New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-11-19
Usbelief I'm the Old Blble.

Ano D!snOp OF dlOuCoStof end Bristol hna
Deen delivering this week series of thought
the day, in which he describes that nm hal;sf
| 90 rather vague and driftless tendency
| than fixed state of mind; nay. the mn.
oellevere, ne says, have 30 completely suc-
ceeded in snspendlng their Judgment thss
they hardly believe even in their own nm.
Denei. he traces this condition Of thinen
chieny to three causes-to the impression.
proanced oy the historical criticism Of
modern times, of the vast uncertainty sf.
tending all ancient history, and eeDeciailv
All history involving stories of Miracles: q
the advance Of scientific notions vhieh
seem to dispense with the creative anArov
OF God; and to the new intensity With
which the enigmas of life, the moral end
metaphysical difficulties involved in tha
org origin ., Of 4, sv are urged upon the imagine
For our own parts, while We accept vh.t.
Bishop Ellicott says of the unique charao-
ter OF the Old Testament history; while IA {
cordially be lieve that ito continuous ana 81. )
delible realism in painting man, and ~ j,
constant and deep belief in the Providense
OF God anord testimony ct once to tho !
honesty Of tho narratives and the dem
foundation of Hebrew history in genuine
revelation, We can not recognize any desire
in 1t which should assure Ne against thoee
great mistskes of detail which. occrr n 81 |
other hist0ry-especially - We do find hero
and there those remarkable ipc0usiaAenoiea :
between one part Of the history and anofksra
which are characteristic of al human anl:
thorship, and especially of the authorGhip |.
of an unpracticed and easily believing &c. :.
1t seems to 10 that historical critiosm
makes an unanswerAble case against thee ~
habit of assigning anything like very hieh :
authority as to detail to such histories . {
the earlier narratives of the Old Testament.
and that NO one can reasonably believe
in any very high authority for them except
on some such ground a. the infallibility Of
the church, whoee canonical Sculptures
they form. But g We can not see any
proof Of such infallibility, and, indeed, find
in the Old Testament histories much which
is quite inconsistent with it, We should ssv
that, on the whole, the kind of hesitation
which historical criticism has taught % IN ?
accepting the details of Old Testament his
tory-especially the early history-is well Z
justified. Not the less We should MAINTAIN
chat the coherent belief of the prophets !
and historians in the divine purpose which !.
formed lsrael into . distinct people, and :
nodded it for special function in the life Z
of the wOrld-a belief which shines through
all the early traditions, the early records,
and the early poems Of the people - clear
" a. through its latest prophecies good
and striking evidence that they were poo-
pie chosen by Coo to understand His char
acter and declare it to the rest of the earth;
and that their national character had
been tormed-if not exactly by the expert
ence described, yet by OK perience moro az
less closely resembling it in the confidence
it had given them in tho mighty hand and
arm of Jehovah-for the vary
purpose for which it was ultimately used
by the Divine power. 1t is quite ono thing
to say that all these curious old books, full
of the evidence of human imperfeCtion, noe
only in the subjects treated, but in the Per
sons who treated them, arc to be implicitly
trusted - accurate records, though they
neither claim inspiration for themselves
nor show any trace Of completeness and
accuracy, and quito another,
and q very different thing indeed, to accept
them heartily - the reflection of . true
faith extending through many ages, in the
guiding hand Of God who was mot only
teaching the people whose history they en-
body the lesson of righteousness, but flling
them with the expectation Of . destiny
which would, through their race, bring lie
and light and hope in . broad stream Of re- y
power into the world.-Spcc-
0tOr.