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VOL.
XXIV
ALLEGHENY,
PA.,
APRIL
15,1903
KAISER
WILLIAM'S
THEOLOGY
No.8
About
a
year
ago,
at
the
German
Emperor's
instance,
Pro
fesGor
Delitzsch
delivered
an
address
at
the
palace.
He
spoke
on
recent
excavations
in
Babylon;
attempting
to
show
that
the
findings
entirely
discredited
the
Bible
and
proved
that
the
Hebrews'
intelligence
of
religious
things
came
to
them
from
the
Babylonians.
The
impression
went
out
that
the
Emperor
was
much
pleased
with
that
discourse,
and
evidently
had
lost
his
respect
for
the
Bible.
This
greatly
distressed
some
of
his
orthodox
subjects
and
encouraged
the
Socialists,
many
of
whom
are
reputed
to
be
unbeli~vers-agnostics.
To
offset
this,
t~e
Emperor
has
recently
inVIted
Professor
Harnack
to
address
hIS
court
on
the
same
theme
;-Professor
Harnack
being
rated
as
"orthodox."
(\Ve,
however,
could
not
rate
the
Professor
as
orthodox
or
Biblical.
He
holds
that
the
Babylonian
findings
confirm
the
Bible
records
in
some
respects
j
viz.,
that
there
is
a
sufficient
agreement
between
these
witnesses
and
the
Bible
to
prove
that
the
Bible
is
not
a
fabZe,-that
it
records
some
facts
of
actual
occurrence.
However,
Professor
Harnack
does
not
accept
t~e
Bible
as
of
divine
origin
as
do
we,
and
hence
discrecUts
~ts
dates,
and
accepts
instead
the
uncertain
decipherings
of
hiero
alyphics
relating
to
many
dynasties
(which
may
have
existed
~ontemporaneously)
and
by
stringing
these
out
one
after
the
other,
he
and
his
associates
count
thousands
of
years
which
the
Scriptures
do
not
allow.)
Additionally,
the
Emperor
prepared
a
letter
which,
as
was
intended,
has
been
made
pubbc.
In
it
he
sets
forth
his
re
ligious
views
and,
it
is
said,
has
quite
satisfied
his
people.
In
this
connection
it
should
be
remembered
that
the
Emperor
is
summus
episcopus
of
the
Prussian
Protestant
church-its
chief
bishop,
or
overseer.
Commenting
on
the
Emperor's
action,
the
London
Times
correspondent
says:-
"Orthodox
Protestants
seem
to
have
apprehended
that
the
foundations
of
the
State,
as
well
as
the
Church,
would
be
un
dermined
if
the
summus
epi.~copus
encouraged
heterodoxy.
The
question
has
a
deep
political
bearing
also,
because
the
Social
Democrats
are
professedly
anti-Christian
in
a
doctrinal
sense,
and
because
nearly
all
the
Liberals
are
freethinkers.
The
Con
servative
press
is
satisfied
that
the
Kaiser
holds
to
the
essen·
tials
of
orthodox
Protestantism,
and
the
Liberal
press
is
pleaSed
because
the
Kaiser's
statement
upholds
the
freedom
of
research
and
speculation
for
scholars.
"The
Catholic
Kolnische
VolT.s
ZeitUl1g
sees
danger
in
this
distinction
between
the
learned
and
the
'people,'
and
the
Rad
ical
Berliner
Tageblatt
comes
to
the
far-fetched
conclusion
that
the
Kaiser's
fearless
initiative
will
produce
the
greatest
and
most
triumphant
impression
in
England
and
America,
and
may
help
to
inspire
friendlier
feelings
there
for
'our
Germanic
cousins.'
"
The
"orthodox"
are
evidently
easily
satisfied.
We
trust
that
readers
of
ZION'S
"VATCH
TOWER
have
a
much
more
dig
tinct
idea
of
the
inspiration
of
the
Bible
writers-the
apostles
and
prophets-than
has
the
Kaiser.
We
cannot
with
him
count
Moses
in
along
with
Shakespeare
and
the
Kaiser's
grand·
father
and
Homer
and
Charlemagne.
