The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-27
II Cor. 3; Tit. 1.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy mind.

1t has seemed to me advisable, in
view of prevalent misunderstanding
to attempt a statement of our religious
position. 1t Is our position that deter
mines our beliefs and actions, and you
will bear in mind as ] go on that it Is
the former, not the latter, the position,
not the belief, l am trying to state.
The difficulty which many experience
in regard to us, their perplexity and
amazement, arises from the fact that
the first question they ask, is, What
do you believe, instead of Why do you
believe. Whereas, important as the
question What" is. from the intel
lectual point of view 1t is really sec
ondary. 1t leaves out of sight the
grounds and reasons of your belief.
It deprives your unbelief Of their
morality and justification. So long as
Christianity was satisfied with an in
herited body of doctrine, the question,
What do you believe? was appropriate;
but as soon as the mind insisted on
the truth of the doctrine, the first
question was, Why do you believe?
Five hundred years ago, Dante's
scheme-of hell as great cavern run
ming through the earth, of Purgatory
as a hill on the other side, and Of
Paradise as filling a series of celestial
spheres,-was the conception Of the
DeSl IHluuS. w uy Is IL ItldI we w llOl
believe with him? Why is it that what
satisfied his great intellect, appears
now to be wholly unreal and childish?
1t is not surely that we are greater
than he, but because, thanks to Copper
nicus and Newton, and La Place and
their followers, the school boy knows
more now than any one could know,
90 years ago.
More venerable still is the idea of
H. lid
man himself, in six days. 1t Is an idea
moreover, that has given color and
shape to the deepest thought of Jew
and Christian for nearly 5000 years.
Why is it that this biblical view, so
imbedded in religion that men prophe-
sled the destruction of faith If 1t
should be removed has now no place
in an educated mind? 1t is because
the real record of creation has been
read in the book of the revelation of
geology, and there in the rock strata
of the earth are the evidences, not only
of it's antiquity, but of it's slow evolu-
ton.
Equally positive is the evidence in
regard to the origin of man, and his
relation to the lower forms of life.
None of the facts indicate that he be-
gan his existence full grown; all go
to show that he, too, is the product
Ol Il SLOW SIOWlLt dilu 10 oLill III bllC
process of making. We believe Ger
tain things about him because we are
compelled by the only valid testimony
we have.
Again certain views in regard to the
character Of the Bible have prevailed
for hundreds of years. 1t was held to
be a book with an authority and or
igin all it's own. Because it was in
spired, it's mere word was taken as
proof of natural facts. 1t is said the
sun stood still, or an ass spoke, or wa
ter was turned to wine, or a storm was
stilled by a word, the statement must
not be questioned. '.~e
Nothing of this do we now believe,
and never shall believe again, and
why? For the reason 1 have already
indicated The field of Bible history
and literature has been explored, just
as the fields of physical research have
been examined. AS the result of these
patient and laborious studies certain
sure results have been acquired. There
has been built up a science of criti-
! cism as trustworthy as the science
of nature knowledge has been gained
not by one man, nor by a sect, but
by generations of competent and de-
voted scholars. More is known of the
history of Greece and Rome than Plato
! or Cicero knew: more is known of the
history of the Jews than Ezra or st.
Paul knew.
And these results are not the prop
erty of a small circle Of heretics, or
the badge of an ecclesiastical party;