The herald., 1897-01-18
CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH
First of a Series of Sermons on Things
Fundamental to Christianity

Rev. B. A. Copass of the Central Bap-
tist church began a series of four SER
mons on what he termed Things Fun
damental to Christianity, namely: The
| inspiration of the Scriptures, the d.
vinity of Christ, the vicarious atonement
and eternal punishment AS an intro
ductory he said: These four things
stand or fall together. The man who
denies one, as a rule, denies all. I once
heard a man, in the same sermon, de-
clare that the story of Adam and Eve
was a myth, that Jesus Christ was only
man, and that eternal punishment
was relic of the dark ages. "A certain
class of men are now claiming that they
have broken down these barriers of Or
thodoXy.'
OF these four fundamental things, the
inspiration of the Scriptures is the ba-
sis. If the Scriptures be not inspired
then all the others may be untrue, but
if the Scriptures be inspired then the
others must stand. 1t is important that
one understand in the beginning what
inspiration means. Let us distinguish
sharply between revelation and inspira-
ton. Revelation is the direct divine in
fluence which imparts truth to the mind.
inspiration is the divine influence which
secures the accurate tranSference of
truth into human language by a
speaker or writer. so as to be COM
municated to other men. Paul, in
/. Cor, ii:10-14, states what is both
revelation and inspiration. God by His
spirit reveals; by His spirit He makes
men to know; by His spirit men speak
what they have learned through reve-
lation. Inspiration is thoroughly hui
man and thoroughly divine. Moses, Da-
vid, Peter, John, Paul, all had their pc
culiarites of temperament and educa-
tion, which they impressed upon their
style, yet all wrote the words of God as
the Holy Spirit directed.
First-Let US consider some presump-
tive arguments in favor of an inspired BIZ
BILE. Such arguments are not positive
proof, but when accompanied by posi-
tive proof they serve to strengthen or
enforce them.
One such argument is mans need of an
inspired Bible, and the deficiencies OF
one uninspired. Man needs an inspired
Bible that he may know God, whom he
cannot otherwise know. Neither intu-
ition, reason, providence nor nature can
teach man all that he needs to know
about God. All efforts to reach God
thus have proved failures. Man needs
to know his own condition, how he came
there and how he cam return to God
Why is man naturally devil instead of
state and actions? An uninspired Bible
would contain no infallible statement of
truth upon which man could rely; no au-
thoritative rule for obedience, to be rev.
erenced and obeyed; it could not draw
mems souls up to God. If you want men
to be saved go to them and tell them this
is Gods infallible truth: that it con-
demns them in their present condition,
but that in mercy it calls them to saliva
ton. Another presumptive argument is
that God under the circumstances will
give an inspired guide; that is, He will
reveal Himself to a people who need
Him. A God who will create a people
VIII also reveal Himself when needed
or when He can thus give happiness or
salvation. A revelation uninspired and
therefore containing errors could not be
the will of God. God makes no mistakes.
Still another presumptive argument
in favor of an inspired Bible is the con-
tents of the Scriptures themselves and
the character of their writer's. The
Scriptures are absolutely unique; they
contain the loftiest morality the holiest
unselfishness and exercise the divinest
influence over those that hear. No fair
minded man denies that such is true.
Moses, one of the writer's, came from
Egypt, yet he was pure in life and free
from Egypts superstition. David lived
in an ignorant age, yet his lyrics have
rever been equaled. The prophets were
preaching righteousness while soothsay-
ers and astroiogers around them We're
| juggling. The apostles were preaching
and writing salvation while all others of
their age were STEPPED in ignorance and
crime. How can this be explained ex-
cept by admitting that these men We're
led by the spirit of God?
Second-Direct proofs of the inspira- :
ton of the Bible. Such proof, from the
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