The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-04
|SOME SUNDAY THOUGHTS.
Bishop Vincent, Of Chatauqua Fame,
Delivers Two Interesting
Addresses.
He Speaks Of Things Hard to be
Understood" and General
Culture.
Tho 7. II. G. Away It II . Nscesar1
and Useful Organization In the De-
velopment Of Manhood.

The st. Paurs NJ. e. church was last
night crowded to its utmost capacity by an
audience that attentively listened to Bishop
J. 81. Vincent az no eloquently discoursed
from the text. "Some Things Hard. to be
Understood" found In ID Peter, Sd chapter,
10th verse. The preacher referred to the
fact that Peter in these words speaks in an
almost complaining tone Of the difficulty to
be found in understanding some Of Paurs
writings. That there are many things in the
Bible that cannot be comprehended by the
careless reader must necessarily follow from
tho fact that it is book from an infinite
God. II il the oldest book in the universe,
written originally in Hebrew, Caldee and
Syriac. It required more than 1900 years
to produce it. Its themes are God and
eternity, that from their very nature must
have much that finite intelligence cannot
grasp. The Scriptures deal with truth,
with soul virtues. It comes to us emphasiz-
ing and commanding purity, truth, honesty
and goodness and in so doing antagonizes
all mans natural inclinations. It must,
however, be comprehensible by man. If 1t is
indeed q message to man, and for its inter-
probation two theories are advanced. the
sacerdotal and the scriptural. BY
the former the seeker after truth is told
to trust to the church, the church
will tell you what the things hing
and that you can believe. The scriptural
ttheory means individual, personal investi-
| 9ation. Az to the result Of the two theories
upon, individual and natural life COM
| pare Ireland and Scotland. The sacerdotal
theory Of interpretation serves to se pr
acter, exatting the church and her minis
ters at tho expense of the religious life OF
| the worshipper1. On the other hand, the
scriptural theory tends to develop personal
character and to stimulate intelligent in
yestigation Of al that seems mysterious in
Gods word. Tho many divisions OF the
church Of Christ are deplored only by those
who do not see that the operation of such
divisions, 40 long a. they are not beart di-
visions, is to stimulate discussion and in
crease the activities of the church uni
versal.
To the honest cceptic, and there are many
such, there are certain laws by which to
study the bible, following which doubts
will vanish, and the clear light of the Sun
of Righteous will illumine its pages. These
are: First, the law of rational investiga-
ton; second, the law of moral surrender;
third, the law of help; fourth, the law of
patient waiting.
Gods purposes have to do not with mans
life upon the earth alone; but they reach
into eternity and one must not form in
complete and uncertain data. Judge of
those principles. The day of the tyranny
of ecclesiasticism and creeds is past, and
the church is now teaching with all her
power, through pulpit and Christian life, q
religion of humanity and helpfulness-the
religion that the master taught in the pic
ture he drew of the final award when the
unto the least Of these, my brother, ye did
1t unto me,''