National Republican., 1883-02-05
SUNDAY SERMONS.
Revelation and Rationalism, as Expoundod by
Rev. Dr.. s. X. Cox.
Rev. Dr.. Faunces Lecture on "The
Lands and the Men Of the Bible"
The Path Of The Just as Laid Out by the Rev.
DR.. Domcr.
Itev. DIR. BUcr Shows tito Necessity OF
Submission 10 Gods Wnl.
REVELATION AND RArioNALTsM.

Submission tO tOUs " "ui'
REVELATION AND RATlONALlSM'
A REPLY no REV. DIR. SAVAGE oN coNsTRUC-
TIVE RArtOSALIsM BY REV. DIR. cox.
Rcv. DR.. S. X. Cox, pastor of Mt. Vernon |
Place NJ f. church south, delivered dis |
course last evening in reply to one by Rev. NJ. |
J. Savage of Boston, at All Souls church, in |
this city, on Sunday morning week. The
doctor took for his text the same passago as
that selected by Rev. Mr., Savage with the
addition of another verse: "Whosc voice
then shook the carth but now he hath
promised, saying. yet once moro 1 snake not
the earth only, but also heaven; and this
word, vet once moro signiGeth the removing
of those things that are shaken as Of things
that arc made. that those things which cam
not be shaken may remain
Wherefore we, receiving kingdom which
cannot be moved, let us have grace wherebJ
we may servo God aCCcptubly, with reverence
and holy fear"
The doctor remarked at the outset that the
ADLER the advocate of any error the more dan
gerous il becomes The elOquonco OF the
speaker may hide the hurtluncs5 of his doc
trino, as a beautiful flower may conceal the
deadliest poison Sophistry, by the plausible
manner in which it is presented, may the
more readily be accepted for sound reasoning.
One of the most gifted apostles of the school
of modern thought (' advanced thought it
has been irrcgularly named, though in the
truest sense the school of retrograde thought
OH Sunday morning last, in one of our city
pulpits, gave uttCrance TO views 50 totally NJ
variance with the whole tenor and teachings
of the New TCstamCnt--sO directly antago-
nistic to all the essential aud fundamental
truths of the gospel, that the speaker said he
felt assured he would be excused for attcmpt-
ing to expose the iallacy of his positions
While recognizing his genius aud learning he
felt called upon in the strongest manner to
reprobatc and deny his creed.
lIc thought Mr.. Savage particularly un-
fortunate both in the selection of the portion
of scripture from which he had taken his
text, as well Us tho particular passage upon
which he based his discourse. He calls in
question the authenticity and authorship of
tho epistlcs TO the Hebrews although the
carly church assigned its proper place in the
cavern of scripture aud such of the fathers as
Clement. of Alexandria, and Orgen aScribed
IL to Paul-thc only difficulty being that
having been written by Paul for the Hebrews
in their own tongue. IL was translated by Luke
for the use of Others into Greek, who. by the
translation, impressed on it something of his
own style It's general characteristics, as well
as several personal illusions show that it must
have been written by PAUL, and yet Mr..
Savage makes it his authority for certain
ally contradicts. Its special effect is to set
forth the doctrine of an atoning Christ-thc
very doctrine which Mr.. Savage and those
who think with him are seeking to destroy.
Paul, by II comparison of the Old and
the New Testament economy, shows that
all ~ priesthoods and the sacrifces of the
Mos,ic law are abolished and antitypcd IN
Christ ms the one great high priest over the
house of God and as the one great sacrifice
for sin; and the passage which Mr. Savage
makes his text declares the permanence OF
this system of gospel truth. The voice which
"shook the Garth was the voice of God IN
giving the law; and when it is said, "Get
once more / shake not the earth only, but
also heaven" the reference sevidently meta
phorical and relates not only to the breaking
up of the idolatries of human invention ant
also the Mosaic system, which, though o
heaven, of divine appointment, was but TEN
porary and imperfect and removed to givt
way to n complete dispGnsation, which cOulC
Mevcr'be shaken or removed.
Mr.. Savage was pleased to designate hi
subject Constructive Rationalism." i
would be WELL said the doctor, to attend TO
definition of these terms. Rationalism is
technically speaking, that system of belle
which is derived from reason, Is sufficient o
itself, and, therefore, independent of revela
tion. 1t holds that truth is to be obtained
not by supernatural communication, but b,
processes of human inyestigatiOn-that 1t Il
not the Bible but the human mind that is in
spired and that everything contained in tn
Bible is to be subjected TO critical tests and +
the standard of human reason. Mr.. Savag
evidently uses the term constructive
apologetically, for he proceeds to tell u
how destructive rationalisn is; how it seek
to wipe out all the old beliefs of mankint
that have been rcigiOusly preserved an
cherished for ages md constructive only II
substituting in their stead system so slende
and shadowy so void of spiritual force, an
al .t..t A. INIin
offer but iuOcl;cry and an illusion IN plac
OF Il grand aud inspiring reality.
The doctor stated that the position assumed
by the ratiOnGi.stS was untcnablc; that 1t wa
impossible that all truth relating to the spil
itual, infinite and the invisible could be sui
iected TO the standards of human criticism
or be measured by the limitations of huma
reason. Not that any of the truths of III
Bible are contrary TO human nature, but SON
of them, hccauSc they deal with the mint
and with the subtle mysteries of the spiritui
life, are beyond reason. Christianity challeng'
investigation ii invites the closest scrutiny
but the reason of man is not TO sit in judl
mcnt upon the things of God, but to be subo
dinatcd to them, There is province
faith as well rs of reason; the former mu
accept the mysteries which the former ma
vainly seek to explore, This Is true in q
fields of physical research as we'll rs spiritua
The doctor here introduced several illustr
tions of this point
But, he added, we are willing to submit Il
two systems to rational criticism and con
parisOn. lie then tool, up the various poin
of rationalstc belief us set forth by the
chief cXponcnts in relation to God, and ma
and future life and contTsted with the
the orthodox tcncts Of the Christian fait
showing that the former commended theI
selves TO the Judgment and common sense
mankmd that Uhcy We're founded upon Il
universal religious instincts and intuitlons
humanity; that they accorded with the !
suits of human observation and cEpercnc
that they alone met the social and spirtu
needs of the race; that the former contain,
in them the clements Of permanence, the Ia
ter of decay.
THE PATH OF TIE JUST.
IT'S ILLUSTRATION BY REV. DIR. DoMER AT
PAUL's ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH,
Rev. DIR. DOmer preached to II very lar
congregation at st. Pauls English Luther
church, corner Eleventh and II streets mort