The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-02-07
RELIGIOUS READING.
what Have L to do About iGG
AN INCIDENT OF THE INQUIRY ROOMS IN
CHICAGO.

The inquiry rooms had been crowded
IL the evening. 1t was now about eleven
o'clock, aud most of the workers" and
nquirers had gone home. A few, how
yer, of both classes, were lingering still.
had just left mana straightforward /
Terman-who had given himself up to |
Iod through Jesus Christ, and was about |
eaving the room, not seeing that there |
vas any thing more for me to do, when |
was approached by young Christian,
who said:
" Mr.. Pentecost, before you go won't |
you come and speak to that young man
pointing to him); [ do not seem to be
able to meet his need"
Certainly" said /, and went over to
where the young man was seated, and, |
drawing a chair up to him, said:
Can be of any help to you, my
brother? '
81 don't know, am sure, but if you
can give me any help, will gratefully
receive il"
A few questions developed the fact
that he was cultivated young German,
the son of German rationalistic theo-
Logan. He had been but a short time in
this country. he was thoroughly con-
versant with the current continental
skeptical philosophers, told me that he
was fond of study, and especially philO-
sophical study, and gave good evidence
of familiarity with the various schools
of thought, current and past. Said he
had been led to think of Christianity
as an ingenious mythology, having a
very slender thread of historical truth
in it, more or less the product of an
early enthusiasm that had exalted Jesus
into Deity. He confessed that he
had never made the New Testament a
study, but had imbibed his opinion
mainly from Struss. He went on to say
that he had been attracted by curiosity
into the Tabernacle, and had been
amazed at the vast audiences held to.
gether week after week without excite
ment, simply by the rehearsal of Chris
tian truths and Bible stories. He adj
mitted that he was impressed with the
matter of Mr.. Moedy's preaching, and
was convinced from his manner that he
was a sincere and honest teacher. Finally
he determined to take up the New Tes
lament and carefully read it. He had
done so, and this night he had come into
the inquiry room to seek conversation
with some Christian who would explain
! if it were possible, some of the chief diff
ficulties that he met with in the New
L
candid, saying that he was free to admit
that a careful reading of the New Tesla
ment revealed a purer and altogethel
better system of ethics than any of th'
PHILOSOPHERS with which he was &C
quainted, and that the whole book haC
the air of sincerity and truth about it
But there were several insuperable diff
culties in the way of his acceptance of i
as truth.
I asked him to state his difficulties
which he did in about these words:
" There are three great claims SET fort
in the New Testament, upon the trut
of which, it seems to me, the whole sys
f tenn must stand or fall"
) What are they ?"
why, first OF all, it is claimed a
through the New Testament that JesU
was the Son of God, 4. G., God manifesto
in human nature-a supernatural being
This he claimed for himself, and eve
,, died in defense of the claim; for, if al
not mistaken, that was the charge upo
which he was put to death by the Jew
that in claiming to be the Son of Co
8 He made himself to be equal with Go,
l which was blasphemy. Certainly Is
believed Himself to be God; and so d
His apostles. especially John and Paul
T "Well, what is your next difficulty
3 "Why, the next difficulty is that oil
+ salvation depends not upon the uprigh
n ness of our own lives, but upon the ia
s of Christ's death, which is represented
a sacrificial act-what Mr. Moody cal
4 the atonement."
a "Well, what is the other difficulty %
!. "Why, the resurrection from the dea
t Every thing in Christianity depends up'
,e that"
Well" said 1, "now why are the
- things difficulties to you 2"
= Why, cannot possibly Relieve til
u Jesus was God; he could not be; and
70 is not possible for any one who was real
:, dead to rise again such a thing ne ,
;" was in the world, and it cannot be; al
even if it were so, do not see how a
20 one could be saved on account of anot
J, er's death, and not on account of his on
a. = uprightness."
d, confess that the task before
Or seemed very great indeed. But he seem
~ to be gUileless in his desire to know
DC truth, and so with prayer in my he,
for help, said:
II. 'Well, now, let US look at the Fl
re difficulty, the Incarnation. As Iund
rs. stand you, you are theist; you belle
ne in the existence OF a personal, eterI
y. and omnipotent God, who is the auth
re of the universe and our being ?"
y, oh, yes"
he every we'll. Now with that 70
et starting point you cannot philosophical
hold that the Incarnation is an impo'
,e- bility; that it could not beP"
be A verv little talk ended in his adm
ar ting the possibility of the Incarnati,
nd but denying the probability CT it. A
l. -
DIV ness of thought, aud the clearest perc
ar. ton of the whole matter:
81 But / think Jesus WAC hims
tut deceived. / grant that he may have,
nv moments of enthusiasm, thought he
ily the sen of God, and, that he did at tir
or make this claim, there is no doubt; b
a at other times he certainly made 81
to statements as forbid US, on his own te
mony, to believe that he was equal VI
I'D God indeed, he admits that he is
he inferior being. In fact, Christ's O
4 testimony concerning himself is cont
,an dictory, and this leads me question
"a truth of the gospels, and so to rel
A. Christ as the Son of God, and he
III Christianity itself; for Christianity
;oT nothing but q beautiful delusion if Oh
90 is not what He claims TO be. Now,
says In one place, and my Father
- one ; and again, he that hath seen
!ly hath seen the Father and as 1 b
.i9 before said, when on trial before
lgn high priest, he still claimed, and thai
OF the face of certain death, that He
uc- the Son of God. But he said, on anot
IN occasion, that His Father was grei
i'm Cd and at the Same 1;r,e ;y,Ss-;o,
his God AGAIN h saws an 49,,
, in oiven nnio Ne Nov that l. a., ad,
sion that he did not have power hiInl
md but it was given ID him: and surely
will that receives power is inferior to
ep that gives il. Now, are not these
the Predictions in His own testimony
I Is do they not destroy the worth OF
ing entirely It seems to me that whate
are of truth there NAV be In the histnr