New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-07

belief hydraheadedi No sooner head destroyed
than many others appear in s place. There unbeef
on metaphysical grounds, and uubelief on natural
grounds There Is the unbelief OF criticism which may
Dc called poseror unbelef and there is the unbeef
Of abstract and preliminary objections, which may be
called unbelief pious ground.
probable however, that despite the various forms
unbehof may assume there less unity in the
ultimate cause producing IL. When. speak
OF modern inndelty IL must not be assumed that the
relative growth Of inhdety greater now than it
OF old or that the forms exhibits In the present days
altogether ginal and have been presented
before To say at that the growth Of modern I'M
belief IA greater than 10 has hitherto been, would be
70 allow that the battle OF faith Is inoinng 20 the side
which would az least be impohto, IL net untrue. An
essentially preliminary step TO deciding upon the pest
definite notion Of what is meant by unbelei'
aud what are its essential eharaeteri,su tbc
usual forms OF unbeliof that prevalent nowadays,
is The refusal to ackeowe that an sst1a 70 man
This apart altogether from any questions which may
legmately arise on the wide and delicate suy 6t 70
inspiration. We may well have q revelation lnaV -
authoritative and final and vet be totally unable 10 &c
fine what inspiration is. or how II WORKS itn is
that does not admit OF any answer ta NE ioSf
proved % demonstration either way h'e ot pTepared
with any demonstration OF negative ansWeI. .iI a
has been ditcd over and over again that the proof Of
revelation is not generally spe.kknS S s reoI,
but il TOO often overlooked that the oi
ton or the proof against revelation DOT uehOnsatVe
either Tho question must aiier an ISo 49,, 's b 10
balance Of probabilities But then again rom the mature
OF tho case the answer 10 the question: Lave We
T,velatoD must really depend upon facts rather than
,r,e rms also b. a point that is habtually disre-
srde BY the opponents OF Christianity and it is now
qbt we would endeayOr 70 ind one OF the rt answers
~ our tbsss what is the best method OF couneraeDR
modern unbelict: ,.,, 49,. A..
question OF unDelief Is not really matter OF opinion,
int matter OF fact. II is question Of Interpretation
are Ev1ruav independent Of the various doubts that
have been advanced critical grounds, and is on
of VaN ~
ample 10 take one notorious fact which Is patent to all
Tnore question 10 what has been the condition of
Inc Jewish LaOU for the last $500 years. There il
question as 10 what their state IS They dis
tuct aud separate people and yet they have national
existence. They people dispersed throughout all
Tie nations OF the earth This has been more or less
tbcir condition Il upward OF 1000 years 1t first began
from dark period Of their history which is known
as hecaptiyy which took place under Shamaneser and
Nebuchdnezzr aud is perfectly certain that this
ditou was very significantly portrayed in their national
literature many centuries before was realized In faet
There arc MANY passages iU Levcus and Deuteronomy
which declare distinctly what is 10 be the condition OF
the people, which on no critical theory can be brought
down low enough TO be drawn from the hfe and yet are
not graphic than they These passages are
form Of prophecy and obviously profess to
be prophetic But II cannot ior moment De prelen1ed
that they prophecies after tho event,
H. however, they are not prophecies after the event
are prophecies before the event nothing is more
certain ana manifest than that the event
1t Is affirmed that the whole theory OF
prophecy one that requires to be remodeled, and
naked yet this fact remains its broad and evident
there is is to be perceived continually she latent
consciousness a future for Israel, which shall
be painful contrast 10 the past This Is stated in
manner so marked and special and In forms various,
that cannot be dregarded. I impossible that the
expression be gratatous And seeing that we have
before our very eyes now the evidence OF the CORE
spOndence OF the events with the communication OF
them ages and ages before their occurrence there but
one conclusion possible, that these denuncatons which
claimed prophetic have in the long result OF history
established their claim ~ be 80 regarded.
