The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1898-08-27

modify, some Of his teachings:
why did Christ disregard his com
mandment in the case of the wo-
man taken in adultery!
1t will not do to ring in here the
old aphorism, circumstances alter
cases." for surely adultery was no
less vile and disastrous sin in the
time and place of Jesus, than it
was in the time and place of Moses.
1t is not an act that may be wrong
to-day, or here; and right, or NOR
ally colorless, tomorrow, or yon-
der. Nor will the old aphorism
suffice to reconcile your faith in
the infalhbility of Moses with 10y
atty to the Christ, when you read,
as requested, that portion of the
Sermon on the Mount alluded TO
above.
If, after this reading, you should,
by any possibility bordering upon
miracle, still be of the opinion,
that Jesus endorsed" Moses-en-
dorsed him unreseryodly jalIow-
]
ing, of course, for the legislation
suggested by peculiar circum-
stances, will you kindly turn to
Deuteronomy XXI, and read there
from the tenth verse to the ff-
teenth. Were these words Of
Moses inspired by the just and
holy God, in order that upon
BOTH FRIEND AND FOE MIGHT BE
STAMPED THE CONVICTION or HIS
HOLY PERSONALITY" viii you
dare assert, next Sunday mo-, mo
70 ''o oiliisl''vu -"vu people of this
community who may be within the
reach of your voice, that those
works in the book, Deuteronomy,
were "endorsed" by Jesus Christ!
Why, my dear Sir, ! find it I'M
possible to conceiye-desplte your
faith in the infallibility of Moses
that you could have been paid,
persuaded or coaXed, to utter such
words to any regiment that went,
recently, to Cuba, Porto Rico, or
the Philippines, had you occupied
the office of Army Chaplain! And
if you had been Chaplain, and had
uttered them-to the 2nd Ahssis-
slppi, e. G., | suspect that your
treatment at the hands of the Mis-
sissippi boys would not have been
the best!
You seek to make good your ar
oument in behalf of the intalliblllty
and perfection of Moses by point
| inc out that, where his commands
were cruel in regard to hostile
peoples; where he ordered the in
discriminate slaughter Of the IN
habitants Of u captured city
the thrusting through Of "piteous
children" the wholesale murder
of babes at the breast-hls reason
and justification was, that he was
safe guarding Israel from contain
ination by idolatrous heathen prac-
tees. VIII you argue that Moses
was taught by Divine inspiration,
that good way to safeguard Is
rael from contamination by heath
en- idolatries was to permit his i'm
maculate warriors to force the
captive women of idolatrous peo,
pies to become their wives, ano
bear them children! (See Deuter,
onomy XXI, 18th, seq, above re,
ferred to-
You made "haste" to claim that
| had expressed sentiments in my
sermon of August 9TH in which the
"Church of Cod has no ''propri
etorship." In other words, the
, Church of God repudiates, or dis
owns, them; and, if so, what fol
lows! This, necessarily: that il
, giving expression to those sentl-
ments | was false to my position
as minister of the Church OF God
| challenge you to make good you
claim; to tell the public by Wha
: authority you have spoken for th'
Church of God in condemning anC
' repudiating the utterances OF
/, brother-minister. Are you infal
. lible? Are you general council
! or wiser than a general council
e a pope? To make.good your CLAIM
' YOU must needs be. But you vii
/ probably have some difficulty con
+ vincing the thoughtful people o
IGleenviIle that they need any pop'
t among them.
Tho only rational conclusion