St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-11
THEOLOGICAL MYSTERIES.
Some Remarks in Relation to
CutGIefiIh Christianity.

Some Remarks in Relation to
CuttIeGIh Christianity.
Rev. Marion d. Shutter spoke at the
Church of the Redeemer yesterday
morning. He said:
There is curious fish called the cut
fetish, which secreteS an inky fluid.
When pursued by its enemies it throws
out this fluid upon the water. making
the waves around it so black that it.
escapes observation. There are cutie
fish III theology as well as in nature.
When closely pursued by reason they
make everything dark around them by
the word mystery" and take refuge in
that. 1t is sometimes said. Explain
the termination of grain of wheat and
will explain tie Trinity" In regard
to the doctrine of election, I'VE may not
know the reason of the divine decree
but we are sure that some good and Sufi
ticient reason is behind it, and we are
willing to leave this with God" Similar
remarks are made of the vicariOuS sac
rifice and endless punishment. ''Mys-
tery' is the last defense TOT every IRA
tiOnal doctrine that has veXed the his
tory of human thought. IN >
There are mysteries In the universe
and i'm religion; but the ones that are
most insisted upon in religion are pure
inventions of men. 1t is simply pre-
poSterous to attribute them to the in
finite intelligence. a'.Hf
First-There is a difference between
a fact of nature and a theological Specu7
latiOn. There is no analogy between
the termination of grain of wheat and
the doctrine of the Trinity. The one we
know to be a fact; the other we as
surely know to be a fancy. We can go
back to the origin of the doctrine of the
trinity and show how 10y centuries of
violence it was Imposed upon the human
understanding.
Second-There is difference between
a mystery that tranScendS the intelll-
gence and doctrine that insults it. l
do not object to the Trinity because it is
mysterious. but because it is absurd.
The vicarious sacrifice which teaches
that God treated as guilty one who was
innocent; and that the righteousness of
some one else avails for the sinner-is
not mysterious, but strikes at the 70 I'M
datiOn of all moral responsibility. The
doctrine of election is not mysterious,
but partial and unjust. The notion of
endless punishment is not mysterious,
but diabOlical.
Third--Nothing which contradicts the
principles of morality in us ever enl-
anated from God: and cannot be shielded
by the word mystery" Take this
principle into your Interpretation of the
Bible; and wherever you find that
which comes IN conflict it must be
referred to the writer's and the times and
not to God. He Who said thou shalt
not kill" never ordered a massacre.
He who said Thou shalt not bear false
witness" never sent an evil spirit to
deceive Saul. He who said that "he
had no pleasure in the death of the
wicked'' never hardened Pharoah's
heart. Such passages must be referred
to the inferior notions of morality that
prevailed I'm earlier stages of Israel's
history. If there be one thing to which
we can cling with certainty, it is that
real morality in its essence is the same
in God that it is in man!
Fourth-In the essentials of religion
there is no mystery IN its practical part.
If Christ come to earth again it would
be to enforce the great lesson that he
taught at first: Mot he that sayeth
Lord, Lord; but he that dopth my
Fathers will shall enter into the king
DOM"