The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-11-06

Word.
Take the one question Of ,te Godhead
and the light thrown upon n bv the sacred
Scriptures. A. lr. StcGvt i.obinson mas
eloQuently sand, The Bible maintained the
unity OF God amid al the darkness ot the
Western poytheism; the VIVID personality
q, God amid al the sophistry OF the East.
ern pantheism; and ineiiable purity ot
the holiness OF God amid all the ohscugty
OF Egyptian theories and Canaanitish IDOL.
atry; the omnirr,senee OF God amid all
the theories oi gods many and lords
many How infinitely above and beyond
all human spesulatons are the revelations
OF the Divine Word respecting the Divine
mind, How majestic such declarations
as these In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth; before the
mountains were brougr; forth OF ever
world, even from everlasting 10 ever,ast.
ING. 1nou are God "Gcd Is a snIrlt,'
God is love- God is light" In mag.
nihcent treatise on this fundamental ques-
ton OF God and the revelations respecting
II made 10y the Scriptures. an American
writer has pointed out hive conceptions
oi God found IN the Bible. and found no.
where e.se among all the religions OF
earth. i.ear and weigh these:
lD God as spirit, existing from cter-
nifty. Creator of heaven and Garth; t2l
God Is one. yet revealing Himself in the
threefold distinction and personality,
Father. Son and Holy Spirit; (Sl God is
absolutely infinite in all His attributes
and eapacities-in pswer omnlpo'ent, IN
knowledge omnlscient, IN existence omnl-
present, IN purpose immutable. IN charac-
ter immaculate: the embodiment OF all
that is good and great; the representation
of all excellence; (i) cd is providentlal.
not far off and Inaccessible, careless OF
sei-acting laws and untouched by human
woes. but God of sympathy, compass.o
love: God, who, in all His laws. and be-
mind all His laws. and above all His laws,
and in control of all His laws, not only
guards cheruhim and seraphm angels and
archangels. but also marks the movement
of lily. sparrow and child and above all.
God Is a Redeemer, living and dying
among men in self.saorfce ineifah,e. 10
lift them from darkness 10 light, from SIN
TO glory; IN short not mere ideal oi a
od TO worship but a God with whom
every huwan soul may have personal, con-
sc.ous relations, a God TO fear, a God 10
love, n God to pray 10, God to obey
n God so hoy that we muct abandon sin
If we would serve Him and God so lov.
ing that our very sin has moved Him TO
self-denying atonement. Truly. this
Book that tells so much about God must
be a book from God.
Because It is Gods Book. the Bible is
peculiarly mans book. when man would
rise 10 loftlest conceptions aud highest
achievements IL is wonderful how our
W role Engish literature has ecome per
meated, saturated aud elevated by senti-
ments and expressions from the Holy
'Sriptures. OGe of the most interesting
studies 30 the student, alike OF the Bible
and OF Shakespeare. is the Indebtedness OF
the Bard of Avon to these oracles of light
and life. A careful study of Shakes.
peare's life reveals no fewer than five
hundred and fifty biblical quotations and
sentiments. Here in Richard H." are
forty; then in Richard III" are forty
niIe; wonder in Hamlet alone. eighty
Two. How many biblical books are therey
SiXty-si'. From how many does Shakes
pcare quote or TO how MANY does he re-
fer? To iifty-four How many plays has
Shakespeare? Thirty In how many
are there Scrintural references In every
one of the thirtyseven. A careful study
Of this subject viii reveal that Genesis
furnishes the poet thirty-ore quotations
or references Psalms. hlty.nlne; Proverbs.
thirtv-fve: Isaiah. twentv.one; Matthew.
sixty; Luke, thirty; Romans, twenty.
three. Nor is this exceptional A schol.
ariv American author has declared that Il
is as impossible to subtract the Bib.e from
our mo0ern English ltcrat,~e as "to un.
braid the sunbeams or subtract the yell
low or violet rays from the tides OF light
that fill the solar system with warmth and
| cheer" Each English student knows how
true this is. Without the Bible Milton
could never have written his ",,PaTIadise
Lost and Samson Agonistes.' With
out the Bible Bunyan could never have
composed his Pilgrim" or Tacit his
Jerusalem" or Dante his Inferno" or
Burns his "Cotter's Saturday Night" No
wonder John Quincy Adams could ex-
claim: In whatever hoht we. view the
Bib.e, whether with reference 20 revela.
ton or history or morality. IL is n mine
| OF knowledge, like which none other has
ever been found in any land or any
| realm" No wonder that Daniel Webster
prince OF forensic orators. could say that
the perusal OF the Bible IN his early DAYS
impaired To him many OF the chief excel
lences OF his literary sty,e No wonder
that the gifted Choate eloquently ey.
claimed: 81 would have the Bible read.
not only for its authority. revelations,
commands and exactness obligatory yes.
terdav, to-day and forever. but for its
| literature. it's pnthos, its DIM imagery, its
savings Of consolation and wisdom and
books must be the Book OF God
But we have a higher rroof Of biblical
| inspiration even than this, and that "a
the perfect adaptness Of the Word Of God
| 10 the conditions of all classes and kinds
OF men. DR. Storrs well says: The
treatise Of Patio on immortality ~ attrac-
| tive 10 the scholar, but obscure and dull TO
| the unlettcred man: the Ncda OF the Hin
| dus is az n whole. unintelligible; the II or
an is said 20 be n sealed book 10 the ma
| iortv OF It's constituents. In contrast 10
all these. the Bible fills the whole cir
cumfercnCc OF mans endowment: 10
touches every thought ard feeling in this
great humanity. u is adapted 10 inspire
SAGE. 20 instruct the savage TO guide the
child." Truly. this ~ n universal book,
answering mans deepest questions SOW.
ing mans most intricate problems, NJ
Eliminating mans most darkest hours. Civ
ing him support IN life. peace in death,
and song Of sweetest melody amid the
ineffable glory ~ the eternal world The
gifted Hallam felt this wnCn he said:
THE Bible fits every fold and crevice OF
education. science. Our astronomers point
ont Uranus and jupiter, but not the Star
OF Bethlehem. Our geologsts unfold
earths strata. but reveal no Rock ~ Ages.
Charles Reade, the litteraieur. writes the
frst line Of his own epitaDh. "Reade. Ora.
matist, Journalist Novelist but Charles
Resde. the Christian, pens the other line:
81 hope for resurrection. not from any
power of nature. but from the will of the
lord God Almighty" Whence came that
revelation save through the dome window
~ the sEyf ue Bib'e alone answers our
deepest questions, solves our most intri.
cate problems, illumines our darkest
hours. There can be no night when II
gives no song, 10 desert whore IL furnishes
no fountain. It's revelations supply sup:
port in life. peace in death and songs ~
everlasting jov beyond life No heart is
too hard fo- i's truths 70 melt, no sin too
great for the Bib'e 10 banish. no life TOO
degraded for the Bible 20 transform Only
lct man test Code Word and he will
have IN Its favor an argument that no
soDlIistry can destroy and no skcptic,rp