The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-22

II may be said, al we know 40 little
about the origin Of the Bible and how Il
came together, how can we be- sure that
We have the right books In Il, aud not the
wrong oncsP There is principle which
applies IN literature as well as In science,
called "The survival Of tue iitteSt." The
best writing are preserved by the love Of
mankind-the poor ones perish. Many Of
the books Of the Old TeBtIment are lost,
The present books appeal 10 them % au.
thotity-guote the "Bo0k Of lido the
Seer and tho Book Of JaSher,n etc, But
i y not probable that we have lost much
IN losing them. We SEQ something Of The
New Testament In the process OF lorna.
ton. Euseblus, about sos, tells us Of three
Glasses oil books; those generally accented,
those generally rejected, those accepted
ny eome. and not by otheFs. One Of The
books which has now dropped out entire.
ly vas In all the MSS OF the New Tesla.
inent I'LL the 4th century. This was The
ePistle Of BaInabRs.
The greatness Of the Bible does not con.
sist In the tame monotony Of one uniform
revelation, the same teaching In ne Book
OF Kings as tho gospel al John; but In the
very opposite, in q variety which meets
every temper oil the mind, every phase Of
We, every tone Of earthly experience.
There are hours Of dark despair, when Of
oil the books ofthe Bible, only EccleslaStes
z welcome as an adequate expression Of
that black mood Of the soul. There are
hours Of bold questioning, when We call
on the heaven above and the earth
beneath 70 explain the awful enigmas Of
human lie. And II then, In our most
audaclols fight Of thought, we open M
book OF Job, We find o holder reason than
our own, one which casts aside All piouE
phrases and demAndsto know the exart
truth, the whole truth, and nothing hui
the truth, whether God Is thereby vindl.
Gated or not.
| wish tho Bible 10 DO more loved and
honored than II Is now, not less. l wish
1t more Q source OF faith and hone than
now; to bring US nearer 10 God than h
now does; 10 make Christ more Interest.
ing and more Of q true teacher, master
ana friend. The better we understand Il,
tne more shall We revere Il; not with
blind homage, but with an Intelligent adj.
mtratton. Tho more freely that we use
our reason, separating the chat from he
wheat tho more will the genuine power
and beauty Of the Bible be made maiiiieSt,
God, who has given the Bible has also
given Us our reason with which 10 exam.
Inc and understand II, and we are guilty
before him II we barry this talent IN he
earth and hide our Lords money,
II We preach free and rational Chris.
tianity, let us do II In order to make men
more religious, not less 80. Teach them
that God loves all his children In ali
worlds that Il they are punished for sin,
here or hereafter, It Is that thew NAV be-
made better; that God desires even the
wicked to DO as happy as they are capable
oil beingi that all suffering will be found
At last to be the means Of greater good
that We can all begin now to love God
trust In him and serve him; that 70 serve
him Is 70 do good to our felloWmen; that
true religion is not belief, but lie; moi
creed, but conduct; that, since God has
made US, he must Of put something good
In all Of us, and that we ought 10 cultivate
whatever in us is good, and so put down
tho evil that God Is always near Us, an hi. |
surrounding love, ready TO HELM, inspire
and strengthen US: that all true religion |
must be In accordance with reason, nj I'm.
tnony with science, art and literature; that
there can DO no war between Gods oldest
revelation Of himself In nature and WhHt
he teaches by inspired men,