THE MASTER BUILDER.                     563

the halt, the blind, that by such invitations they might add
to the joys of humanity. He preached and practiced a religion
of joyousness. The greatest of the Apostles, in his catalogue
of the fruits of the Master's spirit, put joy next to love. Even
the experience of repentance was, in the Master's thought, an
experience of joy. The prodigal son was welcomed with music
and dancing. When the corrupt politician of that day was
called from the money-changers' table to become his disciple
and accepted the call, no time was spent in lamenting the sins
of the past. The event was made an occasion for a feast with
the publicans' companions. The orthodox were shocked by
this teacher of religion who pushed aside all those customary
mournful aspects of religion, and came with joy in his heart
and a song on his lips; but the common people liked joy better
than sorrow, thanksgiving better than fast days, and followed
one whose ministry was that of gladness and songfulness.
  The religion of that day was not only ascetic, it was rigorous
and burdensome. It was not emancipation, but servitude;
not liberty, but bondage; not an emancipation proclamation,
saying, "Thou canst," but a prohibitory law, saying, "Thou
shalt not."  Religion was regarded as obedience to rules.  It
is still often so regarded. These may be rules respecting wor-
ship; then the religion is a ritual. They may be rules respect-
ing belief; then the religion is a creed.  They may be rules
respecting conduct; then the religion is a morality. But, in
either case, the religion is obedience to certain rules prescribed
by divine authority.
   This was pre-eminently the case with the religion of the ortho-
dox Jews in the first century. The liberal Jews regarded religion
as obedience to a moral law, the stricter Jews as obedience to a
ritualistic law; but neither Hillel nor Shammai regarded it as
liberty. The Master was an emancipator. His Gospel was
truly interpreted by Paul in the saying, "Ye are called unto
liberty." He interpreted it himself in the saying, "The Son
shall make you free." True, he told his disciples that he had
not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but he added in
the same breath that he had come to fulfill them-that is, to
show mankind how to reach a noble life in a better way than by




			

OHS/National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center Serial Collection

African Methodist Episcopal Church Review, Vol. 28, Num. 2

Volume:  28
Issue Number:  02
Date:  10/1911