River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-04-06
GOD IN HIS WORLD.
BY LYMAN ABBOTT.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.

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But presently there began to come
another set of influences awakening
the belief that the Bible is an ulti-
mate and supreme authority. First
came geology, with its message that
the world was not made in six days,
The Church replied, Six days does
not mean six days; it means six long
periods. Then came anthropology,
with its message that man was not
created six thousand years ago; that
he has been on the earth at least ten
or fifteen or twenty thousand years.
The church replied, The Bible is
not authority on matters of chron-
ology. Then came evolutionary
science, with its message that man
was not made perfect; he has been
developed gradually, like all other
animals, from germ. And then
the church plied-nothing. Then
followed literary criticism. 1t ana
lyzed this Bible and compared it
with other literatures, and an
nounced its conclusions: These laws
of Moses were not handed down
complete, once for all; they were
composed of various elements which
can be distinguished; this code of
laws was gradually produced, and
the progress Of their gradual de-
velopment can be traced. Then
came the study of comparative re-
ligions, with its message: We can
find the Hebraic legends of creation
and fall and deluge in the older re-
ligions of Egypt, of Phoenicia, and
of Assyria. Little by little the Prot
estant faith that the Bible is the SUI
preme and final authority was
weakened, and for some destroyed.
Whether we like it or not, that less
ening of the authority of the Book
as book must be recognized. We
have only to compare the sermons
of che great orthodox preachers of
the past and the present to see the
difference of appeal.
While this process was going on
within the churches, there was GO
ing on process without, subtle,
powerful, irresistible. Science was
attacking the notion of an absentee
God, God who can be defined, de-
scribed, analysed, interpreted in
creeds. Science, which, first, showed
how vast the universe was; which,
secondly, showed how the universe
was all one; which, third, showed
that the same forces were at work
in this world and in the remotest
sun and in this epoch and in the re-
hottest epoch, so that all days are
equally creative, undermined the
notion of celestial Caesar sitting
on a celestial throne afar off, crea-
ting matter and force out of nothing,
and laws to govern them, and leav-
ing them to their own operation
with occasional interview on his
part. Then came history. History
had been mere annals, the mere
story of events, the mere record of
lives. Voltaire, I think, was the
first one to portray history as de-
yelopme Mt of life. He was followed
by others-Mommsen, Curtis, Ar
mold, Buckle, Macaulay, Green. All
these men differed from the old clas-
steal historians in tracing history as
gradual process of Development
the widening out and the upbuilding
of humanity-and in thus showing
a divine development in humanity
as science had shown it in nature.
Then came literature and the study
of comparative literatures, the litera-
lures of Greece and Rome and Italy
and England, and, last, but not least,
of the Hebrew people, and of the
common life of man that animates
them all and underlies them all;
and the discovery (for it was almost
a discovery that remorse is as uni
versal as the human race, and for
giveness as universal, and love and
pity and sympathy as universal; and
that underneath all nations and
all races and in all eras there beats,
not merely one blood, but one human,
palpitating, emotive life. This pro-
cess has been resisted by some men
in the Church and feared by more
but the resistance has been in vain,
and the fears have been needless.