The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-18
THE BIBLE IN A NEW LIGHT.
REV. e. IT. STRONG DIsCUssEs
CHANGES N RELIGIOUS BE-
LIEF.

by Science Must BE Accepted by
the Church. Though They May Con-
fradict the Letter OF the old scrip
fure-The Doctrine of the Trans
mitted Guilt and the Mosaic The
DRY Of the Creation.
Rev Charles H. Strong. rector OF St.
/ Johns church. preached a sermon last
night, IN which he expressed his views
I upon certain Biblical questions which
have caused much discussion in the re-
Agious world Of late. and gave his rea-
I sons for believing them TO be correct.
The sermon was the second Of a series
7 begun last Sunday night There was an
/ impression that he would discuss the
I question OF local option but the subject
I chosen, though perhaps not Of as great
/ local interest at present was a much
I broader one. Mr.. Strong's text was the
/ words Of Christ, found in the thirteenth
/ chapter Of Matthew, ffty-second verse:
Then said he unto them. every scribe
/ which Is instructed into the kingdom Of
/ heaven is like unto a householder which
7 bringeth out OF his treasure things new
and old"
I The last three words contain the ideas
aeFrlopea py AIR. Strong. u was the
thHss new ana old which DE discussed
as pertaining to the church and religious
IRE. The main idea of the sermon was
/ me development Ia religious belief caused
/ by science.
/ ar. strong said it was his desire to
Dflns out the great changes which have
. iaken place in religious thought in the
/ iasL twenty-five years. Things are very
ulIerent now from what they were in
me times OF our fathers, he said. His
/ text Illustrated the two ideas. conservat-
I lsIn ana progress, which should govern
/ an change The conception of the gospel
] fu-a w. fIts
years ago, is not in all respects a religion
adapted 10 the needs of the people of
I lhi5 age. The conception Of the gospel
ilelu tnen would appear somewhat harsh
] 70 US to-day, he said. Then the King
/ James version was accepted as the Bible
ltselI' ana every text in il was regarded
/ as equally sacred with the whole and this
without any Investigation of the LAM
| suases from which the book was inter
I preted, and the changes which they might
| nave undergone. But time came for de-
I yelopment. The revelations of science
[ have shown that the world was not Gre
/ ated IN SIX days, and that the portion of
| scripture setting forth this work could
/ no longer be interpreted literally. 1t had
/ Deen found that much of the writings Of
I the Old Testament was of a poetic form
l and that IL is impossible to take the old
/ Bible in the old way.
If, in spite Of the evidence which has
/ been produced" said Mr.. Strong, there
/ is now man who believes that the world
/ was created in six days, he is either
| bigot or an ignoramous."
There has been two important develop
ments in the church within recent times
he said. The first development was the
aesthetic movement. which had it incep-
! tion at oxford in the 30s. There was a
Drllhant galaxy Of young men gathered
mere among them We're the two New
mans cardinal Manning and others, who
afterwards became of note in the religious
world. Their ideas were of the same
class as those who had preceded them.
/ They had made no inquiries They sim
ply accepted the English church and it's
institutions as TACT without thought
/ students club among themselves for the
/ study Of church history. They did So
| They studied the writings of the fathers
Of the English church, they went further
and studied the writings of the fathers
/ of the medieval church, then they
/ studied the works of the faith
| first 200 or 800 years of its history, and they
finally turned their attention to the books
! of the Bible. From this investigation, Mr..
strong SAID, resulted tremendous move
ment, the influence of which was felt
both in England and this country. 1t was
generally known as the ritualstic
movement, though he preferred to call
/ 1t the aesthetic movement. The investi-
gators discovered that the Church of Eng
| land had an historic past. That the church
| had existed IN definite form from its
/ very earliest history, which was bequeath-
/ ed to il by its founder. Summing up these
/ ideas, Mr.. Strong said
when Christ left the world there was
/ an organization in existence with faith,
| liturgy ana sacraments, almost two CEN
! present form. Such a church was in ex-
/ Bible"
| These researches Mr. Strong said. not
| only established the fact of the contfn-
| uity of the church through all the ages.
/ out the main effect was a vast enrich
! ment of the ritual of the church. It was
| for this reason that he termed it an
aesthetic and not an intellectual devel-
! opment This movement. he said, has
! now spent its force. has become intol-
Grant to other lines of thought and is not
| in sympathy with the progress of the
/ age. From the time of Christ and the
| apostles he said, there has always been
! movement of change in the church. The
! movers were always loyal to the past,
/ but longing above everything for the
adaptation of religion to the needs of hui
manity.
Mr.. Strong next discussed the intellect
tual development which has taken hold
! upon the church. The methods of this
| intellectual development, he said, are en-
! tirely scientific, but he had no hesitancv
| in presenting these cold scientific truths
for the consideration of his congregation
| The pulpit has no authority he said but
ideas il is not his intention to build up
! any particular line of thought, but TO
bring men into the church The new
| movement is a necessity and its aims are
/ to hold men loyal TO the central truths of
! Christianity, he said. The old theory of
| mans origin and destiny and the trans
! mission of sin to the entire human race
was against facts he said. The charac-
! ter of God, he said, made it absolutely
/ of one person TO another. There is not
a court in this whole land which would
| commit such an injustice he said
Mr.. Strong spoke plainly upon ORR
ginal sin. Man, he said. inherits GER
/ tain traits, but he does not Inherit guilt
] he comes upon the knowledge OF sin as
a bitter fact. He finds himself possessed
of a dual nature one part cries after
/ the lusts of the flesh, the other seeks the
light In every mans life there is a con-
/ stant struggle between these two ma
! lures.
He referred to the incident of David's
sin in the murder of Uriah the Hittite
/ ana taking his wife Bathsehcba TO him
self When David was convicted of his
sin he cried out: In sin did my mother
/ conceive me-" Mr.. Strong repudiated
/ David's assertion as an unjust reelection
upon his mother. He had no right to nut
4 his sins upon her shoulders
There is enough sin in every human
/ heart without making it responsible for
/ the sins of others, he said Mr. Strong
said that he could not conceive how theo-
/ logians could twist and turn texts So that
/ they could persuade themselves that
! few men would be received some day into
4 eternal peace. while the vast majority
4 Of the world S population would be con-
/ demned to eternal punishment.
I II cannot conceive how il is possible TO