raise this Sermon would think it proper to abide by all the teachings
therein. Christian parents do not wish their children to follow either
the letter or the spirit of this famous preachment. It begins in the
fifth chapter of Matthew.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Is it better to be poor in spirit than
rich and eager in spirit? Being poor in spirit is to be faint of heart.
This is bad advice, is it not?

"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." This means
that those who mourn on earth will be comforted in heaven; but now that
life on earth has assumed greater importance, so far as our daily
conduct is concerned, than life in heaven, the philosophy of gloom is
unfortunate. Jesus preached acceptance of unhappiness as the common lot
of man; he should not therefore be credited with providing happiness on
earth. His urge to rejoice was usually in anticipation of good things to
come in the next world. He preached sorrow for all here rather than the
greater happiness for the greater number.

"There shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver
you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all
nations for my name's sake ... and because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved."[27]

"Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh."[28]

The beatitude, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth"
is of doubtful accuracy or value.

The commands to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand may not have been
intended literally, although it does appear as if Jesus referred to the
physical body, and men have often so interpreted these doubtful
instructions.

Jesus said that "Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth
adultery", which is no longer true. Those who permit remarriage after
divorce should admit an error on Jesus' part.

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil." This instruction should
be reversed, should it not? Evil should be resisted in every possible
way that does not involve evil in itself. What modern ethical teacher
will say that evil should not be resisted, or that this advice of Jesus
was perfection? If his instruction was intended to refer to physical
resistance, then no righteous person should fight in any war, no police
should be delegated to arrest criminals. If the phr