Christian herald., February 22, 1884, Page 2, Image 2

CHRISTIAN
HERAÎD.
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“ Young persons get, at home and Christian’s faith in any thing. If
in Christian schools, impressions of such is the case, by what- rule are
the Bible as a book every word of we to measure the word of God,
which was written under the direct and who can distinguish the true
dictation of the great God, and that from the false ? There will be no
every part is therefore absolutely rule except the one every man
free from all admixture of human makes in his own mind. What­
In addition to what we said last error. But a little while later they ever strikes one man as l^eing con­
week on the gospel in the synago- learn, on going forth into life, that sistent with his understanding of
things, will be true; and whatever
■g u e s, w e wish in dr a w a nothfir , JlSL.
portant lesson. The apostle Paul less; that the notion of * verbal in­ does not so meet his fancy will be
never preached to simply suit the spiration ’ is an invention of* theol­ false. Another self constituted
synagogue worshippers, but always ogy ; that mistakes of all sorts are critic will set up his rule, and thus
pointed out their errors to .them detectable in the Scriptures as we the process of Scripture destruction
and sought to turn them to the have them to-day; an making will go on till some one will con­
truth as revealed in Christ Jesus. which discoveries, some of those clude, as many have already done,
When Paul and Silas had come to thus undeceived are tempted to im­ that the whole thing is a mistake.
Thessalonica, Luke says: “And pute pious fraud to their teachers Imagine some modern critic sitting
Paul, as his manner -was, went in and pastors.”
in judgment on the great Apostle to
unto them, and three Sabbath days - Now just what all this " admix­ the Gentiles and saying, “ Here
reasoned with them out of the ture of human error” has to do Paul made a mistake; here he
Scriptures, opening and alleging with the “verbal inspiration” of the slightly erred, and there he evident­
that Christ must needs have suffer­ Bible is a little more than an ob­ ly spoke the truth !” We vrtiTT to
ed and risen again from the dead; serving mind is able to discover. write down ,our solemn protest
and that this Jesus, whom I preach The logic of these writers,- if logic against all such handling of the
unto you, is Christ.” From this we it may be called, runs thus : It is a word of God.
see that it was not only his custom fact that there is, as discovered by
Now amid all this confusion on
to go into the synagogues to preach, the " church’s best scholars,” an ad­ the subject of inspiration the only
but that it was also his custom to mixture of human errors in the legitimate question to ask is this:
preach the very things which the Scriptures as we have them to-day. Are these the words of the original
The Christian Intelligencer says
Jews did not believe—that the Therefore the “ impressions of the writers of the Scriptures whom God
of the New York Legislature: “ It
Jesus whom he preached was the Bible as a book every word of appointed and inspired to write out
was said by one member of the
Christ for whom they were Rooking, which was originally written under His will to fallen humanity ? If so,
Legislature last, week that no man
and that it was,necessary for him
that settles the question as to the
has a right to ■say or enact by law to suffer, die and be raised up the the direct dictation of the great
authority of the Scriptures as they
what another man shall eat or drink third day from the dead. In all God,” is a grand mistake! What
nonsense! The question is not came fresh from the pens of these
or wear. Let that gentleman start
probability the Apostle was thought
men. Hence the only remaining
for the capitol in Albany from his by those opposing Jesus to be very whether there are errors in the
work for the true critic, is to look
hotel, clothed simply in a waist uncourteous in > going into their Scriptures as we have them to-day,
for and point out the errors which
cloth, after the manner of Japanese own house, and that too by invita­ for of this fact we are all painfully
have crept in this side of the in­
porters and people of the islands of tion, and preaching on questions of conscious; but it is simply, who
spired writers. In our opinion, to
the Pacific, and he would very soon controversy I Why, such a thing made these mistakes ? Were they
made by the original writers them­ suppose that God and the Holy
learn that other men have the right
is transcending all bounds of pro­
Spirit allowed the writers of the
to decide what he may and shall priety, and can not be tolerated at selves, or by copyists and others
original Scriptures to make “ all
wear. The drinking customs of all in our own synagogue ! We will after they had passed out of the
sorts ” of mistakes, is to insult Di­
some men, customs encouraged and close the doors against all such con­ hands of the inspired men of God ?
