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

recently assailed with objections that nave ounl NUN a
currency. Noticeable thoss OF John Stuart MIL,
Complaining OF It's defects In the direction Of ascetcsm
and Of the social ana pol'G sS IN
somewhat similar strain. But IL Is eaually needless , ~
mnch higher authority Of Kent that Christianty has
Practically exhausted the moral law-thougn douDtess
IN excess OF prevailing opinion on this head In more mega
i've crcesbetter represents IL than the language OF de-
preciaon and the complaint "a rather against the doc
posed 70 encountered than its constituent preoeps
But OF this complaint as the causes nave area oeon
SsTS %Snb mo here @ at this point
opposition to Christianity from supposed loyllly 70
tory. Geological and Chronological dnicutes CONC IN
here and various alleged Emergencies OF the biDe
tons It is the duty m the Christian TO respect 70 rSa
the love OF truth from which It cannot be doubted tha
these difficulties SO far spring But at tho same time ~
"a only Just n animadyert the signs OF preJudoe ~
which L alleged. 1t Is not fair TO argue ooncsye
from sciences 40 unsettled, moro especially Nheh ~
proved that thelr testimony IL HrecohciiaDe WIN
every legitimate construction OF tho Bible documents
and 1t is still more unfair to set aside on snch grOuhus
the whole BODY OF Christian evidence equaly resting OH
fact and history unless the prejudice be yielded co. that
the supernatural cannot be matter OF fact anu hisoy
either by It's not occurring az ALI or nos Deh elps9e VI
historical verhcaon IL is not fair 10 conf0und the
general credbity Of revelation with the infai0e ao-
curacy OF its records, questions which the sroest adj
yocate OF inspiration Justly keep distinct And IL Is not
fair 10 overlook the innumerabe points at which the
Bible records coincide with history and even with sci
ence and the constant tendency OF research TO multiply
harmonies, and also to eliminate apparent internal DIS
crepances. 1t is therefore impossible to deny that
prejudice largely minges in the absolute rejection OF
Christ such grounds, nor could dlspasslonate stu
dent say OF the gospel history II asked whether tha
history even with all it, alleged and unresolved contra
dclon, the mythc theory OF Strauss or any other
the most credible Gas OF such alternatives one side
only can be truel, fail to give but one answer
OBJECTIVE ISFIDELITY
When we proceed to the second division Of causes OF
Inhdelty those which have denominaed scandals 1t
must be in mind that not tho best and purest
exhibition of Christianity and its evidences will
upbeef The history OF the Savior is itself decisive
nd ia from
huu an wisdom and power, and so adverse TO human
passion and pride, necessarily caused Him TO be de-
spsed and rejected OF men. The faults aud errors then
Of His Church never can be pleaded as the sole or even
chief cause of Inhdeliy, which grows rather out OF
have exerted mighty aud disastrous influence in con-
rmng its workings, aud in giving It some kind of ustl-
crime and outrage against the Holy such naked I'M
belief in the presence Of the Son OF God must have been
Ia considering the scandals which may be supposed to
have had the chief part In aggrayating the natural
aversion TO Christianity in recent times snail not At
tempt any philosophical classicatons, but shan
enumerate lew as these group themselves aro1lu c
two great aggregates which represent modern Chrst-
anity-Q) Romansm and ~ Protestantism.
l. 1t would De UNJUST TO deny that hOmanlsn mas
trained excellent defenders OF Christianity, aud
the greatest perhaps. OF all Christian apoogstsPasca
sprung up, though more hke an alien tnah native on
ROnsh soil But IL cannot be concealed that the whole
strain Of that system Is adverse 20 the proper exhibit
ton Of the evidences OF Christianity while It's doctrnal
errors ana practical abuses have nterp0sed positive
hderance 10 faith OF the most amentaOe kind, alike In
meet OF degree, extent and Duration To cOncede
ana practically to carry out the right OF private Judg-
ment in the discussion OF the Christian evidences, and
more especially allow the selicOndensing lght and
cearness Of the Bible would be practically to abolish
HE initiative and the infaibe guidance Of the church,
and hence HOmansm, true 10 its own genius naOtualy
negecs this divine buHark and trusts all 10 the citadel
of It's own nalhblity striking instance Of this in
more recent times Il the exclusion Dy kOm,n influence
nom the Irish schools Of the admirable and perfectly
unsectarian manual on Christian Evidence by Arch.
