QUESTION OF ORTHODOXY

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 260, 27 July 1908, Page 7

QUESTION OF ORTHODOXY

REV. J. GIBSON SMITH'S BOOK. THE AUTHOR'S EXPLANATION. It is understood that tho Rev. J. Gibson Smith's book, " Tha Christ of the Cross," in which he propounds a somewhat novel theory of tho Atonement, has not appealed to some of his fellow Presbyterians, who regard tho now theory as unorthodox. It is possible that the question whether Mr. Smith's arguments are consistent with Presbyterian teaching may be referred to tho General Assembly. HOW THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN. Mr. Smith explained to a crowded congregation in St. Andrew's Church last evening how ho camo to write the book. He stated that from Press notices and other sourcos he had gathored that tho positions maintained by him in tho volume had occasionod_ considerable disquietudo amongst Christian peoplo, for whonKporsonally ho had tho deepest respect and honour. In relating tho inner experiences by which ho was led to write the book, Mr. Smith said that ho was born and bred in the United Presbyterian Church in Scotland. There was -much in tho religious teaching to which ho listened that seemed strange and terribly dark, but there was also so much of light, that before ho wont up to tho University ho had determined, rather in spito of than becauso of tho wishes'of his father, to become a Minister of tho Church. As a student of tho University ho commenced to preach in country congregations, and ho also read omnivorously.

"SOMETHING WRONG SOMEWHERE." "As my mind went on expanding and my knowledge of the religious life of the community was increased, I began gradually to bo impressed with the fact that something was wrong somewhere. What that something was I could not tell—whether within myself, or in tho forms in which tho popular religious belief was impressed, it was impossible for me to determine. Ono thing only I was BUro of. Something was wrong', and I was very miserable. I was conscious of an increasing aridity and barrenness of soul. I felt that I had nothing much worth tolling to any man, for I had little joy in my own life." ■ Two years passed, after which Mr. Smith's experiences as a missionary among tho poverty, squalor and vico of Dundee slums mado him feel "as never before, how utterly and hopelessly inadequate was any such messago as I could deliver to these poor wretched slaves of our modern social system." Ho bogan to entertain serious thoughts of giving up the ministry altogether, though he could not ceaso to believo in God. But ono day light dawned upon the darkness. EFFECT OF A VISION. "I was sitting at my desk writing to a friend, when suddenly it seemed as though tho little room wero filled with light, inexpressibly soft and beautiful. I know perfectly well that there was no real light there, yet I found myself looking up to the roofas if to trace its source. It seemed as though a beam of this spiritual light pierced straight into my heart and struck, upon somothing there which immediately glowed into a similar light, and began to show full beams of shining, dazzling radianco. At the samo time, though no words were spoken, this meaning was revealed to my soul, just as though it had been uttered ; iri actual words. 'God loves you for tho Christ within you.' ' Ineffable, heavenly lovo flowed in upon his soul; and more than satisiiod its hunger. ' "And with tho love'itself, camo also tho truth about love. There was. a message to my understanding,, as weir as my heart. . . That spiritual world which formerly had soemeid almost a chaos of perplexities, was revealed to me as a world of holy ana beautiful law, in which nothing happened by chance, or without a reason, ana with a quite inoipressiblo joy I saw all the dark things grow plain and clear, and testify to tho reasonableness of tho truth of God." Tho thought that "lovo can only love that whioh is truly lovable," seemed to solve a thousand perploxitios. NEW ZEALAND MINISTRY. Within six months of this exporionco Mr. Smith camo to Dunedin, and commenced thoro, 21.yoars ago, his New Zealand ministry. His chief business throughout all those yoars had been to clearly define in his own mind, and to find a languago in which ho could express intelligibly to others the truth which ho had seen in the spirit so long ago in Edinburgh. His book represented tho clearest and most intelligible expression of. tho truth to which he had, so far ; been ablo to attain. He admitted that his personal oxpericnce did not givo him any right to overrido tho scriptures, but_ olaimed that it gavo him a standard by which to iiidgo tho traditional interpretations which had been put upon tho Scriptures by theologians in days gone by. AfteVihis vision it occurred to him that there was a good deal which tho i' Church had nccoptod as scriptural which was not really so. As regards the Atonement theory, he camo to see "that the traditional idea that God demanded a penalty before Ho could forgive, could not be hold without detracting from tho freonoss and graciousncss df God's forgjvoncss. . . I camo to see that that awful picture of God the Father shooting forth tho lightnings of His wrath upon the head of His innocent Son, which used to fill, my youthful soul with a horror of great darkness, was not a picture which could 1 claim for itself tho sanction, of tho Scriptures." A GIFT TO THE CHURCH. He had either to declare, in his book ; the truo moaning of tho Atonement as ho believed it had been revealed to him, or else loso his own soul. " I believe that I have given in this book the vory best that I had to give to the Church. It may bo that tho gift will bo rejected. I oannot toll. God only knows tho futuro. It may iho that the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand will say to mo that it cannot accept my statement of the moaning of tho Saviour's'work, and if tho Church should say so, there will bo 110 course open to mo hut to seek some other medium for tho conveyance of the truth as it appears to mo than tho medium of a, Presbyterian pulpit." The Presbyterian Church was very dear to him, but it was moro 'important that he should bo able to say with tho Apostlo Paul,,"l havo not beou disobedient to tho heavenly vision." . , 1