New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-25
CURRENT RELIGIOUS OPINION

Mr. C. H. Toy Professor of Hebrew in Harvard
University. has prepared Primer" whiuh Is not
the old new England Primer by several leagues OF
difference. It Is published by tho Unitarian sum
day-schOO Society, and DR.. X. T. Stebblns,
Unitarian divine. has reviewed IT. and pronounces
IL 80 full of "obyious MISTAKES that its chief use.
as he thinks must bo " to DO n warning and guide
tu one who shall take up the composition OF another
book of the same kind" Tho Primer IL an AT
tempt TO low down 10 the comprehension OF chit
drcn of Twelve Years aud upward the results OF
tho Higher Criticism" as given by It's most ad-
yanccd advocates. DR.. Stebbns objects that Pro-
lessor Toy calls the supreme Beng lahWo -"
name children never heard and which sounds To
them as barbaIous "a the name OF an OJlDWay.
lilo objects ~ To the teaching that II IL almost
tain that Moses did not write tho ten command
ments" lie objects l3l to the dictum that 1t was
not at Mount Sinai that God gave Israel It's law;
IIe objects (ll To the statement that ELckiel ana
Ezra we're the principal compilors and composers oil
the Pontateuch and gives IT blunt denial ny saw
ing thai there is not n line OF historic evidence
that Ezra wrote % word of tho Pentateuch" Emu
mel atng TINS a number ofobcctions, he draws TO y
conclusion 10y saying that there ought TO be friner
of the Old Testament, but objects to gong TO an
other denomination for an author oil the l'riiher,
the other denomination being tho Baptist, OF which
IL is understood Professor 10y Is .stlII private
mumber.-l The Presby terisn
In looking over the last number OF The Observer
WI were agreeably surprised by the number OF ro-
yiyals of religion mentioned. From fifteen 10
twenty we're recorded with reported accesslons TO
the church o. ten more, TO one hundred. We
the increase of .o,iyals IN many parts OF the
country While there no general outpourlng OF
tho holy Spirlb IL 10 certain that there Is marked
addition &c the number of these awakenings some
OF these reviyas have been IN progress Tor several
months past, but most of them have followed ne
Week Of Prayer. TIE fact ought to DC stimnIrs
and announcement II any people have iallen
into the HABIT OF thinking that the day TOT IovVsS
has passed. and that wo arc not TO expect tho
church to he advanced by their agency, let theii
remcmbsr that thsy must be revived II they are
now cold and lfeoss. Once revived again In
answer to PRAYER by all means let them stay SO II
pussible and never lose their warmth ana me-
bnt what they need now, for themselves and the
church isa revival. Awake thou that sleepcst,
and arise from the dead" II IL time To awake oub
of sleep."-ITne New-York Observer
A large share of the objections to what is called
dogmatic theology are verbal bubbles, which
lose all their force when hears those doctrines
preached with the oratOrical ervor of genuine oei-
ing These forms OF thought have been full enough
OF meaning to move the world. IL Is because our
experience is 81 narrow and shallow that we ue1
maud less clear aud comprehensive statemonto vi
doctrine. The task before oil tins goheiat.oh 10
not TO bring our dOctIinal statements down 10 .po
level of the experience OF worldly-mlhdeu age,
bat TO 50 preach eternal truths that the experiences
Of tho shall be brought up to tue lever vi INC
| old tormulaL-l The Advance.