The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-11-09
REVERENCEOOR IDOLATRY.

The Christians Regard for Gods Book
Does Not Detract from the Love for It's
Author.
Christians hold toward the Bible? Is
it not something that can only be ar
rived at by an analysis of conscious
ness? One can not tell precisely what
idolatry is, because it is matter of OBJ
servation and not of experience. We
can only know in general way that
the idol worshiper invests his god with
mysterious and undefinable powers to
help or hurt him, mostly to hurt him,
and therefore the devotee is afraid of
his god. 1t seems to be the same thing
that makes children afraid of the dark
ness-uncanny mystery. The absence
of light is unpleasant, and therefore
the imagination sees in it dangerous
and repellant things. The idol is in
volved in the mind of the worshiper
with darkness and mystery. He does
not love his god, he is only afraid of
him, and DESTROYS of securing his good
will That is the most we know of
simple idolatry-w which is possible only
to dense ignorance.
Absorbing devotion to money or prop
erty is called idolatry-but that is only
a metaphorieal use of the word. The
miser's hoard or the rich mans estate is
a means of gratifying overweight
greed. The so-called ''idolatry' is the
Quitting of passion, and so belongs in
the classification of vices. 1t has moth
ing of reverence fear or worship in it,
and hence lacks every element of idola-
try.
The Christian holds his Bible in a
warm and sacred reverence. When he
opens it he experiences sense of pleas
IRE: when he reads it, it is with sense
of satisfaction which rises to mild
exhilaration. 1t is delightful to him
He loves it, and profane or critical
hand laid upon it gives him pain
There is one element of worship in this
feeling, namely, reverence. But a mo
ments examination will show him thai
this is not reverence for the book, but
for God. 1t is Gods voice that reache:
him through its pages, and he is thus
brought into the Divine presence. Hi:
reverence never descends to the bool
before him, but, in reading it, ascend.
to God above him; and the same may b,
said of the sentiment of affection fol-
the Bible; so that there is no element
of idolatry or "bibliolatry' in the feel
ing.
We must find the Christians regard
for the Bible in some other motive thar
fear and mystery and desire for tn,
favor of higher powers. The Christian
does not even read the Bible to secur,
the favor of God. He may wish t,
study it as part of the duty of obedi
ence, but that is not the motive o
which he is most conscious. 1t is no
the performance of duty, but tn,
qualification of a desire. This narrow
the inquiry down to the true answer
The Bible is desired, revered loved ant
cherished because it gratifies spiritua
hunger. 1t is food for the soul 1t i
usually read as preparation for prayer
1t gives strength and elevation to tn,
spiritual impulses and aspirations, in
creases confidence and faith in God
makes the soul stronger every way
The Christian who neglects to read hi
Bible soon finds himself becoming
spiritually weak, respondent, irreso
lutte, beset with all the symptoms of ex
haustion. The minister who expound
the Scriptures to his people is sal,
TO "break the bread of life" t.
them, and the aptness of thi
metaphor, as setting forth tn,
reality, is universally recognized. TIL
people go away from the sermon wit
feeling of refreshment. They hav
been fed and made strong for the dutie
and responsibilities, and filled will
fortitude against the ills and sorrow
of life.
Now nothing is more natural tina
that we should come to love the bool
as book, and even to love a particula
copy CT the book, because of associa
tions which have, in the course of time
clustered around it. But this is no
bibliolatry-there is no element O
idolatry in it. There is no superstition
fear, no irnputing of occult powers t
it. We may say, then, that as perfec
love casteth out fear, the charge @
bibliolatry can not be made iustl
against the most devoted lover of tn
Bible-no more than that of idolatr
against David when he said: "Ho,
amiable are Thy tabernacles, o Lord @
hosts. My soul longeth, yea, eve