The New York herald., 1876-10-29
USELESS CONTROVERSIES.

To rHx EDITOR or rux HxRALp:-
II rs time that both philosophers and religious teach.
should stop this uscrsa the Arst chapters
of Gcncsis which is spreading doubt and eccptcism
tho truth OF the sacred Scriptures and doing un-
told harm TO many. The use OF our reason and the
common sense with which tho Lord has endowed US
would often savs even teachers from grave mistakes
and foolish controversies. Let any intelligent person,
free from preconccived opinions and prejudice, read
the nrst eleven chapters OF Genesis carefully ask is
1t among the probabilities, or even possibilities, that
he would 10 the conclusion that therein 10 CON
,aned literal history OF the creation Of the material
world and the 1rst man and woman upon ~,
and the literal history Of their dcsccndansP Let him
HIS d,sc,ples in parabes or compysed histories, and
and thus conveyed the most important lessons OF
spiritual TRUTH and that many portions OF tho sacred
Scriptures are a!cgorca, Or olsc they arc meaning
less and scnselcss Also let HIM remember the mytho-
logical writings go common among the ancents that
the history Of Rome as we trace H. back, ends In
myth, or, more atrctly speaking, an alieeoIy Now
il but glance even hastily AT the FIRST chapters OF
Genesis II s so manifest that the narrative pu-s
alegory having reference 10 tho material creation,
but treating exclusively OF the regeneration OF man
ana his spiritual history, that II would seem that no
intelligent person should doubt ~.
Let us look a moment DO scrpcnts talk, or
have we any reason to suppose that they
ever were either w,sc or talkatve race OF
reptiles, created for any other mode OF locomo.
ton than upon their bellies Is II true that they eat
dust A OF HE and tree OF knowledge, OF good
literal trees bearing material rut when their very
names scout the deaY A garden eastward in Eden.
What point OF the material compass was that and tho
scrpcnta material serpent OF course-theren talking
and seduciDg q woman from obedience TO tho Divine
commands; n woman created out Of the RIB OF a
material man. Aud 10 believe. in the
face Of all we see around In both the
animal and vegetable kingdoms that one
generation comes and another goes, that II
inten dcd that should live forever in his eral
body on the material earth and that the death de
creed on his disobcdicnce wns what we call natural
death, especially when he ud not die materially on
the day o his paraking the forbidden iru.t? Does the
Lord promise and not fnlfllY
There Is a mental earth as well as q material one,
and the serpent the sensual and selfish in SO.
duccs him to d,y, did the first men earth from
obedience to the Divine commands Aud tho declaration
that the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die is spiritually fulfilled now thcn TO the extent
and Just so fast man gives way to life or selfish
aud sensual indug gence, and makes selfgratfca
lion the chief object OF his life, heavenly liic which
consists loving the Lord and his ncighbor dies within
love and charity which flow down TO man arc
its leaves and fruit II commences
10 live according to the preccpts of the
divine word he is healed by tho leaves OF the tree o
lite when ho comes In heart and life to acknowledge
humility that all goodness and truth from the
Lord, who alone lives, being but recipients of llie
The pride OF His !ntccencc and the feeling that
He is good and wise and does good and originates
truth, OF Himself is the tree Of knowledge oi
good and evil Of which not 10 cut. The
1ord's works and His Word nre always IN harmony
and in the very nature of hngs-bolh being from the
same author-can never conflict. LAYMAN.