The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-10-19
A SlDt eatt1t


Euu0H brlLtItS
lu lhe T.. C.. \ OF ibe bth iust il
a letter from "latman. touching
ou controversy lea the papers cat.
fiod on bt "broihers' Hammond
aud burgess, that struck me as be-
inl peculiarly appropriate 20 the
aues lion at the present time.
"Ia Yman" Informs us that the
sacred volume, written by about
sixty diff 'rent author, and covering
a period If at least fifteen centuries,
twas submitted to the judgment Of
human beings tand not angclicpro
readers) to decide what parts were
and what were not inspired. " Lay
man" further remarks that he had
never known a single instance where
q pastor or preacher had offered to
instruct his flock on the vital ques-
ton, GLOW came we by the Bible,
and by what authority do we believe
it as the inspired law and teachings
of the Divine CreatOry'
That great question is one that, /
venture to say, not one in hundred
church-goers knows anything about.
We are supposed to know that man
named Moses, q King solomon,
somebody called Paul and fifty or
sixty others wrote certain manu-
scripts under the inspiration of the
Great Creator Of all things, and that
these writings were collected to-
gether in a book that We call the
Bible, and we are taught to regard
it with all the reverence due to a
production attributable TO the inspir-
alton of Almighty God. The Oft
repeated expression, "Thus saith the
Lord, +" used throughout the Scrip
lures, is 50 accepted by the majority
of Christians in all sincerity as to its
absolute truth.
Would one of your more learned
readers kindly tell us in what manner
the scriptures reached us? |, with
many others, would like to know
LIST. In what form and in what locali-
ties they were first discovered and in
what tongue were they written! End.
The dates approximately of sucl
discoveries! 3rd. By whom and al
what date were the writings compos'
ing the Bible selected from the mass
of literature submitted to them and
pronounced TO be OF inspired origin
1t wOul6alsO be interesting and in
structive to know under whose order
and authority such investigation anC
selection was made. Perhaps there
is some reliable historical work or
the subject obtalnable in Honolulu
These are questions that every think
ing man or woman has right tC
ask, and should be DESTROYS of know.
ing. "Layman," whose letter is re-
ferred to above, does not remember
a single instance where pastor OF
preacher once offered to Instruct hi.
congregation ON these points. Il
such instruction ever given?
think not, or if it is | have never
during twenty years of pretty regu
lar attendance at church, heard the
subject alluded to except perhaps il
the most vague manner.
Regarding the popular belief tina
the scriptures were really writer
under Divine inspiration, grave, very
grave, doubts will arise in the minds
of thoughtful men on this point, anC
more especially so when such passage:
occur that, to. day, would be rejected
by any respectable publisher.
think that it is time that we should
be enlightened on these matters, anC
to know very clearly to whose human
judgment we are indebted for the
selection of ancient writings, pro
nouncing them as "divinely inspired
centuries after they were written
Perhaps Mr.. Burgess, who has made
the scriptures so close a study an(
accepts them to the letter with sucl
blind faith, can tell us who these mer
were and by whose authority they
acted in fhiC ppSnnnSih In ia IL