'Law and the Prophets. " By an easy and pleasant conversation, on topics of common interest, he could awaken their sympathy; then, by a few well chosen questions, he could make them realize the steps they must climb before they could stand with him on the summit of pure knowledge. He could sit by the well and talk as patiently to the fallen woman of Samaria; and, while manifesting his regard and sympathy for her person, make her feel, at the same time, the contempt he had for the sins she had committed. He entered the fisherman's narrow world of thought and action, and watched with keen interest while they toiled so incessantly to make their meager hauls from the Sea of Tiberias; and he indicated his approval of their humble and useful labor, by letting them know that he needed just such honest, earnest work in a greater and grander cause. "Follow me," said he, "and I will make you fishers of men." Instinctively, they obeyed, and gradually their eyes were opened to the grandeur of his character, until they could say, "Thou art

404 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God." And the response came, "Yes; I am the Son of God, and you are my brethren, for God is your Father also; and where I go you may come. We will be joint heirs in my Father's kingdom, if we all serve him faithfully." Inspired by such faith, stimulated by such sublime hope, in the presence of such a plain but perfect example, is it not most natural that their minds should unfold, that they should remove the hideous skulls of folly, put on a cleaner and brighter appearance, and look, night and morning, upward toward the great King they were to serve? And as Christ led them away from their boats and fishing nets, into a school of training, whence in due time they should emerge the legally constituted officers of a kingdom destined to dominate the hearts of men, is it not most natural that he should treat them like children and servants, requiring them to do his bidding, by confidence rather than knowledge ? Nor is it less natural that a little later he should say to them, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." (John 15: 15.) So, they began to understand him, and to realize the meaning of his laws and plans, and to him they grew not only interesting, because they were God's children, but actually became companionable. Continuing, Christ said to them, "I have chosen you, and ordained you, that whatsoever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. ' ' In other words, you are officers now in the kingdom of God, and, in the name of him who ordained and commissioned you, your petitions may be directed to the great King whom we both serve. Christ took occasion, at this time, to make a few wise suggestions, or rather, in a suggestive way, he gave a direct command in relation to their conduct in upholding the dignity of their new position: "These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, * * * therefore the world hatethyou." (John 15: 17-19.)

ATONEMENT. 405 His instructions might be summed up thus: Hatred, strife, envy, seeking to dominate others, taking revenge on enemies, a display of seliishness in absorbing the wealth of others; all these things are ornaments not appreciated in the kingdom from which I come; in fact, they are very distasteful, and it will please the King if you will remove all such hideous skulls from your habitations, and adorn them instead with self-sacrifice, humility, love and kindness." Is it not the most natural thing in the world for the character of Jesus Christ to be reflected in those humble men who loved him and kept his commandments? Is it not just as natural for these men to develop tow^ard the ideal thus formed as for the Bogobo chief to develop toward the ideal he had found? Some doubt the existence of Christ, because a few discrepancies have been found in the gospel .narrative; scientific men have doubted his conception, as explained in the scriptures, and also his resurrection, because they do not understand the laws by which these things were accomplished. Be this as it may, none can deny that descriptions and allegorical likenesses of him occur in the prophecies of the Old Testament, prophecies which become biographies in the New. His character thus preserved ascends as high above criticism as the heaven is above the earth. In looking at every other character, whether real or fictitious, whatever be the garment of strength, we discover holes of weakness; but no one has been able to detect in the garment of Christ a seam, a rent, or even a faulty stitch. It may be hard for some to believe in his divine nature, but it would be harder still to attribute to frail humanity the authorship of such a life as he taught and exemplified. The modern woman of Samaria s till comes to the fountain for that water that will quench her thirst, and cool her fevered pulse, as it throbs with the disease of sin. The fallen woman, taken in the very act, still listens to the merciful judgment, * 'Let him that is without sin cast the first stone, ' ' and is comforted with the words, "Go thy way and sin no more." Men living in the slums of society still meet him occasionally, and through his counsel and encouragement escape from the haunts of vice and the dungeon of ignorance.

406 ^ IMPROVEMENT ERA. A Shakespeare approaches his shrine for inspiration, and becomes the brightest star in the sky of literature; a Gladstone reads of his life and precepts, and finds his place in the front rank of statesmen; indeed, it is only as men ascend the loftiest peaks, and survey therefrom the widest plains of human experience that they begin to appreciate the vast heights they must climb before they can stand by the historic Christ, or approach him. That Jesus Christ is the sun, the light, of the world, all history and experience prove. Men may surround his revelations with forms, symbols, dogmas and ceremonies, until the system looks like child's-play to the practical mind. Critics may find discrepancies in the oft translated records, and infidels may doubt their divinity; but his actions and precepts, as the standard of character, the true ideal, the perfect example, stand untouched by criticism, and unparalleled in the history of the race. Summing up the argument, then, I may say that the happiness of the race depends on the character of the people; to develop a true character, the race must have a true standard, that standard is furnished in the life of Jesus Christ, and in no other. So far, then, as the example is concerned, reason and experience support the claim made for it by revelation. But why should Christ be put to death, and how does his death in any way affect us? This phase of the atonement will be discussed in the following chapter. New York City, N. Y. (to be concluded in next number.) LET US ALL BE WHAT WE ARE. {For the Improvement Era.) The simplest words that the voice can raise May cut with the deepest pain ; 'Tis the hearty Yeas and the honest Nays That make or break friendship's chain.