San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-09
THE BIBLE.

HIne SOO(i ooONo CO We " oN''N' 'N''S
Other Piece of Literature"
From the Brooklyn Eagle,
Itseems difficult to resist the liberal
drift even in the most conservative
theological regions. There are al
ways advanced thinkers, men dis
satisfied with the situation, come
cutters" anxious to reject traditional
views and defined doctrins. These
skirmisherS on the outposts, bright
and earnest and interesting as they
are, ar not apt to be seriously regard
ed. The Chadwicks and Savages are
not the real signs of the times. The
significant movements are those OF
men of different temper and with
other training. When the world
hears of the "higher criticism in so
orthodox an atmosphere as that OF
Chautauoua, and when sturdy, old
fashioned Yale sends out the critics,
the world pricks up its ears. 1t seems
to be a fact that DR.. William r. Har-
per, of that ancient and honOred seat
of learning, has been teaching the
pupils or the summer schools in the
lake country that they need no longer
regard the Bible as sacred ana con-
elusive volume, inquiring only into
they are at liberty to investigate its
origin, authorship and comparative
value, considering it in much the
same way as the last hook of history
or biography published in New York
from a pirated London copy. His
lectures are not at hand, but their
quality and purpose have not been
misstated above. Judging from the
reported remarks of the Rev. DR.. Ly-
man Abbott. He said to Tribune
correspondent on Saturday that Prot.
Harper is lone of the best Hebraic
scholars in the country and one of the
best teachers" that he long ago
"cut loose from the old system of
treating the Bible as one book" and
insists that cit must be analysed and
investigated just as we should ana
lyze and investigate any other piece
of literature.n To show that his
commentator of the professor did
not relate merely to his intellectual
capacity and accomplishments DIR.
Abbott added: II consider him ell
tirely in the right"
IT is not intended to reaffirm or con-
tradict what those learned men say.
That is q matter for theological eX-
perts to decide. No doubt DR.. Harper
is an able and accomplished man.
Certainly DIR. Abbott is. But there
can be no improperly in stating what
these concessions seems to involve.
The place which the Bible has held
in the minds of members of the
Christian Church; or those who for
mally accept or silently acquiesce in
it's doctrines, is too familiar to need
20 ha fnrfh nr hhnft in6inaf QS
it sufficiently by contrast. He says
we must approach the Bible as we
would "any other piece of literature
This has not been the attitude or
any denomination of Christians-at
least up to the time of the present
generation. There has been endless
and clauses and sentences and passa-
ges. But the disputants have agreed
that if the meaning should be once
settled beyond peradventure there
would be an end of controversy. This
is true not only of the great divisions
of the Church, but also of the minor
branches. TheUnitarians as well as the
Methodists, the Universalists no less
than the Presbyterians-at all events
the Unitarians and Universalists of
an earliar day-have so thought. The
so-called Liberals have rejected points
of the historic creed on the strength
of their Interpretation of particular
texts in the same Bible and they
have asserted with equal force and
warmth that the Bible settled the
matter. So that within the easy re-
collection of men whose hair is not
yet gray religious believers have not
treated the Bible as freely as 'any
other piece of literature" The radi-
cal difference in its position and claim
and influence marks as conveniently
as need be the line between the ortho-
dox person and the nationalist.
If now the situation is changed, if
we are to handle the Bible as we
would "any other piece of literature"
what inevitably follows? Why, simp-
ly that we shall reject or accept its
statements according to our own rea-
son and experience. When Mr.. Hag-
gard tells us one of his marvellous
stories, while we admire his skill in
narration and are conscious of live
do not entertain for a moment as
possibly true his description of super
natural occurrence or events cut of
the common course of things. Nor
is this absolute criticism applied only
to avOwed works of fiction. If the
most trustworthy historian should
tell US to-day that something mira
culOus, or inconsistent with our eX-
perience of the laws of nature hap
na,ad IN, tho savpnteanth cen tlrV in