The times., 1901-03-31

"a religion of the book: bat their ten
dency has been to vindicate the unique
I and essential place of the Bible in litera-
! ture as containing the veritable record Of
| a divine revelation Some things. indeed,
! have been changed; the order in which
! the books of the Bible were written is not
! the order in which they stand; some of
! them are OF composite authorship, whose
! various parts were written at different
! times: the traditional chronology. known
! at Usshers d656p, has been abandoned,
nor is there anything in the Bible which
! places IL in opposition to the teachings
! Of geology relative to the length of time
during which man has occupied the earth:
I the historical order of priest and prophet
! has been reversed, so that the voice of
! prophecy comes before the decline into
| ritual CNeIlhausen and others. Popular
/ misapprehensions tend to vanish in the
/ light of a true insight and interpretation
such as that the first chapter of Genesis
{ was intended to be an infallible record Of
/ the divine order in the creation of the
world. That a similar account Of the Gre
/ alton is found in Raoylonian literature
only shows that the Bible writer was
Illustrating by the best scientific lznowI-
! edge of the time the vastly higher spir-
/ itual truth with which the Bible opens
! that the creation is the work of God,
} thus leading man to the worship of God
/ and away from the lower worships of
sun and moon and all the hosts of
/ heaven.
( The mechanical conceptions as to the
/ mode Of inspiration and revelation tend
| to give way before a larger and truer
/ conception of the process by which the
revelation IS madc-that God speaks to
man actually and authoritatively through
the experience Of the events of life. Thus
revelation becomes a living process. and
all later history may become a COM
uentary on sacred history, renewing and
conforming the primal utterance of God
10 the soul of man. Much, ii is true vet
remains 20 be done in bridging the gulf
between the learned and scientific inter
probation Of the sacred record and the
popular apprehension. which formed in
/ the uncritical moments OF youth, often
persists to mature years and constitutes
a source OF confusion and weakness. A
similar situation was seen in the Middle
Ages in the wide breach between the
scholastic theologians and the popular
mind.
A new department has been added to
religious enquiry in Comparative Religion,
which aims at an impartial investigation
and free from prejudice, and is also
moved 10y the sentiment of a common hu-
manity to respect all utterances of reli-
gious feeling in the soul of man. How
widely the nineteenth century has ad-
vauced in this respect is seen by recall
ing a statement of DR.. Johnson: There
are two objects Of curiosity-the Chris
tian world and the Mohammedan world.
All the rest may be considered as bar
baroUs" One of the most representative
monuments of religious scholarship in the
last century is Prof. Max MulIers "Sa-
cred Books Of the East Some enquirers
in this unfamiliar department have work
ed under the impression that these an
cient religions were equal in value to the
Christian revelation; otbers even have
thought them to be in some respects su-
perior. And, in general, the first effect of
the discovery that there was truth in
other religions had tendency to weaken
the claim Of Christianity to be the abso-
ute religion. But as the results Of the
study have been placed in their normal
only confirm the words Of St Paul, that
God has at no time LETT himself without
witnesses IN the world Revelation also
IS seen 10 have been a universal process;
and profound spiritual motives are TO be
discerued beneath the diverse manifesto
tions of the religious instincts. Yet, on
the whole the preponderating Judgment
leads to the conclusion that Christianity
contains the larger, even the absolute
truth; that while it confirms some fea-
lures in these religions as true il con-
demns others as false; that Christianity
also has for one Of its essential charac-
teristics an assimilative power, which not
only enables. but forces il to appropriate
as it's own any aspects of truth contained
IN other religions which have not hither-
10 been illustrated I'm the history Of the
Christian Church, Nor is the familiar test
applied 70 religions wholly an unworthy
one which judges them by their historical
fruits or associations. In accordance with
this test, Confucianism is represented by
China, Hinduism by India, Buddhism by
CeyIon and Siam, Mehammedanism by
Turkey, Christianity by Europe and
America.
The influence Of the humanitarian SEN
timenJ may be further traced in soften
ing the asperities Of some forms OF ira
ditional theology, as, for example, the
Calvinlstic doctrine OF election with its
alternatives of reprobation or preteiition
These certainly have not been the favor
tie doctrines which have commended
themselves to the spirit Of the age The
effort has been made to bring the doctrine
Of the atonement within the limits of hu-
man experience. II has been found i'm
possible 10 present the doctrine Of end
less punishment after the manner of an
earlier age. Many causes have combined
to deepen the sense Of mystery in which
is cnvcloped the destiny Of man, and there
has been begOtten in consequence an un-
Willingness 10 dogmatizc where In earlier
times such a reluctance was not felt In
this connection may be mentioned two
religious bodies. which took their rise
about the beginning OF the century-Irni-
versalism. prociaiming ultimate salvation
for all men, and Unitarianisrn. asserting
the dignity Of man and his divine endow-
ment. But in all the Churches alike has
the same humaniziug force been felt.
leading 10 efforts IA theological recon
structiOn in order TO make il apparent
that the primary truths Of Christianity
are not merely arbitrary principles or ar
rangcments unrelated to life and to the
needs Of the soul, but that IN their essen
tial quality there is conformity with the
larger reason of humanity. with that feel
ing FOR the inherent worth of things on;
OF which reason proceeds. and with which
~ nGfn