The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-28
ON PAUL AND HIS WORK
FIRST SERMON IN DIR. LYMAN Alb
BoTT'S NEW BIBLICAL COURSE.
He Intends to Advance Views Derived
full Study and Research.
Brooklyn Eagle.

Brooklyn Eagle
A large and Interested congregation as
sembled in Plymouth Church Sunday night
to hear the first of DR.. Lyman Abbott SER
mons on the life and writings of St. Paul.
Or. Abbott said:
I'VE are to commence this evening a
study, together, of the life and writings of
the Apostle Paul. The course which / COM
mence tonight is a course of lectures, not
OF sermons. The object of a sermon is, or
always ought to be, practical; its imme-
date object, to produce some change in the
life of those to whom it is addressed-outer
or inner life. Whatever its FORM it is in
It's essence hortatory; its object is to lead
tnose who are addressed not to new
thoughts, but to new and higher and bet
Ter lie. The object of lecture, on the
otner hand, is to give information. 1t is
addressed to the intellect. And although I'M
questlonably these lectures will have some
thlng or sermon note in them from time
to time-partly because l shall fall into that
nabit from long custom, perhaps sometimes
because / shall rise into it with deliberate
purpose-still, in the main. this is to be a
course of lectures, and not sermons; the
object is to give information respecting the
lie and teachings of Paul.
They will resemble the lectures which
were given last winter on the Old Tesla
ment, in the essential spirit which will ami
mate them. shall take up the life and
eplstles of Paul as / took up the books
or the Old Testament last year. l shall not
assume that Paul was infallible, or, indeed
tnat ne has any authority whatever shall
not assume that he was the eXpounder OF
a uniform and harmonious system 1 shall
not assume that he agrees with other bib
neal writer's, or that he agreed with modern
PnitHlosophlcal thought. or that he agrees
with the experiences of human life, or even
that he agrees with himself / shall simply
enaeavor to interpret his writings. 1 am
not mere as an apologist, a defender, nor
euloglst; simply as an interpreter.
And yet in some important respects this
course Of lectures may differ from the lee
lures or last winter Last winter I under
look TO interpret the views commonly en-
tertalned among scholars of the progressive
or scientific school respecting the books of
the ga Testament. That was all my OBJ
Ject. was simply an interpreter of inter-
prefers; and, indeed, 1 gave nothing last
winter that is not among the commentaries
OF modern biblical scholars l said nothing
lndt mas not been said and printed over
anu over again, in Interpretation of the
DOCKS OF the Old Testament Well | wish
nothing.
AN INTERPRETER OF PAUL
But in this course of lectures I am not
an interpreter of interpreters. 1 am not an
expert IN Old Testament literature though
nave made some study of it as a minister
out Tor twenty-five years, at least, 1 have
STUDIED with good deal of care the life and
episties or Paul, and began the systematic
and thorough study of Paul's epistles with
i H.
preston that I should find that Paul diff
Iered from the Master; certainly from my
Interpretation of the Master. dreaded lest
1 should be brought into the difficulty which
that discovery would force upon me- The
more studied those writings Of PANTS the
more their genius impressed me, and the
more I was impressed with the conviction
that he had been greatly misunderstood and
greatly misinterpreted. told you last year
that was the interpreter of interpreters
SIMPLY. NOW 1t is right to admoniSh YOU
az tne very commencement of this course
OF lectures, that l am not in this case an
interpreter of interpreters. On the contrary
my view of Pauls character nv under.
STANDING OF his writings, differ not merely
IN some minor respects but in the yerv
fundamental conception of the man. and 10
a considerable extent in the very funda-
mental conception of his teachings from
tnat Whlch has very generally been enter
tanned by the Protestant Church in the mast
II II were not so, | should no longer be able
to have for Paul the admiration which T
nave to-day If l thought that Protestant
ism had correctly interpreted Paul in the
past, should be compelled to say with
henan, the reign of Paul is OVER it is be-
cause do not think he has been CORRECTLY
interpreted that l say with Matthew
arnold, the reign of Paul is just beginning
IN another respect this course of lectures
VIII differ from the course of lectures of
last winter While it is true that the tonics
winch were taken up last winter did arouse
with what are called controversial topics:
l was not led into the domain of polenicai
or PIC controversial theology. But it is impos-
slple TO deal with the writings of Paul and
not deal with topics which have been
tougnl over more or less for eighteen CEN
turies. Paul dealt with the great nrohleros
intellectual, ethical and philosophicaJ Nf
our life. 1t is impossible to interpret him
ana not seem to run counter and not in fact
run counter to interpretations which have
denominational authority back of them ~
Is impossible to interpret his epistles with
out out considering what bearing his teaching
mas upon church order, ministerial ordina-
ton, and the value and importance of han
lsm 1t is impossible to consider his teach
lngS without considering the question what
is the nature of the ethical obligation ana
what is the right which one set of men
possess lf any over the moral action of
announcer set OF men, 1t is impossible to
consider his teachings and interpref them
without considering what are the relations
Oh Coo TO man, and what the way in which
men can travel toward a right and noble
nIe ana character. And it is impossible To
study these letters without considerino
what Faul teaches to be the very basis Of
our knowledge. -" -
Now, these questions ecclesiastical etbi
cal, theological and philosophical cannot he
dertakes to act as an Interpreter IF pamI
INTO collision not only with individual onin
IONS IONS (Ihat occurred last winter) but also
with denominational opinions am not
mere 70 attack any other denomination nor
70 ueIend my own. On some important
points l agree with other denominations
i
own. l wish simply to interpret paul r.
is right to give you notice beforehand that
IN trying to do this without Dreiudica
snail certainly set myself against nreiud;cas
tnat already exist In this spirit then
shall take up the life and epistles of PAM
THE PREACHERS INTENT
I'm this course of lectures / shall not at
tempt to formulate system of theology.
snail not attempt to show that Paul formu-
lated a system of theology, because do not
think he did. / shall not attempt To ex-
hlbit Pauline system, though a system
may, perhaps, be educed from PauPs writ
ings that may be called Pauline. In one re-
spect l shall pursue course not ordinarily
pursued. Ordinarily the student of Pau1
goes to his various writings and studies
them topically. What does Paul teach
about God? What does he teach about
man? What does he teach about sin? Then
the answers to these questions are nut in
order and the answers present a topical
system of theology
Now, / propose to pursue a different
course. After three or four-possibly four
lectures on the life and character of Paul
l propose to act simply as an interpreter
of these letters. 1 propose to take I'D the
letters, one by one. l propose to act
simply as an interpreter of these LET
tiers. l propose to tell you how PanI
came TO write the letter; to whom the
letter was written; what was the condition.
of the church to which Ii was addroSsad.