The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-02-24
is 1T lNsPIREoq

IS IT iNSPlREOP
4 Doctrine Which Has Trlumphantly sus-
tanned the Ordeal Of Both Friendly and
Unfriendly Criticism.
Christian doctrine, like every other
form of asserted truth, must have its
ordeal of inquiry and criticism. Our
Lord Himself implies recognition of
this fact where He says to His Judaic
hearers on one occasion: "Search the
Scriptures (revised version: Eye search
the Scriptures ", for in them ye think
re have eternal life; and these are they
which bear witness of me-" He thus
submitted His own personal Messiah
ship to that tribunal of Scripture to
which His hearers were wont, whether
honestly or not, to make their own APP
peal. Paul, somewhat in the same
spirit, writes to the Thessalonians:
"Prove all things" Not at all that in
this he approves either captious, a
rationalistic or skeptical spirit; but
he would have his Christian brethren
know where they stand, and stand
firmly; in other words, as he says in
the clause following: "Hold fast that
which is good" A spirit of modest,
honest, loyal inquiry, criticism even, is
in perfect consistence with the rever-
ence which every human spirit should
cherish toward whatever is Divine. 1t
is only when human reason grows
arrogant, or knowledge conceited, or
| w hon tho ,,rOud onI usoEoI hoort 1a
ties the judgment that condemns-only
IN such case that even criticism is in
consistent with Christian principle.
The doctrine of inspiration is one of
those which offer themselves in spe-
cial way to the reverent investigation
of the Christian student. Here before
us lies book. 1t is called by q great
name-the Word Of the living God; it
has great history, covering since it
began to be written period of some
four thousand years; It offers to do
what no other book has ever done,
teach religion as an absolute truth; it
has created civilizations, has revolu-
tiOnized society, has purified and en-
nobled the family, has ruled, and
sanctified. and glorifed myriads Of hu-
imam lives and pillowed, in peace and
triumph, millions on millions of dying
heads. 1t is very old book, and yet
somehow it is new to each generation,
and to each believing soul. The claim
is-a claim evidently consistent with
all these facts-that it was produced
as no other book ever was; under d.
vine inspiration and guidance, such as
that while other books are to be scru-
tinized in their teaching, and tested in
right ways as to their truth, this one,
when once we understand it, is to be
accepted, in all it declares, in faith
absolutely unquestioning. No one
ought to be surprised il the question is
sometimes urged, in all sincerity, what
and how much all this imports, and
where is the evidence for it all?
For our own part we say at once that
We accept the Bible, in every part of it,
and without essential qualification, as
an inspired book. And we are i'm
pressed more, the more we consider the
matter, what Divine wisdom is shown
in the form and process of the inspira-
ton, so far as this can be understood.
1t does not seem to be mechanical in
spiration; not such as any of us might
look for in anticipating so great an
event as God giving the world book.
We should expect, perhaps, book SO
unlike all others as to be in no way
susceptible of comparison with them.
We very likely would expect the hu-
man fundamentally, were such to be
employed, to be as purely an instru-
ment merely as is the pen in the hand
of a writer. Knowing as we do how
imperfect is all human workman
ship, we should assume, probably,
that nothing of it would be al
lowed to appear in what God Himself
produced. And still, in any such an
ticipation we should suppose God to
work in way different from all others
of which we have any knowledge.
There is no sphere of the Divine opera
ton in which things are brought to
pass in any such mechanical way. God
works through laws and agencies, and
every law, every agent has full recog.
milton in its own sphere, working as il
its nature to work, and having its own
individual part in the product. No
where, besides, do we see more per
feet liberty of operation than in al
those processes going on around us in
which natural law and natural agency
are producing their results. What 1
beautiful freedom of activity do We
see in nature, at the same time that al
goes forward under regulation of law
that is at once omnipresent and ON
nipotent. Did God give us His wOrt
somewhat in the same wayp And i
the fact of His having done so on
proof that it is His word?
For example, this human element il
the Scriptures. 1t is the. presence Q
this which really creates all the serio0
difficulties any one can imagine him
.. self to find in the doctrine of inspira
| ton. Passages are met with, here an
, there, which suggests to some minds
doubt whether such q passage can rea
" be inspired, or properly be regarde
| Is part of an inspired book. Vel
why NOT? Let it be those passages ]
. the Psalms, called "imprecatory,
sometimes objected to. set it be tn
r language used in describing thos
! .Wars of the Lord. in which the rud
~alor of the Iu>elitish sCldierv degeI