Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-01-24
WHY rs THE BIBLE ABOVE
OTHER BOOKSP

First. hold the Bible to be of
authority as a revelation of spiritual
truth above all other books. / find
IN 1t many errors, many things that
are not spiritual truth at all myth
cal legends also, as you say, ana
things that are simply Internal
With all these things | try to deal
truthfally, to call them by their
right name frankly, as | would if |
found them in an encyclopaedia
But, besides this, | find in the Bible
such religious truth as | find nowhere
else and this is how / knOw it: The
truth comes home to my own soul as
no other ever does. The life and
light of it seizes and holds me as |
am not held by that of any other
written word. l have been reading
the Bible now about forty years-as
child in the Sunday school, as n
youth seeking knowledge, as an
acolyte in the Methodist Church, as
Methodist local preacher, aud now
these twelve years as what is called
free thinker. l can only say this:
that to-day | feel the force of the
Bible truth as | never did before
1t Is perfectly inexhaustible, full Of
fresh surprises, and leads me captive
with far more wonder ful master
hood than it ever did when | was
bound to accept every word within
the lids of the Book as "thus saith
the Lord" That is my personal ex-
perieuce about the Bible. Then |
have had the chance at very wide
observation among the poor and sim
pie in England especially, where
thirty years ago there was such pow
erty as in this happy land is not
known | remember among these not
few that could read the Bible, or
could get il read for them by
their children. There were bits in it
like "The Lord is my Shepherd"
and Comfort ye my people," and
Every one that thirsteth," and at
children ask bread, will he give them
a stone" and" When he was yet
great way off, his father saw him,
and ran and fell on his neck and kiss
ed him." aud "By chance a Samari-
tan came that way" and Il saw new
heavens aud a new earth scores of
places of that sort, where the old
Book would fly open of'itself almost,
so that It was no wonder when they
went to il, as they used often to do,
and said Now | will ;open and
take my chance at the first passage
that strikes my eye," that it would
be sure to be some one of these won
derful living words, that would set
the heart throbbing with a great
hope, be more than the meat and
drink they could not get, and the rest
that did not remain yet awhile for
their poor bodies. | never saw the
book that was TO these simple folks
what the Bible was through all their
struggles down to death. They chung
to it, rested on it, held it as they
prayed, and made it the closest COM
panion of their life. / think they
knew what they were doing; and |
believe in these "primal spiritual
instincts" shall call them? My OBJ
servation of these poor and my own
experience are one. Then | know
why they felt as they did, because |
was in the same boat; and that is
my second reason for the authority
Of the Bible. l find that the last
reason | can mention is the fact that
the Bible is the master book Of the mas
terraces on the planet. i know all that
can be said about the poor or bad
use they make of it-bow they "tear
the book in fighting for the binding"
1t is a sad sight enough; but there
is a better with the bad. Where
the Bible weighs most as a divine
authority, there you find the fore
most peoples. 1t may be cause or
effect, or both. | only know that
there it is. Much more might be
said it would add little TO my state
ment.
Now | think it is quite reaonable
that the Maker and Father of US all
should provide book by his provi-
dence in which there will be q su-
preme spiritual authority, founded
not on the say so or councils, but on
the life and light, the truth and
grace of the things that are in it. 1t
Is not unreasonable to me that in
the course Of time there should be
such councils, however, to declare
that this is the book in which man
shall look for the Word of God. 1t
is also reasonable TO me that this
book should be a mine in which these
most precious things are to DO found,
mixed with rude and foul elements,
rather than diadem ofperfect gems
set in pure gold. Wehave to dig and
delve for everything of worth besides,
to distinguish it from the worthless
chat is always some where about it
the tare from the wheat, the flower
from the weed. So we must distin-
guish here. That is what | try to
do. Then, when | have done that,
gladly and frankly say that there is
no other book in this world of the
authority to me that the Bible has,
think God meant it should be So
therefore, it is so and if there be in
the world another doctrine, | shall
have to be convinced Gifts truth be-
fore | accept it.-Robert ColLyer, in
The Inder.
No BOUNTY ON TR1PLETs.-Secre-
| tarv RoutUeIl rsceived the other dav