Show EVOLUTION OF CHRISTIANITY Christianity came not as a finished product but as seed Its full fruitage could not appear till centuries had been afforded for development The parables para-bles of tho leaven and the mustard seed illustrate this fact Jesus refrained from uttering his full message because of tho unreadiness of Ijls disciples That the truths withheld with-held might not forever remain hidden he promised the Holy Spirit to lead into all truth But the Divine Spirit has been compelled to wait until near tho dawnof the third millennium of the Christian era before venturing to cug S qst the later and larger meanings of the divine purpose concerning our world The church was organized that tho gospel might be everywhere made known and universally applied to the multiform phases of human life It was Intrusted with a mission to the individual in-dividual man and also to society To the Individual the gospel brought truth for the Intellect spiritual power for the heart and a new law for tho life To society It came demanding the enthronement en-thronement of time golden rule in the customs and Institutions which control human Intercourse But the crowning misfortune the ages has been that the church hns only half comprehended Its allotted task It spent moro than a thousand yearn In building creeds and constructing catechisms It wasted precious cqn tunes In vain efforts to secure uniformity uniform-ity of belief During the long struggle strug-gle for the establishment of dogma spiritual life was unknown and personal per-sonal conduct and social conditions continued con-tinued as It the Sermon on the Mount had never been uttered But the world wearied of dogma and longed for a life So the Reformation came the Weslcyan revival occurred and a new epoch began Thenceforth not doctrine but spiritual life was ordained or-dained to supremacy Religion transferred trans-ferred Its throne from the intellect1 to the heart This change gave birth to modern Christian activities Greater regard has been had to personal character char-acter and conduct so that never since apostolic days has the church been as pure or cherished as high ideals us now An orthodox creed and a Christian experience I ex-perience must bear fruit In noble living liv-ing to meet the demands of the age It may bo asked If this be true what moro look we for Can religion assume as-sume any new phase which will add to Its effectiveness Yes verily The time has come when the church should cease to deal with men exclusively In reference refer-ence to future destiny It should vividly vivid-ly I remember that It was taught to pray Thy kingdom conic thy will bo done on earth 03 it is In heaven The problem presented to the church of today Is Given the gospel of Christ with trunsfqrmlng influence on human hu-man nature Its Inspirations to right living its dethronement of selfishness Its championship of the cause of suffering suffer-ing humanity required a Christian civilization Not a civilization In name merely such as that now extantr which Is but semibarbarism with the more repulsive features thinly varnished over with false refinements but a civilization civ-ilization such as the gospel would have produced had It been planted virgin soil and been allowed to develop Its J true character untainted by mixture with preexisting conditions tho residuum re-siduum of original savagery With much selfcomplacency wo look back and down upon the barbaric period when might made right and the poor wcic held In thiall by the rich and powerful But do not tho ancient oppressions still live In new garb baptized bap-tized with other names and operating In another sphere of actlvfty Thlo Is a commercial age Our Rockefellers Rocke-fellers and Morgana ure the Alexan erG and Napoleons of the time In the fierce struggle for wealth the weak arc trodden under foot by these modern conquerors The survival of the strongest strong-est is the only acknowledged law Labor La-bor is under the heel of capital Christianity Chris-tianity has abolished chattel slavery and peasant serfdom but Avagofllavcry and Industrial dependences still remain re-main The tolllig masses are subject to the will of employers for the means of subsistence and can at their caprice be driven out to starve How does this agree with All ye arc brethren The strong ought to bear the Infirmities of the weak Love thy neighbor as thyself thy-self The world creat misfortune and the churchs sin has been that she has not recognized It ac within the scope of her duty to Insist that the fundamental principles of the gospel shall form the basis on which laws of trade and all social conditions shall rest Her wisest leaders have failed to suggest a plan for the Incorporation of New Testament teachings In secular affairs The church knows more concerning things In heaven than about those on earth She appears hopelessly to assent to tho continued con-tinued reign of sqlfishness and does not dream of so reconstructing society as to bring its condition into harmony with the golden rule Yet this Is the task the church must assume or ceflse to proclaim the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man The world waits for the application of gospel principles 16 socIal conditions not merely i to modify and improve them but to GO revolutionize them that selfishness shall become unprofitable righteousness be made the law of human life The church needs profoundly to behave be-have that present conditions being founded In wrong cannot always endure en-dure and proclaiming anew and bettor hope to the world may 11 ft her face toward to-ward the rising sun and confidently follow fol-low the prompting of the spirit and the openings of Providence to lead Christian Chris-tian nations out and up to an order of things In harmony with the teachings of the Divine Man of Nazareth RICHARD WAKE Salt Lake City January 25th |