New-York tribune., 1874-07-20
MIDSUMMER SERMONS.
THE BIBLE NOT AN ENIGMA,

tDe eNeulubl ~ lne htN' ~ N'''''' W -0'
Mass, gentleman familiar 10 BROOKLYN people as the
Secretary OF the CONGREGATIONAL Council which held its
three DAYS session In Dr Budngton's Church few
months ago. There was q good attendance, notwith-
standing Beechers absence aud the oppressive heat
The sermon itself short, and delivered with con-
siderable rdpdity. 1t based the text found in
St Matthew xiii. 2S lie that hearcth the Word and
uncerstandcth IT,"
/ was asked once. began the preacher, "Does God
speak 70 with the meaning as the words have
when we use them Z" and answered substantially that
they had the same meaning; but the question SET nc
thinking about it, and the fact is when was younger
had a dawnng inQuisltiveness. was confronted WIN
the idea that the language OF the scriptures mas so
thing in 1t which is peculiar, something tecnn'o"'
something entirely different from the same "oiu' W.
used in common life, because God Is inih'te anu -"
searchahc, ami because IL seems presumpuou ioi u" "
understand what Sod means Just as We "ouu u"UOi
stand what man saws his ueighbor even II theE "eIc
,h eoo words. that perhaps 1t wOuld lower Him TO
attach the same meaning the words which represent
tbe emotions God TO those which represent the
emotions OF men, sure was taught IN my carry
manhood that God did not have any emotion, because
God was unchauCeab mpassive and then' as 10 the
absolute standards which found In the Scriptures
as relating TO mems TO Gods, that there
must be some sreat distinction between those standards
above and those standards here To make clearer take
an application: When 1t is said that God loves We at
once understand the word Glove" in the sense in
human ideas justice aud then suppose they are the
ideas which God has and which are found In the
Heavenly Word Do you suppose 1t would be profahe
TO believe IL is the In human naturef IL so' OH
the suppotion that there this peculiar difference
what is the RESULT Why this, that right understand
iug OF the Scriptures becomes impossible.
Now. the science OF religion is a science aud right
fully science and perfectly parallel with every other
science God never wrote ont system Of the planets;
he devolves upon You the necessity or privilege OF DIS
covering and grouping them. just so 1t Is with the
facts of religion There come 10 be peculiar ana
technical perverted use OF the words OF God, by
which they taken Out OF their rca sgnhcaOn, ana
then men dispute about those ncailuSs anu cU'nC f
underestimate; loses sight OF the peculiar meanings oI
which II seems religion something left to the
scholars ana too complicated and difficult for the com
mon people 10 understand and profit by. They drop 1t
because they have 10 practical comprehension OF IT,
Now n We read the Scriptures IN the supersttous idea
that the words are be understood like common
words ~ household or business life, we make great
mistake. Neither theology religion needs any such
fran,formaiIon God uses to the same language with
which we talk TO our children and the children tax
back Aud take II GODS words mean lust what
the wOr.S do when write letter to a dear friend
Now instead of saying that hidden meanings are con
are obylSus since the Child comprehends it, The com
prehensOn childhood, of early conscience Is best
Tine dictionaries the angels nothing but the dc-
tionares of the world carried out is the glory OF
God conceal some things, but when He processes 10
reveal something is not HIS glory TO conceal IT, but TO
reveal IT, They Gods ideas brought down to us,
but ideas carried up Ibd Is, they dOnt nave one
science of words Heaven another here. Necessa-
ry If the Lord will speak 10 Us IN words lie Will use
Does that do away with the iunity OF Godi Does 1T
detract from the dignity OF the Mos Hight Not at an
First. there many Things which are utterly out OF
the sphere Of understandable Howi Why just as we
telescope has Yet disclosed. Aud We don't know
what there Is by the Imperial Throne have
never seen IT. We have ON! faiIt hihts OF H. We uOh
Know many Of the methods or laws OF nature or the
infinite Government Of God, because neither have been
Again. we cannot have a knowledge Of things. Why
Because cannot throw thoughts the utteTmOst
bounds OF the hight and depth, and length aud breadth
We cannot measure, but yet we can know what some
before the world had been Travelled around before the
charts had outlined the men knew what the
and the were, and su they could not divine their
power or pierce their depths. when the length
breadth AID hight ana depth OF Gods love passes
cannot measure It's mmen>lty, yet We know what is.
We feel and rejoice IN the goodness Of God and live
IL, though the Imagination can never fathOm Its IL
finite extent The language that God uses He uses TO
Then comes a second and a deeper reason than this.
1t often seems TO US in our trembling before the Infinite
as II there must be antagonIsm between what Is
Divine and what is human whereas see no reason TO
suppose there Is anything but harmony. Take II In
lower plane. Webster once said We could not under
stand the arithmetic OF Heaven. He clearly mis-
taken. II there is any arithmetic there must under
stand IT. The ten thousand times ten thousand" here
Is just what 1t Is there II angels stood before
God as John SAYS there were seven no more and no
less. 30 there must DC no confusion OF numDeIs Inc
difference Of place makes no difference in the fact Two
angels and two angels make four angels, just as two
men anu two men make four men,
Moral principles are just the same earth as in the
III place The beauty OF Christs teachings is that He
1as opened the heavenly rean and shown the unity Of
knoWedge. that our understanding OF them may be COM
plrte. Wheu He said Thou shalt love thy neghbor
thysef" is not that law among the angels as among
usi Take righteousness. Righteousness here is
tay what is IN the presence of God, God said. Be
20 holy. a. / am holy" have heard people
describe GOdke holiness different from the holiness
We o. say there Is only kind of holiness,
and what is that1 1t Is HIS hO.ness-that is all.
remember hearing PRAYER until became sick of It, in
filthy with the robes OF HIS righteousness"
Tbat rs not Chri,s rUrwhat We want is
70 get rid of the rags not to cover them up.
4 could understand early life how thing
could be divuey correct which IN my idea wrong
Our lntuiye ideas OF right and wrong given us TO
correct teachings Some may teach that God will
treat all alike finally, that there IS to be no difference
us tells that that must be false. No doctrine
believe otherwise IL Is the intuitiyes sense OF
Justice which teaches God cannot treat those who
persevero IN wrOngdoing the same as those who are
Obedent 10 his precepts All this comes from the great
fact that God made in His Image. 1t is sad:
"GOd loved the world that lie gave His only be-
gotten Son" Now, that, IL seems TO me- should be in
terpreted GOds method Of showing as what real
love Is We not 10 believe Gods love is
some mysterious thing. The child that has gone
wrong ped by the father who takes IT TO hs arms,
laments rail- and brings IL the force OF love
TO realizing Of its wckedueSs aud 20 prompt and
repentance. We can understand what God
means by HIS plying love- His grace, the strength OF
His everlasting sorrow. While are not justified IN
reVengng ourselves but are 10 forgive, yet We can u
derstand what Gods indignation and avenglng anger
are when the great wrong one man may have
done another, and which seems to demand retrlbu
ton. so hold We can understand well enough what
God when He speaks To US His words are no
engmas 20 us. but clear crystal There Is an eternal
home a home beyond remem beriug, beyond forgetting
understand home and what rest Is when we have
happy and complete family circle place where there
OF This idea gives US the true vision
OF the eterna! home.
SOUL REST.
IN, R,p Thomas hruitag the FfhdUs B1ps, Church
AT the Fifth-ave. Baptist Church, in Forty
II