The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-22

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shows Us, by human bones and stone In
plementS found In ancient strata, that mar
must have existed In long distant perlodi
o. time, far beyond, the epoch aScribed L
the creation Of Adam.
Now, when men are told that they mus
renounce the revelations Of science and
the truths Of history, or they cannot b.
Christians, some will make, reluctantly
that sad remuneration. They abdlcate Fea
son, put q bandage over their eyes, and
refuse TO sec facts, and call this voluntary
blindntSs faith, Others, will ! thinl
more nobly, prefer 10 be called lnldell
rather than 70 tell lie for God, or DrofesI
20 believe what they know to be false,
have had persons 10 tell me that they
were inildelE beCausOtiey could NOT Ia
lieVe that the whale swallowed Jonah. Of
that Joshua made the sun stand still.
assured them that In order 10 believe n
JeSua Christ II was not necessary 10 be-
lieve In Jonah, or TO have any opinions In
regard 10 Joshua, Students oil the Old
and New Testament fnd many contIadic
lions between different books. Look FOL
any harmony Of the four Gospels, and vol
Will lind the same story 10 told differently
BY the different eYAngelils. TheselcOntra
ulct0nS are Of no consequence Of all; dc
not diminish our confidence in the truth
Of the narrative; rather increase our sense
Of the honesty Of the narTatOn; unless w
adopt this theory Of the ihfallibllily Of tht
record, and then they become fatal, They
dtler tn details, as human testimony will
but they agree In essentials.
/ IOm mans uNNnraNtttaaa A.
have been sanctiaed by appeals to the
letter Of the Scriptures. During many
centuries, thousands OF poor wretChes were
burned alive as witches, and this belief
rested on the universal conviction Of
Catholics and ProtestARtS that the Bible
clearly taught the reality Of WitChCralt, A
single bishop caused SIX hundred 10 he
burned. A French Judge, Remy, boosted
that he had burned eight hundred witches,
a thousand persons were executed ioT
this otenSe In ons ySar in tue province Of
Como, In Italy. Catholic bishops and
Protestant clergymen led the way. Luther
said, III would have no compassion on
witches. lwould burn them ALL" And
all these horrors we're triumphantly do.
Tended by the letter OF the Bible.
80, IN our day, we have seen slavery de.
Tended, and depotisms defended BY the
letter Of the Bible. Because Paul said,
Slaves, obey your masters" and "The
powers that BIO arc ordained Of God" Il
was thought that God commanded men
by Paul To submit to q despot like Nero;
and commanded them 10 support avs.
TEN which made Of human beings chat.
tells. So, too, to-day, single words OF the
Bible are quoted 10 defend the doctrine
that God has made creatures certain 10
TALL into sin, and then punishes them for
that sin with endless torments. Such are
the superstitions, dishOnorable 10 God,
and bringing untold miseries on man,
which have been maintained in the world
by this view Of the Scriptures.
Il has brought about a confusion OF Ju.
daism and Christianity. The Old Tesla.
ment, In some minds, has more authority
than the New. In many pulpits Moses
has greater influence than Christ. Men
still keep the Jewish Sabbath which
Christianity abolished. The Lords day,
intended 10 be day OF freedom and loy,
has been made q day OF gloom by calling
1t 1.-THE Sabbath, aud giving US Moses as
our master to teach US what 10 do in il.
Though all that Christ said or did in re.
gard 70 1t was such rs TO make him Sab.
bath breaker IN the Jewish eyes, men pre-
Ter the law OF Moses on this point 10 his.
10 rest both the body and soul makes The
Christian Sabbath; whatever does thai,
whether It be walk, pleasant CONVEX.
sahon, or an entertaining book Is keepinv
the Sabbath; whatever uisturbs the soul
with unrest, even II il be church going, Is
Sabbath-breaktng, The sacrilOIal Worship
oil the jews, by which, from morning I'm
evening, the great AlfIr Of the temple ran
with blood, has indeed been long abolish.
ed. But the intluer.e OF that system con.
tinues in the Catholic church In the daily
sacrifice Of the mass, and in the Protest.
ant church In the blood theology which
teaches that God Is unable 10 forgive Ain
except by bloodshed, and that BY the
blood Of an innocent victim. The apos.
tles, who were Jews, accustomed to these
perpetual sacrifices Of the temple, natu.
rally said, "ChriSt Is our sacrifice" Gle
70 our sin Offering" at Is his blood,n
And 50, literal theology builds on these
natural Jewish expressions whole theory
ri6ce. 'O''' ''N
The chief objection to all this doctrine
Of the verbal iniallibility OF the whole
Bible is that the spirit Is chained down by
the letter. that the living power OF The
words and soul Of Jesus are neutralized
and nullifed by being tied 10 the dead
body OF old traditions which have long
since lost their power. The strength of a
chain Is only that OF It's weakest link; 30
mat by this doctrine the power OF the
bible is kept down to that Of its poorest
part. 1t Is dreadful thing to kill Tue lite
o. the gospel by low literal Interpretation.
The letter kllleth," says Paul. It does
The New Testament teaches, for exam.
PIE, q resurrection Of soul aud body: hut
ms means ascent, progress, going up into
higher life OF soul and higher lille OF
body. This Is animating and inspiring.
The New Testament, according 10 the
spirit, shows us perpetual resurrection
endless ascent and progress-heayen above
heaven, world above world. 1t shows us
innumerable homes, adapted TO all oondi.
tons Of being; infinite variety there, as
there % Infinite variety here; OF life and
10y; Of beauty, order, wonder, magnIl.
cence; plenty 10 know, plenty 10 do,
plenty 10 love. This Is our future exist.
ence according TO the spirit OF the New
Testament which gives lie.
But the theology Of the letter tells US in.
stead, oil resurrection Of the same parti.
Giles Of an earthly body; Of that flosh and
blood which, We are told, cannot inherit
the kingdom OF God. Of that corrupIible
matter which cannot SEQ interruption.
The lettor theology says that these same
poor, sickly bodies arc TO be gathered out
Of their graves, and then divided into two
classes; one Of saintst to 60 to heaven and
sing psalms forever; the other OF siners to
be sent to hell, there TO blaspheme God
forever. Which OF these Is the most
worthy Wow oil the infinite being, creator
Of all, father Of all, whose sun shines on
the evil and good, and whose inexhausti.
BILE power and love flows forever through
the universe.
And because Of these superstitions we
have fierce attacks on the Bible, shallow
criticisms on tho Bible. When II Is made
the tyrant instead Of the friend, violent
reactions come. Some men 20 about he
country dCnouncing the Bible, filed with
NA culoluuhl IehCGVuJ anu VultE lY1O-
rant OF the nObleneSs, freedom, emancipa.
ting power and broad humanity Of this
wonderful volume. Others arc filed with
q critical reaction, and write books 10
point out an Inconsistency here, or con-
tradiction there, lahoring to reduce to a
minimum our trust In these grand utter.
anceS oil the ever.present spirit Of God.
Because, In their opinion, the Apostle
John did not write the fourth gospel, ali
It's sweet and sacred words are declared 10
BIO insignificant
The theology Of the spirit rises above
all this level waste Of dreary controversy.
1t regards tho Bible as inspired, but moi
lnfallihlei inspired In higher degree, BY
the same spirit which has also spoken 10
men In all the great scriptures Of the race.
It believes In tho authority OF the Bible,
but It Is the authority which truth always
has over honest and candid minds, II
does not think It essential to decide when
the books Of tho Bible were written, nor
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