The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-06
ORTHODOXY.
Rev, Dr.. Talmage's Sunday Sermon,
The Fog Of Advanced Thought"
In Biblical Interpretation.
How The Bible Has Withstood the
Onslaughts of UnbelieE
The Splendors OF the Christian Or
thodox Death-Beds.
THE Spectacular Imbecility Into Which
Mon Rush When They Attempt
to Chop Up the Script
ures,"
Special Dispatch to The Appeal

Special Dispatch 10 The Appeal
CnAurNuQuA, Now York, August s.
The Rev T. Dewitt Talmagc, ID, of
Brooklyn, is present for the twelfth time
at the national meeting OF religious cduca-
tons and students held yearly in this place
His sermon to-day, which was delivered
to an audience imposing in numbers and
intelligence, was from ihc following text,
in the book OF jeremiah, vi, 10
ASK for the old paths where Is the good
way, and walk therein, and yc shall find
rest for your souls" aud answered the
question. sis Orthodoxy Stale and I'm
reasonable" Following is u verbatim
report Of il:
A great London fog has como down upon
some Of the ministers and some OF the
churches in the shape Of what is called
advanced thought in the Biblical inter
probation. All OF them, aud without any
exception, deny the full inspiration OF the
Bible. Genesis is an allcgory, and there
are many myths in the Bible, and they
philosophizc and guess and reason aud
cvolutc until they land in great CONT
ncnt Of mud, from which, fear, for all
eternity they will not be able to extrcate
themselves.
The Bible is not only diyincly inspired,
but it is diyncly protected in its present
shape. You could as easily, without de-
lection, take from tho writings Of Shakes.
pcarc's Hamlet" and institute in place
thereof Alexander Smiths drama, IN ut
any time during the last 1900 years u
man could have made any important
change in the Bible without immediate
detection. II there had been an element
Of weakness, or Of deception, or OF disin-
tcgraton, the Book would long
ago have fallen TO pieces. II there
had been one loose brick or
cracked easement in this casiellatcd truth,
surely the bombarlmout OF eight centuries
would have discovered and broken
through that improvisation. The fact thai
the Bible stands intact, notwithstanding.
all the furious assaults n all sides OF IL, u
proof to me that II is miracle, and ever,
| miraclei is Of God.
"But," SAYS some one, "wlilc we admit
| the Bible is OF God, Il has not been under
stood until our time" My answer il that
| ii the Bible be letter from God, our
| Father 10 man, his child. Is IL not strange
that that letter should have been written
in such way that Il should allow seventy
generations 10 pass away and be buried 10.
| fore the letter could be understood That
would be a very bright father who should
write n letter for the guidance and intclli
| gCncc OF his children, not Understandable
| until 1000 years after they were buried
| aud forgotten. While ~ the years roll on
| other beauties and cNecllcncics will un'
! fold from the Scriptures, that the Bible II
such n dead failure that nll the Christian
/ scholars for 500 YEAR were deceived la
regard to vast reaches Of is meaning, IL d
demand upon my crcdulity No great that II
/ found myself at all disposed 20 yield Il
| Il | should tomorrow morning apply al
some insane asylum ~ unfit 10 20 alone.
! Who make up this precious group OI
advanced thinkers TO whom God has mad,
especial revelation IN our time Of that
which lac tried TO make known thousand.
Of ycan ago and failed 20 make intclliu
blc2 Are they 50 distinguished for IN
| worldliucss, piCty and scholarship that I
! ~ W W. hAIHAAiAA NNtN ivy NNhih nav
been chosen 10 fix up the defective worl
Of Moses and Isaiah and Pau
| and Christi il II at all possible
| wonder on what mountain thcs,
modern cxcgctcs were transigurcd2
wonder what star pointed down 10 thci
birthplace? Was Il the north star, OF III,
evening star, OF the dippOR As they cam,
I through aud descended n our world did
l A. a. az
When find these modern wiscncrcs nj
tempting 10 improve upon the work Of th'
Almighty and 90 inteflafd II with thei
wisdom and TO suggest prophetic and apes
tolic cruta, ! am filled with a disgust In
suncmblc. Advanced thought, whicl
proposes 10 tell the lofd what lac ought q
have said thousands u ycars age an,
would have said II he bad been m wise ~
his nineteenth century critics. All thi
comes Of living away back In the otcrnitic
instead Of 1883. | have two wonders II
regard 10 these men. Tie iirt one j. ho'
the Lord got along without them bcion
thoy were born, The second wonder
how the Lord viii get along without then
after they are dead.
But say some, I'D YOU really thin
the Scriptures are implrud throughout
Yes; either ~ historyor as guidance. Git
bon aud Joscphus am Prescott record 4
their histories a great many things the
did not approve Of. When George lan
croft puts upon his brilliant historical pag
the account Of an lndipn massacre, does u
] approve Of that massacre There arc score
J oil things In the Ublc which neither 60
nor inspired men sanctioned. Either q
, history or ~ guidance tue entire Bible wa
} inspired Of God.
But" says SOM one, don't 20
think the copyist might have made mn
takes In transferring the divine WORD
from one manuscript 10 anoiheri' le
. no doubt there were such mistakes; bt
= they no moro affect he meaning OF tl
4 Scriptures than the mispclling OF wor
|. or the tngrammatical structure OF soI
}. tcnco In last will or testament Affect VI
0 validity or the meaning Ol Wat Will a
g the mistakes made by The copyisls In I'll
. Scriptures do not amount 10 any more IN
p0rtanco than the difference betwco
your spelling In document The wor
, forty, forty or fourty This book ~ u
u last will aud testament ri God 10 our 10
o world, aud II bequcalhs everything ~ u
Il right way, although human hands ma
IT have damaged the grammar VI made al
M | Unsuitable Interpolation