National Republican., 1883-05-21

deeper insight into the motives OF human
conduct than thisY Tack up these precious
preeepts in your Office or store carry them
with you in your travels by sea or land bo-
come thoroughly imbued with their contents
and spirit, and you will surely become both
wise and good. Yet tho most ardent advO-
Gates of highly spiritualized Biblo inspira-
tion would find 1t difficult TO detect anything
else than sound worldly sense in this admi-
rable compilation.
Neither does this distinctively human side of
the Bible disappear when we enter the atmos-
phore of tho New Testament scripture. Spirit
ual teachings and spiritual motives undOubt-
edly have the predominence. The time has
ripened for the development of the perfect
man, unto the measure Of the stature of the
fulness of Christ. But the secular sanctions Of
religion are honored side by side with spiritual
motives. Paul declares that godliness has
promise of the life that now is," as well as
that which is to come" He does not forget
to admonish the Thessalonians to "study to
be quiet, to do their own business, and to
work with their own hands" Not fcw Of
these admonitions relate to good manners and
social etiquette, rs though Christianity were
not only the basis of heavenly hopes, but
also the proper foundation of good breeding
and honorable conduct. Now, this is purely
humanitarian teaching, addressed to human
nature, as you find IL to-day cXomplihed in
every human heart. And you will bo amazed
to find how much of Bible piety is made to
consist in the observance of those simple,
moral and humanitarian duties, which we,
with nineteenth century wisdom, are so ready
to trade of for ostentatious professions, liberal
contributions, and an irreproachable belief
We find another indication of the intense
humanity of the Bible in its perfect
adaptation to the understanding of common,
every day people, The Bible is not a
book of sanity rhapsody. nor meta
physical disquisition on priori pr nciples,
nor a treatise Oh theology, or geology, or any
other ology. 1t is n simple, straightforward
business hook, adapted to every one'sreading,
save in some of its poetic and prophetic
flights, which, like all poetizing and prophe-
swing, are somewhat incomprehensible. Yet,
no conception of scripture has been SO slow
to find lodgment in the minds of men as
this. You know that there are some people
of such secretive mystical and indirect
turn of mind that they can never take things
as they appear, or at their face value. They
are always Imagining that there is some-
thing behind, something intricate and mys-
tcrous in the simplest statements of fact,
and arc forever trying to wrest meaning
out of words Mt variance with the plain sense.
Tell them that their noses are in the middle
of their faces, and they straightway begin to
peck and screw around to sue if you don't
really mean they are slightly out Of the per-
pendicular.
Now tho Bible has suffered immcasurably
from people thus troubled with mental OBJ
liquity. They cannot imagine that the Bible
means what 1t says, but must read into its
simple face statements second, third, or
fourth hidden sense. Such were
origen aud the allegorical school of
the primitive church. Such were the
Cabalists of the dark ages, and Swedenborg
of more recent times. According to the
latter, the simple commandment, Thou
shalt not steal" means, in natural sense,
not to rob in spiritual sense, mot to deprive
others of the truths of their faith by hereti-
cal teaching;" in celestial sense, mot to
take away divine power from the Lord"
whatever that may mean. And when mysti-
cal interpretations went out of fashion, the
theological mind laid violent hands on the
sacred bxt, erecting huge structures OF dog
matte doctrine out of detached passages and
contested renderings, whose symmetry and
beauty was everywhere acknowledged, till
some one else built more magnificent pile
across the way, out OF tho same materials.
And after them came set of devout scientists,
making endless attempts to reconcile Scrip
ture statements with the discoveries of mod
ern science, by heroicly thrusting into the
words of Moses views and theories Of which
he was probably as innocent as new born
babe. Now, the truth Is, as remarked before,
being popular work, the Bible was never in
tematic theology. 1t is characterized by an
entire absence of abstruse speculation, and
technical phrascology.
It's the simplest truth expressed in the
plainest language, and mean s exactly what it
says, just as any other honestly written
volume. Its history is best understood when
read as other history; its poetry is most in
| spring and beautiful when studied as we
study other poetry its epistles are most in
structive when we peruse them as we do the
letters Of our own pious friends. Tho Bible
| is distinguished, not by its difference from
but likeness and affinity to the compositions
of uninspred men. In simplicity of state
ment, in directuess of aim, in purity Of style,
in its entire humanity of spirit it excells all
other human compositions, and only the in
tolerable stupidity of generations of pedantic
custodians could have kept the world so Ion g
regardless of these superlative human merits.
Aud this feature of the Bible is implied in
its very title Greek Biblia, " little books,
books designed for plain common people. 1t
is beautifully illustrated by its perfect adapta-
tion to translation. Nolanguage is so poverty
stricken in words and ideas that it cannot
convey the meanings of the sacred text.
But the most conclusive evidence Of all is
the place which the Bible occupies in the af-
fections of persons who, from want of cul-
turc, remain untainted by the persistent mis-
conceptions of the learned. People low down
in life, bearing heavy burdens OF misfortune,
are the ones who most use and get most out
of the Bible, People who are poor, unfortu'
nate, aud afflicted, cry out, 30, what u com
fort this blessed book is to me-" and press il
to their hearts with real affection. And its O
real, not fictitious regard. While we, who
are intelligent and scholarly, most of us are
not even acquainted with this book Of books
If honest confession were made, We have
little or no interest in it, We read chapter
at morning prayers, much us a person with
no appetite eats his breakfast, not with relish
but because u thing necessary to be got
through with before proceeding to business
We resort to 1t as magazine OF proof tests tC
support n favorite theory, or to hurl against
the heads of our theological adversaries. w,
mangle it, and tear it in pieces, and patch
them together again, to construct Calvan
istic, or Armenian, or Episcopal theory o.
church doctrine, and imagine We are pos
sessed of the contents aud imbued will
tho spirit of the Bible But you would no
think of tearing friends letter into littlC
bits and then piecing them together accord
ing to some preconceived theory, with th'
idea Of getting at the spirit, the affection, ant
the sympathy OF your friend. No, it's thu
united, harmonious whole that embodies thu
thought and soul of the writer, and this alon,
you value-detached fragments are only fl
for the waste basket So we plead for who'll
and undivided Bible, the human as well a
divine Bible, the poor mans rs well as thu
scholars Bible. Let us have the plain, simple
book, rid of ecclesiastical tinkerings anI
scholastic distortions, just as it came from thu
hands of the holy men of old. We love it be
cause IL is plain and simple and human, be
cause it savors of the soil, because 1t is on thu
dead level of ordinary life and eXperienCe