Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-04

manner is the Old Testament constructed
history and poetry and prophecy: History
is the account of what men have done,
poetry the record of what men have
thought prophecy the teaching. OF what
men ought to do and ought to think.
The Survival of the Fittest.
We come to the New Testament and here
Is the same diversity of manner. The New
Testament begins with history. Here are
four biographies of the founder of the
Church. Here is an account of the first be-
ginning of the Church. Here are letters
written by eminent men-St Paul, st.
Peter, ST. james and st. John-some Of
them to churches, some to individuals, some
to the Christian Church at large. Here at
the end is that single book, part poetry,
part prophecy, the Book of the Revelation
of St John.
Now, how came these 66 books to be COM
bined into this library? How came they to
come down to US to-day-just these books
and no others? How do we come to have
them? The answer is q very simply one.
The whole secret is the familiar phrase,
survival of the fitest." These books have
lasted, just as the great classics have lasted
poets in the days of Milton, but we remem-
Der Milton. There were scores of biogra-
phies Of Christ. St. Luke at the beginning
of the gospel tells us that many had taken
in hand to set forth recital of what the
Lord had done and said; but four of them
all have survived, because these four were
best. Thus has this library, the Bible,
come to U.S.
The Bible is a library. But what is the
use of emphasizing this fact2 What is the
practical meaning of it? Why, this first of
all: This knowledge of the character of the
Bible is defense against ignorant criticism
of it. The Bible being library, being
composed of different books, written by
different men, in different places, and at
different times, and after different manners,
stands each book by itself Each book
must be criticised by itself; each book
stands or falls alone. Suppose that it were
possible to prove that four books of the Old
Testament were utterly false from the be-
ginning, what effect would that have upon
our estimate of the gospel of st. John? 1t
would have just as much to do with the
gospel of ST. John as discovery of mis-
take in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles would
have to do with the sermons of Frederick
Robertson, and no more.
The Way to Read It.
knowledge of the Bible as library will
also affect our reading of it A great many
people go to the Bible as they go to no
other library in the world Imagine a man
going to his book shelves every morning
and taking book at random-this morning
this, another morning that, reading page
and putting it back again, and you have
the way in which great many people read
the Bible. One morning a chapter written
ages ago for q nation of slaves, another
morning a chapter written in the full light
of the Christian revelation, and all esteemed
as being upon the same religious level, be-
cause the Bible is thought of as book.
Why, there was a time when men believed
that every letter of the Bible was equally
sacred, no matter where it was, theory
which would lead us to account those
dreary lists of names in the Book of Chron-
icles as equally important and valuable
with the last words of our Lord before His
passion, as recounted in the gospel of St
John.
The Bible is . collection of different
books, and it must be read, if we would
read it intelligently, book by book, reading
each volume through as we would read any
other volume. The Bible is the most
interesting book, the most interesting
selection of books in the world. But tits
no wonder that many people fail to find the
interest of it, because they read it un-
Read in this library, the
Bible, just as you would read in any other
library, the books that suit you best, the
books which you find to be most helpful to
you. would not advise anybody to read
the whole Bible, but would advise every
body to read at least these parts of the |
Bible: The gospels for the great example,
the last chapters especially of the Epistles !
ofSt. Paul, fortheir practical help in every
day Christian Hving,-and a great many of |
the Psalms, as the utterance of religious |
1evotion.5 Besides these, out Of this great |
religious library, select whatever helps you |
most But read the volumes book by book |
each volume by ITSELF
p. .--...-.- .-- GEORGE HODGES.