The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-08
The co,or.d Philosophers Join In.

The colored theologians and philosophers
have been aroused 10 take part in the great relg-
IONS discussion which is now agitating the whole
Christian Church. The last number OF their
ouartery review contains rs many as tnree
papers devoted to the examination OF the new
method of Biblical criticism. ana the ques,ions
Of the immortality Of the soul and the authori-
ty of revelation. ,,
1.-THE Entitative Mission of Thought us the
ambitious title of o philosophical discussion
by the Rev. j. H. WEIGH, colored preacher
al Frankfort in Kentucky. We confess that
we cannot always follow this metaphysician
down 10 the depths into which he DIVES Win
seems 10 be that. while thought is substantial,
IL il not material THE soul and body" he
argues. "are substances. but both are not
matter. The former is immaterlal ana the
latter material in its nature. Mind IS not
NATTER he proceeds. neither is matter
mind" Answering the question whether
thought is an " entitativc force" he says that
1.-THE very existence OF thought lndica'es
mission or purpose. and the conceded means
of promoting this end is force or energy.
That may be so, though perhaps his PROPOSE
tion of 1.-The superiority OF thought To an
idea needs 10 be cleared up little to bring
it within the popular comprehension. But the
practical application of his laborious attempt
TO define thought is easily UNDERSTOOD. III Is
cular product of the BRAIN" the soul has no
existence separate from the body, and there Is
no personal Immortality. Against this conclu-
sion his whole nature revolts, and refusing TO
discuss the question with the v materallstic
scientists" he declares dogmatically that
"thought will remain an entity through time,
with a recognized right to existence ana ldeI-
tity In eternity" There brother Welcn STANDS
immovable.
The Rev DIR. Theophilus Gould Stewart. of
Baltimore takes the ground that u IS not pos
sible ITO believe satisfactorily IN the doctrine
of the Immortality of the soul without the aid
of revelation" If we do not accept revelation.
he argues, we must rely on the TWO voices OF
intuition and nature" to settle the questions OF
God and Immortality; and experience has
shown these two witnesses incapable" OF such
n settlement Therefore without belief IN
revelation the soul sinks into atheism and ma
tcrialism. A man cannot know that he Is I'M
mortal: he can only believe III his immortality
because he believes in the Bible. Destroy
faith in revelation and you destroy faith III
n personal God and the life after death. mat
il the argument of the Rev. DIR. Stewart, and
il seems TO be impregnable; but If the Bible
is n falllble book, as Professor Briggs teaches
how can men have faith in il? If II is true
only SO far rs it appeals to the human reason,
is not the authority Of revelation gone. and IS
not the decision of the question OF God ana
Immortality left 30 the two voices OF intui-
tion and nature" which, according 10 Dr..
stewart. are incapable OF settling them? II
will be seen that this colored divine has
tackled a great subject.
The Rev. Parker Il. Smith has been occu-
pying many pages OF the Review during the
past year with Researches Into the Spiritual
History of Mankind" and in the last number
he treats of the several churches" as indica-
ted and described in the record of Genesis.
His view is that il is preposterous" to argue
that Adam Eve. Cain and Abel were the only
persons then living on earth" He hold that
they merely represent or typify whole COM
munities and churches. as Israel means the
Jewish people. He summarizes approvngly
the conclusions of Professor Delitzesch. the
German Biblical critic, that Genesis Is "A
legend handed down from generation TO gem
Grafton. which was the common property of
the most cultivated peoples of antiquity
that the created days were cycles OF time:
that the deluge was not universal. but connn-
ed TO the valley of the Euprates, and that the
recorded ages Of the patriarchs designate
epochs of antedluvin history. and not the
actual ages of individuals
This learned commentator therefore seems
TO be in line with Professor Briggs; and like
him he rdiculcs the great bugbear" which
men 'have been in the habit of soaring up"
under the name of heresy when anything
did not accord with their unenlightened judg-
ment." In his opinion, we live IN the most
wonderful age that the world has ever known.
not excepting the Adamic period 1t is
period, he says philosophically, in which too
many wonderful things are Transporting, time
is too short, and the age demands too much
Of us to stop and contend about nothing, or
even trifes."
Thus proceeds the discussion of these great
questions among our theologians and philoso-
pliers of African descent. They approach it
it reyerently, but without timidity.