The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-07-06

trlumpfhntly 1aCeu hOme a. inc
world, was 'Jesns and the Resurrec-
tom" and this involves all the rest.
1t is fact which cannot he assailed
without assailing the foundations of all
history and all testimony.
And yet the two parties of belief and
unbelief stand confronting each other,
as they have confronted, ever since the
expulsion from Eden and the nrst re-
je;ted sacrifice; and will confront
-"Till one greater man
Restore us and regain the blissful seat "
And, further, unbelief has its own
COMMISSIONS aud contradictions. Doubt
constructs nothing, cassfies nothing,
harmonizes nothing. 1t disintegrates,
but cannot restore to unity. What it
takes apart it cannot put together. 1t
can never satisfy the truth-seekiug
soul.
But while there is so much conflict,
there is also progress. Truth is gain
ing ground, never to be lost again. Its
conquests are slow, but sure; and the
dav will finally be won.
We pass, filthy, to the Religious
and Theological world, where we might
hope to find a creation at rest. Its
truth was announced as good tidinys
of great joy which should be unto all
people. The angel choir sang "peace
on earth, good will toward men,"
But, in apparent contradiction to
this, he himself said: IL came not to
bring peace, but a sword"
The one representation gives us the
ideal of the perfected work; the other
the process through which it is to be
obtained. The church has been torn
not only bv fierce prosecutions from
without. but by dissensi ms from with
in. One cannot think of church history
without recalling the Arians, The Sa.
bellians, the Donatists, the lconnclssts,
Catholicism, Professionalism, Calvinism.
Arminianistn and many other terms
designating much grooming and travail.
ing in pain within the church.
Nor has our own aye escaped the sad
Inheritance SO long transmitted from
age to age. All the grounds of our
Christian faith are being examined
anew. The Holy Scriptures are thrown
into the SETTLING cauldron of religious
controv The main attack just
now is against the received theory of
the Pentateuch, but involving the au.
thority, and the place in the church,
of the divine word. AS the new theory
implies the dish nesty of the sacred
writers, attributing to them Intentional
fraud tor pOus purposes, its advocates
must give up the Bible of our fathers
as the "Hnly Bib'e.' They ought in
all honesty TO carry out their theory
and boldly 'e-naine it, "The Pious
Fraud Bible"
And with regard to The doctrines of
our faith we have many divisions,
bringing forward live issues and agita-
ting many minds and hearts-"Tradi-
tional Theology" and Advanced
Thought" or 1.-The New Movement"
BY the former term is meant that
theology which has been formulated
from Scripture truth as of supreme
authority and has received the appro-
baton of the ayes in all evangelical
churches.
The latter is too indefinite to be &C
curately described. 1t rejects the past
rs of little or nd authority. 1t seeks
in Christian ns;iousness the true
meaning of the cripiures. Its true
81 gniiicance is not To be found OH the
printed page. 1t is not objective, but
subjective; and every man must make
Bible for himself in his own exper-
fence.
The Bible has been tried so long in
the crucible OF unfriendly criticism that
any new elements thrown i, only
make the final result more pure.
Many other topics present them
selves, but have suggested enough to
illustrate the great feature of our aye -
a grooming restlessness, desire tor
something not yet attained. a forgetting
f the things which are behind and n
stretching forth to those that are be-
lore. There is breaking-up of the
elements for better organization.
Even hea' hcnism and NJ ,hammedan.
ism feel the quickened lhrobs of the
worlds heart and are apprehensive of
coming revolutions.
What shall we say, then, to this
troubled creation of which we our
selves are part?
Let us reply that true dignity and