The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-09-24

Ma. EDITOR Please allow me space to answer
Mr.. Mason's answer to Plain Christian in de-
fence OF his (Mr. Ms sermon. To commence, let
Inc make an extract from the puugent note Of
- Plain Christian" which called it forth
Il am perfectly o~ewiIderel with this talk about SHADE, shs-
the substance of man. But why contend about the outward
resemblance Ha. God a nase a mouth and eyes! l. he not
what further proof do We want of being His images?"
To these pointed questions. which We should sup
pose would have revealed the absurdity of his sub
stance theory, SIR. Mason, in the POlynesian Of the
18th inst, replies:
1t is polite to answer questions, ana therefore I desire to
satisfy {" Plain Christian's" questions given in your last edition.
lt 1 assure him / am perfectly SATISFIED with the scripture
- Plain Christian" never could have been a monkey or n iackass,
must also assure hn that | am equally confident that God has
ears. eyes, hanis, and feet 1t IS the glorious Consequence ui
the Ephesian elders to - iced the Church Of God, which He has
purchased with His own hlood,'-or Jesus himself say handle
me AMI see, for a spirit hath not tesh and blood, as you see
me hare" Ergo, Z" Plain Christian" may be abe 10 under
stand why myself aud others are not satisfied with the partial
truth, that our spirits 1T made in the image of God. We re-
cogn.Ee in our bodies the highest type, and " e preach their
clusson let me Caution I" Plain Christian against the use Of
such dangerous theological worls. AS substance aid iHteGi-
9enee. Fer l might ask him to define the substance OF man.
l pass over the somewhat unclerical reference to
the monkey aud j1cklss, which &" Plain Christian"
will doubtless appreciate. and ask Mr.. NJ. if he has
also such crude and gross notions of the Deity as to
assert that his hands, eyes, feet and mouth arc Of
the old material Substance Of man 2" Hls he,
then, teeth. nails and hair? Inc irreverence of the
supposirion Mr.. NJ. and his '.Old material sub
stance theory are responsible for. That God incar-
nate had all these senses and substantial properties
lchen upon the earth, the undivided church has
always believed. But that the g%,orifed spiritual
body, with which Christ assembled up on high,
has still these gross material attributes in Heaven,
We had supposed that no intelligent Christian in this
age or in any faction Of the diuided church believed.
Mr.. Ms caution to " Plain Christian to avoid the
use Of such dangerous theological words rs substance
is very timely, and doubtless comes from the depth
of q personal experience, since he has himself used
it so often only to confuse his ideas.
Here then is the gist Of I'll, whole controversy.
The heather bishop of the dusky Diocese of Natal
writes a shallow and superficial book. with the intent
to prove that the butt end of the Bible is unworthy
of credence, and that the roots of Revelation which
an,edate and underlie all authentic history, are sap
less and ShriveIed; and one of his strong points is the
absurdity of the statement that man was made in the
image Of God. He. assuming that this must refer to
a material likeness. pronouuces the passage absurd
aud hence uninspired. Never. till the crude pro-
fundities Of the African Bishop set the Christian
world to laughing. did We suppose that the plainest
Christian doubted whether Moses meant to say simply
that man was created in the moral likeness or spirit
ual image Of the Creator, his soul being in harmony
with the will of God, and his moral constitution re-
spending to the character of God.
But, 10 the cypheTing Bishop of the Zulus has,
in this kingdom of the Kamebameha's, begotten a
shady, siGd0icy. yet semi substantial theology in his
own image. A new &" shade Is here given 10 the
translation, only that the substantial sense which
Colenso fixed upon the passage may be defended.
Upon this theory Of the text. MIR. VI. makes the whole
scheme of mans salvation rest
Upon the truth Of this text rests the whole scheme Of mans
TvaFf I r@rggt It ulyu n rrMfh nf fffa flvs uhmbar
spoken literally by God or not, rests the whole scheme Of mans
salvation. II you are already prepared to believe this. you will
b. surprised 70 hear the following bold rejection Of this truth by
a profes5cdiy Christian writer"
And to SUSTAIN his view he represents God in the in
carnation as being d" made out Of the old MATERIAL
substance Of man," and to cap the climax, lie asserts
of the glori6ei Savior in Heaven as respects his sub
stautial properties, all that other plain Christians
assert of bim while upon the earth as God manifest
in the flesh. Colenso is crude enough. But these
gyrations in Honolulu theology beat all bis figures Of
Zulu arithmetic. "