The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-09
THE LEGENDS OF THE BIBLE.
Mr. Beecher Again Treats of Them in
His Third Lecture on Evolution.
Verbal and Plenary Scriptural Inspiration
Strongly Denied-The Book Considered
Solely Human Record of Progress.
New York Special

and listen to the third discourse in Mr. Beecher's
series on evolution and the Bible Every nook
and corner in the church was occupied, and hun
dreds could not gain admission. Mr.. Beecher
took as his text III Timothy, iii, 1917: Every
Scripture inspired of God is also profitable for
teaching for reproof, for correction, for instruc
ton. which is in righteousness, that the man of
Cod may be complete furnished completely unto
every good work" This is the wording of the
revised version. 1t is significant fact that. as
given above, 1T is In more perfect accord with
Mr. Beechers views than the old text which
is as follows; "All Scripture is given by inspi-
ration of God and is profitable for doctrine for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in right
eousness that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works"
Mr. Beecher spoke as follows: II shall discuss
to-day the Bible and evolution. The sacred
Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments
have had and still justly have relation to the
highest moral consciousness and to the profound
est religious experiences of the best men, and
any endeavor to dethrone their influence would
be met by the resistance of everything that is
best in best men. The Divine revelation. inter
preted by evolution, will, in my Judgment, free
the sacred Scriptures from fictitious claims
made by men, from clouds of impossible concep
tons, and give to us the Book as clear, shining
light instead of an orb yelled by false claims
and worn out philosophers 1t may be said even
that the Bible has been held in captivity by a
false and unwarranted theory of inspiration
we'll nigh turns commentators into intellectual
dishonesty Assured as they are that the Bible
is the word of God, yet upon the old theory of
inspiration that word of God must be clung to
though it seem to run against the clearest reve-
lations of science; hence ingenuity and all
forms of dishonest reasonings for the sake of
maintaining what they believe truly to be the
word of God and truth from on
high is by syro gn0 6y the actual emn Ss9d
upon its external structure-above all, by max
ing the exterior framework and historical mech
anism of more Importance than the thing that
has been secured within the Scripture by means
of that mechanism. Without the trellis surely
the fruit of the vine could scarcely be much or
good; yet when the vine has, by the help of the
trellis, established itself and brought forth its
fruit the fruit and not the trelis is to be looked
upon. Clothes are needful to the human body,
bat rent in them though of some Importance,
is not a rent in the body and even q rent in the
body is not rent of the soul that is within the
body. The Bible has value, and its history a
certain value, but the bile has value in the
fruit of the Divine Spirit which gave it authority
and power without regard to questions of author
Ship OF date or structure. Much that may have
been needfui for it's evolution and production
ceases to be needful for our faith in it when it
has been produced. No wheat can grow without
the straw, but when the straw has brought it
forth, both straw and stubble perish The wheat
does not. 1t contains the germ of life in itself,
and there are thousand things which were en-
ployed in Gods providence in the development
of the truths of His word, which things are not
to be held on to- They arc at last become bark
and moss on the trunk, and not thing that is
helpful.
USES OF THE BIBLE.
'What is that fruit which makes the Bible the
tree of life to men, and makes it, or should make
it, dear to every Christian sou2 What is it,
looking at it in its larger light and spiritual inn
portl Before al! things the Bible is the book
xxht oh hoC~ ohn6@ 6nhs r~l,a
yet reached by the human consciousness. He is
the one and only Creator and sustainsr of the
universe which the mind ever conceived. The
universe has its unity and its harmony in Him
according to Scripture His being so far as
truth and disposition are concerned. can be
enough understood by men to make Him an
object of love and obedience; yet in conditions
as yet unreached by the human race, God so far
transcends our thought as to be unsearchable.
he is our known God, and our unknown and un-
searchable God; not in the same sense, but in
each sense separately to itself While all pagan
gods were nodded of passion. the Lord Jehovah
is set forth without stain. Rightly Interpreted,
even the outbursts of His so-caled fury are lot
passionate, selfish, revengeful. He is righteous,
and righteousness is the end sought by
His government for all mankind His
indignation at all that is despicahle
thunders through the world as storms
tender mercies surpass in expression all that is
known In the literature of love among men.
His long suffering patience, his eager forgive
ness, have no parallel in mankind Whatever
flaws may be picked by narrow and carping
criticism in regard to the ideal of the Supreme
Ruler OF the Universe as set forth in Scripture
cannot detract from the grandeur and adorable
ness of this character. This view pervades the
Bible. Its beginning was like rising light,
but it has unfolded, and like the sun shone
brighter and brighter to the perfect day. The
character Of God. as set forth in the Scriptures
of the Old and New Testament is at once a
marvel and theme of profound gratitude; and
that is one of the fruits of the Bible. Then the
Billie assumes the ignorance and sinfulness of
the human race. 1t deals with men universally
as weak, helpless, needing Divine guidance, but
capable OF development and of rising from the
animal plane to the sonship of God It gradually
assumes the true nature and condition of man
kind. Evolution throws light upon the reason
of this human condition and must supplant the
theories of scholastic theology on that subject:
bnt the view of the Scripture from beginning to
end-mans helplessnesS, mans sinfulness, mans
need OF divine generation-that view is I'M
changeable and conforms itself entirely and will
yet more and more strikingly. to the whole
theory of evolution. The Bible teaches the
motive force, and as the life of human life,
the light of human intelligence, and the inspira-
ton of whatever is good in human development
In Him we live and move, and have our being;
and this truth is the manspring-the universal
ty of Gods presence-is the cause of all activity
both in the material globe and in the intellectual
and moral development of the human kind.
THE IDEAL MANHOOD.
''The Bible gives the only ideal of manhood
known to men. Great qualities have been priced
by pagans, but there has never been in any
literature that 1 know of anything more than
dashes at the truth From the remotest and
darkest period there has come to us through
the Bible the truth that love is the organizing
center of human life that it has unfolded the
elements that flow from that sovereign quality
acting upon the faculties of men, and that
around about this organizing center men
can develop into beauty, symmetry, sweet
was scarcely hint in pagan literature. Nor
has this been without its commentary, in
the fact that there have in the last thousands of
years grown ur men into the stature and spirit
of Jesus Christ. approximately realizing this
otherwise ideal conception of what man can be-
come 1t is not, then. an ideal-this book. 1t is
q living book. shedding out rays of light and