The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-27 00:00:00

FINIIi..---- ,
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MACNAUGHT ON INSPIRATION

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
Sir,—Referring to the letter on this subject, addressed by
a local clergyman to the editor of last Wednesday's Cotieart'
will you allow me to offer a few remarks.
I am sorry that a layman should have to set a clergyman-
right on matters of his own profession. The Rev. Josiah B.
Lowe is considered, doubtless, a clever man by his own congre-
gation, and is generally admitted, by these who have heard
him, to be a very rapid and fluent speaker; but whether pro-
fundil and accuracy goes hand in hand with fleetness of thought
has yet to be seen.
There is one charge which has often been successfully
brought against our established clergy, which is that of then'
being continually in a fencing mental attitude. They ass
prevented. seeing the truth of any view, doctrinal or otherwise d,
which does not square, or seem at once to square, with tb,a
formularies and articles of the church, to which they are ohlig"
to swear allegiance before they can enter upon those verY
studies which are to fit them for judging of such
Mr. Lowe's letter shows, if this charge ever had any force,
iw
applies strongly to the incumbent of St. Jude's, Liverpool.
He rises from the perusal of Mr. Macnaught's book, and Is
so engrossed with his pre-conceived views that he cannot B,°
the force and tendency of the author's arguments which ho
asserts
pretends to criticise, For example, Mr. Macnaught
that the scriptures are not infallible in doctrine--they ha:l6
been admitted fallible in science and morality by authorities of
and out of the church—Mr. Macnaught adduces, in support;
matters.
the affirmative of his proposition, numerous instances of rellgis
ous discrepancies. Mr. Lowe, in order to prove the negative, (.14.
not touch any of the chief religious discrepancies alleged hY
in
Macnaught, but raises objections to the interpretation of certan
minor texts which Mr. Macnaught had quoted as subsidary
illustrative evidences of his argument. I waive tho rig
of insisting that whatever is infallible, and is to be a rule et'
life to the poor and ignorant, should require no expla:),al;':
but be so written that ho that runneth may read. tro
forgetting Lowe, forgettin that if even out of 100 points in his oPPenejnald
arguments he should successfully explain away 99, be vr
still leave his opponent master of the argument ; for one siegi;
error proves fallibility. If I might venture to offer Mr. LZ,
a hint it would be, if lie really fancies he can overture uc_
Maenaught's arguments, to take up the details of Mr
.4%10
naught's plainly written book, and reply to each pal—t°-
seriatim. Nothing less than that will accomplish Mr. 1)

purpose. P. the
Another instance of the emasculating tendency of
popular church system, is given by Mr. Lowe, where- be 53)1::,
" if the Bible is not infallible"—the thing, by the bye, state
. -
proved—" bow can we demand of any one belief in any
ment of Holy Scripture, which may seem to him to bee ontralY:
to reason, or which may really be above its range ? Take, 11;1,,
example, the doctrine of the atonement, as a case in point.„
I presume, Mr. Editor, that the doctrine of the atonement 1,
received by all Christians, but that those Christians who v 31::
the rights of private judgment, and who bear in mind fully
;
Scripture contains such maxims as " Let every man be: a
persuaded in his own mind," and let him be prepared to glve
an!
reason for his hope to every enquirer"—that such Christi
hold this doctrine of the atonement, and all other doctrines r 0!
as unintelligible jargon, but as rational and clearly reveals
u