Moses
was
both
a
prophet
and
It
type
of
the
great
Prophet,
and
hence.
to
us,
belongs
to
an
entirely
different
class
from
the
worldly-wise
and
great.
\Ye
quote
a
portion
of
the
letter:-
"I
distinguish
between
two
different
kinds
of
revelation
one
progressive,
and,
as
it
were,
historical;
the
other
purely
reliP.'ious,
as
preparing
the
way
for
the
future
Messiah.
'Regarding
the
former,
it
must
be
said,
for
me
it
does
not
admit
of
a
doubt,
not
even
the
slightest,
that
God
reveals
him.
self
continuously
in
the
race
of
men
created
by
him.
He
breathed
into
man
the
breath
of
his
life
and
follows
with
fatherly
love
and
interest
the
development
of
the
human
race.
In
order
to
lead
it
forward
and
develop
it,
he
reveals
himself
in
this
or
that
great
sage,
whether
priest
or
king,
whether
among
the
heathen,
.Jews
or
Christians.
Hammurabi
was
one;
so
was
Moses,
Abraham,
Homer,
Charlemagne,
Luther,
Shake
speare,
Goethe,
Kant
and
Emperor
William
the
Great.
These
he
sought
out
and
endowed
with
his
grace
to
accomJ?lish
splen
did,
imperishable
results
for
their
people
in
their
mtellectual
and
physical
provinces.
according
to
his
will.
How
often
my
~randfather
pointed
out
that
he
was
only
an
instrument
in
the
Lord's
hands.
.
.
.
"The
legislative
act
on
Sinai,
for
example,
can
be
only
regarded
as
symbolically
inspired
by
God.
When
Moses
had
to
reburnish
well-known
paragraphs
of
the
law,
perhaps
derived
from
the
code
of
Hammurabi,
in
order
to
incorporate
and
bind
them
into
the
loose,
weak
fabric
of
his
people,
here
the
histo·
rians
can
perhaps
construe
from
the
sense
of
wording
a
connec
tion
with
the
laws
of
Hammurabi,
the
friend
of
Abraham.
This
is
perhaps
logically
correct.
But
that
will
never
dis-
guise
the
fact
that
God
incited
Moses
thereto
and
in
so
far
revealed
himself
to
the
people
of
Israel."
The
Emperor
has
evidently
become
quite
tinctured
with
higher·critic
infidelity.
If
Moses
concocted
the
Law
with
the
assistance
of
a
heathen
legend
which
had
been
extant
several
centuries
before
he
was
born,
he
perpetrated
a
fraud
at
Mt.
Sinai,-a
stupendous
fraud-when
he
represented
that
it
was
directly
God
given.
Was
our
Lord
also
deceived
respecting
Hammurabi's
law,
palmed
off
by
Moses
as
of
divine
origin!
And
were
all
the
Jews,
including
the
apostles,
deceived?
Hear
our
Lord's
words,
"Did
not
Moses
give
you
the
Law?"
(John
7:
19)
When
our
Lord,
after
his
resurrection,
would
establish
the
faith
of
the
disciples
on
the
way
to
Emmaus,
we
read:
"Be
ginning
with
Moses
and
all
the
prophets
he
expounded
unto
them
the
Scriptures,"
etc.
(Luke
24:
27)
Did
he
begin
by
quoting
a
fraud,
a
deceiver
who
had
palmed
off
Hammurabi's
law
for
a
new
divine
code?
'Vhoever
believes
so,
cannot
be
lieve
in
our
Lord's
claims
to
Messiahship;
for
surely
Messiah
could
not
be
inspired
to
know
what
was
in
man
and
yet
be
deluded
as
present-day
wise
men
claim.
If
these
men
are
right
Stephen,
the
first
martyr
to
follow
the
Lord
in
death,
for
his
sake,
was
deceived
also.
See
his
testimony
concerning
Moses
in
Acts
7
:35·44,
noting
specially
vss.
38
and
44.
Who
that
believes
Moses
a
deceiver
and
a
fraud
could
longer
accept
the
inspiration
of
the
words
of
the
Apostle
Paul
on
any
subject,
after
noting
his
eulogy
of
Moses
and
the
Law
of
God
given
by
his
hand?
