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Show y& MODERN CRITI6ISM OF SCRIPTURES. The Good Old Book as ;Yiwcd by Some Modem Dhis. BISHOP OF WESTMINISTER'S VIEWS The Prophetic Books Have Only Sec ondary AppIIcatlon'to the Messianic Dispensation. Under tho head of "The Progress of Religious Thought" Tho Montreal Fam-lly Fam-lly Herald and Weekly Sur lis the fol-lowing fol-lowing which will doubles be of considerable con-siderable interest to maoy of our read-ers: read-ers: "The ulneteenth century wis a very unsettled one In many wi It broke up to a great extent the "old order of society by bringing Into activity and iufiuencc classes that be.'otuhad scarcely scarce-ly succeeded In articulating their wantb or thoir inspirations. It revolutionized knowledge and gave an extraordinary primacy to physical science nmoug the uursults of the human mind. It estab lished popular education, and by that fact alono brought forces Into play the ulterior effects of which can as jet only be guessed at. It established popular government in many great countries upon the widest possible basin. Fin-ully Fin-ully it modified profoundly miny ven erablc systems of thought and gave a new freedom to the adventurous mind of man. In the domain of religion the uetlyity of the modern spirit of criticism criti-cism has been very marked. Some-many, Some-many, indeed would "fain ignore it, but it cannot be ignored. Wherever men of learning and of influence in the church assemble, we flndlhera taking note of the tendencies of the age and endeavoring to determine to what extent ex-tent the advance ot criticism has rendered rend-ered a change of standpoint necessary. At the recent Church CoDgress held In Bristol, England, oneof Hie principal princi-pal subjects of discussion wni, "The lllble and Modern Criticism " As regards re-gards the Old Tcstamut, tho eubjeel was dealt with by the Bishop ot Winchester, Win-chester, who uinr'4rvf,uhirc-V with ago that the theoloff t)f tho Old Test!- ment must be hariieu nccordiiig to strict liistoi ical mtihods. Many of the views formerly entertained, in reguid to those venerable writings wore no longer tenable. It nas at one time thought neessary tomurac or to contend con-tend thut the moraJly of the book was perfect. It was ndconsldered so any longer. The prodttlcul books were supposed to have frimary reference to the coming of a Messiah. That idea jiud been droppel The passages ho construed were uiivjeeh to have a primary pri-mary reference ti contemporary per KonHgwSOr events nitou'jy becondury to admit of any MmImiiu application. Tho main contennosofjmodurn criticism criti-cism In reguid tolhe composition of the Pentateuch fid oilier naratlve books must be consured'as established Soiio like Keclesstlesj Ksthcr and Daniel were showily their language to belong to the hut stage of classical Hebrew. Taking win iu general, the books of the Old 'Isumjnt were ue-ther ue-ther homogeneous ir equal iu value aud power. This id not, however, Impair tho substantl value of their mission "They reiined tho greatest 'religions literature I any people in tho history of the wld " Conpnentlng on tlpnper the Dean of Canterbury said Wthe Uisliop had irlven a very mild viionjof the teach ings of the mode critical school. 'Anybody," he sald.nho was familiar fami-liar with what was ntj toy modern criticism must be arm that there were ery burninglrfSJ underneath the ground over whlthojBishop passed pas-sed so tenderly." S1 ofj these still more advanced vlewre given In an article In tho last imbcr of "The Nineteenth Century 1 After," by Mr. W. It. Cassels, uur of the book known as "SupernatdKeliglcu." The authorities, howeverhotn Mr. Cnssels quotes are all, bo remembered, churchmen. 1 Is there then any on$ to bollcve that, with all this extning of found-ttons found-ttons and criticisms oocuments and adjustments of oplnic religion is ir. danger of pirl8lilug?l10Iswer wo think, li that religioikiauo danger of perishing from thlsej It is more In danger from tho hn'sj of men's hearts and their imnion Jn the pleas-urea pleas-urea and ambitions of world. .Many of the most advanced ics aro men of the most devout tempO'HSf the most ardent faith. They tvolwlth un conquerable conviction lod has manifested himself to world, that Ilo has spokon to mfl"3t that Ho Mtill moves tho heaitsitiijanil that His government Is a ri!? and an everlasting one. "'character of Jehus Chriht," one of t said, "is the one miracle vltul"nortnnt to faith." Men may wrjjfrom. the light, but tho light Is fi utidimmed, unchangeable, amid tl'uof tlmo. It seems, llttlo wonrtor;aIyou think of it, that thoss who lWs faith ' can ghzo unduuntcdly W'J work of reconstruction that Is golug on, believing be-lieving as they must that the final result re-sult can only ho to give u fairer setting to the ouo world-wide imperishable truth. |