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Otago Daily Times, Issue 12650, 30 April 1903, Page 4

human experience, without which our human exporionco remains an enigma, distressing to the reason and crushing to the heart.' Without any noto or comment the Biblereader becomes possessed o£ experience necessary to his own experience, unices he would |ivo in thri dark. The advocates of tho Bible in schools propose to give him the Bible, therefore. 4. The fact that it may not be possible to explain how tho Bible- is inspired does not affect the fact that the experience of religious minds' knows that it is inspired, and advocates its value accordingly, any more than the fact that till quite recently no ono knew how it is thnt a bey's spinning top stands up did not affect the spinning of topsor the advocates of top-spinning encouraging others to spin tops. We are told by a scientific mind that Lord Kelvin can explain now why tho spinning top stands up, hut that there are very'few men who havo been able to muter his explanation. Il is more than probable that the same thing might be said of inspiration. Yet it would be unreasonable not to use the Bible till the bow of inspiration wero explained, Mr MacGregor has forgotten to allow for what has been well termod the sixth sense, or the senso of the spiritual—viz., faith. Reason and faith arc quite able* to discern even tho difficult question of degrece of inspiration, which Mr MacGrcgor quite correctly says human reason cannot do. No one who docs not use that sense of faith can be expected to know anything that can only be known by. its use. v 5.. As to whether it'is better to take <ip tho position of a section of the .'Anglican Church in Otago and say "we want not only to teach the moral lessons ■ contained in. tho Biblical literature, but also oertain truths of religion related to or deducible from those stories," or to be content to lot the Bible speak for itself, us the Council of Chuyehes and all Protestant New Zealand, except part of the Anglican Church in Otago, think, is a question which is incidentally opened up by Mr MacGregor's able papers* I do not propose to enter upon. that; but I think Mr MacGregor's papers .would lead to the inference that the demands of a section of the Anglican Church are somewhat a logical outcome of the desire to impart moral truth by th* Bible, and yet that to oppose , the wislv of tho rest of Protestant New Zealand is also illogical. In conclusion, I hope that, my comments 1 will not lead to the supposition that I am other than most grateful to you, Sir. for publishing, and to Mi , MacGregor for giving us, two such papers as have led me to write these. comments as one, who, like Mr MacGreeor, being not a member of the Council of Churches, views the question from outside. If M.r, MacGregor would care to learn how the comparative study of legal documents mokes in favour of the inspiration of the Scriptures, I would commend to hhn the now available translation of the "Code of Hammurabi," which should "ue studied .alongside of tho "Levitical Code"— a very interesting study .for a mind like Mr MaoGregor's, from which, wp expect an interesting article—this time in favour of the inspiration of the Biblical code.—l am, etc, \

W. Cdbzox-Siggees, St. Malt-how's, April' 24. .