The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-01
UNDER HIS CARE.
UNIVERSALISM AND BIBLE.
Sermon of Rev. F. w. Whippen in
All Souls Church.

Following is an abstract of a sermon
by Rev. f. w. Whippen at All Souls
church yesterday morning upon the
''Trustworthiness of the Bible as Con-
tanning a Revelation from God" it be-
ing the third in a series upon the Five
Points of Universalism." The text was
ii. Timothy ill., 16, "All Scripture, Civ
en- by inspiration of God is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for convic-
tion, for instruction in righteousness
The substance of the sermon was thus:
The Universalist church believes in the
Bible. We accept it as containing the
word of God and we base upon it all the
vital truth of our theology. We have
confidence In it so great that we hesitate
about denying any form of belief We do
not regard II as infallible but we think
that the mistakes in il are not OF a char
acter to shake ones confidence InlalIi-
| bility is not necessary to confidence. We
confide in a great many fallible things.
We say the book is inspired. 1t is God S
book as Is no other. 1t is not one book
OF class, not book having some of
| the inspiration which We know, il is a
book having all the inspiration There is
| no inspiration anywhere else.
And this exceptional character of the
Bible lies largely in the fact that it con-
tains revelation from God. The Bible is
not treatise, not dictation. 1t was
written out of the minds and hearts of
men, helped by God. Doubtless Peter
| was right when he said, "Holy men of old
wrote as they were moved by the Holy
| Ghost But the revelation is i'm living
/ men more than IN writer's. In the New
| Testament especially the revelation is not
| what Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
wrote, but rather what Jesus of Nazareth
was. Christ is the revelation. Christ
| is the heart of revelation. That is WHY we
say the Bible contains rather than Is
the word nf Gcd. The ports of the Bibie
| that give us Christ are pre-eminently
precious.
| We honor the Old Testament but chief
ly because it leads up to the Christ. The
| New Testament exceeds the Old i'm value
| precisely as Jesus of Nazareth exceeds
| Moses and David and Isaiah
| We believe that the stories of Matthew.
Mark, Luke and John are true. We ac-
| cept the New Testament when 1t tells
| us that Jesus is a being of matChloss
worth, being absolutely devoted to ,he
| good of many We accept the miracles,
many of us the simple view of them.
that Jesus could do them not because he
co-operated with God and God with him
We accept the simple teaching Of the res
direction and Easter as a day charged
with blessed meaning for u.s. We accent
| the teaching that Jesus was sent to re.
veal the Father and to reinforce human
! ity with the life of God. We contide in
the Book when II tells us that Jesus is
the Savior OF men, and we accept lis
assurances about human destiny. 10 as
the Bible is definite above the ultimate
| welfare of each soul.
The book tells us in many ways-what
we should expect as the outcome of God $
plan and Chrlst's work. what we should
hone for, what we should clorify the
Father for-the complete salvation of ov.
cry human soul. This phase OF revelation
with profoundest gatitude we accept
To the Unievrsalst church the Bible is
"A living book The church honots T.
leans on 1t, draws from 1t, finds the Hay
to God by means of 1t, and uses Il 10 an.
vance souls in the way of life. The nexr
topic will he "The Certainty OF Just
| Retrlbution for Sim"