, 1869-03-14
A NEW CHAPTER OF CHRIS.
TIAN EVIDENCE.

A46AAU ~ AAA4A4 VII
By REv. JAMES 1EEK,kAE CLARK.
From the A.tsu'ie Hnushty 70. March
In . series Of articles, OF which this ia the I
[1kt, re propo4e 70 state and untold what we |
eGard a. m argument for the truth OF Cht1s-
!hnl1y. which Is not only original. but also !
pec1Aliy sdApted 70 tho present time. For
:, IN = great hats1e'' when The current ofthe
ready aghr has ragged around some harcelg
:ontested point, the tide often sh1f-s to Au-
,th1 part of tEe deld. 10 II Is Ia the war Of
,plnlGns. Abe controversies which 70 Tor
n6 generations Wero matters, Of ufa Aud
icath are 10 n often questions Of supreme
Indifference.
Is Christianity supernatural or natural
reljRieuf Is II religion s1tested to be from
God By mtraelea : This has been the great
question. tp evidence for the last century.
The truth and disloe origin Of Christianity
haze been made to depend on it, superua-
certain view Of marac!e:: And then., in or
der Of malntafu the reality OF miracles, It
becama necessary to provo the Mfallibiiity
OF tho record And 20 We 9re taught that,
to oelieve in Jesus Christ, we must
hrss believe, Ia the genaioeness
sSs ssa ssssstsz hs % thsosei oi EEL ses
iaad, !" says NJ: P.ttisoo,. !. :. ws DEVOTED .
proving the Ehr,sttm religion credible, Ia
This nannes." ,HThe apostlas,', said Dr..
.Iohn.ou, "Hert being tried ouce = week for
ths capital crime Of ierzerJ." Ihia was the
work Of the school Of Lardner: PAlsY, and
Christisnlty and unbelisrers in Chris
tisnlty u, not whether cur religion Is or
Is not supernatural ', not whether Chsist's
miracles were or not vlulations OF law /; nor
whether the New Testanaent; As It stands, Is
the WORK Of inspired men. The main qucs~
ttou, back Of sli these, Is different, and not
do N hu ri ~ r1o
take Of ths unIyersslty Flaw. It il this. Is
Ctriktianity, as taught by IeSu1, intended By
God to be the religion Of the human race. /.
1t only one among natural re1lgiouss Is 1t
to be superseded In ITS turn b. Others Or is II
the Que religion which is to unite Ill man
s ana: or eot rs ssoq r ns sose sss 81. saSus d
the question which We Ak Of Jesus Of Naza-
seth, aud the 'snsrcr to which makes the real
problem Of spo1ogetic theoln9y.
Now, the ne1tnders Of Christianity have
been 70 occupied With their special disputes
about miracles, about nataralism and auper-
natutaIlsm, and about tne.Insplrauon add
lett uucultiratea' wide aeld Of Inquiry,
which=we' may dexfgulta by tho name of
Comparatlve Theology. Its work Ia TO COM
pare Christianity with other reu4ionh 10 or
der to sec how It ssands related to them.
lie province Of this new science. Whu wo
propose to do is to show BY this comparison
that Christianity possesses Ill the Rpdtu1e9
which 6s 1t to be the religion Of the human
ii. ne.hed Of eztablah,nx Christianity
IN . ,hls: that,, white tho last under
take4 to. provo christianity j., 70. be
true. this shows it to b ,raa. For i
NE can make 1t sppcar, bF = llt survey Of
the pEipeips1 religions Of the world, ihst,
while they sfe ethnic or local, Christianity Is
catholic Or universal ;Sthat, while thoy arc
ing Others, Christianity possesses all and
that; while they are STATIONARY. Christianity
Is progressive; It will not then b. necessary
to discuss in What sense 1t Is = supernatural
religion. Such a survey Will ahoH that It il
adapted to the nature Of man. Bat when
We tee adaptation we n1tusNliy infer design.
II Ch1ist1an1ty appears, after full coupari,
son with other teligioua, to- he the one and
only religion which Is perfectly adapted to
nau. it will b Impossible to doubt ,thAt 1t
war DESIGNED BY God 10 be the teliREou Of our
b. God to man, ~ tralh Gods Iut6, lts WAY
the Way 10 God and TO Eeaveu.
But conducting this proof 1t y necessary
to aroid N eHor, into HhLh most
of. the apolo8fs,a: Of thn. last century
ethnlct religions. Ii order 70 show Inc need
Of Chr1sttanltS. t1eg thought It nseetsAsY K
! dApara9e all other religious Accordingly
thcy hgre insisted that, Whilc this Jewish 1nr
Christian fellStoas Hefe revealed all othE
religions Wsre Invented th4t, Hhtlo thea
that, whlle in the II ua rsuylnns there va
+! nothing falEc, In tho [elso religions there wa
| nntltIng true. II auF trRce OF Truth Has 10 b.
