New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-30
PREACHERS WORTH HEARING
XXXIU
DIR A. ]. F. BEHRENDS. OF BRookLfN'
XVIII.
. succEssFUL PAsToRATE in THE THE. On ,r,
cIpIsTIAN SHOULD STUDY HIS

RI Is
~hrsnas serves 40 faithfully organized In 1855 W
a., building was erected in ormond place by H. L.
coot at cost OF se7 600, doubtless 10 enhance VI.
,po OF the owners large real estate m'ei.ss
q, the vicinity" having also wcn-eohsiueie" roe
a.. ro,al and social influence upon the community OF
- {, was by and by 10 become the centre Inc
asent building In Hancock'st, between Beoloru "iu
rrln ayes was built in 1872 costing with inc o's,
Ian and furniture s116,15o 1t has seating capacity
sso and its nearly 400 pews are all renteo inc IN
-. he,nr over $4,000 The Sunday school building
a,o,rinr the church. cost over $4,000. -
Tho Central Church has a membership OF over LooV,
. ,,o largo congregations seen Mayor Chapin Da1u
=, c,one Editor Of The Journal OF Commerce Dr'
n perkins principal OF the Adelphi ACADEMY; super
=. ouintsrd tho Rev. Dr. J. Glentworth Butter 1onp
7, Cook John f. Anderson, E. H. Tramp hooer' ~
p,roe,ct j. S. Pummcr, w G. Hoople John ~ |u''ei
- rtomas H. McGrath When Dr. Bshrenos assumed
s"u .,~-o,a on March L 1888, there 1872 mem
m last year 152 persons were admitted to member
.hn In tho Sunday school. OF when W. u heueiu 70
re,n,sudent there are 2,400 scholars ana omcers
Ther, IS also a vigorous Young Peoples Association III
,ho church with 400 members, besides several o'ne'
,oravoI,nt organizations. large and nourishing nus
sion the Bethesda Chapel, in Esphave'' Is houseu ~
beautiful chapel costing $4,000. us Suhu'S syn =,
surcrintended by George A. Bell, has an ehroinei' VI
LOO. -. - Chi
Dr. Bchrends succeeded DR.. Scudder, who went 70 .i
caro and later Japan. lie was born IN ho'lS"u -
1882 but came this country when chho. hv 'Cao
psntist church in 1853 and accepted call 10 inc p"P
, church in Yonkcrs in 1866 after his gadudVoh
from the Rochester Seminary. His second pas'orao We
in Cleveland. Ohio where his views upon cnnreya
changed and he accepted call TO the Union Conk re
tiona Church. in Providence where ne laoorou io ''
years before no came TO Brooklyn. ,,Dx,
THE TRUE METHOD OF BIBLE STUD.
Or. Behrends preached yesterday morning from TINS
,ox These were more noble than those In Ihesaohics
IN that they received the Word with all resumes
mind and searched the Scriptures daily wheuer uoSe
th,nrs were So" In his sermon he SAID
The noble-mnded man is here described as DeiiS ~
sgcp He dooS mt
s,.oort He does not claim infalliblity. lie is wiihs
10 learn from any enc, and il ready to dea alrH Win @
new doctrine But while he holds the scare Will , his
90, hands he has his weights by reference to when MS
judgments are determined. He has his tests by wnlcn no
distinguishes the metal from its limitations nc aoo
not bankrupt himself at every adVenturers oiuubS
Az, things In regard which he refuses to be drawn Vo
debate lie is Of them and by them 10 tehs .o
novelties that he is believe To act on any other
principc would ali progress in knowledge inposo,
and introduce reign OF an eternal moral ehaoS - o
that the way in which we proceed in science anu mi
on7 The toilers in departments constitute gu
hudnr on each others achievements carefully preserNk
and guarding each slightest advance Ihere Is HasU
smount Of thought that consolidate INTO
our submarine cables and into our bridges OF sVee
new is eyermore dovetaied into the old II IL Only com
mon sense applied to religion to follow tne sae run
Coa has nj no time left Himself without witness his
and principles Of His government are not
modem discovery Even whore the Bible has not oeen
known the stars lighted the way to His throne ana
conscIence has interpreted His judgments The uaglc
poetry OF Greece full OF the soundest Orthodoxy On
10 bedrock OF natural religion the Bible builds as
sumnr tic existence the omnipotence the hoihe's OF
God the spirituality and immortality OF the human sou
and the universal reign Of moral law Ana though tele
be two sections Christians Bible separated DIV -FOUR
hundred wears they are Dsepaabe the trunk and
the roots OF tree. Bereans were right Ihey were
open conviction, but they had Bible IN ther hanus
and even Paul prove that his new ana sarhR mes
sage about Christ hamonlzed with The older iCNe
atlon And so they searched the Scriptures day bring
ing 10th patience and critical sagaclS 1heS
avoided both Fupernclality and hastness. 49, - =
am speaking to those who receive the Bioe as tne
Word Of God. example is the only safe ana
sensible one 10 follow Stick your Bible It's great
roots are thousands OF years DID, and there Is no u ROY
IN them There is safety ooneath its wde-spreadlng
branches Take no mans word what is Gods truth
but INQUIRE for yourself the living holy oIacles Here
AZ. the sources safeguards Of the chuchs docrnal
soundness strength let the pulpit look into the eyes
Of men who search the Scriptures daily ...
