Address to the Clergy, and Skepticism and Divine Revelation

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886. Excerpt: ... unfolding of spiritual truth? Is it not clear that all things are being made new on the physical plane of life? and if so, is it reasonable to suppose the Lord has forgotten our spiritual wants? Reader, read carefully the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and a new world of life and light will be opened to you, and you will be ready to exclaim that the Second Coming of the Lord is indeed with power and great glory. It will be clearly shown to your rational comprehension that there are other floods than those of material waters, and more to be dreaded by men, of which we shall treat hereafter. But, says the Rev. Dr. Bayley, it may now be asked, Why do you not receive the account of the flood as commonly taught? To this we reply, that, although we consider the divine account of the flood to be allegorical, we by no means make less of the Divine Word than others, but, in fact, more. We perceive immeasurably more in it than mere literalists admit, but we cannot accept the natural interpretation of the history, because we do not believe it was ever so intended to be understood. It is part of the series which describes spiritual creation under natural imagery, trees of life and knowledge, talking serpents, and a variety of other particulars which cannot be reconciled with reason or with science, if they are literally understood; and we have no doubt that true theology, true reason, and true science are in harmony. They come from the same divine fountain. In the letter, the Word was given to each people in the mode best accommodated to them, and in the early ages allegory was what they loved. They gave spiritual history in natural forms. Hence we have the account of the formation of the Church, like the creation of the world; we have trees of life and knowledg...