bishOp Whaely; and in many cases the advocates OF
P,Ue have not been satisfied with excluding Christian
evidences but have openly assaulted them aud played
INTO the hands OF unbelief in the hope of driving the
| tphc their OF refuge, Nor these
the only injuries which This system IN
| so called. The argument from miracles, through
pernetual commercials, becomes cheap, common, and
frivolous The argument from prophecy is annulIed by
the Withholding OF the Scriptures and the whole appeal
founded on their moral and spiritual qualities Is made
void by the prohibition These conditions OF fath
insisted on in the Church OF Rome act in way the most
uniayOrable TO us lnteilschce ana petnahenee an
those who have mp TO the ideal OF Belarmnc and
adoped at the bidding Of the Church the Bible, SIM
erd1ine often FOUND, on the starting OF any dl
cuItv or from other disgust, as readily, sine er
anime abandoning ~ ana slhkihg INTO the crowd OF un
believers. These evils are AZ hkely at TINS moment u
he greatly increased and the first effect OF the recoi
from the dogma Of an nfallible popedom will be the
multiplication OF the deDiers OF an lnaiible Bible.
Were the OyerstralninR Of the miraculous TO the ex
IRENE of irratonaiy and superstition the only grand
vice OF ROmauism. this evil reaching lts elimination IL
no doetrine OF tran substantatOn aud the virtual dei
cation of the priesthood, might, beside the mischief
which, however cannot be too greatly estimated, OF
Shutting out the simple Bible doctrine OF reliance OI
pardon on a finished sacrifice without priestly lnerme
dation call fOrth only an intellectual protest against
a Cbristlanity thus misrepresented and caricatured
But unhappiy the grand doctrlna errors Of Romansm
which all center in this presty peryersOn of sacrifice
have been associated with evils more less growing
ont of them with hlerarchical ambition and aYarce
Nth a moral uuserupulOusness OF which Jesutsm is
! NOT the only manifestation, and with traditional and
uyeterae habit OF cooperation with despOtism 10 resis
tha rhtenn,ent ana liberty OF mankind When the
remnant OF living Christianity which has always chung t.
to this mainly antI-Chrlsan system has become more
~ i o,iinariiv evil and when the contempt Generated
| the deeper incredulity stirred by its doc
| trinal extrayaganees aud pretensons have
1T Ivra. 1nvV tod ~ linda
nation against its selfish, oppressive, and despotc ten
denotes there have arisen periodic revolutionary crises
and OF these ROmaBism has always been the first mar
tvr and with 10 the whole fabric OF Christianity. The
unbelief or men reared In qnleter times, IKE Hume
might DO even tolerant OF R0manlsn, or like Bay
might assai IL without holding Christianity responsible
but in revolutionary period the fierce entpathies OF
VOltaire Rousseau extend along the whole ne ana
the blessed religion or uercy purify, ana rove Is con
founded with its worst adulteraOu aud counterfeit
The tendencies OF present revolution are stu mainly the
same; let us not DC deceived by eOinph,
ments 70 Professionalism, and by the professed
admiration OF Protestant nations. The Protes-
tlutism and pure Christianity that are ad,
mired are only on their negative or political
Institutional homage 10 revelation IT'S salvation II not
nv rites vet by mysteries It's Church with creed, a
minstryand let it commend this system ms wisely ana
lovingly as 1t VIII 10 people nrst KomanZed theh
revoutionzed, and II will find 10 It's cost NJ In France,
Italy, Austria. and even already In Spain, how terrible
il the scandal created by the perversiOn of centuries,
and the very soil seems to be destroyed in which
alone vital Christianity can grow The humiliation OF
the Nile leaves behind fertility but the heightened
OVERLOOKING OF Romanism, as OF some bitter sea- thOugh
at last exhaed in the meats OF revolution leaves harsh
and saline quality, which threatens long 10 doom the
lands visited thus 10 barrenness.
H. The scandals of Professionalism have not equaled
those OF ROmanism, but s they are very great and
have ministered 10 a sad extent 20 inhdelity. The
Protestant Church in all its sections has never
sufficiently realized this heavy responsibility The
unbeever has not been justified, but the Church hac
NOT been gultless. very rapid enumeration OF these
stumbngblOcks which all arise from the deviation OF
Professionalism from its own idea, and which makes II IN
practice lame and inconsistent with the perfect
Christianity Of which IL processes to be an exhibition Is
ali that Is required do not enter at large into
the doctrna exaggeraton defects OF Professionalism
which have tended to prejudice the minds Of men against
the Gospel. The greatest danger the one side has
lain In exataOn OF doctrine and the assertion or
strct and inexbe orthodoxy without sufficient stress
bclug laid on life and practice till 1t has almost seemed
as II accuracy Of opinion we're the test OF believers
and unbeevers; and the other side, and even more
fatally In descent from all the doctrina pecuartes
OF Christianity, till Its was laid In good ana
yrtuous lfe in which case tho unbelieyer was only