Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-19
A NEW JERSEY SOUABBLE.

~ M W ~ bAbOb1
Quite sensation has been created in the
city of Paterson. N. j., on theological points
by the attempted disciplining of Rev. M. @.
Lockwood, pastor of the Baptist church, by
his deacons for giving utterance to views
which they considered heterodox. He had
preached several sermons in which he dis
credited the statement that the sun and
moon stood still to permit Joshua to kill
few hundred Amorites; regarded with sus-
picion the assertion that Balaam's ass re-
ceived the gift of speech, and secuted as
apochryphal the statement that Jonah was
swallowed by whale or any other fish, for
the reason that no fish of sufficient size ever
inhabited the waters of the Mediterranean.
Mr.. Lockwood obeyed the injunction of his
deacons to hold his peace upon these and
kindred topics, and has taken to preaching
old fashioned doctrinal sermons.
But Mr.. Lockwood is not satisfied with
the publicity one of the New York papers
has given to his back-down, and writes to
the editor in an aggrieved yet independent
tone. He says:
1 do not believe in a literal Interpretation OF
the Mosaic cosmogony; there are few inteli-
gent ministers in any denomination who do.
/ have never preached upon the sun and moon
standing still, but regard the incident as
quotation from the book of Jasher (see Bible,
Joshua K, 1877 If any congregation believes
that the sun moves about the earth, 1t had bet.
ter call the famous colored preacher, formerly
of Richmond, the Rev. Mr.. Jasper.
AS to Jonah. simply call it prophetic le-
gend, teaching that the lesson was Of more
value than the miracle, developing the MARIA
tive by calling attention to the analogy between
Jonah's three days and three nights in the ish's
belly and the burial of Christ.
As to Balaam's ass gave it in common with
hundreds of theologians subjective interpreta-
ton, claiming that it is the habit of Semitic
writer's to throw all ideal things into the con-
crete and allegorical. It is not SO much a
question of the inspiration of the Old Testa-
ment as it is question of its dogmatic inter-
prefers.
We are afraid that by the publication of
this letter Mr.. Lockwood has made bad
matter worse. It is esteemed an unpardon-
able sin by many of the orthodox to give
any but literal Interpretation to the many
impossible legends with which the Old Tesla
ment abounds. It is well known by every
man of intelligence that if the earth was to
cease its revolutions for an instant-which
alone would cause the sun and moon to
seem to stand stilI-all animate and inanlmate
things would be destroyed instantly. The
story is purely legendary, and SO we believe
it has come to be regarded by all biblical
students. Balaam's guilty conscience was
probably sufficient to cause him to be-
lieve that his ass had rebuked him. AS for
the fish story, it has as little foundation in
fact or in reason as the others. No one ex-
cept few dolts pretends to regard them as
anything but allegorical, teaching, perhaps, a
lesson, though vague one, such as is taught
by the Arabian Nights tales.
The bigotry of congregation that would
endeavor to discipline its preacher for hold
ing such views as Mr.. Lockwood avows al
most passes comprehension. Yet we sup
pose there are few such left-a few who
believe the world was created in hundred
and forty-four hours of sixty minutes each
although science has demonstrated the i'm
possibility of such thing. Most theolo-
gians, however, now argue that the six days
mentioned in Genesis signifed six periods
of time rather than six literal days.
If both ministers and laymen were to pay
less attention to such matters as are referred
to above, and more to the practical work of
the churches, much more good would be &C
complished. 1t is folly to waste time and
them take care of themselves. No one will
be any the worse for disbelieving the legen-
Diary parts of the Old Testament, for even the
strictest of theologians acknowledge that
there is great room for doubts as to their
authenticity.