The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-22

regardless OF personal injury; but even clergymen
their own 'bread and butter" are at stake.
why VIII not people look at the display at hne
rails from sensible point Of vlewS For whom IL
the dsplayf-f0r the dead or for the livingf Osten
sioly for the dead but IN reality for the living and
It Is ~ vain az 1t is mockery In the eyes OF the
Master. Let US have done with It.
Wedding the Garden.
To THE EDITOR or TIE HERALD:-
livery much wish you to publish my views on q
small point. since I see your Sunday edition Ia
open to the discussion OF theological questions.
Some minister said in sermon recently that the
little Inconsistencies Of the Bible might be thrown
out without injury to the book as WHOLE and even
likened IL to garden grown up with weeds, which
would be improved II the weeds were taken out.
Now, let me ask through your columns, II the be.
levers OF the Bible can afford to part with two OF
those weedsi
The nrst weed appears In the Arst chapter OF
Matthew, twenty-third verse :-"Behold, o virgin
shall be with child and shall bring forth son. and
they shall call his name Emmanuel In this verse,
from the word behold, there is one reference only.
to Isaiah, vii, 14:-"Behold, virgin shall conceive
and bear son. and shall call his name Immanuel.'
To make this communication as short as possible I
win omit all except that which has direct reference
to the point. Now, in the next chapter 0! Isaiah,
the eighth, third verse:-"And i went unto the
prophecies and she conceived and bare a son.
There is no reference IRON this verse; and it Is of
doubtful connection with the last. But from the
fourteenth verse OF the seventh chapter there
n,Dt reference Sa to the sixth verse Of the
government shall be upon his shoulder"
during the lifetime OF Isaiah that prophecy could
not foretell Christ, unless It be that Christ was
born ,a a49 years M g." the time when Isaiah wrote
born then he would not have written rs born"
Now for the second weed. The Hebrew patri.
care, and we are told that Christ was the regular
descendant In the line from Abraham through
70 tan sad wn IA tine
descendant OF Abraham Matthew traces him
back through the line to show It, II Mary was Of
been with child by the Holy Ghost, yet Joseph
married her to make her offspring Of the \, Zine"
Matthew tells that Joseph knew not his wife till
she had brought forth her frst-born son, whom he
called Jesus. Under these circumstances 1t seems
to me to be nonsense to say that Christ was the
descendant or Abraham or David.
1t seems TO me that there IL a dilemma here.
weeds and, n it is weeded the soil will have to be
carted out with the tares. GARDENER.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
Referring to the ''plain question" propounded by
enquirer" in your columns OF Sunday last l ven-
ture to remark that the doctrine OF the atonement
OF Christ, as accepted by many "orthodox" Chris.
tans, does not. surely, consist OF a mathematicay
adjusted debit and credit account OF Divine claims
and human responsibility.
Such q BELIEF cannot with any fairness be based
on the utterances Of Christ, with whose teaching
the orthodox are usually content In the parable
OF the PrOdigal Son, and, indeed throughout all
the Gospels. God Is represented. not as the ION.
nlpotent creditor" but as the loving Father OF hui
mainly; desiring, not the satisfaction OF legal de-
mand and the glory OF u indicated vengeance, but
the bringing back again OF His erring children to
perfection OF their true destiny.
To this end love Is content to make great
sacrifice and endure much suffering. The Father
forgives because He loves and wills not the
death OF the sinner. He chooses to pardon. al
Will have mercy on whom Will have mercy" The
Son comes to US a.. as the true exponent OF that
great Heart OF Deity.
Disobedience is the sin; perfect obedience the
not lind subtitutonary punishment in the New
Testament. God was IN Christ, reconciling the
"God was in Christ, reconcng" Himself to the
world.
The incarnation, life and death OF the Saviour,
constitute the grand history Of sublime selCabnega-
ton, enduring ''Or our sakes." "Perfect through
suffering" must man become, and He Is therefore
This brethren, sustaining their trials and temptS
ITEMS touched with fellow feeling OF their in
trinity.
Faithful unto death, browning and sealing His obe
dience by loves greatest sacrifice the Kedeemer
Of the world attracts unto Himself the hearts OF
sil-wearied humanity. Therefore is He the Cap
tain OF our salvation, bringing many unto
glory. ~, n be lifted up'-wnat then WIN
weight the scales OF justice and bear q venpeiul
retribution2 VIII effect a commercial arrange
men with offended Deity-so much crime. so much
tormentf Not 50: 81, III be lifted up will draw
all men unto me-"
We cannot worship cruelty, vindictiveness or
glory, seli-cOntaned and selfish; but we worship
goodness, righteousness our Father In Heaven,
whose comprehensive, universal name Is Love.
What then, may be asked Is the Divine side OF
the philosophy or the plan OF salvation How can
we, ilecked and stained with EVIL. be justified with
the supreme Author and Upholder of all moral
law Or is any judicial expedient necessarily pre-
requisite to God Tor the reception and pardon OF
mankind 2
1t seems to me irreverent and futile to dogmatize
on such questions, iOr the right comprehension OF
winch we must iathom the mysteries OF JehOvah's
government and accurately estimate the working
Of His sovereign purposes. We cannot tabulate in
creed the counses OF eternity. or the farreachlng
aud INFINITE thoughts or Heaven, yelled from all
mortal ken,
Behold, we know not anything;
We can but trust.
CULTOR vERITATIS