National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-03-20
ABOUT NOSES.


Tho Christian versus the Pagan Idea.
As many have, of late, been edited by the
expression of Colonel Ingersoll's opinions con-
cerniug Moses and his writings, it may not
be unnterosting to compare with them the
testimonies of Him, of whom it was said by the
people of His time that "never man spake like
this man." whose life and character were ire
proachable, and whose wisdom has, by common
consent, never been oqualled. Is it not some
what singular (?) that Christ should say, "for
this cause came i into the world that / should
bear witness unto the TRUTH" and yet, though
repeatedly quoting from the writings of Moses,
nowhere to even alludc TO the mistakes Of
Moses" On the contrary he left the follow
ing significant testimonies concerning him,
that would seem to indicate that ho did not
think that Moses made any mistakes. Thus
in Matthew, twenty-third chapter, we read
"Thcn spabe Jesus to tho multitude and to
His diciples, saying, the Scribes and the Phar.
isees sit in Moses seat all therefore whatso-
ever they bid you observe, that observe and
do"
Again, in Mark x, when the Pharisees asked
Christ, rs IL lawful for II m n to put away his
wife" our Lord replies by asking, what did
Moses command you ?" And then little later
proceeds to set forth the sacredness of the
marriage relation by quoting from the very
words of tho Mosaic account of creation rs
contained in Genesis H. % and H., "a.
On another occasion Mark xii, 10 fg.) the
Sadducees, who didn't believe in a rcsurrec-
ton, propounded to our Lord what they
thought would be q puZzlng question, sup
porting it by quotation from Moses sayings,
to which Christ replied by asking, "Do yc not
therefore err?" Why? Because Moses made
n mistake in saying what he did? No; but
because ye know not the Scriptures" Our
Lord here clearly intimates that tho mistake
is not on the part OF Noses but in their inter
| probation of his writings.
Again in Luke xx., 81, our Lord quotes from
Moses account Of the burning bush, in proof of
| the resurrection, as follows: Now that the
dead are raised even Moses (that is, one living
so long ago rs he) showed at the bush when he
calleth the Lord the God of Abraham" sc.
In the account of Christ's threefold tempta
| tion by Satan we find another and the highest
kind Of tribute to the character of Moses writ
ings, for every attack of the tempter is met by
a quotation from Deuteronomy, or the fifth
book of Moses 1T is written" 1T is written"
ut is written"
In the latter part of Luke xvii, our Lord
in speaking of the rich man and Lazarus, says
that an hell he (the rich MANI lifted up his
eyes, being in torments" (of course this is only
fgurative language and like other figures sig
| nifies less than the reality, "nnd secth Abrl-
ham aiar of, and Lazarus in his bosom. /" y +"
Then he said Il pray thee father abraham that
thou wouldst send him Nazarus) to my fathers
house, for l have five brethren, that he may
testify unto them, lest they also come into this
place of torment" Now notice Abrahams re-
ply and what follows: abraham saith unto
him. They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them hear Them And he aaid;.. My father
Abraham, but If one went unto them from the
dead they will repent And he said unto him !:
| If they hear not Moses and the Prophets,
| ,ntt ,,,,tn hn,, ha nn1p 1p1 thnnuh nnn
rose from the dead.'" Lot us remember that
this is the utterance that Christ puts into the
mouth of Abraham.
In John ill.,, 14-15 Christ refers to an act of
Moses as typical Of His own crucifxion "As
Moses liltedlup the serpent in the wild erness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whosoevcr beleveth in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life"
In John ", 80, 45-l7, Christ said to the OPP
posing Jews Search the Scriptures (that is
the Old Testament), for " they are
they which testify of Me-" "Do not think
that l will accuse you to the Father; there is
one that accuseth you, even Moses in whom
ye trust. For had ye believed Moses yc would
have believed Ne; for he wrote of Me. But il
ye believe not his writings how can ye believe
My words"
After our Lords resurrection we read in
Luke xiv. that He Joined two of His disciples
on their way to Emmans, and (verse 27), begin
nlng NJ MOSES ana Vll LnC ITOpnetS, I1o eA-
pounded unto them in all the Scriptures the
things concerning Himself"
And again in the tOrty-fourth verse, "He said
unto them, these are the words which i spakC
unto you while | was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled which are written in
the law of Moses and in the prophets and in
the psalms concerning me-"
Such is tho remarkable testimony of oul
Lord Himself concerning the great prophets
whose mistakes have of late been made 81
painfully apparent. In closing we will refc
to three other passages in which the name Of
Moses appears in connection with Christ.
In the TRANSPORTATION scene recorded il
Luke tx, 2s, ig, where we catch glimpse o
the coming glory of our Lord when He shall bt
manifested with His saints we behold the grea
triumyirate of Scripture history, the law-gver
the law yindicator, and the still greater law
fulhller engaged in Heavenly converse. "AnC
as He prayed the fashion Of His countenanc
was altered and His raiment was white ant
glstenng; aud behold there talked to Hin
two men (Which were Moses and Elas) VIII
J appeared to Him in glory, and spako of His dc
cease which lleshOuld accomplish atJerusalem
Again, in Acts ill.,, 90, we find Moses stand
ing as type Of Christ. "FOr Moses truly salt
unto the fathers, prophet shall the Lor'
, your God raise up unto you of your brethren
like unto me, and every soul which shall no
: hear that prophet shall be destroyed iron
among the people"
And finally, in the Apocalyptic vision Q
John, we even behold the names of Moses an
Christ coupled together as type and antityp
, in the song of tho redeemed for in the fl
1 teenth chapter, third verse, VIC read "An
they sing the song Of Moses, the servant q
God and the song Of the Lamb"
s The real point at issue does not therefore
S concern the veraCity or correctness Of Moses
much as Of Christ Christ and His testimon
> are either the rock on which our faith i
: Moses writings and in fact, the whole of tn
+ Old Testament Scriptures, will rest secure, Q
+ else they are the treaeherous sands on whic
our faith will be wrecked by the storms of sue
criticism as Colonel Ingersolls. The truth c
: Old Testament Scripture stands or falls wit