The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-22
THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD.

bic that he does not apr cal TO the ira
ditions or the like; he appeals text by
text. to the blessed Word of God.
When Thomas Aqninas, in the days
of a great new literature, then re-
viving. has 20 grappIe with the
mighty task of putting in iii
proper place that new literature
he again appeals constantly to the fina
law and word. the Divine Books. He as
clearly acknowledge Holy Writ as The
authority as any one of us present IL
| in this ball could do. So, my friends
when we come down to the present
moment we are obliged to admit that. il
indeed it should ever happen-which
know it will nOt-ihat criticism should
undermine the authorith Of the Word OF
/ God. it leaves us nothing behind: we
can create no new Bible. If we cannot
] trust to this, we can trust TO nothing -
all must 90. There is no other ulti'
mate authority. However we may en-
deavOr 10 interpret and associate tbs
Word of Scripture with Other teaching
all acknow ledge that the Word of God
sets forth Christ and his nature; that If
needs nothing TO interpret it practically
i'm all the great outlines Of the Chris
tian faith; that it brings us Christ. We
all acknowledge it.
Now have TO direct your attention
for a moment or two to the reasons OF
our so acknowledge it. One thing, |
think, is quite clear. 1t Is not because
we have all sat down and examined IT
critically by chapter and verse, as to the
time when one or the other book was
written, who was the author of 1t, and
the like. IL is nothing of that that
makes the Bible our authority; for
this simple reason, that a great many
Of us are incapable of this investigation
of circumstances. And | say. further,
that it is impossible TO make that
cCnclusivcly for many of Us. how
ever we may pursue the subject. Now |
must make tha. good for moment.
We have before us, we will say, in the
New Testament. large COLE ction OF
books Some years ago. in Germany.
it was announced by several writer's
and thinkers that these various books
were written far later than we had
supposed, and consequently that they
were written by other authors Than we
had supposed, and that they must have
grown up. and been altered, and been
mended. and SO on, and somewhere to-
wards the close Of the second century
we must look for them. or the most Of
them, as collected whole. Now mark
what has taken place. IL is very re-
markable IN every point OF view. The
real. not always the conscious, object
Of the writers was. that they might
leave room for the growth OF the super
natural, that they might have elbow
room in which to create myths, or a
theory of RatlOnalism, for all the sto-
ries Of the New Testament. They want
ed that room, and therefore il was
easy TO gain the necessary space by
coming TO the conviction that IL was to-
wards the close of the second century
before the books came into existence.
But criticism has been going on IN this
country. and the late y shop of Durham
was amongst the most prominent Of
our critics. What has been taking
place not only in this country, but elsc.
where. has been gradual moving back
into the first century % all those books
which it was thought could not have
been written till the latter part Of the
second century. Now we may take
courage as to the mere results IF crill-
clsm, and to a great extent we may dis
regard criticism. | would not speak
lightly OF criticism. II would be rash
for anyone IN my position not to speak
gratefully of all that has been done by
enlightened criticism of the New Tes;a-
ment. But it does not necessarily
weaken our faith in Scripture; quite
the contrary. Il gives ~ q reason now
for what we have all along believed e,
that in receiving the history of Christ,
His Death and Resurrection. and all He
has told us of the power of that Death
and Resurrection. we feel that we are
on stronger ground; that the historical
facts are as good or better than any
other historical fact; and thai we may
open oui Bible with believing eye and
mind. and love il, and trust it, and live
upon il.
The fact of the matter is that we from
our point of view begin from the centre
and 20 outwards. while criticism begins
from the periphery aud works inwards
with the hope sometimes of destroying
the centre itself. Destroying the CEN
tire: that is to say, destroying the super
natural. 1t is of no use blinking the
matter. Will you have a religion in
which the supernatural is recognized ,
Or a religion without the supernatural:
have always been very much stuck
with something uttered by Richard
Reuter-, the great German scholar him
self not free from some Of the German
notions which circulated around him.
He used these words Il do not see
how there can be revelation without
the supernatural. For what Is revela-
ton 1t is the voice of the superna-
tural. What is miracle : 1t is the
working OF the supernatural. \ religion
which should be Divine revelation aud
yet so conceal its divinity as to have
neither prohecy nor miracle. would be a
religion almost impossible to conceive. y
The supernatural. then. must always
be. And when we turn TO Christ Him
self, the centre and core of our religion.
it is not criticism that must give us the
evidence That we want about Him. Ii
is the Christ Himself who must give it.
As surely as when He walked on the
shores Of Galilee. as surely as when He
spoke to men, and by His speech con-
WINGED them and made them love
Him, so surely will He convince us
who walk about in this busy
nipeteenth century, and lead us, and
win Us, and govern our cOnsciences II
we give ourselves to Him. | believe
the New Testament and the Old. |
believe the Bible because OF Christ Him
self. May read sentence or two
that wrote some time since? Eek
periences, said ''hsve come down to
Us from afar, not on the strength of
the historical argument that they were
indeed what they were supposed to be.
but on the inward force by which they
first showed us Christ and then led us
captives 10 Christ. Never man spoke
like this Man; never "A love like His
Love: never such life was seen on
earth before. Never did the dream of
poet. NEVER did the instinct of hero
worship, imagine such Being with
such wisdom on His lips. such love IN
liIs heart. such d character. balanced
and complete, with claims SO out
spoken aud 90 lofty, joined 10 % pro.