The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-11-12
LESSON FROM THE PAST

Il LLLAOSO-I 4 LtC-h IL L 49, L
In these days the Devil is busy-very
busy, and all manner Of doubts and diff
culties are suggested by him to his instru-
ments whereby to unsettle the faith Of
believers. And so we have all the as
saults whose name is legion on the integ-
rity Of the canon, on the inspiration of
the Scriptures, on the possibility and re-
atty of miracles, on the fulfllment of
prophecy; and all the doubts started by
men of science in connection with evolu-
ton, the physical basis Of life, the har-
mony of geology with the Mosaic record,
the antiquity OF man, the Immortality of
the soul, and the like. Most men and
women have no time to go into all or any
of these questions, and in fact are not
qualified to make the examination. Such
persons should remember first. that
Christianity has been assailed in this way
from the beginning, and especially dur
ing the past two centuries. In the latter
half of the seventeenth century the cele-
brated and very able Thomas Hobbies as
well as the chivalrous Lord Herbert of
Cherbury were the founders of English
Materialism and English Deism respec
lively They wrote learned and elabor-
ate works which called forth in reply the
energies of Locke and Baxter and Leland
and Cudworth and Cumberland, During
the same period Spinoza was developing
his ingenious and wonderful metaphysical
system in Holland, and laying the foun-
dations for German Rationalism by his
criticisms on the Old and New Tesla
ments 1t was Spinoza-about 1860
who originated German Pantheism; who
first analysed the prophetic foresight into
vividness of Imagination who antici-
pated Hume in the denial Of miracles !;
who suggested that the Pentateuch was
probably written by Ezra; who followed
Porphyry in his attack on the Book Of
Daniel who paved the way for the mod
ern soepticism as to the nature of Inspi-
ration.
Then great trouble was made in many
pious minds by Mills about the beginning
of the eighteenth century, who called at
tention to the variety of readings in the
sacred text. And then followed "a Dis
course Of Free-Thinking" by Anthony
Collins; Discour8es on the Miracles" by
Woolston; christianity as old as Crea-
tion" by Tindal; the Moral Philosopher"
by Morgan; GA Discourse concerning
Reason" by Thomas Chubb, etc, ETC.
These were all famous books in their day.
1t was in reply to Tindal that Butler
wrote the immortal " Analogy of Natu-
raj and Revealed Religion, " and in reply
to Morgan that Warburton wrote the
Divine Legation" Towards the close
of the century Voltalre and Dlderot, and
the French Encyclopedias, waged their
bitter war, while the same period in Eng
land was represented by Hume and Glib
bon. In Germany the close Of the eigh-
teenth and the beginning of the nine
teenth centuries saw the rise of modern
German acknowledgements the teach
ings of such men as Senior, Paulus, and
Eichorn. Then in 1885 came Strauss
Life of Jesus, while Metaphysics was lit
orally pulled to pieces by Kant, Fichte,
SchelHng Hegel, and a legion of followers.
So that our young friends who are per
picked by the din Of scepticism around
them may observe that this thing is not