The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-25


at things fr.m new points Of view
and secondly, thrt these chairs bad q
twcl7e-rnontf toroot M The wsods oi
his siywcckc sowing.
Perhaps in country places, but aJ
least in cities, among scientists, art
is. and literary men, there was
tendency to regard the work Of the
Bible az about done; science as the
hope Of the world It's revelations as
the true text of all preaching ofwhat-
ercr sort. This was a false position
because it was impossible to get Cu'
Of science that grand seleabneSatlon.
sublime enthusiasm, ioy in the very
absensc Of JOY, power Of enduring aH
things and achieving all things; in
short, spirituality in its best sense,
which comes from the Supernatural
Not less false was it to hope to get
out Of the Bible certain formula Of
doctrin, and stand by them in cast
iron way trough all time There
was rest in such view, but 1t was
the rest of the spore-generating pool
There must be constant enlarge
mcut Of view, and new face put
upon things and it was by conflicts
and unrest that this was 70 come
II vas unrest that made 4 brook
brook.
The Bible, as held, felt, and in
terpreted by living and advancing
men. in the light of the natural world,
of the Divine Providence, Of the ex-
perience Of COED men, and Of the IN
fluence Of the Holy Ghost, was the
Bible which was authority. The
Bibles aim, throughout to develop
manhood through moral power de-
veloped in the individual This was
seen under the old dispensation;
more richly under the new ; more and
more as the Church grows older
There was no parallel to this attempt.
beginning as it did with sime-barbar-
ism, and making itself book By book
for ages. The Bible was 4 book
Ioyerhowing with the tenderest sym
pathy for men. IL was interested II
them because they were poor, and
siniul. damnablc. IL looked at them
with the yearning tenderness OF
mother at the cradle 1t was ever
interested in men on common work
a-dav plane 1t was full OF the
germs Of Philosophy, and Ethics,
and Sociology, just as a heeee Was
full Of the possibilities of broad-cloth,
but it was not Philosophy, nor Ethics
and Sociology, but q book for even
little children. Il could not he out
grown. for childlikeness was AZ the
bottom of all manhood and all ad-
vance and furthermore, nine-tenthS
of the world were yet children, if .
other tenth were philosophers. 1t
was a thin. to be glad Of that there
was straw and chaff in it-needless
things, outgrown laws, unnecessary
histories. These were Of Fss to
show grand moral evolution, and
were vital 10 the vet primativc spc-
cies in every squalid neighborhOod.
1t was a marvellous thing about the
Bible that this thought of moral evo-
luton. Of bringing men step by step
10 the Law Of Love, began among
old-time dynasties; grew tEroCgE
ages side BY side with mythologies
and phylosophics which in no wise
approached to its high ideal; culml-
mated in a God washing the feet o.
men and diving for them and hac
even vet more of this spirit within
its covers than in all the world be
side. In anv but large, and almost
fguratiye sense. the God Of Calvin
ism-of will. and sovereignty, and
raising up and casting down as
so much prOperty-was not the God
Of tie feet washing and of Calvary.
The Bible was an exhaustless store
house Of the simplest expressed but
aptest truths. The book Of Love
suffereth long" .'hopeth all things,
..endureth all things" could no more
grow old than the forests, or the blue
sky: he who hath sympathetic and
perfect knowledge of it was gfaDdlv
educated. though he knew no other
book.