The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-09-12
SUNDAY READING fr
ABRAHis, isaac, AND SREEMAS me

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man to offer his children as sacrifice
at what he believed fully TO be Gods
command, why was 1t not just as hor-
rible an, oflenge for Abraham to try to
do the same? In other words, if thc
nature of the act supposed TO be com
mandcd proves that il could not have
come from God in tho case of Free
man, can the same command have
come from God in tho case of Abra-
ham?
Or again, if II is right for the canni-
balls or Indians to sacrifice each other,
as they also fully believe il is, why
then is IL not justifiable in the sight of
God also permitting them 10 commit
their atrocities? And the Mormons,
just as much believe that they are obey
ing God in their hellish practices as do
The most devoted christians in our
land.
This is not at all an easy question TO
answer ofl-hand. And to many IL Will
be fresh one, because in the story
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hood the element of horror is absent,
since the sacrifice was not completed,
and attention is always directed from
the command to the faith and the obc-
dience of the Patriarch. We should
hardly think of raising the question
whether its ethical character, i'm, the
point of the nature of the command,
does not discredit the story were it not
for case right before us in which the
same faith and obedience to the same
command were exercised. but with a
result so tragical. What was faith in
Abraham we call fanaticism now. z j
Among the answers that can be made
from the standpoint of Christianity
perhaps the easiest, and that which will
least disturb ordinary believers is this:
that Abraham's notion of God being
imperfect and crude, having been
brought up as he was among idol
worshipers, aud being familiar with
human sacrifices, and not morally
shocked, in his undeyeloped ethical con-
di'ion, at the thought of sacrificing
children, ones most precious treasure,
to propitiate God, the Lord accom-
modaed his command to Abraham's
condition of darkness; as it would not
degrade any further his moral state, but
might become the means of elevating
| it by his obedience to a command
which. though in itself wrong, might
be obeyed in right spirit, and the ac-
complishment of which by the actual
sacrifice God would inteefere to pre-
vent. If not fully tenable, this expla-
nation is very plausible. 1t is the same
explanation in substance as is made for
the commands or pcrmissions given in
the books of Moses for acts to be done
in war, in the determination of
enemies, in divorce, polygamy, ETC.,
where the ''hardness of heart' of the
people allows ordinances believed TO
be from God, but which we know God
could not now approve. This is, per-
haps, the only explanation which will
save the actual historical truth of the
story as given.
Another explanation might save a
portion of the story. The Orientals
are very free in their attributing every
thing to God. Anything that is done,
IN their incxact, graphic way of talk
ing, God is the doer of it. 1t is con-
ccivable explanation that Abraham
might have imagined that God gave
him the command, and that he proceed
ed to do what he supposed TO be his
duty, and that God interfercd to pre-
vent the consummation. We presume
that few, however, will think this pro-
bable. . s.so
We suppose that those who reject the
first explanation, and who hold it in
credible that God could have comman-
ded Abraham to be guilty Of an act so
characteristic of cruel paganism, will
generally believe the whole story to
be unhistorical, though they may call
il by different names--such as poetical,
parabolic, or legendary. They will
say that the same moral instruction
may be drawn from a fictitious story
as from an actual occurrence, that the
parable of the Prodigal Son is as true
morally as the account of the sacrifice
of Isaac; and they will argue that, as
God cannot lie, so he cannot command
murder, and that there are other indi-
cations that there is an unhistorical
element in the story of Abraham, as
well as in those of the Creation, the
longlived antediluvian patriarchs. the
Deluge. and the Tower of Babel.
Such belief may be held, and by very
many is held, in perfect harmony with
a full faith in the supernaturalism OF
the Christian religion. ~ -f1a
ODt VI tuc OtntT VI tntsc dnsMciS
or something like them, must be made
to the question raised by the rocassrt
murder. The first is the easier, be-
cause it less contradicts the common
belief of American Evangelical Chris
tians. But those that prefer the LATER
should be allowed their own explana-
ton. We are fully aware of the OBJ
lection made to their theory, that IL
opens the way to deny other and per-
haps all other cases of experimentation
in the Bible. Ii is said that, IL one
admits that supernatural occurrence
in Genesis is unhistorical, he has no
defense against those who assert that
the resurrection of Christ is unhistori-
cal. For our part, we hold that the
credibility of the New Testament docs
not rest upon that of the Old; but that
it is quite Independent of II and that,
indeed, the credibility of tine Old rests
upon that of the New. IL no more fol-
lows, because man gives up the his
torical character of the story of the
creation of the world and of man, that
he must also give up the truth OF the
Gospels than il does that, because n
man parcs his nails, he must therefore
cut his arm off, The foundation of
God nevertheless standeth sure.
English Baptist women hrve seen
supporting Zenana missions ir inoia
about six years. They have 'eeh en-
larging the work every yes as they
have been able, and purpcd 10 90 So as
they may find means ar, opportunity.
half of these mission, at which, strange
70 ssy aIl The sndkers were men, il
was slated that ~ Zenana Mission now
has agenc;es + most ofthe large towns
of Nor,h In.'a-Calcutta, Bcnares, Al,
lahabad : Srampore, and other places
Twe,tv, dree European women are en-
oaoed il visiting the homes of the wv-
mepf India, who, IS recent writer
prs il, care unTeicomed at their