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

panthestic and naturalistio systems, D hn ~ daaa ~
Christ. and the divine origin Of Christianity And an
unblbical conception Of ain anu of the attacks
on the Christian doctrine OF redemPuon az" r. ~ .,
well the Biblical antnropoiVsy, ,s DS hera ue
should take our stand And, first we snould use INC
broad shield of the united and ep.e ei tbe
position and fearessly expose ms HSaH u '
points Thus take our stand the inner
logical consequences and unity the harmony and sym
metrca beaIty OF the Christian doerhai SYsso to
wisely nanned and holy progress OF the ulVne reVen
, d the frat creation 10 the restoration OF all
things. How sublime how simply COMP @ a. nc
suited to the deepest needs OF our hoaf are tne
,ng NJ the Bible as 10 the divine nature as compared
with the abstract. artifcialy-twl p, ~ ~
The heart entirely cold the same time IL should DO
shown-and this would urgent3 a iant - trntb
Contained In the Biblical conceptions OF Goa CON
verge In the Biblical doctrine huu NV h tI Tia
o. The obsate ia realized while in the former there Is
always an important element Wahuhg' eltnel
spirituality las Ia matetla'I living omnpresent ac.
tiyity las in deisml; all oi tnsh e,o.iGd'
indispensable TO the complete e Christian belief IN
God and his personal relation 10 the w9fe lr3l Tue M
de assaults let us grasp the swOit tSe scentiac
DenaHleness OF their principles. what IS Atheism but
an arbitrary denial OF the universal apu n
ctr ~ onr which we reel 10 DC de-
pendent ON an absolutely Higher Being, ms wow o y
yfhont any deep gt the nature OF the factors
which constitute our own consciousness and IL IL con-
demned by the fact of the unlyersaiy G iengiomi
What is materalism but audacOus hypothesis an un
sucressfn atempt 10 explain the whole complex OF our
thought the origin OF our selfc0nsolousnoss nay ono
our moral ideas product OF sensuo1s perception anu
the action of matteri Does it nOin doing away with
the freedom OF the will and Individual respohsiolny
practically destroy all the moral clements OF our ne ana
pIer The dea az spiritual and moral progress ilus0ry
And pantheisn, TOTO say nothing oi al 1T osJi
friabes-does 1t not manressH m hTnr the prineipie
which it presupposes whether IL De the suost1nVc
Of spinoz or the absolute idea 0 eSsccs cd ia
supposed to be evolving the WORM I9ul l9Jii.
and yet He is only reality Oh Ie ia thnro am a6sS
Lutte, final purpose In thus eteril "ileS' euou' VI 'o
universef 10000, .,o,o, ~, ,,h
contained In these mysteries, We draw tne Hehera con
clusiOn that by their endeayOrs naIuraiy 70 eAPal
the worlds engmas they only multiply tleh ahI tlas
thew expect us TO believe things much more repugniht
TO reason and conscience than the scriptures win an
their Miracles c. o., sefeTeatVs worm hiatt. u,o
origin BY veopment, OF the first organsns the
sefemancpation Of man from the condition OF an ape
6c He WHO doubts and denies where he ought 10 ne
eye will often have to believe implicitly Whee CRITICAL
doubts would be more hitting, as e. g. strauss N ms
last and most radical work, Tine Od anu thb ne" Dc
leu mas found himself compelled 10 bow TO the most
uncertain hypothesis Of modern scientists.
