The Portland daily press., 1874-02-17
THE PRESS.
TUESDAY MORNING, FEB. II, 1874.
Biblical Inspiration.

SERMON OF REV. c. W. BUCK, PREACHED AT
fAhh ST. CHURCH, FER. Is, 1874.
MOT OF the letter but of the Spirit; for the
letter killeth, but the spirit glveth life. I'd
Cor 81, 6.
In the first of this series of sermons on BIZ
blical Inspiration we took comprehensive
survey Of the subject in the second we ascer-
tanned that th-re is inspiration in the Bible {;
in the third we found that that inspiration is
mot of the letter" and does not make the
Bible an infallible book; and now in the
fourth and last Of the series shall try in the
first place to show what Biblical Inspiration
is, and then in the second place, to show
what the Bible practically becomes under the
two kinds of Interpretation, that the liter
al Interpretation killeth and the spiritual in
depreciation giveth life.
l. What, then, is Biblical Inspiration. 1t
is the inspiration that is communicated in
any passage Of Scripture TO the heart of the
reader. 1t is the Word that proceedeth forth
from God, animating the soul of some ancient
worshipper, impaired by him in words, and
through words-through that broken, imper-
feet communication-conveying vitaiizng i'm
pulses from on high, to him who will receive.
Words-me.e words-are in this connection.
OF no worth or meaning unless they imrart
energy from soul to soul then they become
tue medium on which inspiration passes; !;
they become, in secondary sense inspired
words. As regards inspiration their other
uses are Of no value. They may instruct you
thoroughly in the laws of the cosmos, or i'm
part to you such knowledge of Gods plans
and purposes that the future of the universe
may be read in them as in an open book; they
may discover to you all ranks and Offices and
names in the hierarchy OF heaven and YET ,
if they are not infused with the thought and
feeling and impulse that are given sometimes
to human souls to make them conscious of a
divine kinship; # they are not charged with
the spiritual electricity given from the skies
to noble souls, and by them sent along the
line of language to thrill the souls of after
generations; in word, if they are such that
no one can take any inspiration from them,
then they aIe not inspired words
This is the test OF inspiration. If it should
seem to any one to be not wholly satisfactory,
it must be conceded at any late that it is the
only test we have.
In the absence of any proof or probability
that God did not give words to writer, we
are limited inexorably to this single criterion
of inspiration: Whatever language breathes
the Word Of God is inspired By the Word of
God. DR.. Patrey of Belfast, in an article
printed in 1856 Rel. Monthly Vol. "a, D 1881
proposed this test of inspiration, although
with some apparent uncertainty. He says,
whatever we may think on the question
whether it 1.-THE Biblel is inspired, we must
admit that it is ve,y inspiring; and perhaps in
that fact may he the protoundest and most
satisfactory proof of its inspiration" That
perhaps" seems to imply also sperhaps
not" Well, perhaps the presence of inspira-
ton is not the ''profoundest and most salts
factory proof of the existence of inspiration
but at least there is no other proof; and to say
perhaps to that is to doubt of inspiration
altogether. Let us say without any .'per-
haps" that the presence of inspiration proves
its existence.
This view of inspiration shuts out very con-
siderable portions OF the Biole, and includes
very much that is not in the Bible; because
it shuts out all words wherever found that do
not breathe the Word of God, and it includes
all words, wherever found, that do. 1t is not
view of place but Of quality; not of words
and letters, gilt edges and binding, but ol
.Pho3 NV ", ndiuCo, tIduitiouof miTdCitS,
history, but of a present, omnipresent power.
The mechanical Wow of inspiration is narrow
| shutting up the Word of God to single vol.
ume; this spiritual view is large; it recognizes
the Word as Spirit, going forth through all
the world, going forth in human act and
speech and writing, sometimes so manifestly
that the beholder may catch the divine affla-
tus and say in his heart ''Lo, God is herep
The Word OF God goeth where it listeth; no
man or men, no saints, apostles, prophets, no
| angels or archangels can fetter and fasten it
to single series of writings: it has spoken
and speaks in manifold human speech, but
the Word of God has never yet been bound.
Or. Hedge has said Reason and Religion, p.
3O3l The Spirit which prays in any OF US to-
day, if the genuine fire of devotion is in US
is the same which discoursed in the Sermon
on the Mount, ahd opened the ewes of the
blind; which blew into the soul Of Peter, anC
drove Paul like rolling thing round the
world, and built up universal Chrstendom
with IFS TEN ples and its scriptures, its sancti
ties and its arts.''
DR.. Vance Smith says bible and Pop
Theol p. 30l. "For, be it not forgotten, tht
Almighty Spirit is alive, and not dead. Goo
is still and ever the living God; and our hn
man part must be to embrace. the highes
forms OF truth of every kind, the highes
ideas of right and duty which may become
/
may obtain them, whether through the pages
OF Scripture, by the teaching or the experience
OF others around us, or by the secret intima
tions of our own souls"
! l desire to emphasize strongly this dis
tinction between Gods Word, which breathes
in all inspiration, and wha. is commonly
called the Word OF God, namely, the Bible.
| And because know that ordinarily opinions
are not much affected by argument, however
| SOnpd huf offo h
authority and example, will still further
support this distinction by citing the following
strong and indignant language of Rev. DR.,
| Bellows, who is known to us all as icon.
| servative" Unitarian. He says: CAT every
step, the truth, as it beats in mems hearts,
is blocked by some knOtty text, which is as
| sumed to call itself the Word of God. because
it is contained within the covers OF the
Bible, no matter by whom it was said, on
what occasion, or for what purpose. 1t is
time this melancholy and obstinate super.
stition which crowds and chokes the truth
were treated according to its deserts" He
says also "It is misleading and perplexins
habit we have acquired or inherited of con
founding the words of the Bible with the
Word Of God" ''The Scriptures are holy
but they are not holier than conscience
than reason; and those who attempt t.
make them so, desecrate Gods Word in on
place to honor 1t IN anOther. 'FOr reason
conscience, humane feelings, universal sym
pathies-for them to think they are not on
level with Gods Word, being, indeed, God'
| Word, too-for them to think they have no
not as good right to question the
Scriptures as the Scriptures to question
them-for them to feel abashed and humbled
in the presence of Gods spirit, or Gods
| truth-for them to meet the messenger o.
the Lord with bandaged eyes, and to thlnk
| it an honor to bis message to listen to 1t IN
chains-this is indeed veritable part OF the
| worship of the crocodile and the serpent-Oi
the horrid fascination of the ugly-the wor-
ship oil mere power, more venerable as it is
more arbitrary" Rastatement of Christian
Doctrine, PIP. 81, 50, 91.l
Inspiration, then, is the breathing of Gods
| Word, in and thro .gh the human soul; the
words in which that Word is outbreathed
again are inspired words, wherever found. Il
| is thought perhaps to be an objection to this
| view that it is too large, includes too much
raises to equal honor words of Scripture, ant
words OF philosophy, words of Paul anG
words of Plato, and would even make word
J of Milton, Whittier and Emerson God-inspir
| ed.
Yes, indeed, it does make all words of wis
| dom and power, all words that are profitable
for correction, reproof or instruction in righte
business, God -breathed !; but it does not put al
4 n dc tl,a On.