The record-union., 1893-10-23
The parting Shot.

&c Va 49, A~~~-A-' -@@'-@
The Parting shot.
EDS. RECORD -ENIoN: II you will give
me little space in your "Everybody's
Column" to notice your comment on my
last article. in your Saturday issue, l will
give you rest.
never knew until I saw your com
ment that I objected to majority rule. /
always thought l was one OF It's hrmest
adherents. Your conclusion could only
be arrived at from the assumed stand
point, that all officers elected by ma
jority vote of the people are invested
with absolute power. confess |
never understood it that way before.
could see that the whole country was
progressing rapidly, in crawtsh style,
OH the principles on which our govern
ment is foQnded-individual liberty,
equality in Justice and universal trater-
nitv-and I was trying to warn the peo-
pie that if they are really crawnsh, they
had better reverse their heads and tails,
for it is plain they are approaching chaos.
l thank you sincerely for the space you
have accorded me for this purpose III
nv anxiety about these matters over
looked the fact that w were also pro-
crossing in crawtish style III legal pro-
cedure. can see it now plainly.
Instead of appealing from city ordl-
nances to the laws made by the LegIs-
lature, and from the laws made by the
Legislature to the Constitution, we should
appeal from the Constitution to the laws
made by the Legislature. and from the
laws made by the Legislature to the city
ordinance from which there is no appeal,
il being the highest authority on earth.
Even the right to individual liberty,
which is guaranteed by the Constitution
of the United States, and by the Constitu-
ton of each and every State. IS super
seeded by this higher power-the city
ordinance - and men are arrested for
simply disobeying an order OF tins
highest authority.
lawyers, please take notice, and re-
verse your legal procedures. From
henceforth commence your appeals from
the Constitution, and carry them UP TO
she city ordinance. NJ. a. BURKE.
October %, 1893.
TThis is a representative Government.
The people choose certain citizens 10
represent them in making and enforcing
laws. The acts of the citizens thus selected
are therefore the acts of the people. Ii
they pass laws that the people do not APP
prove the latter may elect men at the
next election who viii pass laws to suit
them. But under our form OF govern
ment the will ofthe majority must be re-
spected.-EDs.
Mr.. Horner's Answer to W. c. II.
EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN: Nothing gives
me greater pleasure than the discovery
that any thought or saying Of mine has
caused anyone to think about the great
questions OF religion which are now
uppermost in the minds Of men as they
never were before.
| do not in the least object to differ
ence of opinion so long as it is honestly
held. A fundamental principle OF Uni
tarianism is the right of the individual to
think for himself.
The Scriptural basis for this is found in
that saying of Jesus preserved in Luke
Kill, 81: "Why even of yourselves
Judge ye not what is right" A passage
which assures lis that Jesus believed
human nature endowed with divine
powers. If so endowed, why must it be
subject to the authority of any book or
set of books in divine things? especially
when those books make no such claim
for themselves as that claimed for them
by dogmatists.
Ny critic says that [ am "eYidently
very determined to subvert that which
forms the foundation of Christianity" in
proof OF which he cites passages from
my sermon, which make me deny the
truth of certain passages in the Bible
which, take it, he considers the founda-
ton of Christianity.
Evidently he means by ''it'' the Bible
as whole, making no distinctions be-
tween the books that compose it. l
Judge that he believes it inspired from
cover to cover, and therefore the denial
of the truth of any passage in it is de-
NAL of the whole.
To be a Christian in his estimation is
evidently TO believe in the inspiration of
the Bible in his way.
l would like to know on what author
ity he limits the term "Christian' TO
those only who believe in the inspiration
of the Bible III his way.
| find the term mentioned but three
times in the New Testament (Acts XII.
26; XVI, IS; 2. Pet iv., l6l, and not once
was it used by Jesus himself. His follow
ers were spoken of as disciples" !" "breth-
ren," saints" etc, but not once were
they called Christians until first in deri-
sion at Antioch, and that was some years
after his death.
Beecher defines Christianity as ''a soul
power" The Century Dictionary calls
vitalChristianityth spirit manifested by
Jesus. The same authority says Chris
tian is one having adopted believing
in the religion of Christ"
Now what was the religion of Christi
q belief in the divine inspiration of a set
of books that were not written within
thirty years of his death, or was it life
lived as though he who lived it was con-
scious of his sonship to the Father of all,
and was determined to be worthy OF that
relationship.
l protest against narrowing down the
term Christian to those only who believe
in the verbal inspiration Of the Bible.
Had my critic attended the W Orld'S Con-
gress Of Religions he would have found
little sympathy there for such a limita-
tion. If the term is to be so limited.
I, of course, have no claim to il and
would not wish it. Ii, on the other
hand Christianity Is that great move
ment of humanity toward God and
his righteousness and love, which can be
said, think, without doubt had its great
est prophet and example in Jesus of Naz-
Rreth, then I claim part in it.
Now, to return to the claim of inspira-
ton for the books of the Bible. When
Paul in Tim. iii, 16, says, ''All Script
ure is given by inspiration of God and is
profitable. etc." did he mean the New
Testament, which was not yet written, or
the Old? Did he make any distinction
between the canonical Scriptures and the
Rpocryphal? 1t was quite customary in
the first century of Christian history to
epeak of all old writings as Scripture and
inspired. One of the early fathers speaks
of no less than thirty five specially in
Spired prophets and speaks of himself as
receiving divine prophetic revelations.
We find the fathers correlating historical
statements taken from the apocrypha
with those taken from the canonical
books of the Old Testament. One writer
interweaves words from the apocryphal
Fourth Ezra with those from canonical
writing and introduces them with Thu:
saith the Lord"
Justin Martyr quotes the prOphesies
of the SibyI and Hystaspie as inspired
and authoritative. Athanogoras speaks
of The Sibyl and the rest of the prophets
Oregin quotes the wisdom OF Solomon
and speaks of Maccabees, Tobil anc
Judith as inspired writings. So Clement