The record-union., 1897-01-31

ment all along the line of church and
missionary work. We believe that there
is larger measure of the Christ spirit
In the world than ever before, and that
the only reason it does not express it
self more powerfully is because of the
survival of antiquated methods. The
languishing condition of church organ
izations and societies does not necessa-
rily mark a decrease of Christian life
or a decline of Christianity in the
world, but it proves the necessity OF
readjustment of church methods to
meet the spirit of the times
1.-THE Bible cannot be studied proper
ly, even as literature, if it is regarded
only as literature" says the New York
observer" (Pres.). 1T cannot be
Comprehended, even as the word of
men, unless it be also recognized as the
word of God. The spiritual instinct is
necessary to Interpretation. The
heavenly sense alone can provide the
legitimate and really understandable
earthly meaning to say nothing now of
those verities of creation and redemp-
ton which the Scriptures claim eXclu-
sively to reveal. 1t is when the liter
ary use becomes practically the spirit
ual disuse that good people feel COM
PEELED to speak out in protest. And just
there is where these hypercritical,
opinionated mental dissections of the
Scriptures come out. Under pretense of
glorifying the Bible as literature such
views exterminate its life. The
Scriptures accordingly become the
no of
thought. Their glory is departed, not
because their meanings were read, but
because they We're read out of it, and a
prize crew of reckless theories put on
board the Scriptural ship instead. Thus
it is not a mere theory as to the liter
airy handling of the Bible, but a condi-
ton of spiritual danger that confronts
us. It is not simply that there are
critics of the Bible, but that there are
such critics. We are not afraid to have
men read the Bible, but we are afraid
for the men who turn its pages with q
prepoSsession against it, or particular
theological or philosophical case to
make out by citations therefrom. No
one can understand the Bible who does
not put himself, or allow himself to be
put by the Lord, into a Bible temper"
Il =
'The more vigorously the UnitarianS
deny the Deity of Jesus Christ" says
the New York Christian Advocate"
(Meth), His miraculous conception by
the Holy Ghost, that His death was an
essential part of Gods plan to save the
world, that the Holy Ghost convinces
men of sin, of righteousness, and of
Judgment, that this life is a probation;
and the more umequivocally they assert
that Joseph was the father of Christ,
and that Christ was but a man; that
he died as a martyr; that the future
life is a mixed state such as the pres
ent, and that opportunities are as good
as, if not better than, those afforded
here for reformation-how well bal
anced their periods or schOlastically
tentative-the more certainly and per-
sistently will the majority of mankind
turn away from their barren negations
their ice cold crystals of conjectural
hypothesis, to account for man and his
relations to God and the future life
and follow those who believe and there
fore speak; even as the people turned
away from the Sadducees and heard
Christ gladly. 1t is the old story. Men
are saved and the church flourishes.
Journalists, skeptics, sciolists and ag-
rostics arise. and the church Ian
gUishes; then the truth is rediscovered
and preached in the demonstration of
the Spirit and with much assurance,
and is invariably followed by the con-
version of hundreds of thousands"