The San Francisco call., 1897-01-04
THE STORY OF THE FLOOD
Not a Myth Produced by the
Imagination, Says Rev.
DR.. RAIDER.
Investigation Into the Origin anu
Nature of the Deluge Is, Asserted
the SPEAKER, Higher Criticism

Rev. William RAIDER spoke last nieh1 on
"The Deluge" in the Third Congles"
tional Church. He said
1.-The deluge was not myth prooucep
by the imagination, but tradition "Hl0!i
sprang out of an event. There is eFi-
dence of a local flood occurring in that
part of the world peopled by our ancestors
before they separated into races.
1.-The tradition of a flood is held oy al
branches of the human family except the
blacks. The Hebrews did not, according
to the best authority, hold this tradl'loh
hrst. Neither did they, according to the
Rabbinical theory of verbal lnsplrauoh'
receive it by direct revelation from Co.,
but by oral tradition and from existing
documents. Genesis is a composite DOOR,
made up of more than one document.
1.-The deluge was used to teach the uniiy
ard vengeance of God, the law OF retrID-
utive justice and the fact OF sim" -
Speaking OF "the higher criticism anu
the Bible" the speaker said:
This Investigation into the origin and nature
of the deluge, is higher criticism. You VIII
observe that il is perfectly harmless Honess
thought has never destroyed anything; II -
the wrong thinking that Injuries the blple' n.y. hG
the right thinking Some are afraid OF tnis ms
term "higher criticism" which means AHlPiy
an intelligent study of the Bible, us
sixty-six books, the literary nature OF 1ts con-
tents, the evolution of its thought the condl-
tion OF the text, and the contemporaneouss
history surrounding the men who prepares
the biblical narration. 1t Is destructive OF
falsehood and fear of superstition and 1gno,
rance. When Copernicus proved the olu
theory of the universe to be wrong, the stars
did not drop. they shone with greater luSter,
Shakespeare's plays have never been harmed
by study. 1t is pitiaDle reflection upon
Professionalism to hear religious teachers up,
braid the men who search The scriptures anu
ask the Bible to tell the secret OF its power.
They dream of a time when some German
critic viii tumble down the Bible structure
and all the orthodox will be crushed. But IL
is only a harmless nightmare. The real test
of the Bible is not found in thought, but lie.
1t is the sinner, not the saint who brings the
real test to the Word OF God. Does 1t accom-
plSh for him what he is told it VIII? That IS
the real issue in the controversy about the
Scriptures. Men take pride in findlng tault
with Bible students. II sounds pretty wen IN
q ministers meeting or in the pulpit 10 arro-
gate to oneself the infalliblity OF knowledge,
as against the ripest thought OF the world, put
it is very unwise treatment OF some very gooo
and wise men.
When it was announced a few years ago that
no one man. not even Moses, wrote the nrst
five books of the Old Testament, men who had
never given the matter an hours critical study
made crosses of orthodoxy on which TO hang
these bold critics. To-day there is but one
scholar in the United States who believes in
the Mosaic authorship OF the Pentateuch.
Who are these dangerous men? viii name
few and you may Judge for yourselves whether
or not they are to be trusted. Look first at the
British pulpit. There is Canon Farrar, whose
golden tongue has thrilled Westminster Abbey
for so many years, riYaled only by Canon Lid
don of st. PauPs. In Scotland is Professor
Drummond, and Bruce, and Dods, and that
group of devout men who have challenged the
admiration of the world 1 would add to these
the name OF Ian McLaren, whose words are
read by the English-speaking world. On this
side OF the Atlantic it is difficult to select few
names from the long list OF preachers who rep
resent the school OF the higher learning Henry
Ward Beecher and Philips Brooks, whose eio-
quence still moldS the characters OF the Har-
yard students and illustrates the immortality
of an honest man; DR.. Lyman Abbott, whose
gentle life is as pure AS his faith in the Christ
of the gospels, and Dr. George Gordon, who
stands like pillar of light in the old South
Church in Bosto on; Professor Harper OF the
University of Chicago and Professor Briggs of
New York, and scores of others whom l might
name,
Strshge enough, every name have men
tioned-and they were not Sc .ected with refer
ence to the remark l am about TO make-eyery
name has been challenged by the church in
which he worked. Challenged for what? For
being inte .lectually honest, for using their
minds and lifting aloft the everlasting Gospel
OF Jesus Christ free from superstition and ira
d1uon nno false interpretations. They have
they have exalted the word of God. Genuinely
in earnest they have recovered this literature
in the light OF reason ard given the contents
rational Interpretation. These men have
brought back my Lord, my faith my devout
reverence for the word of God, and am proud
to stand not in their defense, but in defense
of their spirit and their influence upon the
world. For this work Ian McLaren has been
called dangerous, DR.. Gordon unsound, Ly-
man Abbott rationalistic. Bishob Brooks too
broad, President Harper a destructive critic
and Canon Farrar hereto.
Think OF it!