The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-23

waters. That Il Is a book, the oue book
for mankind, made. s God meant IL 10
be made, for attracting and holding
the attention OF the world, and making
upon II the sublimest and most fruitful.
spiritual impression. we have no doubt
whatever.
The, marvellous unity. the infinite var-
lety. tile gmatchless subllmity. the inlm-
liable pathos. the power over souls OF
thla unique and Incompatible book; Its.
holy law. against which fight mems
subtlest and most inYeteratel llsts; It's
attractiyeness for NIL classes, In all
centuries. in oil! lands; the magnificent
Ideals presented by 1t; the lnvisible but
un~asting power which goes every.
where with II, to uplift soclety, to emo
bic civilization, as well az 10 bless per-
soma and households. All these things,
and Others, leave us no more In doubt
as to whether the Bible came from God
through man; or from man himself In
his uncertain. lnquirlng wit. than we
are In doubt whether light was branded
In human workshops, or the ocean was
poured from q million tin cupa. The BIZ
BILE silently. by Its progress on the
earth, deies the world to make another
book equal to or superior to II. TIL
that has been done, and the schools
and universities that owe their origin
and equipment to the Bible have made.
another better adapted to the poor and
rich, to the savage and the learned,
moro admirable In morals. more lumin-
GUS with transcendental. doctrine, more
Vivid and various In the portralture OF,
character: more inspiring to highest
spiritual feeling, and with q character
supremer In charity and purity than
that OF the Christ. dominant In it'll
this has been achieved. We need not,
and we shall not, worry before what
ever criticism OF Il, or whatever daring
and vehement assault, Our watches
may now and then run down, hut the
stars in;thelr courses do not stop. The
needles In our compasscs may tremble
or be DETECTED. but the sovereign con-
stellntions hold their place. Our minds.
may sometimes be perplexed, but the
Bible will stand, Gods Word for the.
world, TIL time Is finished. 1t Will con-
tlnue 10 be found In the hands, alike
Of childhood and OF age. It will say to
the most intent student. "SearchfMe
and by Ne, with all thy might" It will.
lift It's bars Of fiery warning across the
path OF the self-lndulgent. 1t will
stand open by the bedside OF the dy-
Ing. rejecting a glory from worlds IN
seen. 1t Will also show forth the Lord
to the multiplying peoples which must
be always in peril and In pain until
they find HIM.
SWe must not subtract anything from
It. II would be plucking the pen from
the hand OF Inspiration. We have net-
Their desire nor need to add to IT.; since
when God touches a subject for us He
naturally exhausts It. and to supple,
ment revelation with more or fewer OF
our .conjectures would be like trying to
build a lath-and-nlaster annex to the
sun, or trying to enhance the %splenior
,ot his beams by igniting beneath them
fugitive fireworks. That this word of
the infinite mind and heart Is to be u
guide and law forever, as 1t is our COM
fort and Inspiration, we do not doubt.
| On Its truth we rest, and in It's security
against destructive attack we are as
confident. as that God Is not dead.
5. Notice what the Word of God Is ac-
complishlrg In the world. The Bible
has been translated into three hundred
different languages and dialects. We
stand before the world-liSe Collgny's
statue In Paris-book in hand. In each
| case 1t Is the Bible that Is held out to
the notice Of every beholdar. The Bible
| claims attention. Its divina origin. Its
marshalled evidences, It's glorious
themes, its unique revelations, Its mar
vellous history crowned with majestic
trlumphs entltle 1t at least to every
mans attention, and to IN honest, In
telllgent and prolonged investigation OF
It's claims. Sir Isaac. Newton was
justified in saying to Professor HALEY,
when HI heard him talk f%ippantly
against Christianity. You are an au-
thorltys on mathematics, for you have
studied and mastered them, but you
are not an authority on religion. for you
have never even read the Bible"
1t Is Impossible for any of us fully TO
compute what is being accomplished by
the distribution OF the Sacred Scrip
lures. For, do not you know that the
real work that you are accomplishing,
must, In a large measure, remain un-
known. This Is true In relation to re-
l!gious labor OF oil kinds. But all Of us
have to work largely In faith, n for
the results OF our labor we must trust
to God. That is still more true OF work.
like that which the great Bible socle-
| ties are doing. You translate the Scrip
lures Into q new tongue. You print and
distribute them. Then, Is your work
done? No; It is only Just. beginning.
That which you have translated begins
to be translated again into the life and
conduct OF men whom you will never
see. The power of It Is revealed IN a
new faithgin God; IN q new reverence
for Gods authority: In q new JOY In His
love. 1t is revealed In habits OF purity,
and habits of truthfulness and acts of
compassion. 1t is revealed In the peace
of families. in new tenderness and nf-
fiction between husbands and wives,
brothers and sisters, children and par
ents. 1t Is revealed In all the virtues
which constitute the strength OF
earthly states, and which reveal In this
mortal order Of things the august dig
nifty OF Gods eternal kingdom.
These are the Transitions we want
the most. We want them In America,
as well as every other part of the
world. We want to see the contents OF
Holy Scripture translated into the
lives and characters OF merchants, and
of tradesmen, Of employer and OF work.
Ing people, of politicians and OF Jour.
n~alists. and God grant that every one
NE.. N... n...N