The sun., 1882-08-06
SOME NEW BooKa
Blauyelt on Religiop.

BlauVelt an OrtDouOX tneOlOglHpl hnu ulNine Vi
the Reformed Church Of America. man OF
piety and learning. distinguished in his de-
nomination and honored in his pastorate, was
put on trial for heresy. before his ecclesi-
astical authorities. After curious and
elaborate trial, which strained the court
entertained tho newspapers, and raised slight
commotion. he was pronounced guilty; ana
thereafter he found himself outside OF tho
Church. for which he lad been clergyman in
the United States OF his nativity and mis-
sonary among the pagans Of Asia. Through
the years that have passed since then. the Rev
DIR. Blauvet has continued to ponder upon the
great questions Of faith. reason. and authority
about which he had been led TO differ from his
brethren OF the Church. and the first fruits OF
his freedom from ecclesiastical trammels arc
to be found In this book, The Present Religious
Crisis. by AUGUSTUS BLAuvELT Putnamsl
We see from tho very opening of the volume
that the Rev. Dr. Bauvelt is no mcre light
skirmisher at the outposts Of the Church he
advances upon the ebulwarks and battements OF
orthodoxy and assails with his most formidable
language the very citadel Of modern ccclestas-
teal power. He challenges the fundamental
dogmas Of the faith which he has repudiated.
deais'hs blows as though he knew where they
should be planted. displays fearlessly his own
resources gives evidence that he has studied
the ground Of his adversary as well rs that
held by himself. and. in the Index to Authors
Cited" shows how far he has compassed the
knowledge hero brought into his service. If
this work Of tho Rev. DR.. Blauvelt, and the
othor works from his pen which are to follow
Il, do not raise tho champions OF orthodoxy
In all the Protestant Churches. he will doubt
less fool that tho Church is less ready than 1t
ought to be to meet the assailants who con-
front it in the open field.
DIR. Blauvet tells us that when he was gradu-
ated from Rutgers College and the Theological
Seminary his divinity was OF the hyper
orthodox description. and he was devout and
implicit believer in both the essentials and the
non-essentials of the general orthodox theology.
notably that Of the Calvinistlc order-abhorring
German Rationaiism as n modern monstrosity.
In this state OF mind he entered upon his
duties as "a Clergyman, and SO. for years, he con-
tnuod in their practice. The specific purpose
with which he took up the Investigations he
has since pursued was to vindicate the tradi-
tional Protestant conceptions about the Bible
and religion against all the assaults Of modern
unbelevers. But from the very outset he con-
ceiyed the idea that. to make this vindica-
ton of any actual and permanent service
to those conceptions 1t must itself be
scientific - something decidedly more than
merely theological. In other words, what
ever inherited conceptions about either
tho Bible or religion he found he could not es-
tabish by valid evidence and by legitimate
reasoning he resolutely determined that he
would never make the effort to establish. either
by any such distortion OF evidence or by any
such illegitimate argument as he hal fortu-
nately come TO discover to be only too charac-
; teristic Of the medieval apologists. The longer
he prosecuted his researches the more he be-
pu mn n nStnnnInl nj tina raSIllts which he fOu a
himself reaching. Contrary to all his original
anticipltions. he came more and more dis
/ tincty to perceive that the traditional Protest.
| ant conceptions about both the Bible
! and religion. instead Of being scentih-
calfy Geienn.r.. required n revision Of
| tho most revolutionary nature. He now
| holds thai IL is high time here in America to
| BEGIN an earnest grapple with these questions
at their very centre. seekin! TO como TO q thor
! oush understanding with them. in view OF the
most advanced developments of Biblical and
| religious enlightenment, even speculalio
| In his view. the average theological apprchen-
| sion Of them in this country. when compared
! with that of Germany. is even more unin tclli-
gent and medieval than in England itself.
II is srgHod by DIR. Blauvelt that within all the
| Protestant denominations there are representa-
| tive minds who hayo undergone aradcdl revo-
! luliOIl Respecting every State
mont coming from the dogma making cpochs
| that whatever be the brevity os any creed. there
are nominal adhercnts of it who demand its
still further abrdgcment; and that however
| Fundamental may bo any doctrine. there is a
| powerful minority in the Protestant ranks who
| seek its revision or abandonment. Even belief
| in the Bible itself has been seriously shaken.
| Can we. asks DR.. Blauvelt who are conver-
| sant with the sitting process, any longer be-
| lieve that all the books and portions of books
| which together constitute the Protestant Bible
| are canOnical. or can We any moro believe
them all divlnely inspired, and therefore utter
y devoid OF error2" He considers it to be
proven by modern Biblical scholarship that a
very large proportion oi the Old Testament
writings belong neither to the authors nor the
ages To which they traditionally accrodit-
cd and that considerable portion of the Now
| Testament is made mp OF writings not directly
| apostoical. In regard to Biblical inspiration
DIR. Bauveit. after pointing out some Of the
| historical errors in the Hebrew books Hn(
showing how the allegations Of these books arr
undermined by modern scientific research
quotes Remains remark that errors OF detail are
no more compatible with the inspiration Of the
Holy Ghost than impostures are; and at The
close OF his survey. he reaches the conclusion
that the Bible was not so inspired rs to be de
void Of error. and that at least portion Of it
subject matter is such rs to preclude the notion
OF its inspiration. He dwels upon the graduH
development in jewish and Christian times o
the faith in the divine quality of the Bible
Beginning in germinal way" he says
simply with the Pentateuoh or the law o
Moses the idea. first Of Scripturalncss, and
aftcr that, OF divine inspiration, became gradu
ally attached by almost imperceptible degrees
during the long lapse OF ages to the entire Bib
llcai literature which we possess to-day As t
the New Testament while the Jesus OF the fou
gospels habitualy speaks and acts as q divin
messenger or revelator. the gospels themselve
will be searched in vain for any claim to be di
vinely inspired records OF his deeds or words
DR.. Bauvclt however, does not propose to don
that the Biblical literature contains inspire
elements. or even portions that profess TO be In
spired; he but vindcatcs the Judgment tina
the current conceptions OF divine inspire
tion are fundamentally at fault, and require
revision of the most revolutionary character.
In the fifth chapter OF his book DR.. Blauyc