, 1879-01-22
Tile 1sti,le QuestIon.

TO ths EdltuF a. IAE IFthink.
CHICAGO, Jau. a1.--1n your tssus Of to-day,
you publish letter concerning tile number Of
cl,npters, verses, and words found IN tile Bible.
1t is little suturIsEng tfat tic writer OF that
letter did not 1uform ua bow many punctuation
marks tic Book contained, as that II a nlnttcr
OF about a. much practical utility as thu others.
1t looks to mo l!ks supcslatlyo nonsense to
spend 70 much time to ascertain low many
wor.ls letters, etc., are contained iu the Bible:
md suppose tllut we knew 10 u mathematical
certainty Just tho exact number, What u,lTan.
tage wpnld such knowledge beta thc posscssorf
a tnan might know nll this, Ahd bc profoundly
Of Christianity. II Tic salvation Of man DE-
hbiSie. .s the devoted ~ Catholic soants
his bcnas. then We might discern
duru; but rs II has never been tnudc known as
condition Ut pardon, or an fundamentally to
thn cntoymcnt Vt higher life, fEil To sec thu
practical advantages of such knowledge.
necessary to count all the letters in the original
manuscript, l,otli iiebe1w md Greek, mud Ac
would tlud, to hts grcat astoushtncnt, that tho
number Varied IN eact, manuscript to such an
| hiblc" who published that letter would find
himself several hundred out uf the way. Anl,
AgAlu, II he al,ouid count tie words, and ~ ylia-
blcs, md letters n eotno gid EngIIsh cdalon of
owing TO the nneieue style ot spelling. he would
f3pl several hundred more lettrrs tlIun speeAel
in lia vcry accurate lit IT, Such religious boso
will DO for children ~ 1ueans 0l ii'atllc!natieal
discipline; hut tor Intelligent Btb1u students 1t
| Is tht: vrricst nollaenss.
WI will sllrpose u ca3e: man has devoted
much tinlc u etudYtn. tic Bthlo ID fs particu.
lar 1!rrction. until he ran tell thu number VI
| letters, the number Of WorslB, aud even the
number Ut c0tIinas that found In the Bible:
| yes be Gun tell us how tnAny times thr word
"and F" U"!tlrs, as'd many others. llo dtrs,
11ld 1t the judgfncnl-scat seat OF cl1rst hs puts
| in aa appcarauvc. The Judge proceeds to ex-
anime his case, und Ands that he knoWs nothing
of lie doctrines ol '''il'c Atunrnient: y nothing
Of thc :" l.aw ot pan.on:" nothing VI " rceccln.
| Ing gruso;" tint he Is absolutely tgnoraut of
| lhr uoetFtne uf apiritual Influence" nal all
That pertains 10 Gospel law a,ld obedience; but
thcn, Notwithstanding all that, he emu tell uaI
about the number u VERSES, words, lsttcre' etc..
That eau 10 3ouiRl IN thu Racsetl SCRIPTURES
polntcl clnlkiate for CELESTIAL A.,tord llint lts
!. zeal wna hut according 10 kuowe1g"."
] rau suggest . ,nofc profitable department OF
Seriptural investigation. nn nha thut Will bc
nkuiy to awaken tiot little interest, and that
Is, To lnd cut how inaHy u'aln, nIiutstukable
! contradictions tan bc fuunl III tte Uibe. u.l.l
| venture tie assertion that iir Uibie contains
muse contradictions tlian It lueA chapters.
| will oifcr few Inr Tic amusement Of The
tea,ierp Ut truK IRlNGkE. One 0f the Eyhngcl-
tsts, speaking ot t'hrist's Trial, Kays they. but
ou Him asur!tt rohc; the e:'cr EVauCc'ists.
spealdnE Ut thr fa'nc event, says iley put gu
| Him purple garment. Which one tUlH Tilt
| trutlil ....,
| diets himself while sprHkinG U! tl1e ascension
o cntt.t. o. 9ue ossas;u! !,:, 10 says: "ils
| he places thr ascension from tiiu "humHltL VI
| Mount uIiyct't Where DID tte ascension VI
CAr:Ht ,aGu plaeai Tat. anybody tell iron. ti1esa
contradictory ssaettncuts! ..
1 in t1,ff fill 3ER EfnfF fn
regard to uI- crurItlxiun 1t Christ. One says
III was ct1lciuoti at usa ninth n.'a!F, tlc olscr
SAYS It took place Ut thv sixth lAfir. Wllvti W&s
ctlrlat cauctfc.!! Can any one tell what huuF
| Tic EyaugeE:sts contradict themselves whcn
| u ea1tng 0t Ghr,st'h apwarausn after HI4 A.
Keyed ree,lgsrctlun. Unr Aays his iIrat appear
arre WAS III y lnouutatn IN t.Ltes; ll'r others
| say 1t MIS- Wltlu uli lhc way ~ En1mxHAt ainl
| another says It "as Il. i tHu'Ilt G:ti t!c doors
wrrr l,:kyd, One ot the Esanerlis.s. tspeak'"s
Vi Whit l'appslel Ut 1lp: Ac.il!tre IN 't 1iuru-
| iHg VI tkr prctendel resurrection. h4iH tlIat
o,.t woman came 10 uls sepIlchtr, tle other
| says fxu wufnoM ran1e, the third nHc ha's thFfs
wualch eanls, whlle tllt lust Die SAYS fsfo WcEc
MUIR ut1u Mrer rat,e. Gnu writer says thcru
xe1s tsev alsr!s scct al the srnnsetrc. and they
wets kt.u.tlIng Up; ihs other Evangelist says
there waa L!ly vat nNarl secn at the hcpu!chEe.
| anu he was sitting uuwA. ...-
| The shblc siso saYt that 10 Isan natl seen
God at any tHuc. and again u rcUrestufs Jafro0
| ~ saying II laye sten GsHl l:lee IL tacc."
II also sara tl:ut "no ula,l hath aAret!dcd to
Heaven at sny titus hut Tue Sou ot sian."
|. a'so says 1 t!!At "E''iah ~e"t to Heaven In
II sayB tl!gt "fiod'a anger enlnrcth but !
n,utneut." Aud again it represents tiol ~ say
lug: IA Orc Is k'ndle'l ta 1ane anEer that
| shall huEli FOREVER ulId eEeT."
| E!lese arc Ouly q lew of Ill. many tholasallt
tllat cau polut out ia u!e Billie. Hero, now, II
| tie.l for legitimate Biblical Investigations.
II tho,c ,ncn wl4o have been spending 70 1neh