The New York herald., 1873-11-30


God, incomprehensble 10 the extent OF contradict
Ing, why cannot the creeds OF the world, however
conflicting be all true together? One says that
God made man at one epoch; another that he
perfect and fell another that he was made imper-
iect and improved one that single atonement
was made once Tor all IN certain shape on certain
conditions and at certain epoch; another that II
Was made IN person, BY method: under con-
third, perhaps, makes no mention of the atone
ment at all. And yet they all claim to be the ex-
al to hear OF God shall be incomprehensible
and contradictory why may We not hold all these
at once? Why not admit, In laith, that there was
and was not a fail, that there was and was not an
atonement and stll that there was no atonement at
dea ~ t 70 ss so S ar are Gahge o ss
sois is Its absurdity. The true fact Is there Is no
such thing as faith.
Another position sometimes tax en- up by the
Christian Is TO ask What right have you 10 assume
that God omnlpotent, OF omnlscient to prescience
or omnbenevolences And ! must say there Is
more in this question than appears at first sight.
for certainly could not nix illimltapty to a Being
titled when say that God, II He exist either does
possess or does not possess all these attributes Ii
lie possesses them, Then the theory of the atone
ment and It's consequent Christianity is, as have
shown, Impossible by any test we can bring TO
bear on the question of their mutual compatibility.
But ;hen II He be taken to lack all any or these
qualities, the case with Christianity is different; but
IL is very bad; Tor while lie would not be worth
worshppng II lie failed in all these attributes, lie
would be scarcely less SO ii he failed in one. For
granted that he lacked omnibeneyOience we could
understand His lancy ior damning tnree-fourths OF
all manklnl and it would be hopeless task to
a. 70 w rS % BY o6 oy w
potent He might be well intentioned, but some
external power might be TOO much lor HIM, as the
II they are to harmonic with the Christian reli-
gion, could omnibenevoence and presclence CO.
exist any better without omnipotence than with
IL; ;or omnpotent or not He was still the creator,
ana being ully warned by HIS presclenee ofthe
act OF creation, He might II he had
been benevolent let creation alone; But
when He became perfect He would see the neces-
sity OF overlooking anterior mpetrections in others
which were subordinate TO aud consequent upon
His own. Another position assumed by a large
class, and, on the WHOLE well-meaning class, Is
the hands OF the Creator that it Is the transl-
tional state through which He intends to bring and
factory apology and may be dismissed with word.
EVIL Is evil while 1t lasts, and the responsibility or
Its existence at all rests with hm who employs 1t,
not employ thatP But the iact Is that in the pres
ent state OF our scientific knowledge 1t may safely
be said that to assert the existence OF a God as
positive fact is as illogical in kind as Christianity
Is, though not to the same degree. But, on the
other hand, 1t is plain that IL even with moderate
exercise OF caution, crcumspection and clear
thought be intellectually merltorious then pure
mental weakness than orthodox Christianity.
There are at present several first class histories
world. There are the Brahmn, the Buddhist, the
jewish the Christian aud the AIahometan. Let us
imagine man OF full age and strong mental lacul-
ties who had become Ihelst without the creed
having been forced upon him. lie is on his ap-
pearance Immediately 1cset by five propagandists,
all equally earnest and all equally ready to
acknowledge that he has hitherto done homage to
the true God; all, moreover, equally bent Ike st.
Paul upon Mars Hill, upon making him genuinely
acquainted with the object OF his devotion.
.Whom thou hast ignoranty worshipped Him
Cautious and selfposSessed, tie spectator hrst
compares the externals ol The creeds. He notices
buddhist next IN age. He sees that Judaism is also
OF practically prehistoric, though not altogether
is'a' ity and Mahometism both had ii their beginning
not only in times eminenty historical, but in To-
caiitles geographically contiguous to races pecu,
in al to ahront his reason. and among them would
be the story that the Koran was written with
| pen pucked from the quill OF the angel Gabriel;
the story OF the egg OF Brahma. and tile still moro
outrageous falsehoods OF the Christian as the story
that the union OF virgin and dove had produced
lamb
But after all these things had found their level
in his mind much would still be incomprehensble
and revolving to his reason, though nothing more
50 than the story OF the creation fail and atonement
s.rnese things do afYront your reason, but you
must believe through faith, because they are
dictated Sy Goa himself and handed down intact
snce &c ther dictaGn NOV wfch me- ro 81 them ought
though can't prove it. because it is the oldest,
and could show you that 1t Is the origin of the
o9 saSog is 70
nc, no more than give Gods sanction 70 your own be-
Unrs,auity n s TT t nStns but heresy o
ours" "sIine, though 1 cannot prove it,"
cries the Gr mine Is pure
matter what the fringe may be. Improbabity
is OF the essence Of the others: "Mine though
will not prove it," echoes the Christian; al could
II chose but see what 1t mas done for the world"
The obvious answer to this somewhat desperate
time and turn the other creeds have done very
nearly as much. Such retort would be true, and
plain that II Christianity were to be chosen def
nitely on that ground, there must also have been
euuay a. sveFy o es us Noses wese
to be admitted TO nave mad personal interviews
with the Deity because he LAID & down some good
imagine that the crimes of blasphemy, murder and
theit were unknown to the Egyptians or to the
Oriental moralists. like Coniucius. who never
The excellent morale of the Khoran does not in
duce beliefin the pretensions of Mahometi why
should the Decalogue or the Sermon on the Mount
be supposed TO. prove the inspiration Of Moses
theory OF Christianity has improved since it left
the hands or Its founder, for many virtues are now
valued for themselves which by him were only ad- |
vocated for their consequences. And 1t IS certain
that neither the moral precepts OF the New Testa-
ma nor n any have
ideas OF mans duty towards man in the uninspired
pages pages Of M Plate ,.. Now Mr. Editor, IN conelasion
Now We win see how that Book iares when
cies, xii, ,, consradlcts xxL. 90 We read
that God tempted David to number Israel and
in james we read God tempts no man The ac-
counts OF the end OF Judas totally inconsistent
with each other. In one point the numberless in |
constituencies OF the Bible are OF little Importance;
but from another, when the plea OF inspiration Is
put in, they assume gigantic dimensions. Now, |
perhaps Mr. Henry Ward Beecher or any other /
tandd ss: t.. s.!:-er. .eeologan will answer. If
they can, the following u :.l'ssxss s--.
Eirst-Are the four gospels as we have them,
eithef transcripts or translations OF four gospels |
actually Written by the lour Evangelists whose |
names they bear, or, In other words were the four
gospels, as tncy now exist actually complied BY !
the persons whose names they bearS On the con- |
trary IS 1t not admitted that the four gospels, as
originally written, lost-lost, that Is in the /
sense in which Sapphos poems or the missing books
or I4ivy are lost?
Second-ls 1t not admitted that many and vari- /
Gus biographies OF Jesus were compiled during
the first lew centuries after his deaths