Now have heard 1t asserted that the chronological
characteristics o the jewish nation are not 60 excep
tiOna commonly supposed But IT must be borne In
mind that we not only the sDgularty of the fact
on, which may may not be Unique, but we have
utely and entirely unique. To take an Illustration Prof
Miller, in Ibis work the Science Of Religion has
able parallel that exists between the descent of Budd
ism from Brahmanism and Of Christianity from
became the prevailing religion of those races among
whom Brahmanism was not indigenous, so also Chris
tianity struck root among the Jewish nation or
Semitic races from which sprung but found lis home
among the Gentle nations who were tot alen origin
less accurately holds gOod, and Is very remarkable
But the paraelism IS Incomplete, because in Judaism
pedigree which may be traced in Brahman
Snn this aR %e have Mosasm the Distinct germ of chris
anty which cannot be said OF the other two aud yet
asdnia Insurance that while that people themselves are
rejected the Gentle nations shall inherit their spiritual
have not beleyed Aud it is tins explicit announcement
which dierentiaes altogether ana e0ncuslVey the re-
latiOn between MOsasm and Christianity from any his
torca parallel which may be drawn 70 illustrate II. Aud
tits the same with the historic condition OF the Jewish
people and the charming portraltuTe Of 1t which Their
scriptures contain. II the finds any true historic
parallel elsewhere, the other most assuTedy does not
and the cOexstence of the two, which being as rs
eGuay broad aud definite that constitutes that moral
evidence of divine foreEnowedge ana design when IL
becomes impossible 10 set aside.
CHARACTERISTICS OF JEWISH LITERATURE.
The same may be said likewise Of the broad and
general characteristics Of the Jewish literature
There is no literature which has been subjected
to so severe and searching criticism as that of the
Jewish nation, which has been tried in fiery ordeal.
I several parts have torn piece from piece, and
tSe aufborships OF them assigned to all conceivable
writers yet in spite of all this the broad features OF
them are undeniable and indesrucube. For example,
there Is 10 nation possessed Of remarkable historic
record the Jewish nation: speak now not OF the
facts comprised the history but OF the historic record
itself And yet this record whole, Is undoubtedly
Trustworthy. We dare not, on critical grounds assume
to DO otherwise because II we 40 we cut Tue very
foundations away which our criticism itself must
But this historic record Is confirmed both by the
OF Psalms, and also by the independent writ
ngs OF the prophets. ~ cannot DC eL1rIet eiS
in any important respect tIIs tnIeeioII testIInOi
ID divergent, that, taking IL as we find the salient
features OF it, marked and 80 exceptional that IL
is impossible 10 say that We are deaDg Win aots OF
circumstances of no more than ordinary slgnlhcahce
For example, the narrative Of the Exodus treat IL as
will, and force down the Supernatural as We ihay
becomes often all indicative OF agencies at WORK Whlcn
chance II is Impossible divest the narrative OF the
Exodus OF the evidence OF purpose, and II Is equally
ratiye true Further, that the only explanation OF
the facts IS the assumption OF purpose Inc only way
ia which Is possible TO account TOR the phenomena We
meet with IN the Jewish history on a rational
basis is by saying that the special eharso-
faith of the people 1t was their mental habit
10 discover supernatural everywhere and TO recog
nize Divine interference their behalf and starting
with this assumption the main ordinary events be-
come transferred into marvellous way, but IL Is mpos
eible to affirm that the reduction Of entire nation
from the oppression Of hostile and warike people, Is
ordinary event. and II Is Just this event
which remains the embarrassing element after every
thug OF miraculous has been rejected The
redemption Of Israel out of Egypt was, matter Of
indisputaOe fact accomplished by Moses. IL was ac-
cOmpnshod, on his part, reluctantly. IL was accom-
plshed he believed, in obedience TO Divine com
inand IL was accomplished without bloodshed or the
drawing OF a sword 1t accomplished at
once aud without failure or delay IL
Accumulated IN connection with certain circum-