truthwould,-
It surely, be a gross iniquity to say to Palmer, oak
is now on his trial, we must find you guilty of poisoning C°°/„.
and others; because, if we acquit you, the consequences nzilY
n t
that any one may poison his wife, brother, or friend, e
assurance that no strychnine will be found after death, and yet
it is precisely in this way that Mr. Lowe looks at the suPl)°.
consequences of granting his opponent's arguments, be`orit
he ever inquires whether the facts are so or not. ,„
is tho apparent intention of Mr. Macnaught to DPP')
the system, generally known as the Baconian philosopobrYo;
to religion as well as to the sciences---to f:
theories from collected facts, and not to bend facts theor'ese't:
as used to be the practice in those ages in which the grfaiter
portion of our doctrines were formed ; but Mr. Lowe eit
does not understand, or else does not choose to understand, '—
author's drift.
Again, Mr. Lowe complains that Mr. Macnaught's essaYße,t:,
up human remon and consciousness as a tribunal to wit;k.,
every man is at liberty to submit the Scriptures. I would as
does not Mr. Lowe do precisely the same thing? 11 c. LOtil
when it suits his Pt otestant prepossessions, will interpret ,
text, " This is my body," &c., in a metaphorical sense, where%
when thescriptures speak of a millenium or Jewish restoratoeira
at
Mr. Lowe is not only quite content to take them in a "„t blf
sense, but he will insist on their being so taken, I " ''ate
crave of Mr. Lowe to say how it is that he learns to differ to
on these occasions ? Does a little bird tell him, as we sialth:
children, or is it his human reason and consciousness. )-`rn
latter, why does he not allow to others what he claims for Wow
self? Can there be true religion where there is unjustiee ? lit so
not. Must not the tree be known by its fruits? Air'."%g
and his party appear to me to go radically' sr °.;
when by confounding so called doctrinal orthotle',:,
with practical religious faith, they attach more
portance to a man's belief than to his practice. or'ti,,
Lowe gives an instance of this in his defence 1
doctrinal infallibility of the Bible, when he 1u P
Peter, "compelling" the Gentiles at Antioch to follow the
erroneous teaching of a corrupt example, was less euiPaio
than he would Inve been if he had erroneousl taught'
Y trio
same Gentilos by heretical word of mouth. There Is, to
accounting for taste. If Mr. Lowe prefer a corrupt eolllll`,e
an erroneous instruction, by all means let him be indulgea
his choice ; but on either alternative the inspired AP,,s.thio
Peter is manifestly acknowledged to have been a fa'''.
to
teacher of the religion
whic:r he was miraclously se-
that

teacMh. r lig
r. Lowe seems to contemplate the possibility °' „I
embracing Socinianism, if it should be decided that man
use his human reason in the reading of the Scriptures. I shallg
watch for him to see if ho keeps his promise. Reserv.,;
also, further matter for a future occasion, A
I main
LAYl'O'"
obedient servant,

AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE CA'J

AT LAST

DISCOVERY OF STOLEN PROPER'

arrested a woman,
On Thursday last, officer Carlyle, of the detective l''''
land, in Dublin-street, in this town, on s' a ncion of bar:li4
some stolen plate in her possession. He 'lto' took her to N''';
named Susan iNl'Donald a native of Scot'
clicster, and proceeded to search her house, Si "late at
NC'.
ti
I.Gviit.avel-lane, Salford Ho found the house literally cra'n, üblealf
• h stolen property, which filled one large float, an"
every
another, to convey it away. The property consisted of ,11
imaginable article, shawls, drapery,wearing apparel 0'.., I.
A large `.`ls‘,
sorts, sizes, and for all description persons.
valuable amount of silver plate and jewellery ; watches' ni '1,1;11,e
rings, broaches, and other articles of a fancy descripti°3' were
chimneys of the house, instead of being full of sooty all
lined with watches and valuables of various descriptiou°,oo
of which were found by a young sweep,who Nvas sent down
of
the tops. It appears, from the officer's state-
ment, that this woman was the greatest anj criodr
ex
tensive receiver of stolen propertv i 9 , •-"n" fol.-
and that she managed to escape, for a long time, atter' thb
eberi
11
lowing fashion. When the produce of a burglary and r°
was brought to her, she purchased or advanrcd some sind to
sum on the goods. The party selling, generally oki''ete and
the amount, when she would tell them to come nelt daYlotri.
she would advance more. In the meantime she WoUld_ely ia
municate with the police, and have one or two of that heiloce
aofeonvenient place, and when the victim came for the
"m id then
the purchase money, arrest was certain. She -'-n a Con'
produce some small article for identification and to found
tioe,
viction. In this way she carried on the game for a lengi stee
and, as it is stated, there was not a session held at 11-12°c itehere
that she had not several persons convicted, and the police 7., as
looked upon her as their " best of allies." BY saell an
the a 5
those described, she managed not only to screen l'er3e ' bat
earn a high reputation for honesty amongst the
also to enrich herself to a large extent. It was an ef°r rite
biodw o.s
are
day for her that Carlyle arrested her, for lie ''
homingsp 3 irt
gaff" (as the thieves call it) on her, and her
a, remarked, faunpeven
at an end. The quantity of property,
portions ot 1
cep
her premises is enormous, and contains . vat
Pa
distinct burglaries and robberies, committed in v
The we-, • „ran has been fully committed for trial.
policeti,loto