, 1880-10-17

| NNS-.-5...,tor n, fuvcr ~ tto
~" 3nt ha retfeg for his doubts. and nthars "a,
tholr denial of the genuineness ct The passage
largely on the style and use q words not else
Wnere conmon xl - 3p;ii accomn4 ~ Ine
;@as -, stxo and expressinn ana tbe oz uue
fneness Of the section need not be disputed on
account Of them.
CHURCH VS.. WORLD.
VIEW FROM a PREsENr-DAY STANDPOINT.
JOHN Lasoson Palmer IN the Victorian Rertetv-
! -. : Tho tide OF orthodox religion fs un.
questtonably on the ebb, The stream towards
! the churches Is thinner; reverence for 1.-THE
cloth" is on the wane; faith in professions oi
conversion and safntship. as affordtng any guar
antee for noblcr, purer, or less selfish lives, If
only exercised by the simple. Thousands on
whom the spell Of eariy associations, old memo
ries. and sacred ties is still strong. who would
believe what once they believed II only they
could, md who often yeafnlngly wish they
could, arc compelled by sheer conviction to let
one tenet nfter another go, and with pain and In
mystery they murrnur to themselves:
| tho strange rhyme
! or pygone Mer1'n' :" mere y no VINO knowsf
From the great deep 20 .ae x5sas aeep no goes.
tection for the character the ufe, ana the teach
of Jesus Christ. thew know not where IA nlace
gfn, mr. tow f' tn rernrd Him; ~1~ ~ p'''~~
HIM. nor rnan now soeme.t 70 .ssIr human and ov,na
The highest hottest manhood Thou
expresses the wlstfnl uncertainty OF multitudea
| Of brave sincere hearts, and e1bausts all that
they surely believe. They long to range the
Messiah on the plane Of Deity, but thew cannot
do SO with honest conviction. They pause 81
lent: some hopeful and expectant; some hope
less and despairing
AS for organized Christianity, the aphoriam Of
tho German pnlosopner- -.CnfistianitS mas
failed; men must return to :chrst"-as nearly
.rhstorer ,,ar ha ,b,,jr hevIkfarn,en, A. ~ tha
~aatese. may 20 .te.s og"s Csstat ne 70 ut'
whatever that creeds, ceremonies, traditions,
and maohineryi have made modern Christianity
as ~ unlike the religion inaugurated by Christ, as
| they are sure faa',seelsM III Cneis1s tlme aaa
metamorphosed and corrupted the teaching Of
Moses.
Ia ,1. wv =; ~ - sosAoy
Is sufficiently lnterestlng' IL indeed It ne not
/ the rreest discussion. Whatever standpoint may
,,a ocr,,niad tho rnyaterv ~; arfstence rha r1n.
~ ~ -, raer, ~ .ha or,", - rIirinator ~ 1ra
and to that part Of himse II which he knows to
be distinct from his body and bis intbllect and
calls bis soul, the passionate aspiration for i'm
| OF a future state are subjects Of perennial in
I torest to muukind. Though the religions Of the
Into which thefhaman family Is split are
| are as dissimilar as their habits,
| ing with religious Instincts. In him-to what
ever zone he belongs, tnd whatever may be his
I coior-Iongtng, apprehension, hope, demand
| successive generatio1s have continued to ask:
"What asn /? Whose am II. What is my rela-
ton to God, il there be God; to eternity, II
Is r
and,:if 50, whom or what? WHITTIER am gom17
7 f1a Ant, hear. and nj
[ 1eyelids are closed for tho last timer
For orthodox Christian folks, Of course. an
lively answered. For them the riddles are
solved, the problems explained. the mysteries
Geared 1Sa %g.i
pounded and settled. Within the covers Of a
few pence, and which the devotion OF those who
accept it as a supernatural and complete reve-
lndon presses gratuitonsly upon the acceptance
it has been translated, orthodox Christians
sny-and in many instances there is no
The !Iihs .ohstinate nuestioninrs" Of the eommon
human heart are iii answered. TO them the only
true God is revealed. the will Of God for the
conduct Of life is made known, the exit hence
which men caii death is lit ,lp, and thoy are sure
Of eternul life and blessedness
Probably uine out Of ten who read this article
10. md w1s1e bidden 70 receive every word Of It
without dnr1ng to nsk a single question Many
vim f,nx u thnv hnya hnrn forced
in tfink still regard the nifIe ns in some sense
- divine rnva,at5nn even fhnnrh thesy nee fhe
fmncnetrnh1e shn,3Gsrs which ia ,,non nortions
~ ft n1d ria rawnino ahysses which nn faith
rcmn,ni,v ,rith than, has strength of winu to
cross Eyan thnse - whom the lid Testament
has BECOME hnt fhe frounentary story If
nm ambitious seif- -seekinQ. conceitod-but
withaI narrit,ttc-Eastern neopie and
In whom the New TestamenL with
nit ftx theology IN hut a record of q acrced
ontworn = fnei fha sue1 of n reverence which
no nositiy-fsm can raot out. a reverence which
rrcvcnrs fhem from nuttinp tho Hsble unon tho
same shclf as tha Shastars fta Greek classica or
fhe Enrau nut many who still hold the Ribie
knid r. ssfth rrnmhitnr hand for after r11rntnT
it5 Dntres not n caroir,1 i1lft in deyot snirif
th,rv hs 20 cioands,r ty,tf n nrofonn6 sorrow ho-
canse nesttor Ia{ry;ver hard seer MessIah or
nnnsf1n has ~ran ennsincinr renifos tn fhe ~ nh
srinnte nmesf;oninos !" Of their hearts.
+, "a M 70 ho wHsnered at thaf those Win tbus
rcrard The the Rihle' should distrust The ruidance
and ,fefvernnccs ri the clergy. who base ali
thoir teachins tsn,n It and appcaI to its literal
words as furnishing m authorftatiye end to all
/ controversv II has bccome somewhat the fash
i'm. indeed' among fippant writer's to represent
the nm inrfy. ~ tfe clergy or mfnstcrs "a either
cnarse hvnncrits nr a sort Of middle -sex-a lit
fla nora Hun wnman and somethfno jess than
tnan' Tnt after nii fhe smart thinos that huye
i,ccn aid ond Writtaf1| It canuot be douhted by
fhe thnI,rhtf,,l that tne avrrure r1errvmnn nr
IL jt,at tfa ,nTcal nrd1tct Of fhe Hiiie
anl of .tho 20 croo5 ond cust1rrs of tho Ch,1rch tn
srhich ha ha}on1s ne ia necessarily dormatic.