Finally, may embarrass these opponents ny lnquir-
ing as 10 the positive and solid results OF their specua
tions We are very far from wishing 10 deny tho
General merits OF philosophy But ask, where are
the results arrived at by the philosophy which
Is hostile TO Christianity, and whlch aiOho we are con,
slderng here I" Has II solved 1nay any fundamental
onestion How have the different systems during their
various changes, struggled with ana oYerlhrown one
another while the simple Gospel remains" Jesus
Christ the same yesterday to-day. and forever " Or
II possible that mere philosophical speculation could DO
its own aim, apart from any gselu, Iesuii no. every
does not bear fruit for e-s inwardIY unhealthy,
and no longer nOurishes but only pulls up the spirit
phyl Since the systems OF absolute IDEAL
ism have utterly broken down, and the reaction
against has led into the slough OF naterlasm
philosophy is at loss The one party londiY cues that
must to the old teacher Kant; Others weariy
init m a tIgl
OF past by excursions into the
history of literature or into the natural scientific re-
search of the day. Others however ana these Is VINO
attract the worlds attention, draw from all That
has gone before awful conclusion, and before the
the distress-signalof the most extreme Pesslinsm-
in all existence nothing but misery
and suffering and Ind true happiness only In sclds-
solution into absolutely empty Nothing, the NuyaDa
Of the Buddhists And Edward Won Hartmann, who IN
scous" exhibits to the workings OF this great I'M
conscious In the corporal and spiritual world declares
1t TO be a mistake That the world should ever have
sprung into existence at all and even created by self
conscious God. All hope OF happiness IN TINS or In
Hartmann pure iusion before us stands the servile
age mankind in which. after all hope has died away
ness and only yearns for absolute painlessness,
Tor the Nothing. Niryana." Thus far have our most
edge they now show us with strange aptitude the
beautiful and varegated tints OF unknown
tokens of still despair and utter hopeessness which
with select eoquence once more proclaim vanity OF
yanities all Is vanity" Are not such views, boldly
ask the striking proof that IL is only that which
Divine Revelation gives and promises To man. which
makes his life worth iyingl Here again We clearly
the faith of the Chris ian 49, IN the last resort the
only star-banner OF hope amid the gloom of our exist
enoe; aye the only protection OF our moral dignity.
Boldly my Christian friends, let us attack our OPP
pOnents on this weak point Whch Is nLted more imam
any other to dscredit I'M Christian philosophy In the
eyes OF all who feel their deeper needs Let show
tue world that 1t Ia not Christianity, but the anti
Christian philosophy which finally degraGes the dignity
ofman that this idea in Its fulness ourishes only the
soil OF Divine Revelation, that II IS only possible
a destruction from the Christian conception
Of God. and only TO be realized by the Christian
plan OF salvation and hence that any unbelieying
subtraction from tine fundamental Biblical views OF God
and divine destiny Of man. must lead to an idea or
and the mundane process which most deeply degrades
us in capacity Of spiritual and natural beings For
in all naturastic aud panthestc systems what is the
worlds history but ." the GOgOtha OF the Absolute
Spirit; the fearfully tragic slaughterhouse IN which all
individual life and happiness Is sacrificed only that the
turbed" QHegeI and the philosophers who march be-
hind may be able to mark and admire the rhythmatic
Of the Idea through theses antitheses and
syntheses3 Vanly do we dream of mans personal and
living value and noursn living hope; and MEMORABLE
ceive Him who says, the Way, the Truth and the
Life" or rejecting Him. to choose our portion with those
other spirits, the most honest OF whom must needs de-
clare, " l am the Way, the Truth, and-DeathW
EXAGGERATED NOTIONS OF INSPIRATION
For the scientific defense OF faith against (2
Historical Criticism, would recommend
the following TO insure firm position: Above
all do not let place unnecessary difficulties in our
own way and furnish adyersaries with dangerous
weapons by an exaggerated theory OF inspiration,
which In its equal application to all the books OF
present canon can be justified neither by Scripture
by historical evidence The very Limits OF our
are not ordinance by Divine right, nasmuch as no
prophet declared the list OF inspired Old Testament
writings closed In the name Of God. and no apostle
the collection or the New Testament books
But must not the spirit who leadeth into all TRUTH have
guided those who had TO decide TO the limits OF the
Canon order TO insure the genuine tradition OF saving
truth to the later w0rdi AS proof with what correct
Judgment they acted shoud adduce the fact OF the
startling difference in spirituality which exists between
canonical and apocrypha or indeed all nOncanonlcal
writings those OF the centuries after the
Apostolic age. Herein the canon shows itself TO be
unique aud compact whole. And from this
inner spirit OF these writings let draw
the chief argument for the inspiration
and formative authority OF the Scriptures. The Pro-
testant Church considers the testimony OF the Holy
Ghost to be the chief criterion OF canOnicy. First OF
ALL then, defenders should regard the Scriptures IA
whole and proceed 10 show how they form a oOmpaot
organism although the different authors at such
long ntevals how they record the progress Teye-
lation unfolding step by step IN history doctrine and