Religious. THE CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1341, 11 August 1877, Page 18

Religious. THE CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES.

* There was a large 'jaudience'at^the, First/? .Church on the 3rd,' when" thY Rev. Profeaso*' SahnonaV continued 1 his popular ' course of leii-" tures 'on •* The Evidence? of- Christianity;" "- - ; Professor SaiiMOND SafS'he would now 1 a^ 1 pruach the subjectofthe alleged errors, digerep-i ancies, and., contradictions .in' : thejScriptafgeji more espepiallyinita historical portions: '. Havings adverted jfco thefcharges.of .error, and apologies•for the seeming contradictions ,of- yarioiA§^gjf t sages ,of Scripture; he .said ttiat ( -Dr,Hodg^. of America," who was;^of "'all' men, , the'njoat, orthodox-, maintained tHat ; the"*BlHle',was;abao- : jlutelyfaiiltleas, and' yei. in ; comparing if; to a jmarble block,' pointed' out'"' that *th'era wer«' f grabs of sand in a marble'-'block.i'-'He (thtfi ;Protessor) could -not for .a ■ moment*, think t)f : Iplacing himself in., the position- ofcrnany: cmi^ s nent.men, who .suggested -thatfthey might 'conrj aider that^he Word'.of.jorod contained &[ fej£ errors of .a c'omgarativ,ely ununportent\chara<m relating.tp names and' numbers, arid'scuon'. ' .Those wh'o'iray that inspiration must meanMin^* munity *~fr6m e r rr6r l! of^'eVery - kindi J ;<werV -in the habit' of asking^ • I Whafc* > dairy6u->-me"aK"-;by-'a itrifling 'error'?- <Wheri I 'ab ; es' ; an^e*rrbr" pease 1 to be.'fcriflirigpand' i cbecom"& ,serl6us"?; !He would ahrink/irom that there { was "any. possibility! of. error, .in jjtuejSeriptitftfa s and unless ~h& were absolutely forced to do so fowould shrink.'frpm" aoknoTwledginganyVof .the jerrprs., If jthe t argumeQta:'h6. : had,a^hftct(f«diJvanced J on i j;hg J inspirat|on7of,;HolyJ^cripture' .were sound, the immense pepjuabu^re iwas that' ■^he -Bible would t be free.* from error of ev«rV" tend. . ; Considering l tiie' l ifiim^nf & :numb i er. t oi -facts "stale'd'W. Scrip^rMerd 'wa^'pi^ty^of •room' for' blunders} ' J Axia yefc'-tHe' f mb"s<j i: close' criticism had beenfenablea^fo'dficoVerWlittlb'? !that> could even s plausibly*bef represented 'ai -'-However} the^aUegedereofi-Jwerflu not. determined- •by.leadirisftth'eologians, swho* appeared tabs able.to-Batisfaotorly^plftiaiihe ' pas^ag^.whjch^^ithe^paytjjjomid^aultiwjtlv •At a the ( (first .f^Wii^ion^bi^Bible.fleemejlsta; ;be a perfect -jumble .jbf jdfewepancieC and con--' tosiori; 'but these disappeiufe'd as' ifiey faujy ex--lamined'i^Jaffd^amirable^nnonyana'O^ sness supplied' tHo place^of the^seeminßly' tv&& itricable ' confusion! J« I He'dia^not'know/asinglS* Idifficulty ,of which' he 'could not at least'euggest'a possible , solution; <and . therefore the immense f probability ; was s ,that >, the! tßify&:, t .would .ibe' found jfiee from ; { all,, erxora.. <vr ,jHefi!then'j pr ( oceedec[ to^argue.that.th^.chionologyi o^jtheT foiir Gospels was used' simply {p"iri,dicate,tKoi leading poiute^h^t^^toi^^or instance; ;ne reterred to the frequent use of -such phrases ,as " And it caide ) to' pass?' \ St. ! Luke aays (in .the original) he intends to set forth " prderly" the words -ftttd- bffi'cef'of'" Jesus^Cnristj'i TKer'o was a distinction 1 betwee'n > «Jdrre'ct'neiii3 ; aSd'^cii» 1 racy. A correct narrative is one that is 'siibi 1 and' 'altogether true; 7™7 ™ far as ;it goes. An accurate s Harrativeds'ons that is both true and alao minute^ fHetailed, 'and ,circumstantiaL . A man correctlyireportß>whea 'he gives the substance of what'is^saiajKere- ; ports: accurately, when he . gives Kwhat' is- iaid [verbatim. e,t literatim.. They did^nbt'- require 'slavish literalism fromiaithful witnesses.. . Th« Professor gave instances to ;show that ■ th« evangelists reported correctly what • they • observed wriwen on th 6 Cross, the -NTords of Christ when instituting the Eucharist, &c. The Gogipqls would have been extremely Ion? had..literaUsm been cbserved in the.- reports ,of. Christ's •words and actions.; t • Tho Professor, quoted ,*ndi .coim'pared several passages fromvth.aJfe^Testa-; mehtto explain how, easily they. jbouldi be ha.r»! ,njonise'd. They found-that a careful examina-' tion of the context^ wonderfully removed nn apparent disci epancy, and showed that the missing link was quite well Known to Jhe evangelists. Ha,ving given" several illustrations' J of ; ths supply 'of the missing links,' explaining 1 th* truthfulness ttf the G-ospels, the Professor saids jthat in some places -they were "driven^to 'cob jecture. One instance of thisivas given nr tha: case of -Peter's denial; of Christ; o'ne>evangelistl stating that a maid .charged him with being a^, .disciple of Christ, while Luke reported th.at,jk ? man made the charge/ This ..was naturally., accounted for by both persons' haying preferred? s the charge against* Peter, J and_eacK' evangelist*, noting the remark he Himself hearid. . The next 1 point which it could 1 not 'be ! unimp6rtaht'"'t6 f make prominent? was that' differen3es T were""not 5 contradictions; ■ According'fto 'ihis iprinciplef,p the seemingly different times 6f> the" crucifixion,.: as .stated ; by, Mark and John; and otherfreporta^ were harmonised. • ,Howeyer,' there were someoutstanding , difficulties,' whichi ieveiy, hones]fc ( theologian would admit'/ and which 'he iv "wajs. not able to _/emoye__to his_entire satis? faction, and which he had not seen removed- 'by • any -writer to His' -entire eatis,faction. But there . was . always , the, possibility of solution. Having argued {hat the'fact of the inspiration of the Bible ", J w»s • cleßfly l proved, notwithstanding a few-difficulties,-'and f that it was written by holy men of iGodfaorfchoywere moved by the' Holy. Ghost, the JPrp'fw'so'rj intimated his intention to close -,tho .present. series of lectures i on I Friday j e'v;enmgjnex.t M > ci . :^