The Indianapolis journal., 1896-03-22
ABBOTT ON EVOLUTION
THE BROOKLYN PREACHER TELLS
HOW THE BIBLE GREW UP.
Fourteen Hundred Years Of Evolution
Required te Make It-Meaning Of
Revelation by Inspiration.



Following is the sermon DR.. Lyman Abbott
preached at Plymouth Church last night.
from the text, For the prophecy came not
In old time by the will of man; but holy men
of God spake as they were moved By the
Holy Ghost" III Peter l. q:
Shortly after the first sermon in this
series. which you viii remember was on Gre
alton Dy Evolution" said Dr. Abbott, IT re-
ceived letter from a gentleman who had
not heard the sermon, but had read a report
I'm one OF the daily papers. in which he de-
sired TO convince me. and argued at great
length for that purpose, that God really did
create the world, and he quoted number Of
texts OF Scripture TO prove that to my sat
isfaction. and I suppose it would be quite
impossible for me 70 persuade him that I
was already or that opinion. Because my
conception OF creation differed from his. he
supposed that 1 rejected creation by Gods
word and power altogether: doubtless there
are other men whose conception of the SER
mon has been derived from reports in the
papers who will suppose because 1 believe
that the story of the fall of Adam as re-
corded In the third chapter Of Genesis. is
not history. but Imagination or poetry, that,
therefore, deny the reality and terrbleness
or SIM So probably there are others who,
when they hear OF this sermon. will think
that deny that the Bible is inspired or that
1t contains a revelation from God to man.
wish. therefore. in the outset, TO affirm that
the Bible is nearer TO me and
dearer TO me to-day than il ever was
before: that believe that it is inspired and
that l believe that IL contains a revelation
from God TO mar. IL that belief seems to
any OF you inconsistent with what L shall
say in explaining my view OF the Bible all
! can say is that I affirm both inspiration
and revelation, but / entertain different
theory OF inspiration and revelation from
that which many entertain and from that
which l myself formerly entertained If
what / say this evening seems to any OF you
inconsisten. with belief in the Bible, kindly
cnarSe me with inconsistency and not
with disbelief in the Bible. | believe in
inspiration and revelation. What do these
two words mean? Literally. inspiration Is
inbreathing. Ii is the influence of one
mind or spirit on another mind and spirit
congregation listens to inspiring ad-
dress. an audience to inspiring music. We
are inspired by reading the records of past
heroism. Emotions. thoughts. feelings pass
from mind TO mind. One soul breathes its
life into another soul. and God breathes
The influence which one spirit has upon
another spirit. Belief in divine inspiration
Is belief that Gods spirit has an influence
on human spirits Revelation is unwilling.
1t Is the disclosure OF some truth not
known before. There may be inspiration
without revelation, and there may be rev.
eidtOn without 1nSplrdtlOn. You may be
inspired and yet get no new view of truth.
You may get new view of truth and not
be inspired. For the truth may not be in
spring. IL may be, indeed the reverse-it
may be depressing Inspiration. then. is the
influence of one spirit-and especially of
the divine spirit-upon other spirits.
DEFINITION OF REVELATION.
Revelation Is the unveiling of truth before
not disclosed. Now, TO a considerable extent,
ths church formerly believed In revelation
other than through inspiration. The Chris
tian evolutionist believes In revelation only
through Inspiration Let me try to illustrate
When / went to college We studied chemistry
in this fashion: We sat in our seats; the pro-
fessor OF chemistry revealed certain chemical
truths to US; he performed the operations in
the laboratory before our eyes We saw
them-went away-and forgot what we had
learned To-day the student Of chemistry
goes into the laboratory himself. The teacher
does not reveal the truth 10 him; the teacher
patiently inspires him to study for himself,
encourages him, guides him, directs him,
SHOWS him how TO make his own investiga-
snce. that direction that Counsel ' fhaf sun in-
spfration, he works out the chemical laws
for himself. as though he were Il new inves-
tigator. He also gets revelation. But it is
gradual revelation, under the inspiring IN
huence OF a teacher. The modern Christian
evolutionist believes that revelation has been
made In this manner 10 the world-that God
has inspired men I'm their quest for truth,
and that under that inspiration, studying
meditatlng. laboring-they have found their
way 10 the truth; that the truth has been un-
yelled by God and man working together; he
believes that God put his children in the
world as pupils are put in a laboratory, and
then were told to set themselves TO work on
the great problems OF lie. Who am i? What
does this world mean? Who is over me?
What are the laws OF the moral life? How
must I conduct myself toward my neigh
Der! How must he conduct himself toward
me? WHAT is our future destiny? and left
IN uFnr q La %.
seives, oy their own quest. under Gods pa
tient. guiding. inspiring influence. He thus
believes that the Bible Is the record of mans
laboratory work in the spiritual realm, tsat
1t Is a history on the dawaing of the con-
sclouSness Of God and of divine life in the
soul or man; He believes. you remember. that
man started an animal. He believes that
the race has been brought up, by gradual
processes. 10 a certain condition in which IL
TO recognize Him. And he believes this re-
ception of God and of the law of God and of
the law of righteousness has been a grad
ual reception. Man has grown up into il and
the Bible Is the history OF the successive
steps by which he has been carried thus far
in his knowledge of God and OF the divine
truth. The Christian evolutionist does not
therefore. hesitate TO say that the Bible is a
progressive revelation and an imperfect rev.
eiation- Do nos think am 50 very radical
Let me read you what Professor Harris, of
Yale Theological Seminary-an orthodox Con-
gregational seminary for the instruction of
students for the ministry-says on this sub
III God reveals Himself il must be
through the medium of the finite and to finite
beings The revelation must be commen-
surate with the medium through which II is
made and with the development OF the minds
20 whom II Is made. Hence both the rev
cation Itself and mans apprehension of the
Cod revealed must be progressive, and at
any point of time incomplete. Hence. while
IL Is true God who reveals Himself mans
comprehension OF God at different stages OF
MS own development may be not only in
complete. but marred by gross msconcep-
tion.'
THE CHRISTIAN EvOLUTIONIST.
Let me attempt to show, as far as I can
IN 80 brief time. how the Christian evolu-
Zionist thinks the Bible grew up during
the ages. i can speak but briefly to-aight.
i rather hope next fall and winter to take
up the subject OF the Bible more FUZZY and
treat its various books along the line OF
evolutionary faith in some detail. Every
nation has its own distinctive character
istics. as every individual has The dis
tinctive characteristics OF sonnc was law.
The distinctive charaeteristics of Greece
were philosophy and art. The Distinctive
characteristic OF Egypt letters. The dis
ftnctive characteristic OF Palestine and the
hecrew people. knowledge OF God-or what
We sometimes call religion. AS Compared
with modern times their conceptions of the
verv inadequate. and 'marred by gross mis-
conceptions.' But as compared uitb
Phone clans. the Egyptians. the RahvIon-
ians. ne Assyrians. they are wonderfuIiv
r. adv ince OF their age To those peoDle
who us possessed the spiritual nature