Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1903-12-05


Religious Thought" The Montreal Fam.
lily Herald and Weekly Star has the fol.
lowing which will doubtless be Of con.
siderable interest to many of our read.
ers:--
1.-THE nineteenth century was very
unsettled one In many ways II broke
up to a great extent the old order OF
society by bringing into activity and
influence classes that before had scarce.
ly succeeded in articulating their wants
or their inspirations. IL reyolutionized
knowledge and gave an extraordinary
primacy to physical science among the
pursuits of the human mind. Ii estab.
lished popular education, aud by that
fact alone brought forces into play the
Interior effects of which can as yet only
be guessed at. 1t established popular
government in many great countries
upon the widest possible basis Fin
ally it modified profoundly many ven
cradle systems OF thought and gave
new freedom to the adventurous mind
of man. In the domain Of religion the
activity of the modern spirit OF criti.
cism has been very marked. Some
many, indeed-would lain ignore 1t,
but 1t cannot be ignored. Wherever
men OF learning and OF influence in the
church assemble, we find them taking
note of the tendencies of the age aud
endeayoring to determine 10 what ex-
tent the advance OF criticism has rend-
cred change of STANDPOINT necessary.
A u
in Bristol, England, oneof the princi-
pal subjects of discussion was, The
Bible and Modern Criticism" As re-
CARDS the Old Testament, the subiec,
was dealt with by the Bishop of Win
cnes,eI, who opene3 ( = address with
hs6fs dies una 5%.a S.sl;;a s Ss.rr ME-
ago that the theolos OF the Old Testi.
nent must be hahed accordiag to
strict historical msbods. MANY OF the
views formerly enmiained in regard
to those venerable writings were no
longer tenable. II was AT one time
thought necessary assume or TO con.
tend that the morally OF the book was
perfect. II was ndcOnsidered SO any
longer. The propetical books were
supposed to have pnary reference to
the coming of Messiah. That idea
had been droppd The passages 80
construed were nov teen to have "A pri-
mary reference contemporary per
sonages or events nd only secondary to
admit of any Nhslanic application.
The main conteut,ns OF modern criti.
cism in regard to The composition of
the Pentateuch I'D other narrative
books must be- conssred as esta blished
Son like Ecclesslies, Esther and
Daniel were showiY their language
to belong to the last itage of classical
Hebrew. Taking ZEN in general, the
books of the Old bament were ne.
Their homogeneous equal in value
aud power. This d not. however.
impair the substant value of their
mission They refined the greatest
Religious literature any people in
the history of the wild
Commenting on tlpaper the Dean
of Canterbury said VI the Bishop had
given a very mild vdon OF the teach.
ings Of the mode critica, school.
Anybody he saidwho was fami-
liar with what was ant by modern
criticism must be are that there
were very burningres underneath
the ground over whithe Bishop pas
sed so tenderly." So of these still
more advanced viewre given in an
article in the last mber OF "The
Nineteenth Century ! After" by Mr..
w. r. Cassels, aur OF the book
known as ''SupernatJ Religion. " The
authorities, howeverhom Mr.. Cassels
quotes are all, be- remembered,
churchmen.
Is there then any son to believe
that, with all this exining OF found
tions and criticisms documents and
adjustments of opiuioreligion is III
danger OF pershing?he answer we
think, is that religiorin no danger
of perishing from thiasc. 1t is more
in danger from the hncSa of mems
hearts and their immen in the pleas.
ures and ambitions of world. Many
OF the most advanced lcs are men of
the most devout tempNd OF the most
ardent faith. They eve with un-
copquerable convictiohat God has
manifested himself to world, that
He has spoken to mrHdil that He
still moves the hearts zen, and that
His government is reous and an
everlasting one. "lcharacter OF
Jesus Christ" one of t.has said, sis
the one miracle vital important To
faith" Men may wer from the
/ light, but the light is e, undimmed,
interchangeable, amid tbecks OF time.
1t seems little wonderen you think
of it, that thoss who this faith
can gaze undauntedly the work