BIBLICAL ASTRONOMY.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4385, 23 January 1883, Page 2

BIBLICAL ASTRONOMY.

(To the Editor of the Evening Star). Sib, —I hare hitherto been sincerely under the belief that every word confined iv the Bible wbb true; thalj^aoming, from the Deity, being inspired by' Him, and contain* ing a history of the world from, the v cre3tion, it could not possibly eriv -The mist which has been obscuring my?,, mantel faculties, and which haa.up to the prceit been the cause of [mj> true belief in the Bible, is gradually being dispelled by the teachings of the Eev. Henry' Bull. ' Ac,cording to that gentl^||la,.the Biblical account of the "Sun and "Moon standing still," as recorded in the Book of Joshua is untrue; and that the portion of the Book referring; to 1* this wonderful astro* nomical occurrence waruot authorised by the Deity, but'was bound up by mistake with the rest of.the Holy Bible. At a simple believer* I have always understood JoshuaVstatement regarding the temporary stoppage of these twp important heavenly bodies as being meant bb an exhibition to mankind of the miraculous power the Creator has orer the" 1 universe, and that His affection for His brave and generous general, was so .great that He suspended for a time all natural laws in order to give Him an assurance of His approval and esteem. But, tempora mutanhtr •et'nos mutamur'in. itth, %n& I find that this ancient idea must be abandoned. If this record is untrne, how am I to know that the whole bible has not been made up by:mistake?" Th> deluge, by which myriads of innocent people suffered death with the guilty, the thrill:ng story of the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites; the beautiful legend of Bell and the Dragon as recorded ie the Apocrypha;' 'the stupendous power of Moses in producing water from a barren rock, with a simple stroke of his wand; the. awe-, inspiring ascent into Heaven of Enoch' and Elijah; .the affectionate .life,, of Buth and Boarz; aid ' last but not !e*st . the < heezt - reading t -ex+ experience of Jonah in the whale's pabulum store house, together with numerous other long cherished ideas of the Creator's powers, tove. and wisdom* may perhaps have to be. cast aside also before long. lam sorry that in these religious times anyone should be so im« pious "as to denounce statements in the Bible as being untrue; abovealldoes.it make me tremble for the safety of preconceived notions of Biblic.il „ truth, to hear a minister of the Gospel condemning' the Book he holds '.o be the chief authority for our faith! It will not do, Mr Bull. lam afraid you are becoming one of those detestable " Freethinkers," and that inste d of "believing .as a little child " and " neither adding to, nor taking away from the Book of Life one iota from what is written" (vide Bevelations) you are allowing Common Sense instead of Faith to be your guide.—lam, &c, Ak Oii> Chubchmak.