The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-23

subsfar,ce and q correct record OF His LIES
chief events This is established by a
number Of first and second century writers
after Christ.
What is true Of the New Testament is
tyue OF the Old. 1t consists of many books,
many parts, Of unequal value. Their value
can be determined only by studying the
book as you would any other work. But
the moral and spiritual teachings Of Script
ure lie on the surface, and are independent
of all questions of the date and authorship
of the several books. You might let such
the nourishment your soul needs from the
Bible.
hope You see now why / consider some
parts of the Scriptures Of comparatively
little importance, while / accept other
parts as true. The one is authentic, the
other not; this book is rational and IN
trinsically credible, the other is not. Paul's
character is superior TO Abraharn's. The
Sermon on the Mount Id better than the
book Of Judges.
Third, You ask, care the miracles of
Christ literally true or fot2 If not, did
Jesus deiude the people?" answer, ''most
of the miracles are Literally true" and
Jesus was the greatest incarnation OF the
Divine Spirit that ever walked the earth.
Most Of the miracles recorded in the New
Testament are cures. and if you viii read
such books as DR.. Tukes "Infiuence Of the
Mind Upon the Body" or Charles Bar
rows "Facts and Fiction of Mental Heal
ing" you will understand how these cures
were wrought. Medical science has al
ways recognized the fact that the mind
has a powerful influence upon the body,
and many diseases Of the body are due to
mental causes.
Such diseases may be cured by such
mental remedies as Jesus is said to have
employed. namely, faith in ones own
powers or in the personality OF anotner-a
great physician. for instance. The records
OF the cures Jesus wrought distinctly say
they were produced by faith. The raisings
from the dead were REVEALS from swoon,
which was and still is deathlike in many
cases. This is not mere conjecture, for in
the case Of Jairus' daughter Matthew H.,
Marx ", Luke vii, j the Master Is reported
TO have said: "The maid IS not dead, but
sleepeth."
This gives US the key to the interpreta-
ton of the other two alleged restrictions
namely that Of Lazarus and the widow
of Mains son. The accounts of these
events were not written till fifty or sew
enty-five years after they occurred, and
then only from hearsay, and hence we
may easily believe that reviyals from
trance had by that time been transmitted
by the supplemented peasant disciples of
Jesus into real restrictions from the
dead. Tie same Is true of feeding the
5000, walking on the sea, etc. Natural
events have been magnified into super
natural ones. II you think this doubtful
read Dr. Andrew ID. Whites excellent arti-
cles on miracles and Medicine" in the
Popular Science Monthly for May and June,
especially what he says Of Francis Xavier.
This brings me 70 the second question
namely, If the miracles are not literally
true, was Jesus an impostor deluding the
people? No more. 1 answer, than Francis
L
death, miracles that he never wrought.
Had Jesus himself written these
accounts of miracles. and palmed
them off as really supernatural ac-
tions when they were not, then he would
have been an iInpostor. But he did not do
this-others did II for him, or rather they
did so in one or two instances. Mark this
carefullyl Only in the case OF the resur-
rection of Lazarus and of the widow of
Mains son, the feeding Of the 500 and the
walking on the sea-Inaking only four in
stances in all-are miracles that are appa-
rent exaggerations attributed TO Jesus.
II you were to read the spurious Gospels
referred to in my chapter on the "Doeu-
ments," you would be surprised that the
early Christians should have separated the
false and the true events as well as they
did. The spurious Gospels attribute scores
of the absurdest miracles TO Jesus,
while our Gospels have at most only
a half dozen. The account Of
Christ's virginia. birth and bodily resur-
rection are later additions 70 the history,
written probably about seventy-fve or 100
years after his death. St. Paul, in Cor
inthians, Nv tour Episcopal burial seryice),
tells of spiritual resurrection-an appear
ance in a spiritual form Of Jesus and our
selves-and he says nothing about the
virgin birth, which he would doubtless
have done had il been reported in his day,
~ han 4 4ss fzf Ia al.
twenty-five years after Christ's death, and.
therefore, long before the gospels were
written.
You may now ask: "Of what value are
the miracles according TO this view7" ]
answer that they show the high estima-
ton in which Jesus was held by His dis
ciples. IL He had not been very wonder
ful character they would not have magni-
fed His natural works into miracles, nor
would they have attributed TO Him mir
acies which He did not perform. Only
great characters are surrounded with a
halo Of legend and miracle, and all great
characters, in all ages-even Washington
are 30 idealized.
But second: these stories of miracles tell
ofthe love and good deeds of Jesus. He was
the Great Physician, who ever stood ready
10 help the needy and the suffering. This
IL the real value of these stories. and how
much il speaks for the Master Believe
dictated, find out who wrote its books,
when they were written, what is their
meaning, which hooks are historical,
which poetical, which allegorical, what
In true, what is partially true and what is
false in it, the book will become more in
teresting-even fascinating-to you. and
Jesus will become more lovable. Don't ask
whether the book is inspired or not, but
ask first is il true2 If il is true then il is
inspired, for all truth is an inspiration.
The grand, original thoughts of a Shake
speare, a Goethe, Newton, . Copernicus,
q Darwin, and an Emerson, which-crys-
taliized IN words-shine like diamonds
through the centuries, are Inspirations, as
those great souls would admit frankly.
No matter how many and how great DIFF
fculties you may still experience, do not
Join with fiippant skeptics in their denun.
citation of the Bible and never think OF
speak irreverently of Jesus. On the con-
trary cling 70 the Bible and to Him.
Always strive earnestly for more light and
knowledge as one who has passed through
the brunt of the tiercest storm. | can
assure you that if you persevere prayer
fully and vigorously you will inevita-
bly, come at last to stand upon the
firm rock of rational faith, and a sureiand
comfortable hope, while the very last cloud
will have drifted forever from the sky
above you, and the waves below will have
been forever Gained into the restful peace
and tranquility OF smooth and glass
like summer sea. Praying that you NAV
find that peace. which, in the words o.
the Scripture, passeth all UNDERSTANDING
am very cordially yours,
HOWARD MAcQUEARY.
MARSH ECHOES.