fostered and stimulated by the duct!! Nevertheless, Paul, ever Any mere tyro in either logic or vinity by supposing that He would
traffic in intoxicants, cost the sober true to his mission, could not shun biblical knowledge can readily see purposely undermine the very hope
of the world’s salvation. Whatever,
people of this and every State a to declare the whole counsel of God. that because we now find errors
great deal of money. Drink" gives How many preachers of the modern in the Scriptures it does not follow therefore " verbal inspiration,” is
true or false, that these writers
business to the criminal courts, to sort would dare go into a denomina­ by any means that such mistakes
mistakes, we can not believe.
the police, fills the jails and prisons, tional church and expose their er­ were made by the original writers, made ----------------
♦ > ♦ •----------------
the poor-houses and insane asylums, rors as did Paul those of the Jews or that “ verba1 inspiration ” is not
HOME AT LAST.
and drink, if it cannot be suppress­ in the synagogue ? "He that know* true. This unpardonable mixing
On the 18th day of last June we
ed, ought to be made to pay for the eth his Master’s will and doeth it of things that so widely differ in
outlay of public money it makes not, shall be beaten with many order to get rid of certain portions bade adieu to a weeping family
of the Bible which do not happen and started for Oregon, via Chica­
necessary. Men who foot a bill stripes.”
to strike the fancy of these writers go, Omaha and San Francisco, and
have a right to decide whether the
bill shallbe run up. Men are de­ MISTAKES IN THE BIBLE. favorably, is the worst kind of sen and on January the 27th we
sational bosh, and is on the direct reached home again, having been
praved, and human depravity is the
It is a matter
astonishment route over the inclined plane to gone just seven months and nine
cause of drunkenness and all the
evils in its train, and as long as that so many writers, noted for avowed infidelity. If the writers days. During that time we travel­
men are dqpraved crime will exist their scholarship and biblical at­ of the Scriptures were allowed by ed about six thousand miles, passing
and often take on horrible forms, tainments, allow themselves to be­ the Spirit of God to wander at will, over fifteen different States and
but drink aggravates, infuriatesde- come so badly mixed on the ques­ making mistakes here and blunder­ Territories of the Union, thirteen
praviiy, weakens and overwffWns tion of the inspiration of the Scrip­ ing there so that “ mistakes of all of which we had never been in be­
reason and conscience, makes a man tures. Take this paragaph, for sorts ” are found in thcrir writing, fore, and preached one hundred
a savage brute, a fiend, and incites example, from the pen of J. H. then we are curious to know why and eleven sermons, notwithstand­
him to the most cruel and violent Rylance in the January number of tbejTWere inspired at all, or what ing the fact that much of the time
deeds. Government deals with crime the North American Review: is to constitute the real basis of the our health was so poor that we
Wilber F. Crafts, A. M., in his
book on “Successful Men of To-
Day,” says: “ We have to do it,
said a reporter of a Chicago daily
to General Logan; his personal
friend, about whom he had been
writing campaign slanders at the
bidding of his employers, as if he
were but an irresponsible pen in the
tafiW " th osr wi ld paid hIm; uh
if his employers would have to take
the guilt of his lies at the judgment.
Edward Evertt Hale justly said :
* It is pretty bad to be engaged on
Tuesday writing up a revival, and
then engaged on Saturday on an­
other paper writing it down. The
press of this country has been los­
ing influence for thirty-five years,
because the opinion is gaining that
writers have sold their words! ” It
is a fact that many writers have
sold their words,and we fear that the
religious press is not altogether free
from the justness of this charge.
An editor, especially of a religious
journal, who will not rebuke sin for
fear of losing his popularity, should
not speak at all.
and the causes and incitements to
crime, and one man or one portion
of the community has a right to say
on what conditions other men shall
indulge in habits that produce crime
and deeds of violence.”