New-York tribune., 1874-06-02

--- ,-..-..-,.,,, .overa, miscellaneous documents
relating to tho general purposes OF inc
Among the discourses OF 80 "a
character and worthy Oh ep .r,o Reat
that OF Prof. Chrlseb OF bo"h' 1000 o ono
,1o,hods Of Counteracting Modern Ipndeny. o
,ronc nosItions is that the scienihc de'enuo o
,,o totb at the present day should not iufo''" ~"
avorsarv with dangerous weapons by " an eA"tk0
theory OF inspiration which In its appnua'on -, Nv
hooks Of our present Canon can be Justheu ho''no,
scr,nt,re nor by historical evidence. he suHse' ~
,ho it. of our Canon not an ordinance OF ai'lne
80 No prophet ever declared the list OF inspired olu
Testament writings closed In the name OF uou. No
anostle supernended the collection OF the New Aes'"
ment books. The inner spirit or the "r.'nS' 70 ~
chief argument for their normal authority iu s.
tone is the admirable essay on Reason anu fa'n' =.
the Rev Dr. Washburn of this city, when, Win iar
less display OF eruditon than In that Oh 'ne ueian
professor has decided superiority In point OF eearDess
% atatement elegance OF expression, and aptness vi
illustration Dr. washburn places his chief nope IN the
larger culture which shows us the harmony Vi
all doctrine. and guards US from mistaking the
o,nnirio school OF one age for an unchanging,
absolute truth" He intimates that doctrinai error
is the natural outgrowth OF extravagant cog
matism This seems to be the law OF theological
ethics When Neander was asked the cause OF German
unbelef he answered, "dead orthodoxy" Dr. wash
burn finds the thing in the New England church
as well as the Lutheran. "American Uniaranism was
the Just reaction against scholastic divinity, keen,
SUBTLE rigid that of the middle age. and like that
creating the intellectual movement that opposed It, IL
was when the truth of the Incarnation had been made
subtle enigma OF metaphysics that the Unitarian re-
jected it when the blessed sacrifice OF the cross had
been explained mercantile bargain that 1t lost
its meaning: when subtle theory OF the will had been
called essential doctrine that the moral feeling revoited
against it." paper called " Cosmogony and the
Bible" by Professor Guyot, gives an ingenious expana
ton OF the Biblical account of creation IN the light OF
modern science. The explanation is founded on the sup
position that the word "day" in the narrative lndi-
Gates not solar day Of twenty four hours, but vast
geological epoch. Assuming the truth of this exegcss
which IS touched lightly by the author the eXplaha
tion may be considered convenient and satisfactory
The editorial and skill devoted to the preparation
of the volume eau be spoken Of only in terms OF the
highest praise Many OF the papers are translatiohs
from foreign languages, the proofs OF whlch IL was
necessary TO send the ocean, and await the cor
recons of the authors Numerous revisions were ac'
cordngy required before the work could he sent 10 tue
press involving amount OF vigilance ana toil wich
can scarcely be appreciated except by those who nave
had experience OF similar hankess tasks Ihe ciassh
cation aud arrangement OF the work is moue oi eoou
order and reflects the highest credit on the executive
talent of the editors.