The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1900-03-23
BOTH PROVE FIAT FAILURES.
Ed. HOWe's Lay Sermons and the
Sheldon Edition.
The Globe Editor Gives His Case Away
While the Journal Feels Constrained
70 ApoIOgfze-Rational Deism
Rsbukss HIS Atheism

! the Sheldon edition Of the Topeka
I Capital have been marked failures.
Both men undertook what they were
in no way, either by previous educa-
ton or experience, qualified to accom-
/ plish- It was like putting a country
lad in charge Of a powerful locomotive
engine to pull a fast express over an
unknown road on a dark and stormy
night-failure and catastrophe Of
course. No good, but much damage
has been done. Sheldon has added
nothing to journalism, nor Howe any
to the statements Of unbelief.
Leaving Mr.. Sheldon to the praise or
blame Of his clerical contemporaries,
/ this review viii aim to correct many Of
/ the mistakes or false statements, as
the case may be, Of Mr.. Howe in his
/ lay sermons. 1t is immaterial how
much he pounds the pate Of orthodoxy.
Orthodoxy is my dOxy, heterOdOxy is
your doxy" is pertinent saying. But
there still remains the great consensus
Of belief in God, Christ and immortal
/ ity, which the world Of intelligent man
kind will never abandon. The scrip
lures do not teach a literal hell of fire
and birthstone, but these things are
fgurati7e; nor do they teach hell
Of eternal punishment. They do teach
that suffering follows sin and that
peace and happiness follow righteous
ness-the absolute, eternal truth.
The scriptures do not teach that the
world was created in six literal days Of
a hours, nor that the date of the
worlds beginning vas 50 many thOus-
ands or millions OF ears, more or less,
ago. All computations Of time are the
estimates Of scholars, called chronicle
gists, and are mostly guess work.
Dates are seldom or never found in
the text Of the original Let this be
understood at the beginning. All the
scriptures state is, that when things
were created, God created them Both
IngersOu and Howe make this mistake
Of attrihuting to scripturaI statement
the estimates Of scholars in modern
times. This is either done in ignOr-
ance, or in wilIful and malicious falsifi-
cation Of fact. 1t is a case of the brave
knight of unbelief charging a wind
mill
Howe says: Theology is a course
in ignorance" In this statement he
shows his inexcusable ignorance. The
term theology is the study of the fact
Of the existence of the Supreme Being,
~ -AE-=L--E-.- IS, Z -,-.-e,,e;~,--- 81 49,,
in his relations to Him. Theology, in
broad gauge course, is the last degree
in the mastery of all possible knowl-
edge. 1t implies a college preparatory
course, a college course, a university
course, science, literature, languages,
law, medicine, and then theology. It
involves the study of the exact scien-
ces, the empirical sciences, criticism,
logic and literature; the knowledge Of
all the ages-the searching, comparison
and analysis Of all beliefs and unbe-
liefs Of all time. Aud this Is a course
IN ignorance?
Howe says the gospels we're not writ
ten until several centuries after Christ.
In this, again, he shows his ignorance.
The gospels we're quoted in religious
controversies within 100 years of the
death Of Christ. Scholars know these
things. But Hest this statement as to
genuineness and authenticity of the
gospels be called in question, the say
ing Of ROsseau, a French skeptic, Of
the time of the French revolution, is
here given. Rosseau says:
sHOW petty are the books Of the
philosophers, with all their pomp, com
pared to the gospelsl Can it be that
writings at once 50 simple and so sub
lime are the work Of men?"
Leaving out what he says about the
inimitabIe character whom they pOr-
tray hrist-in which be as much as
admits His supernatural character,
quotation fsrther is given
my friends, men do not invent like
this; and the facts respecting Socrates,
which no one doubts, are not 50 we'll
attested as those about Jesus Christ"
sAnd the gospels have
characteristics Of truthfuIness so strik-
ing, so grand, 50 perfectly inimitable,
that their inventors would be even
more wonderful than He whom they
portray. Yes, If the death Of Socrates
be that Of a sage, the life and death Of
Jesus are those Of a God"
Napoleon Bonspsrte was no pistist,
and Jet he said; "The gospels are DO
mere book, but 3 living creature, with
q vigOr, q power that cOnqders all that |
opposes it" "The soul !
charmed with the beauty of the Cos
pei is noIonRer its own. God possess
es it wholly
Mr.. Howe says be is afraid Of the pi- |