| found In Paly thelsn, IL waa 40 mixed Elta
| error As to te practically only aviL As tn
| doctrines Of henthtn religious we're corrupt
l bali tex4 ~rfy~
stitio1- Their tAanenee ~as 10 make mel
! worse, not better; thsIr tendency wsa t,
[ produce fcnsus u!y, cruelty. aud nnlyersai dc
Rradx1ion. They did not proceed, Ia 40,
sense, from God /; they we're not even IA
work Of good men, bat rather OF del,besat
naiural RELIGION had become Necessary
in order to counterxct the fatal c.nse-
queuros; OF these debascd and .dehaaing ~
! p.rstltlons. This Is the view OF the {rrat
natural religions Of tho world wh!ca NJ.
taken by such writers as 'LelAnd, Wnisb5
! aud Hatuurtou In the last century. Eyes
ubcral thiukers. like Jaues Foster and 1ohs
| Locke, declare that, ut the coming Of Christ
mankind had fallen into utter aAIkaess. ant
that rice and superstition dlled tho world
1nf1del no lesa than Ehttstlan writers tool
tho same disparacing view OF natural &c
source,. the work Of fraud; IN tht1r essence
corrupt kupefslt1ona 10 their doctStnes
| wholly false; In thc1r moral tendency, Abso
lutely Injurious; snd In their result, deGeneS
attn4 more and more into greater evi.t
Such e1tsav4xAns rit NJ nAth1aliJ produces
humsh nature 10 suppose THAT almost th
whole human race should cousent 10 b. fed 0
error. Such = belief Is denial of God
providence, - regards nine. .tcnths Of 1aaE
Kind Accordingly 1t hsa become more uaua
OF late TO rrhAbilttsto heathenlsrn, aud
| v,fncA H. mr. 1Ara1 Uith evil Z
u not abore it. The T<daa are talked abou
as though theJ were somewhat superior {
the Old Test atoent, snd Coufucdus ts quite
as m auteotisJ quito equal 70 81. Paul or 8
John. An igpo5ant admiration Of tbs tacre
books Of The Buddhi.ts md Brahmifs ha
succeeded to The former igpor,nt sad sveel
mK condemnalon OF them. WhAs Is mo-
needed is a fair and candid examination an
comparison OF these sJssems from relEab
sourccs. Uu.a within = feK yetrs thia ~
Impossible. II Is only within the 1Ast twe'
TYNE years tha. tho sacred books Of tt
East hare become accessible 10 Enropsa
scholars. The sRyaus of Erancet Germany
and Englazd are even now fully ocrupte
i, sEng rs ,,tons The .1s ,sei.l 4, re,al, t1
may s,ssssiy havs ;1;s Ssme fa1 e., fnn so@R5
scien &C will also enter this deld. Alatys
must always preccde synthests :; but unit
synihesis a;7ircs, the work Of analysts Is
little avail. 1hesefaee, Il studLes In speci
philolcgJ hare prepared the way for cot
psr.ttye philnlogy; Is partial geography b
bcen Succeeded b. compAEauEe geography
and comparative anatomy has followed ~
efkl 1uAtuMy; 40 must the science Of cor
p1ratfye theology follow EXAMINATIONS
special religions. And it Is cur purpose,
this md successive papers, to furnish N,
irrita Of the comparison Of ethnie aud c1sh
lie 1r1igacus ~ shall. while dong Justice
taNf f1rnpp helm NJ halter To y1nH 4
permanent ralue ofChrisuanlty to the hum
race.
!, The nrzt point which we think. will be
tshltshed y soeh surrey y this:
4e e. g e ,ss. s4. 81 eC e a: ,sse s E: q.
! apsefs 4 Ga.Aafe rrA7loa.
By ethnic religious nc mean sho
religions, each ofwhlch has alwa51 been c,
) race or fa1uily OF mankind, md his rey
: made proselytcs or converts, err.p: accide
: tally, outside A 1t. By catholic Religions
mem those which hsre shown the dcsfe a.
power of pa1sing orr ahe-c liu1i.A, and
coming the religion Of conaideral
: numtciof persons belonging to dldarent rae
! Now We are met at oocc witt The sEl4i
i | End Obvious 6et that most Of the rel1l .oni
j Tho world arc evidently religious 1Lnlted
[ | korae way to particular races Of uatIo
4 They arc, - we have ea:d, ttAaLt We
{ this Grrek word rasheT than Its la:in e9ni,
i lent, qtat1s, beczuse Fsnt4e, though ne
= Ing litt rally ''of, or Belonging TO, race, !
y scquired tpeciat ssnse from IT. New Tes
= uent use a meaning all who are not 1e,
= The word ''ethnIe'' rch1alns p1re nom i
" such secondary or acquii Cd meaning, 4
i signifies simpay that which belongs to "a
- The science of cthno1ogy ia a modesu or
a md IL still IA the pz ocess Of formation. Sa
- OF its conclusions, however. may be con:
- cred as established. II has IosrTcr set -
y Nuutnbaeh'a old division OF mAuktrd Il
= = the Caucasian and four other varieties. 4
!. has given u, instead, \ division OF the larx
part OF mankind Tito 1pdo~ Europesu, eel
j, lie and TurRnisu families, 1tartns q con.
a eSable penurabr1 outside as Jet unclassld
i. Tt2t msaklnd Is 80 divided into race.
/. men It would seem hardly possible to de
r ~ Is p1oFea oy pny<loaogJ. ~ psyeaoio
y o9 Rtoseolof3 ana oY GF1i htstory-- tn
It otoc5 shows u anatomical differences