The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-29
Still DISCUSSING Abbott.

TO the Editor of The Journal.
Your editorial on Isaiah and DR.. Ly-
man Abbott could not but be acceptable
to him and all other, decent people. In
fact, in the Harvard address, he has not
departed from his utterances of the past
few years, but simply put it in differ
emit form. AS to his no longer recognize
ing the Bible as IAN infallible rule of
faith and practice" be it remembered
that our Roman Catholic Christians also
never have, but look to their infallible
church, while the sProtestants only have
the infallible book. 4 But. no one can
make faces at Catholics Who have given
us such lofty patterns of living and filled
our cities with hospitals, asylums homes
for the aged and homeless. If we bear
in mind that the Bible is not a book at
all, but a collection of books or rather
literature of a very religious and magma
! tive people extending over four thousand
years of their history, and finally assem-
bled in the present form of what we
term the canon, by the Roman Catholic
church. in the middle ages. and not hand
| ed out. of the clouds, we are better in
! formed OF its origin.
A. Dr. Abbott does not discard the: Bible,
! but accepts, all that is good in It just as
all of US have to do in everything The
| time is certainly past when to be very
pious and very ignorant measures up to
the standard It is notable that the
present agitation comes from scholars;
human progress; witness the attitude of
the foremost theological seminaries that
teach the clergy. The heresy trials Of
recent years Of their professors attest
| this. Even the dean of Westminster
abbey has recently expressed regret that
the Christian world has not agreed on a
compilation from the books of the Bible
fit to be read to a general congrega-
Etieps u. ,sr.9x
Our forefathers were content with the
promise of a heaven hereafter we de-
mand it now; they sought eternal life to
come, we must have begin now; they
asked only for a revelation that was
p closed; we recognize one still unfolding,
an eternal and ever-present energy from
which all things proceed a somewhat not
of ourselves, yet INCLUDING us3 that works
flor Righteousness: H., ~s,-.
/, Speak to him, thou, and he'll hear you for spirit
r. with spirit may meet, - q.
Closer, to you than breathing and nearer" than
''"' hands and feet. ,-. go
Emerson saw that this is not a world
of chance when he wrote that the world
is for goodness and benefit, and there
. isn't a place on the wide earth to hide q
frogue. e-.s. ..- e.. :.
In this clearer light, the Bible will be
more precious for what 1t really 4
and that it was all we'll meant when writ.
ten. - ta;. ~..-. ..: -,-
In the general transformation that Is
j upon us, the church that is idle six days
+ in the week will be idle all the days
or else it must be busy all the time
No stated Bible conferences attended by
good people that never do any wrong
;, no annual fll1-up dinners for the poor
no homes for winter Christians will an.
swer' the demands, but constant and con-
sistent interest all the time in the per.
sonal welfare Of our neighbors, such as
| having saloons closed every day instead
:. of only on Sunday, is what we are hun.
gering and thirsting after today.
Ia 80 e. D. Jackson.
Minneapolis, Dec 20. %7'-''s' ''- -