He
says:
"It
is
written
in
the
law
of
Moses."
(
I
Cor.
9:9)
Again
he
recites
an
incident
of
Moses'
presence
in
Mt.
Sinai,
not
as
a
part
of
a
stupendous
fraud,
but
as
a
fact;
saying,
"Moses
..•.
put
a
vail
over
his
face."
(2
Cor.
3:7-13;
Ex.
34:29,
30,
35)
Again
he
ascribed
that
law
to
ffild,
declaring
it
so
"just
and
holy
and
good"
that
no
fallen
man
could
keep
it.
(Rom.
7:
9-12
)
He
even
recites
circumstantially
the
giving
of
the
Law
Covenant
at
Sinai,
pointing
out
that
this
was
a
type
of
the
ushering
in
of
the
New
Covenant.-Heb.
12:
18·26.
''The
Law
was
given
[of
God]
by
Moses,
but
grace
and
truth
came
by
Jesus
Christ."
"Moses
verily
was
faithful,
as
a
servant
over
all
his
house"-he
was,
therefore,
not
a
fraud.
-John
1:
17;
Heb.
3:
5.
The
great
and
worldly-wise
are
all
to
stumble
into
just
such
unbelief
respecting
God's
Word,
but
the
faithful
are
to
be
kept
by
the
power
of
God
through
faith
and
by
assistance
die
vinely
granted
in
this
"evil
day."
"A
thousand
shall
fall
at
thy
side,
but
it
[the
pestilence
of
infidelity]
shall
not
come
nigh
thee."
The
elect
will
stand
on
a
sea
of
glass,
as
it
were
mingled
with
fire,
and
be
able
to
sing
intelligently
"the
song
of
Moses,
the
servant
of
God
[not
a
fraud],
and
the
Lamb."
Rev.
15:3.
Quoting
further
from
the
war·lord-bishop
we
are
touched
to
sympathy
by
his
"blind
unreason"
in
the
following
"most
or·
thodox"
sentence,-in
which
he
attempts
to
discuss
what
he,
evidently,
in
no
sense
understands.
How
true
that
"the
natural
man
receiveth
not
[comprehendeth
not]
the
things
of
the
spirit
of
God:
neither
can
he
know
them
because
tliev
are
Spirit-
ually
discerned."
(1
Cor.
2:
14)
He
says:-
•
"Christ
is
God,
God
in
human
form.
He
redeemed
us
and
inspires
us,
entices
us
to
follow
him.
We
feel
his
fire
burning
in
us.
His
sympathy
strengthens
us.
His
discontent
destroys
us.
But,
also
his
intercession
saves
us.
Conscious
of
victory,
building
solely
upon
his
'Yord,
we
go
through
labor,
ridicule,
sorrow,
misery
and
death,
for
we
have
in
him
God's
revealed
Word,
and
he
never
lies."
RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM
GRANTED
BY
THE
CZAR
OF
ALL
THE
RUSSIANS
St.
Petersburg,
(Press
Cable)
.-The
Czar
has
issued
a
de
cree
providing
for
freedom
of
religion
throughout
hif!
domino
ions,
establishing
to
some
degree
local
self-government
and
making
other
concessions
to
the
village
committees.
Among
the
measures
outlined
by
the
Czar
for
the
attain
ment
of
these
ends
is
reform
of
the
rural
laws,
which
is
to
be
effected
with
the
advice
of
persons
who
possess
the
confidence
of
the
people.
The
system
of
administration
in
the
various
governments
and
districts
is
to
be
examined
by
representatives
of
the
different
localities
concerned,
with
the
view
of
effecting
the
necessary
amendments.
Measures
are
also
to
be
taken
to
relieve
the
peasantry
of
the
burdens
of
forced
labor.
The
decree,
which
was
issued
in
commemoration
of
the
an·
niversary
of
the
birthday
of
Alexander
111.,
is
considered
to
be
the
most
significant
aet
of
state
since
the
emancipation
of
6erfs.
The
public
hails
it
as
the
proclamation
of
a
new
era,
opening
up
bright
prospects
of
the
early
imrrovement
of
Rus·
sian
internal
administration.
