Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-25
NEWTON'S APOLOGY.
A Criticism by Western Newspaper on
the Sermons on the Right and
Wrong Use OF
The Bible-The Contrast Furnished by
Canon Farrar in His Sermon on
the Divine Message.

The Rev. DIR. Z. Heber Newton, of ALL
souls Episcopal church, New York, has
,een compelled to publish 3 carefully pre-
pared defense OF his views on the inspir alton,
II rather non-inspiration, of the Scriptures.
It appears in the Christian Union. The Chi
ago Ne1s, commenting on this, says: at Is
not only a curious aud original production,
bat makes admissions which must prove
most damaging 10 a clergyman OF one OF the
most conservative of the Protestant Chris-
tian dsnomin ATOMS 1t had been charged
sgainst DIR. Newton that, instead of treating
The Scriptures as the inspired word of God,
aud the absolutely true and Interchangeable
source Of religion, he discussed and criu-
cised them very 20 sch as a scholar might the /
te KITS of Homer or Virgil, Thucydides or Livy, |
or as The sacred writings of India are exam
ined by tine Western philosophical student. |
To this charge DR.. Newton-for clergyman
chosen TO expound the doctrines OF Chris |
tianity as taught by church which con- |
sidsrs ITSELF in the direct line of apostolic |
succession, and consequently deputed and
directed by Christ Himself to presch His
gospel 10 sail the world"-makes a most
extraordinary reply. He says in its very
outset:
The series of seven sermons Just concluded upon
the Bible was planned solely with reference to
CATION; which, theologicslly, may be described in
the language Of the prayer BOOK as composed OF
''ail sorts and conditions OF men" consrega-
ton composed to q considerable proportion of
Independent minded Protestants of as-orthodox
free Ieligionists and agnostics-might naturally
need pdbuium which TO the more conservative
would be noxious indeed.
Now is this the sort OF preaching Of the
gospel which Christ commanded? Were
the apostles directed TO preach 20 every in-
/ ali
morals a mental pdbulum not gagged by the
truth itself, but colored by the preconceived
idess and prejudices of their hearers? II
they were, there were little need for Paul TO
sight with beasts al Ephesus," or for any
of the early Christian saints and martyrs to
render up the testimony of their lives 10
that gospel. The very meaning OF the word
gospel, which signifies the story or history OF
God, makes it the actual continent or sum-
mary Of the entire dogma OF Christianity.
But this dogma can by no possibility be OF
such an elastic ch aracter thai, when preached
in Jewish synsgogue, Turkish mosque,
to each of these particular faiths
Much less can it be accommodated to
the Felix Adler agnostic, or no-faith-at-all
school. 1t must have its limits, a
triangle or square its sides and a cube its
surfaces. Ia all religions, and, indeed, in
all PHILOSOPHERS, faith or dogma must be
first in point OF time. Though the ethical
portion OF any system may be the end al
which it aims, it must succeea the dogmat-
ical or theoretical. At the same time, The
dogma or faith OF any system must have its
! defnsble limits, which are its laws and its
Limitations, ard through the reasonable
statement OF which il makes itself NANTES,
to the world. 1t is COUNTLESS in this sense
that the word "made flesh" bodied forth or
pr. ssnted tangible personal limits TO the,
| until then 10 the world underlined and I'M
d, fl liable glory of the Father.
Dr. Newton's confession and avoidsnce in
| the Christian Union is lame and impotent
| when il comes to treat OF the inspiration oil
I the Scriptures. His statement is that, "be
| coming persuad AIDED that the Bible wss cessing
| 10 be used az OF old, il seemed 10 him time G
| try 10 save for his people a sense OF its real
spiritual power by delivering hem from the
intellectual perplexity in which the minds
! of many appeared 10 be Stumbling"
But II there is no more authority back o.
| the tru'hs Of the Bible than there is behinC
the texts of Homer or Virgil, Thucydides OIL
Livy, or the sacred writings OF 1ndia, wherein
consists their "resl spiritual power" Prof
Adler admits that there is power in III,
Bibles "ethical ,ruths;" but he also say
there is such power in the ethical truths" o
any great work.
Does D.. Newton hold to Prof. Adler
theory, or TO that Of his Church, which say
that it Is Gods word, or good history, to man
We judge from his apology that he holds Il
| Prof Adier's, for he SAYS that he does no
hold TO the popular notion of the Bible as
book OF which God is the author, or, as tn,
minister confession says, "a book lie
down from the skies, all of piece, the worl
Of God and bearing His imprimatur; an au
lhority orscular and infsllible on all point
of which it treated" He adds that "thi
theory had never been authenticated by tn,
voice of the Church general, through he
councils; that 1t was not claimed by hoi,
Scripture for ITSELF that it was 10 be traced
in its growth In the Jewish aud Christian
mind and accounted for on natural grounds
Whatever may be said of this travesty O
the dec riue OF inspiration "a held by por
ton OF the Protestant Christian Church, ant
which DIR. Newton holds up as representa-!
the general Christian idea OF inspiration
outside Of the Anglican Church, it is certail
that his ideas OF the inspiration of the Scrip
lures are not held even by The most liberia
or so-cslled "Broad Church" representative
in the Anglican organization. Thus = lat
New York Mad and Express, 10 contrast will
DR.. Newlon's nega,ions and indecisive gene
ralilies, quotes from a recent sermon @
Canon Farrar, delivered in Westminster All
hey. Canon Farrar is one OF the mos
learned and liberal priests OF the Anglican
Church. The canon is dealing with tn
divine message in st. Johns gospel. Ii
says:
1t might, then, have been imagined that III
three gospels had exhausted all the possible a
poets of the life Of our Lord. 1t might be asked
| what remains? One infinite thing rsmains-ete
nifty, the wants of the spiritual reason; and
| John drops the great keystone into the soarin
| arch OF Christian revelation when he represent
Christ, neither as Messiah only nor King only, nc
| even savior only, but as the incarnate Word; &
Christ the life and light of men, the pre-existel
| aud eternal Son OF God: not only as the Sou {
man who assembled into heaven, but as the Son @
God who descended from heaven to save an
sanctify the word. The whole circle of gosp,
| revelation is. as 1t were rounded into a f4wle
symbol of eternity when st. John tells us that ii
| the beginning was the Word, and the Word WI
| with God, and the Word was God," land tn
, | Word was made flesh and dwelt among u.s. and "
beheld His glory the glory as OF the only begotte
of the Father, full of grace and truth"
Such sermon a. that from which th
, above excerpt is taken most certainly woul
! not meet the needs of congregation con
! posed, to a considerable proportion, of ind'
, pendent. minded Protestanis, from Swed I
borgians who believe IN the absolute divinit
of Christ and the plenary inspiration of tt
Scriptures, 10 sguostIcs who believe in ueith'
and in nothing. Nevertheless, it is Just sue
, sermon ss Paul preached before Feslu
E and for which many martyr laid down h
s lite as a testimony 10 that word which ID
Newton is just now engaged in attempting
destroy.