The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-05
REV. j. A. MrLBURN.s SERMON.


DIR. Milburn spoke with more than his
usual feeling and eloquence last night. on
the Bible as a book to be read and studied
with genuine pleasure. His text was the
twenty-fourth verse Of the 10th Psalm:
''Thy testimonies also are my delight" His
opening words were a vigorous rebuke to
people who neglect the study of the Bible
because they regard it as dull and uninter-
esting. He said:
1.-The laws of Moses, the ceremonies and
rites laid down by the early leaders Of his
church and. perhaps a few precepts and
aphorisms that God incorporated into the
spiritual literature OF Israel-the early part
of the Bible, the dryest part Of the Bible,
the least suggestive part Of the Bible
these were the testimonies that the psalm
list refers to. and yet he tells us that in
these testimonies he found great delight,
delight in their study and In meditating
upon them. / think that as we reflect upon
this man meditating upon this most dry
and unsuggestive part of the word of God
that it must rebuke us this Sabbath day,
for am sure that very few Of us find any
delight in reading the Bible. Any mtelli-
gent Bible reader honors the Bible. Not to
honor the Bible is to write ones self down
imbecile, but while We honor the Bible,
there are few who really read the Bible
with any delectation. Many have come to
me with their favorite authors and asked
me If / had not found delight in the study
of these authors, but 1 do not think that
have met many people, indeed, l think /
have met very few people who have ever
told me that they felt keen delight and
pleasure in the study of the Bible, the
study Of Gods word; and yet it is a book
that should give us delight because Ii is
the greatest Of books. 1t is the wisest book.
Other books contain within themselves
knowledge, much knowledge, much infor-
nation, but the greatest distinctive thing
about the Bible is that 1t contains wis
dom, and there is an infinite difference be-
tween knowledge and wisdom. ton of
knowledge Is not worth much. An ounce of
wisdom is worth a lifetime to acquire II. A
man may be a great student and a great
intellectual nonentity. A man may be a
great conqueror of facts and densely stupid
where illumination should inhabit. The only
great intellectually is the intellectually of
wisdom. Not only is 1t the wisest book. but
1t is also the most comprehensive book. 1t
reaches over mans whole personality
and L do not know of any other book that
does. Some books will touch your mind,
other books will touch your heart, others
yet will touch your conscience, others yet
will touch your devotional nature: some
books Will touch your reason, some will
touch your imagination, some will touch
the instinct of individuality or the egoism
In you, some social instinct in you, but
there Is only one book that touches the
only one book that finds whatever may be
in you, and that book is the Bible
The minister then entered upon a dis
cussion of the claims of the Bible to liter
airy excellence. and showed that it pos
sesses some of the best examples of poetry,
drama and oratory known to man. He
also declared that the Bible is a great
phiosophic force, and that the imperish-
able portions of the philosophy Of Hegel,
Ffchte, Jacob. Schleiermacher, Royse,
Fiske. Hyde, Martinez and Hill have their
foundations in the philosophy of the Bible.
He said that the scriptural conception of
creation and mans origin has never been
successfully questioned
DR.. Milburn discussed the Biblical doc
trine of incarnation, claiming that it is
perfectly rational. God is less needed by
the angelic hosts that He is by striving
humanity he said. less needed by the
heavens that He is needed by the earth,
and so, If God be God, IL God be infinite
wisdom and infinite love- God must give
expression to himself not only through the
forces of nature, but He must give ex-
preston to himself through the One made
In his own image, the One, because, being
made In His own image, that has the
greatest power to express Him, and there
fore this teaching that we have in this
book that God Is revealing Goo is n logi-
cal truth. logical belief; that God speaks
inspirationally is most intelligent belief;
IL is not mere speculation. for IL there be
God, you see He just must speak inspira-
tionally. He cannot help it. He would not
DC GOu III lie lett HIS cnllQ In darkness
when His child had an incapacity to appro-
pirate the light
In closing his remarks DR.. Mlburn paid
an eloquent tribute to the value of the
Bible as means of consolation. He said:
You look back over the days that are
gone, and you say, 'Ah, there is an error
that fain would extirpate. there is sin,
wrong that i have done. Oh, that God
would give me the power TO pluck it out of
and 10 throw Ii forever out of my life.'
You are borne down with remorse and
shame for sins of omission and for sins of
commission. You are weary of heart ard
tired with yourself. Then what? Where
shall we go for light, where shall we go
for hope, where shall we go to find
cleansing principle and power that puri-
fies and that will make you white as the
driven snow-where but In this book that
tells you that ii is possible. yea. though
you be fifty, yea, though you be sixty,
yea, though you be seventy, eighty, ninety
years OF age, for you to be born anew;
that IL Is your sweet privilege to begin
life again as a little babe and TO grow
more and more respondent and beautiful
on and on. until the shining of the perfect
day. Blessed book. beautiful book. kind,
gracious book, tender to mans faults,
breathing into him infinite inspiration and
infinite hope, laying before his vison
great and glorious world as his inheritance
forever; a royal book. Gods book; let us
revere ii with our spirits, let us love il
with our hearts"
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