The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-06-05
BRIGG' s CHAMPIONS.
MANY Of the Most Learned Profess.
ors Come Out Boldly and
Endorses Him.
He Hath Kindled Fire which Seems to
be Sweeping Through Colleges and
Pulpits AS well as Pews.
THE STORM INCREASING.
(E. Y. Worldly


sides in the Briggs matter, and i'll an IN
terview, revised, corrected and approved
by him, gives his views on the great sub
iect in dispute. The point upon which
the issue is to he made is that of inspira-
ton, and upon that the Professor speaks
in no uncertain language.
Prof. Harper is the President OF the
great Baptist University at Chicago
founded by Rockefeller. He is young
student of vast energies and great ability.
His work has been to awaken All interest
in oriental studies in American colleges.
He taught Hebrew Mt Morgan Park, a
Baptist theological school near Chicago,
and established Hebrew correspondence
college of large following.
At Yale he holds two professorshlps,
one of Semitic languages and the other
of Biblical literature, and also gives IN
struction in the Hebrew language. There
is no part of the Yale life that he does
not touch. No other man has more deep
" Influenced the two thousand young men
ut that institution. His enthusiasm, en-
crgy, scholarship and Christian character
are matters of common tall, at New
Haven Prof. Harper is also at the head
of G vast popular correspondence unIver-
sity of sacred literature. Hundreds of
thousands of students of all nationalities
receive weekly direct instruction in their
own language from his pen.
After defining prophcsy he said:
"Now we come to the question, is the
Bible the word of God, or does it simply
contain the word of God? | accept the
former. Israelitish history is divine his
tory in unique and peculiar sense. The
literature growing out of that history is
divine literature in unique and peculiar
sense. God worked, of course, in other
history, and other literatures reflect his
presence, but it is IsracitiSh history and
Israelitish literature that is the real God
history and the real God word.
"Let US draw paralleism between his
tory and the literature. 1sraelitish histo-
ry, peculiar as was Gods relation to it,,
includes on the part of both its greatest
leaders and of the nation itself practices
of the most degrading charactor-poly-
gamy, slavery and acts of the most sinful
nature. Need repeat them? Need l
speak of Abraham, Jacob Or :David2 1t
is nevertheless divine history. 1t was
the best history Almighty Power, acting
in consistency with his other divine at
tributes, could inspire in the hearts of a
people dragged down by sin.
''Israelitism literature, peculiar as was
Gods relation to it, includes different and
differing accounts Of the same event. 1t
must be allowed that there arc errors and
discrepancies in the Bible. 1t was COM
piled of total disregard Of what seems
to be the standard Of history writing to-
day, vet it is the divine word 1t is the
very best literature God, acting in consis-
tency with his other divine attributes,
could inspire In nation of semitic blood
and living at that period OF the worlds
history. God in his wisdom did not see
fit to make it impossible for Israel to
sin, nor did he see fit to make it impossi-
BILE for Israclitish writer's sometimes to
blunder on questions OF science or histo-
~, though never i'll reference to questions
Of religious character.
God gave these men his word to be
declared by them to man, but there were
limitations as to their powers, And shall
we occupy our time and attention with
the study of these limitations? Let us
rather stand in reverence and wonder be-
fore this book, which, in spite OF limita-
tons, in spite Of human Imperfections,
contains such indubitable evidence that
it is the word of God.
THE TIME not YET RIPE. BrT-TIlE ERRORS
ARE THERE.
"The claim is made to-day that if the
Bible contains errors, this utterly des-
troys its force as the word of God. Prof.
Briggs is not Il pioneer in combating
this theory. He has simply begun in this
country an immense movement. No man
knows how long it will continue, and no
man knows where it will end. regret
exceedingly that this movement has he
gun. regret it exceedingly, for the time
is not vet ripe. There are IL hundred rca-
sons why it should be delayed, but it has
begun, and no power can stop it,
"You, rs young preachers about to he
licensed, cannot fail to he asked on these
questions You must know them, and
know how to meet them. l reached the
position long ago where knew that there
were discrepancies, Inconsistencies, con-
Predictions, mistakes, call them by any
name YOU please, in the Bible. No man
can read the Bible and fail to find the
discrepancy. No man with any sort Of
mind at all can fail to see the errors and
mistakes it contains. They are there.
"If you cannot reconcile the existence
of errors in the Bible with its divine ORR
gin, how can you believe that God was in
Israelitish history, moving in it to in
luence it and making it peculiarly uni
que, although OF the same time it includes
practices on the part Of its people of the
most wicked and degrading nature? If
God was there moving it and controlling
it, and if he could have accomplished
anything in the history Of his people, is
it not reasonable to suppose that he
would have made true, pure and clean the
hearts of these men? But he did not
Ilc uIu Ill tuut NUu Couiu HIS pcO-
pie, but behold them in their awful wick
edness.
s'ruE BEST HISTORY GOD COULD MAKE"
"And yet this is the very best history
divine power could inspire. 1t is the very
best history God himself could make If
he could have made better one he would
have done so. Surely the presence Of
God in nations history ought to affect
the life, the conduct and the heart of the
people. But it did not do so in this ma
ton. Can you expect more Of God when
he deals with the intellects? Do you de-
mand a higher degree of perfection in the
intellect of this people than in the heart.
Do You demand that God shnnld make