An ingenious writer, as unlike Dr. Newman as it is possible to conceive, has lately told us. In an article in _Fraser's Magazine_,--an article written with great vigour and acuteness,--this writer advises us to return to Paley, whom we were beginning to neglect, because the real important essence of Christianity, or rather, to quote quite literally, 'the only form of Christianity which is worthy of the serious consideration of rational men, is Protestantism as stated by Paley and his school.' And why? 'Because this Protestantism enables the saint to prove to the worldly man that Christ threatened him with hell-fire, and proved his power to threaten by rising from the dead and ascending into heaven; _and these allegations are the fundamental assertions of Christianity_.' Now it may be said that this is a somewhat contracted view of 'the unsearchable riches of Christ;' but we will not quarrel with it. And this for several reasons. In the first place, it is the view often taken by popular theology. In the second place, it is the view best fitted to serve its Benthamite author's object, which is to get Christianity out of the way altogether. In the third place, its shortness gives us courage to try and do what is the hardest thing in the world, namely, to pack a statement of the main drift of Christianity into a few lines of nearly as short compass. What then was, in brief, the Christian gospel, or 'good news'? It was this: _The kingdom of God is come unto you_. The power of Jesus upon the multitudes who heard him gladly, was not that by rising from the dead and ascending into heaven he enabled the saint to prove to the worldly man the certainty of hell-fire (for he had not yet done so); but that _he talked to them about the kingdom of God_.[106] And what is the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven? It is this: _God's will done, as in heaven so on earth_. And how was this come to mankind? Because _Jesus is come to save his people from their sins_. And what is being saved from our sins? This: _Entering into the kingdom of heaven by doing the will of our Father which is in heaven_. And how does Christ enable us to do this? By teaching us _to take his yoke upon us, and learn of him to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him, and to lose our life for the purpose of saving it_. So that St. Paul might say most truly that the seal of the sure foundation of God in Christianity was this: _Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity_: or, as he elsewhere expands it: _Let him bring forth the fruits of the Spirit,--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control._[107]