Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-12-24
Selilions department.
THE BIBLE AS THE SUPREME
AUTHORITY.

AUTHORITY.
The bible is the supreme standard
of faith and law of life Infidelity
has its little sheer at the statement.
1t runs in this way. The bible is
many-sided. And text can be
found to prove almost all possible
propositions. Even the devil could
and did quote scripture to. serve his
purpose. And honest doubt often
asks the question-in what sense is
the statement true? When is the
voice of the Bible the voice of SUI
preme authority? One word in an
swer to the question. The bible is
supreme in the general trend of its
teachings, and not in isolated texts.
The truths to be held, the laws to be
obeyed, are stated over and over
again. They run from end to end of
the Word, and are in'sympathy with
its spirit throughout. They are the
truths and laws asserted on the au-
thority of the most, and the most i'm
portant passages of the bible.
The bible is supreme, also, in its
principles, and not in its precepts.
The distinction must be made. Ig-
noring the difference has created not
a little of the modern doubt and
skepticism. '.The cloak left at Tro-
as, bring with thee" does not have
the same authority as that other
charge to Timothy, ''Thou, O man
of God, follow righteousness, godli-
ness, faith, love. patience, meek
ness And never did. And never
was meant to have. How shall we
separate the principle from precept
How distinguish? Sometimes the
principle is embedded in the precept
as the kernel lies in the shell. Ma
tive common sense will separate
them. The feet-washing of the Mas
ter has the lesson of humility and
lowly service. Thoughtful men do
not repeat the feet-washing. They
learn the lesson. They leave the
precept and take the principle. They
split the shell, take out the kernel,
and leave the severed halves behind
them.
Sometimes the circumstances of
their utterance separate the precept
from the principle. Paul sent One
siphorus back. But thong htful minds
do not urge this action of Paul as q
divine sanction of the perpetuation
of slavery. The Golden Rule has
carried the age away beyond this.
Sometimes one can distinguish
thus: Principles are eternal. Pre-
cepts are local and temporal. What
ever truth, whatever law held and
obeyed, would throw the race back tc
the age and civilization of Christ
That is local that is temporal. That
is precept. 1t has only the tran
silent authority of precept. But
whatever truth and law have within
themselves the perennial freshness
and adaptability that make them liv-
ing forces-whateve truth rises into
the range of 'sGod so loved the
world" whatever law goes on through
the centuries in the wake of the Be
atitudes-that truth is an eterna
principle. And that law is. The
seeds of perpetual life are in them.
Again. The bible is supreme wheI
inter preted in harmony with tn,
christian consciousness of the age
The christian consciousness is fac
and ever has been. The creeds O
the ages are born out of it. 1t is :
power to-day. There is a zeit-geis
in religion, as well as in art and lit
erature. And this christian con
seriousness is a factor in interpreting
the Word. While moral and relio
ious truth is not a matter of major
tiles, and is not to be voted up O
down; it is nevertheless true that th
many devout students of the Wor
are more likely to be true in their III
depreciation than the one.
And hence this christian conscious
ness of the age must be taken int
account in determining the truth
and the laws upon which the bibl
speaks with voice of perpetual su
preme authority.
Interpreted according to thes
three laws, the authority of the bibl
will never pass away. The worl
will never outgrow the Word. Til
race will never get beyond its direct
ing power. Like the horison, tn
Word will ever go before us, an
beckon us onward, until we touc
and pass into the peerless manhoo
OF the Lord Jesus Christ--until
''seeing Him as He is, we shall b
like Him. ''-Christian at Work.
A BAD SIGN.
There are few more cprtain qy