Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-05-10
DIS C o U R s E

Va the Transient and Permanent an
CArisiiaaity- by THEODORE PARKER,
| Minister efhe Second Church IN Ror-
burg.
LUKE XXI: 80.
Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word
shall not pass away.
To judge the future by the past, the for.
ner authority Of the Old Testament can
ever return. It's present authority can
pd stand. 1t must be taken for what it is
UOdh. The occasional folly and impiety
rs authors pass for no more than their
tue - while the religion, the wisdom,
As Owe, which make fragrant its leaves,
NIL sill speak to the bes: hearts as hIh-
Mo, and in accents even more divine, when
Rason is allowed her rights. The an.
senI belief in the infaiiole Inspiration Of
each sentence o. the New Testament is
hschInging; very fast. One writer, not
skspiic. but Christian Of unques,ioned
pity, sweeps off the beginning of Mat
Gew; another, Of different church and
Enlly religions. the end of John. M.
herous critics strike of several epistles.-
The Apocalypse itself is not spared, not
Outstanding It's concluding curse. Who
udl tell US The work Of retrenchment is
Osop here; that others will not demon.
Snle, what some pious hearts have long
W. that errors OF doctrine and errors OF
ha may be found in many parts oflhe re-
a'd, here and there, fiom the beginning
Matthew to the end of Acts {! We see
how opinions have changed ever since the
'postrS' time; and who shall assure US
loot they were not sometimes mistaken IN
hsorica., as well as doctrinal matters
did not sometimes contound The actual
with the imaginary, and that the fancy o.
hese pious writers never stood in the
place OF their recollection
But what fthis should take place! l,
Christianity then TO perish out Of tn,
heart Of the nations. and vanish from th'
memory Of the world, like the religions
that were before Abraham2 IL must b,
50, il it rest on a foundation which scoI
tr may shake, aud score of ious critic
stake down. But this is the foundation
ola theology, not of Christianity. Tha
tOrs not rest on the decision Of Councils
his not to stand or fall with the infdlibl
aspiration OF few Jewish fishermen. VIII
have writ their names in characters @
light all over the world. Ii does not cor
@ue TO staLd through The forbearance {
some critic, who can cut when he will III
dread on which its life depends. Chris
lanity does not rest on the infaelible at
Aorly of;he New Testament. Ii depend
90 this collection oil books for the hisIor
cal statement OF its facts. La this we d
'N require infIllible inspiration on tn
art OF the writers, more than in the rec
%d Of other historical facts. To me
VEINS as presumptuous, on the one han
otlhe believer to claim this evidence f.
AeIruth OF Christianity,R ms 1t is absurd
% the other hand. for the Sskep.ic TO dc
hand such evidence TO su pDort these hi
Nrcal statements. cannot see that il d.
gends on The personal authority Of Jesu
de was the organ through which d
Infinite spoke. Ills God thai was maulfes;t
10 The flesh BY him,on whom rests the trul
Which Jesus brought 10 light and mac
clear and beautiful in his life; and
Christianity be true. it seems useless
look for any other authority to uphold
as for some ooe to support Almighty Go
80 II il could be proved,-as it cannot.
10 opposition to the greatest amount
historical evidence ever collected on al
similar point, that the gospels were 1
fabrication Of designing and arful me
that Jesus Of Nazareth had never live
Gull Christianity would stand firm. al
lear no evil. None Of The doctrines.
!aat religion would fall to the ground.
y true. they stand by themselves. b
We should lose.-oh. ifteparable loss /
he example OF that character so beautif
% divine. that no human genius cot
nave conceived il, rs none, after all /
P'ogress and refinement Of eighteen c,
'ar'es, seems fully 10 have comprehend
~ lusirons life. II Christianity W,
we we should still lhink i was so.
Decause .ls record was written by infa