New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-22
ABBOTT QUOTES BEHRENDS.
PLYMOUTH's PASTOR MAKES HIS FIRST
ANSWER TO HIS CRITICS.
THE SONG OF SONGS DRAMATIC LOVE POEM
AN ARRANGEMENT OF THE NEW "oN"'
AND CURRENT IDEAS on MARRIAGE
THE sACREDNEss OF LOVE.

Az ,RR,IGNMENT OF THE NEW WOMAN
AND CURRENT IDEAS on MARRIAGE
THE sACREDNEss OF LOVE.
The great congregation which gathered IN fyn'-
outh church last night to hear The continuation OF
n ,hhot,.s serm,ns on "The Bible as Literature
was treated 10 two surprises. One OF them came
early in the sermon. when the preachef' lot tne ms
time since he began this series OF sern'i'' W."
notice OF one OF the numerous clergyheh VIM nav
been attacking him for heresy. The Kew Ut. ~ ..
F. Behrends pastor OF the Central Congresatloii''
Church and one OF the leading clersymeh ol INC
CITY who IS sometimes called the "Beecher Of the
Bedford section" has been one OF Or. Aono'' Sc
yerest critics After the Plymouth pastor : Sermon
on Jonah DR.. Behrends made some sharp cfi1cia'"s
which he afterward retracted In printer ca'u'
HIS views however. have continued TO be adverse
TO Dr. Abbott's and last Sunday he preached ser
mon on Bible criticism In which. without formaiy
replyng TO Dr. Abbott. ne Sc; forth his opposition 70
the view Of inspiration which the latter entertahS'
In 10 last night Or. Abbott had steadias,ly re-
fused either to be drawn into any controversy OF
even TO allude to his assailants. although he mas
been made the target of column on column OF CRU
cism every week Last night at the outset OF MS
sermon he carried the war into the enemy coul-
try by citing old sermon oil Ut. beh'enuS III
support OF his views OF inspiration IL mas peeh
his custom In each OF the sermons on the Bipe 10
begin by quoting from some writer whose views on
irspration are Identical with his own on the DOCK
under discussion and on this occasion the writer
quoted was Dr. Behrends. There was much inter
est shown by the audience when DT' Appo.' iea"
page after page from a sermon deiiVereu ~ ~.
Behretds In 1889. expressing the most advanced
views as to the Song Of Solomon Alter reduihs
this sermon DR.. Abbott said
7, &c a little curious to me that orthodoxy has
required us to believe that Soomon's song IS an
ailegory ard required us TO believe tnat te , DoUn
OF Jonah confess myself Po a ma 10 b knS a
why il is hereical 10 say that one DOOR may H.,
another book is an aegory and inspired OF Coz 4t
The truth is inspiration mas TO uei
The other surprise to which DR.. Abbott treated
the congregation when. after showing 'ha'
SoIomons Song the drama OF a woman : NV
he applied the lesson TO modern times anu ue
nounced marriage la mode; and then' pass'hs
on TO the marriage question in general he arrayed
himself against the new woman ana the pache'oi
girl and against the growing practice OF setting
ambition over against love in womans lie.
THREE VIEWS OF THE SONG.
In part he said:
The proper nerprcaon Of this book Is ogg1 neii
ton of almost as great dcy ~ rent yews but
the views are widely different and they IN, haye
ton era as well as since. They may be classified led
under three general headsthe aiIegorlca' ,b bne
idylic and the dramatic All scholars agree olrao
the Song OF Songs is love song Ihey a'S0 as h
in regarding 1t in some sense dramatic bn' I ms
is ali they agreed upon that us meme Is 'Tc
and that its form is DRAMATIC one class OF GrrttS
holds be allegory. solomon ana ms p Th
second class of interpreters regard the book as an
idy The Song Of Songs. in thelr 1uoS NJ we'd
ding hymns. expressive OF pure, With "'''"' NV
The third view is dramatic IT supposes IS, s Una,
there three characters the maiden her peasant o
the effort of the royal lover to en,ice ne maiden
from her peasant lover. and upon her faithiuIhess
TO him and final return 10 him ,, A,
| myself hold the dramatic view OF this poem Al
though it is true that there IS nehind 'e Tg,g az
svmbois only because IL is true that all earthly
things are shadows of the celestial ana the Heaoen
v At the same time We must not think OF IL as q
nlay that could be put upon the stage II possibly
will occur 10 OF you 10 object that tne hotVi
n~onsistent with reverence for the Bible and with
acceptance of the doctrine OF ms Ira from
a sermon preached by DR. Behrends. of ins city, In
1889 on this book In which ne acgorica, moncep
ton and in which he states the doctrine OF hspIa-
ton so admirably that venture 10 reau the para
graph AT length.
DIR. BEHRENDs on INSPIRATION.
uo ,hon read the quotation already described. in
which tho following are some OF the more striking
nassages ITO say that il portrays the story OF an
IDEAL courtship which ends in happy prospective
marriage has been regarded as heresy. 1t mas been
supposed to picture the relations OF Goa 10 Israel
Inspiration simply guarantees us what Gods
thought is on any theme which 1t touches.
whether that theme he the atonement or human
life VIII any one presume to say that We need In
strnction only on the former and not on the lat
ter? The Song Of Solomon is mirror OF
such love- radiant as the face OF an angel ana
for one refuse to be disturbed annoyed by any
other explanation.
Continuing, Dr. Abbott said:
Inspiration has to deal primarily with the sub
stance. not with the form OF the message; Pr
method bv which II is conveyed. and that nspra-
ton can be conveyed through all forms lnspra-
ton is not confined to any particular form OF "
terance. God is not shut up TO any particular
method OF imparting His will or His life All meth;
DDS are His all voices at His disposal. and
that conception OF inspiration which afirms that 1t
% mako bsw u Of hom OF
er. divner than a conception whicn confines IN
spiraton either to any particular klnd OF MESSAGE
sage
THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE.
DR. Abbott then outlined the drama in the Song
OF Songs He described a country maiden. taken
from her rustic lover to be tho kings bride. She
resolutely refuses. and is sicadfast and faithful
to her lover. Solomon tries every method in his
power, but she always replies by crying out. MY
beloved IL mine and ] am his, who feedeth his flock
among the lilies" At last, after taking her TO
Jerusalem and still falling. Solomon gives up In
despair and she goes back to her rustic lover
The last OF the drama is where the reunited
lovers are walking back through the scenes of
their early courtship. This explanation DR.. Abbott
illustrated by copious readings from the Song OF
Songs He then coniinued:
Remembering what life was in the Orient,
membering how far men had straycd from the first
marriage law. remembering how love had died out
and RIGHTEOUSNESS had taken its place can we say
there was no need for an inspired drama to teach
this lesson to the Eastern world? Are sure.
look out upon America, that there Is need to
be taught this lesson I'm our own day? Is marriage
Ia mode" unknown TO us? Are there TO mothers
who plan 10 win for their daughter not a lover. hut
a wealthy suitor? Are there no men and women in
America who put love over against houses and
lands? II love in cottage has been often sung.
II has often. also. been scorned and ~coffed II
you say that literature Is full OF this story. that
Is true but what Will you say OF the writer who
first told the story Of the battle between love and
ambition. and put love first? ] doubt whether YOU
will find anywhere in ancient literature a story OF
pure womanly love antedatng the Song OF Songs
AGAINST THE NEW WOMAN
! have learned that II IL difficult 10 speak frank
" without being misunderstood. but that is no
rea son not spcaking frankly. The higher edu-