New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-30

ancient religions than IT gave them. The JEWISH
religion derived much from the BaDyloiI,s snstian
Persans and gave very little. Inc CIIls a.,
religion has been Influenced mucn mort "
Buddhism than Buddhism has been ihhuen'eD
by Christianity. pages 6lO ana oii''
II ia Instructive lust here to note that the carry
| church took no pains whatever to preserve the
autographs of the apostolic founders OF VI,
| Church. No autograph OF ST Peter OF ~ nar,v
or St John or St. James was known 10 yn nrd ana
/ Church: still less an autograph oi o"i ~
Saviour page 61S)
CIRCUMsTANTIAL ERRORS IN THE BIBLE
IL. Bible is the Word of God In the
sense that its essential contents are the word Oh
| God But It is not the word Of God in the sense
/ that its every word sentence and clause Is the
| word of God From that point OF view we must
! rather say the Bible contains the word Oh Hou.
/ The Bible is the word OF God In the seiise .ho'
1t contains Divine WORD OF renslous ' a. Tho
/ ton TO men. But must distinguish III the
! Rible between the Divine Word OF Instruction
| and the human vessel which contains 'has III
vine Word. The errors OF Holy Scr!pt I az ~
! the vessel the framework. the settlns nor III
| the contents or the substance OF the bioie
| Therefore even II the major premise De True
! that Divine Word must be inerrant. tne COT
! rected minor premise would cnly ead 10 the coii-
| cusion that the Divine Word OF instruction IN
! the Bible is inerrant. and II would leave room
! for errors In the human setting. 49,,
! There is no priori reason why the substantial
! truthfIlness of the Bible should not be consist
ent with circumstantial errors GOD tlmsel ulu
not speak. according to the Hebrew scriptures
more than a few words. in theophanies, Mnlch
| are recorded here and there In the Ola Iesla.
rent God speaks in much the greater part Vi
! the Old Testament through the voices ana pens
| Of the human authors of the scriptures Dlu
the human voice and pen in all the numerous
! writer's and editors OF Holy Scripture prior 10
the completion of the canon always denver an
inerrant word? .
Even II all the writer's were so possessed OF
the Holy Spirit as to be merely passive in HIS
hands the question arises: Can the finite voice
and the finite pen deliver and express the IN
Grant truth of God? II the language ana the
style and the dialect and the rhetoric are an
natural TO the inspired man, is IT posslple loi
these TO express the Infinite truth of GOD! how
can an imperfect word. sentence ana CLAUSE en-
press a perfect divine truth? Pages o5f ana
635J
IT, as some claim. in addition, there was
providential superintendent guarding the pon-
cal writer's from every kind of error. we are
compelled to state that this guarding from error
is the matter in contention. 1t cannot be as
sumed. 1t has TO be proven. 1t is improbable,
and IL cannot be accepted except through the
most conclusive reasons. which no one has yet
been able to present. page $3.50
GODS WORDS TO MAN.
When the infinite God speaks to finite
man, must He speak words which are inerrant?
| This depends not only upon Gods speaking, but
| upon mans hearing and also upon the means
Of communication between God and man. 1t is
necessary to show the capacity OF man TO re-
| ceive the inerrant word and the adequacy or the
means to convey the inerrant word. as well as
! the inerrancy of God, before we can be sure
that God only communicate inerrant words
to man. We may be certain of the inerrahcy
/ Of the speaker of the word, hut how can IL De
! shown that the means Of communication are
| inerrant, or that man is capable OF receiving an
/ inerrant word? 1t is necessary that we should
/ consider that in all His relations 10 man anu
/ nature God COndescends. The finite can only
contain part Of the infinite. God limits Him
| self when He imparts anything or Hmsel1 10
! the creature. In the converse Of heaven we
/ may say that there may be inerrant communica-
tons H. the commands Of God to seraphs and
I angels God may be conceived OF as speaking
/ inerrant words. But has God in fact, spoken
/ inerrant words to weak. ignorant sinful men In
( a world so imperfect and inharmonous as ours!
/ We may argue from anaogies.
l. The book OF nature dscoses much or the
( glory and power and wisdom Of the God in
creation and providence. But are these disclos-
ures inerrant? Can we formulate an exact
doctrine of the attributes OF God from these
disclosures OF nature? No one believes Il.
Nature is incapable of doing any more than OF
disclosing faint partial and fallible words OF
God The material universe is incapable OF
doing any more than to give. in many varying
colors faint reflections Of the light of the
/ spiritual world.
II NAV be asked May not a revelation in
nature though incomplete. be inerrant as far
az 1t goes?" To this it may be replied. yes. II 1t
go only so far In its lncompleteness as TO issue
forth from God Himself But IL 1t go so far as
to enter the realm of external nature and min
gle with the physical II will go so far as to lose
It's lnerrancN. Inc lnerrant WOru OF NIOu III
nature can be determined only by eliminating
the essential word from all the coloring and all
the formal inexactness and detection from the
normal which it's environment in nature IN
wolves pages G37 and 63S)
MORALS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
We cannot defend the morals of the Old Tesla
ment at all points. II is not in accord with the
morals OF our lay that man who was a slave
holder a polygamst and who showed such lit
hor ha
called the friend OF God. 1t is not TO be recon-
ciled with modern morality that a man who
committed much injustice and crime as David
should he called the man after Gods own heart.
1t would be impossible for modern writer's to
make such statements. and yet we should not
judge too harshly We should consider the men
in the light OF their times. Nowhere In the Old
Testament poygamy and slavery con-
demned. The time had not come in the history
OF the world when they could be condemned.
Is God responsible for the twin relics of bar
bsrlsm" because He did not condemn them but
on the contrary recognized them and restrained
them in the Old Testament? These laws could
hardly be inerrant They err from the divine
ideal in their morals. But the errors in moral
precept such as were necessary in order
TO educate Israel for nobler time when Israel,
as we'll as the Christian Church. would abhor
slavery and polygamy sins and crimes.
pages CAB and CAD
TRUTHFULNESS OF THE DIVINE WORD
1t does not harm the advanced student to look
back upon the inadequate knowledge of his
youthful days. 1t does not harm the Christian
to see the many mperfections. crudties and
errors Of the more elementary instruction OF the
Old Testament. Nor does it destroy his faith
! In the truthfulness of the Divine Word in these
elementary stages. He sees its appropriateness,
its truthfulness. its adaptation. its propriety;
and he learns that an unerring eye and inerrant
mind and nfaliible will has all the time been
at work using the imperfect media, and strain
| ing them 10 their utmost capacity to guide men.
| to raise them. and advance them In the true re-
ligion. The sacred books are always pointing
forward and upward they are always expand
ing in all directions: they are now. they al
ways have been. true and faithful guides to God.
They now. as they always have been, trust
worthy and reliable in their religious instruc-
ton. They now, as they always have been,