RELIGIOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 897, 10 May 1889, Page 6

RELIGIOUS.

SUICIDE. The refusal to bury suicides in consecrated ground, or to have the burial service read over them, has been part of the education which the world at large has received from the great body of the Christian Church on this subject, and it is remarkable what unanimity of opinion exists among all tho different divisious of Christendom with regard to this crime. Christianity, more thau any other religion, has taught the world the sacreduess of human life. Hinduism, Buddhism, and other false systems of religion, long before Christianity existed, inculcated among their devotees the sacredness of animal life, but strangely enough they attached little value to human life. The Christian Church, has however, supplied what these other systems omitted. While Christians do not undervalue animal life, and only take it for necessary purposes, they have been taught that human life is most sacred, aud it is a gift committed to man by his Creator, and that we dare not wantonly take it away. The command, ‘ Thou shalt not kill,’ is as binding upon a man with regard to his own life as it is in relation to the lives of others. Huma Q life is a sacred thing which we dare not allow to be destroyed, except in very extreme oases as a punishment, as of a murderer, and then the individual suffers so that the lives of others whom he may deprive of life may be spared.—Rook. THE ENGLISH SALVATIONISTSGeneral Booth is committed by his success to the mistake common to all men who have organised new methods for dealing with the practical side of religion. He separates it from the organised religious life of the community, and insists that his idea shall be extended to the entire work of the restoration of personal character, and that the whole social fabric can be built upon it, which is an obvious mistake the moment it is presented. Tho same movement has run its course among us with the American revival, which for several generations has burned its way over large sections of the country, and rendered religious work more difficult than if the field had been left uncultivated. The moral is that it illustrates the df fference between the wise, organised movement for the renewal of society and the bailding up of individuals, and the spasmodic movements which induce those who share them to believe that they are moving forward when they are simply standing and yielding themselves to their emotion.—Boston Herald. A CORRECTION. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HEW ZEALAND MAIL. Sir, — In the edition of The N.Z. Maii of April 12th, there is an article on Bibl misprint, or mistranslation. Will you allow

me to point out another inaccuracy in trans. lation of much moro importance, ■which haH been perpetuated in the Revised Version; and that is, the substitution of the word eternal for age-long, which latter is the true and literal signification of the Greek word. Such substitution has completely altered the meaning of a great part of the Bible, and has been the cause of so many contradictions ; in fact, has made the words of Him who was the truth to seem untrue. Thus, He tells us that he came to seek and save the lost. Then how can any be lost eternally ? He says, I, if Ibe Mted up from the earth will draw all men unto me. Does ‘all’ in the Greek signifymany or few ? And, if so, why is it not translated so ? All men’cannot possibly mean the few who have done Christ’s will upon the earth as yet; i is true that in a near future we hope to see the whole world obeying His law ; but then there are many millions who have not done so in the past ages—are they not to be meluded in‘all men’’ Assuredly they must be, for He cannot He. Some may say, perhaps, how does this agree with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, in which Abraham says there is a great gulf fixed between them* But first remark that Abraham calls the rich man son or Greek ohild, consequently he Is not entirely cast off. Secondly, that Abra. ham’s bosom repre: ents the place of departed spirits of the blessed of the Jewish religion, the Jewish Paradise, in fact; when Dives 5 would leave the place of punishment, It would not be to enter the Jewish Paradise, but the Christian, since Christ himself says that He holds the keys of death and of hell. And we know that he passed over that gulf, and ‘ descended into hell,’ for St Peter tells - ns that after being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit, he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, who were disobedient in the time of Noah (Ist Peter, 3rd chapter, 19th and 20th verse) ; and in the next chapter (6th verse) we read, ‘To what end the good tiding 3 was preached to them that were dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but • live according to God in the spirit. The beautiful anthem for Easter day contains these words, ‘ For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.’ And as if this were not enough, the apostle gees on to tell us in|wh at order all should be made alive. Christ the first fruits, then afterwards they ' that are Christ’s at his coming, then he will abolish all rule, and all authority and power, ' .and put all his enemies under his feet, and = then the last enemy which shall be abolished |s deatfc* Faxjlinus.