ORTHODOXY.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3527, 15 April 1880, Page 2

ORTHODOXY.

(To the Editor of the Evening Stab.) Sir, —You will see that a controversy is going on in your contemporary over the way called "Fifty years behind the times." "Observer" is one, and Mr Davies the minister, and another signing himself " P. Q." who takes Mr Daviet* side. I wish to say a few words on the same. Mr Davies gives signs that he believes what he says, and that he is prepared to defend his sayings. For there is a wide-spread impression that the minis ter's talk is so much theological nonsense that they could not'defend on an open platform, and would not attempt it. In a very many cases they cannot prove from the Scriptures what they teach; much less from science, reason and common sense. I might give a specimen from a score of such-like of the popular theology of the day. We are taught that an unjust man can be made just by faith ' alone, and a righteous man can be made righteous on the same principle. If it was not for theology no one would eter think of being made just without doing justly, nor of being made righteous with* out doing right. But the doctrine taught by Martin Luther, which is very generally,taught now, that we can be justified by faith atone, for men who are hungering after troth and spiritual food go to the churches, where they generally get a dish of cold stale orthodoxy that was said by Luther, Wesley or someone else a long time ago, and which has very little Scripture to support it, and for good reasons. No one would ever offer the Scriptural heroes for aY example for us to follow if it was not for the popular theology. Jacob, the prince that had power with God, ob'ained his possession by selfishness, trickery, and slight of hand. David, the man after God's own heart, caused a matt to be killed that he might have his wife. Would ever anyone think of those bad men being heroes and patron saints P If it were not for the popular theology of the day, I admit ministers of religion would be terribly fettered, by their creed. If they make a discovery of truth, the first thing they do is to see if it agrees with their creed or not; and then what an undo* - strain they have to put upon the Scrip-, tures to make it agree with their belief and be in accordance with science. Take, for instance, the creation of the world as given it Genises. That it was created in six days not any enlightened minister of religion now believe. That the world was really made in six twenty-four hours—this would be against the plain facts of geology. But in order to get out of this difficulty they say a day means an age: a day with 'the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. But this exI planation does not meet the difficulty, for it says, " The light was called day and the dark night, and the morning and evening was the first." So with all this stretching and screwing they do not get out of the dilemma, and rather than acknowledge any part of the Scriptures wrong, they would move earth and heaven. Bat lovers of truth want the truth, the whole - truth, and nothing but the truth, whether ' it fits the old orthodox notions or not.—l am, &c, J. Hoen.