BIRD POISONNING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7549, 20 August 1886, Page 3

BIRD POISONNING.

Sir,— l am truly sorry to see you permit '•[Not a Brahmin" to give vent to his iiilidel opinions in the leading paper of Hawke's Bay. He quotes the words of Jesus, who said that even a sparrow does not. fall to the ground except by GocVb will, but "N.AiB." omits the context—

"Are ye not of more value than many sparrows ?" or words to that effect. Jesus apparently makes the proposition. that "\v6 are each of us of more value than many small birds, although he does nob state the (exact proportion. Now, in tho Old Testament, just as much ,the word of God be it remembered as the more recent book,, and therefore absolutely true— although 'evidently. "N.A.8. " does not heartily .believe therein— in Samuel 15, v"er. 3, God tolls Saul through his servant Samuel, " Now go and smite Anidlek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not ; but slay both man ana woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." And Saul obeyed in part, but did not kill the whole of them as he was' told to do, and therein lie erred and vexed God greatly. Similar commandments wore given by God to Joshua, and to many other worthy men of those ancient days, hilt Joshua was evidently a true believer, for he carried out the' 1 commands of God in the most literal manner, and slew the Canaanites utterly. ' I think it is not recorded in tho Sacred

. Word that he spared any, excepting some women, 1 therefore it was that no pleased - Godj , inasmuch as during all his life he \ 'earned out tho exact commands of the : Lord in the matter of the treatment of tho Canaanites. Now, if God could so order fie total destruction of all thoso people, and even of their children, and the cattle •and oxen, in some instances, who had done no harm, and then could approve of , thoso faithful men who carried out the '- word of tho Lord, why is it that tho . ; infidel "N.A.8." should dare to parade ™ opinions in this manner? Ho says, . Jf I wore t a sparrow, and could reason, 1 think I should refuse to acknowledge ..the benevolence of that scheme which brought mo into existenco unasked, and without any effort to live on my part, only ' that I might die a painful death at the .hand of man." I Why, God has certainly, over and over again, ordered such deaths to man in the old time, and to beasts and .infanta also. And let " N.A.8." bear in mind, that if ho that believes and carries out •'•' his belief, not in a half-hearted way, but „' thorough, .as did Joshua, and not as Saul • acted,- such full belief is acceptablo to tho • Lord, • and he who so bolieves will be sayed, but he who does not believe will . . not bq saved ; so say Samuel and many

other worthy servants of the Lord. Amen, so may it be.—l am, &c, Believer. „ [This correspondence must now cease.— Ed. II.B.Hj] ,