[3177]
~115-116)
Vou. XXIV ALLEGHENY, PA., APRIL 15, 1903 No. 8 KAISER WILLIAM'S THEOLOGY About a year ago, at the German Emperor’s instance, Professor Delitzsch delivered an address at the palace. He spoke on recent excavations in Babylon; attempting to show that the findings entirely discredited the Bible and proved that the Hebrews’ intelligence of religious things came to them from the Babylonians. The impression went out that the Emperor was much pleased with that discourse, and evidently had lost his respect for the Bible. This greatly distressed some of his orthodox subjects and encouraged the Socialists, many of whom are reputed to be unbelievers—agnostics. To offset this, the Emperor has recently invited Professor Harnack to address his court on the same theme;—Professor Harnack being rated as “orthodox.” (We, however, could not rate the Professor as orthodox or Biblical. He holds that the Babylonian findings confirm the Bible records in some respects; viz., that there is a sufficient agreement between these witnesses and the Bible to prove that the Bible is not a fable,—that it records some facts of actual occurrence. However, Professor Harnack does not accept the Bible as of divine origin as do we, and hence discredits its dates, and accepts instead the uncertain decipherings of hieroglyphics relating to many dynasties (which may have existed contemporaneously) and by stringing these out one after the other, he and his associates count thousands of years which the Scriptures do not allow.) Additionally, the Emperor prepared a letter which, as was intended, has been made public. In it he sets forth his religious views and, it is said, has quite satisfied his people. In this connection it should be remembered that the Emperor is summus episcopus of the Prussian Protestant church—its chief bishop, or overseer. Commenting on the Emperor’s action, the London Times correspondent says :—— “Orthodox Protestants seem to have apprehended that the foundations of the State, as well as the Church, would be undermined if the summus episcopus encouraged heterodoxy. The uestion has a deep political bearing also, because the Social mocrats are professedly anti-Christian in a doctrinal sense, and because nearly all the Liberals are freethinkers. The Conservative press is satisfied that the Kaiser holds to the essentials of orthodox Protestantism, and the Liberal press is pleased because the Kaiser’s statement upholds the freedom of research and speculation for scholars. “The Catholic Kolnische Volks Zeitung sees danger in this distinction between the learned and the ‘people,’ and the Radical Berliner Tageblatt comes to the far-fetched conclusion that the Kaiser’s fearless initiative will produce the greatest and most triumphant impression in England and America, and may help to inspire friendlier feelings there for ‘our Germanic cousins.’ ” The “orthodox” are evidently easily satisfied. We trust that readers of Zion’s WatcH Tower have a much more distinct idea of the inspiration of the Bible writers—the apostles and prophets—than has the Kaiser. We cannot with him count Moses in along with Shakespeare and the Kaiser’s grandfather and Homer and Charlemagne. Moses was both a prophet and a type of the great Prophet, and hence, to us, belongs to an entirely different class from the worldly-wise and great. We quote a portion of the letter :— “I distinguish between two different kinds of revelation— one progressive, and, as it were, historical; the other purely religious, as preparing the way for the future Messiah. ‘Regarding the former, it must be said, for me it does not admit of a doubt, not even the slightest, that God reveals himself continuously in the race of men created by him. He breathed into man the breath of his life and follows with fatherly love and interest the development of the human race. In order to lead it forward and develop it, he reveals himself in this or that great sage, whether priest or king, whether among the heathen, Jews or Christians. Hammurabi was one; so was Moses, Abraham, Homer, Charlemagne, Luther, Shakespeare, Goethe, Kant and Emperor William the Great. These he sought out and endowed with his grace to accomplish splendid, imperishable results for their people in their intellectual and physical provinces, according to his will. How often my grandfather pointed out that he was only an instrument in the Lord’s hands. . . “The legislative act. on Sinai, for example, can be only regarded as symbolically inspired by God. When Moses had to reburnish well-known paragraphs of the law, perhaps derived from the code of Hammurabi, in order to incorporate and bind them into the loose, weak fabric of his people, here the historians can perhaps construe from the sense of wording a connection with the laws of