Part 16 (1/2)

'There are a multitude of minute, and on the whole, as respects the substance of truth, not important questions and topics, which, like a fastened door, refuse to be opened by any key which learning has brought to them It is better to let the barking in vain, to lie whining at the door, unable to enter, and unwilling to go away _Life of Jesus, pp 77-81_

The Rev G Rawlinson, in an able lecture in defence of the Bible, published by the CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE SOCIETY of London, acknowledges that there are matters of uncertainty in some parts of the Old Testament history, and says, 'The time allowed by the common version of the Bible for all the events which took place from the days of Noah, to the birth of Christ, and for all the changes by which the various races of men were formed, by which civilization and the arts were developed, etc, is less than 2,600 years Now this is quite insufficient How is this difficulty to be met? We answer; a special uncertainty attaches to the nuiven differently in the different ancient versions The Saint extends it eight or nine hundred years If overne, diversities of races, etc, I should not be afraid to grant that the original record of Scripture on this point y cannot now be ascertained Nothing in ancient manuscripts is so liable to corruption as the nuns not very different from one another, and thus it happens that in al of very little reliance'

But the errors and uncertainty with regard to nu

They do not affect the Bible as the great religious instructor of the world

The sun has its spots, dark ones and large ones too; and the face of the htness; but are the sun and the moon less useful on that account? Do they not answer the ends for which they were made, and are not those ends the ht say, if the sun and hts of the earth, why are they not _all_ light, and why is not their light of the greatest brilliancy possible? But we too have a right to ask, Do they not give us light enough? And is not their light as brilliant as is desirable? Will the caviller prove that the sun and ht wore ht as well as too little If light exceeds a certain degree of intensity, it dazzles and blinds instead of enlightening It is well to have a little warmth, but if the heat be increased beyond a certain point, it burns and consu

The disposition of the caviller is anything but enviable, and if God were to take hi but coifts as He presents them, with thankfulness, and use the in His infinite wisdom and love

What a th, correction, regeneration, consolation, lessons fit to furnish hiive pleasure, supply exercise for his intellect, conscience, affections: and the Bible is all

If God may employ an i a portion of his iht He not e a portion of his i is from the BISHOP OF LONDON

'The vindication of the supernatural and authoritative character of the Bible has too often been embarrassed by speculative theories not authorized by the statements of the Bible itself'

'It is no reply to the essential claims of the Bible to be a supernatural revelation fro the ree of its inspiration are untenable'

Fro quotation is made, we do not remember

'The ord of the Reformation was, 'The sufficiency of the Scriptures for salvation'

'Definite theories of inspiration were seldom propounded till of late years

'The Bible is a revelation of spiritual truth coe, and y, and other sciences of the age, as vehicles or helps This principle will explain those see contradictions [to science] which result froe, as when the sun and o from one end of the heaven to the other, etc It will also account for y, and history, should such be found to exist The Scriptures were not intended to teach s, but to reveal what relates to our connection with moral law, and the spiritual world, and our salvation In teaching these things, the writers availed thee, and the current science and literature of the age in which they lived As in the present day a man may be well instructed in Christian doctrine, and have the unction fros of modern science, so likewise it was possible to those who first received religious truth and were commissioned to declare it The presence of the Holy Spirit no more preserved men from errors in science in the one case than in the other

One raphy of Washi+ngton, as the details of geology or chronology in Genesis

'The proper test to apply to the Gospels is, whether each gives us a picture of the life and ministry of Jesus that is self-consistent and consistent with the others; such as would be suitable to the use of believers

'Many of the apparent contradictions of the Bible may be explained by the mistakes of transcribers, or in some other way equally natural; but, as the Bishop of London has well reenuity has exerted itself to collect a whole store of such difficulties, supposing thenify? Theyable to solve theed fact, that there is a human eleiven in Exodus should, as Bishop Colenso asserts, be inaccurate? What is to be gained by assertions or denials relative to matters which have for ever passed out of the reach of our verification? And what if, here and there, a law should seee and unaccountable; an event difficult to comprehend; a statement to involve an apparent contradiction? What has all this to do with the essential _value_ of the Book Absolutely nothing, unless thereby its [honesty] truthfulness can be set aside

'If error were _cunningly interspersed_ with truth in the Bible, the case would be different But it is _not_ so The Book, as a whole, and as it stands, is wholesome and useful; each portion of it has its proper place, and is adequate to fulfil its appointed end But everything in the Book does not take hold alike on the heart and conscience It , as indeed it is, to trace on the s of the children of Israel in the wilderness; to note a hundred designed coincidences, etc Yet all this htest moral or spiritual benefit to the man who does it And, of course, all this htest spiritual loss or disadvantage'

The followingis to use the Scriptures as a ious truth and Christian duty, and as a means of improvement in all moral excellence and Christian usefulness

Set the doctrine of Scripture inspiration too high, and people, finding that the Scriptures do not come up to it, will conclude that the doctrine is false,--that the Scriptures are not inspired,--that they do not differ from other books,--that divine revelation is a fiction,--that religion is a delusion,--and that the true philosophy of life and of the universe is infidelity And the Scriptures do _not_ come up to the doctrine of inspiration held by many It is ie _can_ come up to it What they say an inspired book _must_ be, no book on earth ever was, and no book ever will be And infidels see it, and are confirmed in their infidelity And others see it and becoue with them and are overcoed to close their eyes to facts, and though they cling to their belief, they are troubled with fears andin the faith, and strong in its defence, they should accept nothing as part of their creed but what is strictly true

There are passages which speak of the sun s men by day, and there is one at least which speaks of theI know, may be literally true But suppose it were proved that neither the sun nor the moon ever smites men, would my faith in Christianity, or in the divine inspiration of the Bible, be shaken thereby? Not at all Nor would it destroy or weaken the effect of the passages on my mind in which those allusions to the sun and moon occur

I should still believe in the substantial truth of the passages, naood man is secure under the protection of God