The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-05

81 Ahi dIdiHs
An excellent musical service preceded
the sermon. in which well known voices
| harmonzed.
Dr. Calisch's address was mastery in
all the wcTd contains. 1t showed the
depth to which the popular young divine
had sought and gave ample room for the
| glories of the imagination whose logical
reaches Rave so often charmed iull au-
| diences during the Doctors incumoency
at Beth Ahaba.
THE SERMON.
lie spoke IN part as follows.
| Genesis xv.6.-And he abraham be-
| lieved in God and It was accounted 10 him
for righteousness.
| When we speak Of the character Of
| Abraham wo must take into cOnsidera-
| ton. two things: first the motive OF
| his history, and second the reliability
OF tho various narratives concerning him
J 1t might be interesting and relevant 10
state the conclusions Of some Biblical
| scholars. to the effect that they regard
| Abraham not as an individual but as
| type. j. e.. the personihcation Of national
or tribal life. the nucleus about which
| tradition wound its string OF stories. We
| speak OF Israel to-day as the personihed
| presence Of the Jewish people We give
| TO this imaginary being all the character
| istics OF a single individual
II does not need much stretch Of the
| Imagination 10 conceive how. IN ancient
| days, the incidents that may have oc-
CURED in the migratory lie OF no.
madic people may have in the course ~
! years been fastened upon an individual
! lied conception Of that people as this
Z Of H.f fr
individualized personifcation OF a peo-
pie. or John Bull and Brother Jonathan,
the types OF English and American poo-
| plies. when we adj 90 this the pcrsoni-
| flying tendency of the ancient mind,
which. indeed we have not yet to-day
overcome. the feasibility Of the pro-
cedure Is further emphasized What I
mean by tho personifyng tendency or the
| ancient mind was the tendency TO endOw
| all things Of life the processes Of ma
ture. tho movements OF the elements
or the ornamental bodies. etc. with
| human or super-human characteristics.
and to speak of their activities as the
| acts Of individuals. This extended TO
the movements Of large bodies Of peo-
pies. and often the slow progress Of
generations was concentrated into the
span Of "a single life and movements
that were the unconscious development
of centuries were pictured, as being
the voluntary acts of an individual To
illustrate this from later and n0n-Blblical
sources we need but refer to the legend
Of the Drachenfels, of the Siebengobrge
on the Rhine.
But / am not ready TO accept this con-
ception Ahram as a type. rather than
an individual. l prefer 10 think OF him
as a single actual human being living
fa I'm To- D.
Of the morning OF human history yet
so far above his generation IN spiritual
conception that he was able 90 behold
the harbingering rays that heralded the
dawn. even as the mountain top catches
the first CLEANS Of day while yet the
valley below IS ROBBED IN darkness.
We must regard, as l have said. two
conditions as necessary 10 a thorough
understanding Of our subject viz the
motive Of the history and the reliability
Of the several narratives.
To take the second condition first I
need to remind you that in this portion
of the book Of Genesis, as I'm the eleven
earlier chapters. we find undoubted
traces Of two writers-one OF an earlier
period than the other-yet both making
use of doubtless the same materials and,
as in the earlier narratives, one writer
far superior 20 the other I'm moral Ideals
and spiritual apprehension. This Iact
will serve 10 explain the repeuuons OF
several incidents OF Abrams Ire ana
the discrepancies and contradictions that
appear between them. IT wouli go lar
beyond the limits OF this discourse 70
point out or discuss the overlapping mar
ratives and their differences. They VIII
only be retired to as becomes necessary.
The more we endeavor TO penetrate into
.f -
attempt to separate what IS the chan or
mere myth from the wheat Of actual fact,
the more we find ourselves perpleNed.
That there is an historic basis for all tra-
ditions we do not doubt for however
much tradition may comfort an occur
renee or overlay it with imaginary ana
unveritable accretiOns. there ~ sun am
historic pivot upon which the accrellohs
turn Finding ourselves upon uncertain
ground in the attempt 10 tread the pam
way Of Biblical criticism. ! am SATISFIED
10 accept for our study OF MS character
this evening. an the incidents, given as
occurring in Abrams life, as having ac-
tually occurred and 10 proceed upon the
basis that what the Bible gives us are
the actual episodes of an individual life
we come. then. 20 our remaining con-
sideration. that Of the motive of the
stories. of the life itself, and this is. the
yindication of faith. Abram is above all
things "a figure of heroic faith, faith
triumphant over fears over selhshness,
over obstacles: a faith perfect IN obedi-
ence and in unswerving trust a falth
LOYAL in the face Of every sacrifice, ana
every seeming disappointment. 10 was
a faith. Swallowed, if you will, by the
cruditles. the grOssness. even the cruel
ties Of his day and generation. and yet so
far superior to all that then existed, that
forty centuries Of culture have not sur
passed its ideals, nor crossed beyond the
circumference of its influence
Whatever may have been his limita-
tons. caused by early training environ
ment and inherited tradition. there can
be no question of the sublime spiritual
height 10 which Abram assembled in his
conception Of Deity, and his faithfuness
rnto that conception. The incidents of his
life are the opponents of the period in
which he lived. the concrete illustrations
of the conditions with which he had 10
contend. Yet they every one of them.
glorify his faith and enhance the beauty
of his trust The episodes OF the call
OF his entertainment OF the 10 him I'M
known messengers of God, of his rescue
Of Lot and the king of SOdom, OF his
refusal to accept recOmpense. Of his plea
in behalf of the doomed cities OF Sodom
and GOmorrah, Of the binding OF Isaac,
all these familiar scenes and Incidents are
hut the links OF that unbroken chain OF
faith that lea him from Charon to Ca
naan. from Canaan to Egypt. and FROM
Egypt back to Canaan and Machpelah.
Even his alleged weaknesses are intended
to testify TO his faith. These episodes in