Hammurabi, the friend of Abraham, This is perhaps logically correct. But that will never dis [3177] guise the fact that God incited Moses thereto and in so far revealed himself to the people of Israel.” The Emperor has evidently become quite tinctured with higher-critic infidelity. If Moses concocted the Law with the assistance of a heathen legend which had been extant several centuries before he was born, he perpetrated a fraud at Mt. Sinai,—a stupendous fraud—when he represented that it was directly God given. Was our Lord also deceived respecting Hammurabi’s law, palmed off by Moses as of divine origin? And were all the Jews, including the apostles, deceived? Hear our Lord’s words, “Did not Moses give you the Law?” (John 7:19) When our Lord, after his resurrection, would establish the faith of the disciples on the way to Emmaus, we read: “Reginning with Moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them the Scriptures,” etc. (Luke 24:27) Did he begin by quoting a fraud, a deceiver who had palmed off Hammurabi’s law for a new divine code? Whoever believes s0, cannot believe in our Lord’s claims to Messiahship; for surely Messiah could not be inspired to know what was in man and yet be deluded as present-day wise men claim. If these men are right Stephen, the first martyr to follow the Lord in death, for his sake, was deceived also. See his testimony concerning Moses in Acts 7:35-44, noting specially vss. 38 and 44. Who that believes Moses a deceiver and a fraud could longer accept the inspiration of the words of the Apostle Paul on any subject, after noting his eulogy of Moses and the Law of God given by his hand? He says: “It is written in the law of Moses.” ( 1 Cor. 9:9) Again he recites an incident of Moses’ presence in Mt. Sinai, not as a part of a stupendous fraud, but as a fact; saying, “Moses .... put a vail over his face.” (2 Cor. 3:7-13; Ex. 34:29, 30, 35) Again he ascribed that law to God, declaring it so “just and holy and good” that no fallen man could keep it. (Rom. 7:9-12) He even recites circumstantially the giving of the Law Covenant at Sinai, pointing out that this was a type of the ushering in of the New Covenant.—Heb. 12:18-26. “The Law was given [of God] by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” “Moses verily was faithful, as a servant over all his house’—he was, therefore, not a fraud. —John 1:17; Heb. 3:5. The great and worldly-wise are allto stumble into just such unbelief respecting God’s Word, but the faithful are to be kept by the power of God through faith and by assistance divinely granted in this “evil day.” “A thousand shall fall at thy side, but it [the pestilence of infidelity] shall not come nigh thee.” The elect will stand on a sea of glass, as it were mingled with fire, and be able to sing intelligently “the song of Moses, the servant of God [not a fraud], and the Lamb.”— Rev. 15:3. Quoting further from the war-lord-bishop we are touched to sympathy by his “blind unreason” in the following “most orthodox” sentence,—in which he attempts to discuss what he, evidently, in no sense understands. How true that “the natural man receiveth not [comprehendeth not] the things of the spirit of God: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14) He says:— “Christ is God, God in human form. He redeemed us and inspires us, entices us to follow him. We feel his fire burning in us. His sympathy strengthens us. His discontent destroys us. But, also his intercession saves us. Conscious of victory, building solely upon his Word, we go through labor, ridicule, sorrow, misery and death, for we have in him God’s revealed Word, and he never lies,” RELIGIOUS FREEDOM GRANTED BY THE CZAR OF ALL THE RUSSIANS St. Petersburg, (Press Cable).—The Czar has issued a de cree providing for freedom of religion throughout his dominions, establishing to some degree local self-government and making other concessions to the village committees, Among the measures outlined by the Czar for the attainment of these ends is reform of the rural laws, which is to be effected with the advice of persons who possess the confidence of the people. The system of administration in the various overnments and districts is to be examined by representatives of the different localities concerned, with the view of effecting the necessary amendments. Measures are also to be taken to relieve the peasantry of the burdens of forced labor. The decree, which was issued in commemoration of the anniversary of the birthday of Alexander III., is considered to be the most significant act of state since the emancipation of serfs, The public hails it as the proclamation of a new era, opening up bright prospects of the early improvement of Russian internal administration. 115-116)
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