nut that raises at moe the whole problem Of inerpreta
Non A good deal depends upon how man reads MS
nbe The Sunday teacher tho private Christian
no less than ordained minister or the theological pro
lessor noed TO be consistent in the use OF his
methods No book been so abused ana that ny good
men, as the Bible and It's survival Is proof Oh S
remarkable vitaty. II has been mace tne spor1 Vi s
gorists who have reveed In the double, Triple anu e'1
forrfcd meanings which they have discovered in It, IL
has been used arsenal OF dslolnted pfoettcAtS
Nrenched from place and indiscrimnatey seiece1 10
snnor definite theological system that tho Cavinist
and the Arnnsn abused each Other and the unOe
eyar has laughed at them both 1t has taken two hun
ored years Of and earnest battle 70 esao "nas
never should for moment haYo boon questioned thst
Gods thought in Bible be discovered only by the
most careful attention the language In which IL Is
elobed and by constant regard the time in which and
the man by and the for which that
used.
The question is still perplexing readers
Shall read my Bible as Divine human bookf Is
the doctrine Of its inspiration preliminary assumption
for It's interpretation To this may reply hrst
that conceivable theory that OF
inspiration verbal dctaOn the thought OF Goa Is eX-
pressed language In words that have definite
grammatical historical and national stamp; ana only
through these words the creative and inspired though.
be reached For there IL alternatve we must pas
from the human to the divine Our intuitons and our
spiritual elevations will deliver from the drudgery
OF using grsmnars 'CXcons- We must use our
hammers with skill get the sweet unbroken
kernel We ignore propositions and coniunctions ana
and moods and lenses and iOms at peril There
no kind OF panstang labor from which we can be eA
cused In the study OF the Bible which we do not think OF
avoiding when read Aristotle Goethe Shakespeare
So that the question involves nothing practical for the
the Interpreters the eN8et meaning Of the human
words is the portal for to the exact thought Of God
But there is second this question. We are
not at liberty to make priori definition Of inspiration
Such d0gmatsm Is impe,t thence and irreverenco The
impact Of soul upon soul dehcs our metaphysics; how
much the impact OF God upon man! We must fol-
low here the path OF induction our Interpretation OF the
Bible precede and determine doctrine OF its orr
gin and the methods Of its appearance The doctrine OF
Inspiration must be last word about the Bible and not
first What Ia meant by It, the limitations under
which wrought and the ends which 1t sought TO
pish only be determined by careful and cOmpre
hensve study OF the Book ITSELF
HOW TO INTERPRET THE SCRIPTURES.
Are we then to interpret tie Bible as we do ordinary
boOk7 That question admits OF categorical reply.
Yes and No. For while there universal
Of criticism there is also general OF nterpeta
ton which assumes an indefinite number Of The
principle have in mind Is this given writing
can DO successfully interpreted only by him who in full
sympathy with the authors mental He must look
through the writer's eyes lie mUst familiar with his
language and with his OF language with the con
illusions which he aims establish. Every book must he
read amorc," under the light cf sympathy The in
terpreter Of Aristotle be philosopher OF Homer
poet Of Demosthenes, orator the
CAL the poetic the oratorcal temperament must be present
and operative The partisan Of Aeschines WIFI not ii
Justice 10 Demosthcness Grafton tie Grown. Tn,
NJ vTIu bH in hts
toue. The farmer mechanic is not the Judge
Raphael and Murillo. Now the Bible has peryasiv
atmosphere. Its strike you as you ope
volume just the salt air Of the nhsed on
before you stand the beach. And the temper tlr
Bible is profoundly moral II speaks 10 the conscience
righteousness is its great word Sin and salvation
Its themes Only the TO whom his sin is his sham.
who longs be delivered from It, who hungers and thirst
after righteousness read the Scriptures Alright onl
ha md ma by hny ma.