Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-04
THE BIBLE AND PROGRESS.
Rational Grounds for Urging the Book
on Men of Other Faiths.

ILL oAoAxJ x4N - INOoxNIoo.
Rational Grounds for Urging the Book
on Men of Other Faiths.
From the London Spectator.
If We feel with Carlyle that it was no
miserable piece Of spiritual legerdemain"
which has allowed thousands of millions Of
men to live and die in a faith different from
our own, what are the grounds which lead
us still to believe that the Bible Is the SUI
preme revelation Of the Creators mind,
greater and clearer than any book embody-
ing the faith of followers OF Mohammed or
Buddha or Confucius? These grounds or
reasons might be divided into two kinds;
one OF which. at all events. might be
thought considerable by the strictest Of
Mohammedans. In the first place, many Of
us believe the Bible to be the greatest book
in the world, and believe that it ought to be
brought to the notice of every inhabitant of
the world, because it is the book that has
been given to ourselves. 1t Is natural that
1t should be so; such an argument, indeed,
would be the first that would be used by
Mohammedan or a Buddhist reasoning for
the dissemination Of his own religion how
could 1t be otherwise? But although that
claim-namely, that our Bible should be the
worlds bible because 1t has been given to
ourselves-woud be dismissed by the Mo-
hammedan or the Buddhist, If we can sup
pose them arrayed against US in a mere de-
bate, might there not be advanced another
claim, against which logically minded OPP
ponent would find it difficult to find coun-
ter plea? 1t would be this. If we may
imagine a. being-even such a being as the
God whom Mohammedans, Buddhists and
all non-Christian communities worship each
according to their creed-contemplating
from afar the ordered progress of the great
religions of the world, what would he see?
Among the hundreds of millions Of Gods
creatures he would watch successive mil
lions added to the millions having knowl-
edge of book believed by men to have been
given to them by God. For the progress of
those millions, for the continued acceptance
Of one book beyond other books, there must
be a reason, If there is a reason in any
thing; must not that reason be the Creators
set purpose that such a book and the gos-
pei of Christ which it contains, should at
last be the book Of the world? There the
disciple Of Mohammed or Buddha would
find an answer difficult The book Of the
nations which stand for progress is not the
Koran; and granted once that progress of
some kind Is right and good, that the whole
creation does move toward lone, far-off
divine event." then the progress of the
knowledge Of the Bible with the progress of
mankind cannot be mere coincidence. If
we believe in anything, we must believe
that it has been ordered that the energy Of
the conquering nations Of the world should
be directed in the path mankind was meant
to tread, and that path the religion Of Christ
as revealed in the Bible.
Yet it Is not victorious nations, nor the
eloquence Of men, converting others to the
beliefs they hold, which has chiefly further
ed or controlled that progress. 1t Is the
Bible itself which Is the great missionary
and messenger Of Christ. Even Paul
wrote that IF I speak with the tongues of
men and of angels, and have not charity, 1
am become as sounding brass or tinkling
cymbal," so no man could count on having
power century after century. over the
minds Of men If the message he preached
were false. 1t is the testimony of the pro-
gress Of the nations that the message of
the Bible. the message Of Christ crucified,
Is true. For the Bible throughout the his
tory of the world has been, and still is
looking at the question from the social and
political point Of view-the best foundation
of great polity. The polity of the Athen-
ians. broad based as it was upon the deep
thought Of some Of the worlds greatest
philosophers, broke down with the test Of
a few hundred years. There are few finer
pares in the mouth of the Savior of the
world. the power of the thinkers of the
dead nations with the power of the Bible.
Those thinkers are
Herein to our prophets far beneath,
As men divinely taught, and better teaching
In their majestic unaffected style,
Than all the oratOry of Greece and Rome.
In them is plainest taught and easiest learnt.
What makes a nation happy. and keeps 1t So
What ruins Kingdoms and lays cities fiat;
These only with our law best form king.
But yet, we may imagine perhaps a Mo-
hammedan objector asking. If the Bible is
in truth the foundation Of all great politics.
and If the progress Of the knowledge of the
Bible is in truth intended by God to COIN
eide with the progress of mankind, how can
It, happen that two politics, each based
on the Bible may find themselves at war,
one eventually bound to crush the other-as,
for instance, in the American civil war or
the war in South Africa? That is, perhaps,
best answered in the sublime words Of Lin
coin: Both read the same Bible. and pray
to the same God; and each invokes his aid
against the other. 1t may seem strange
that men should dare to ask a just Gods
assistance in wringing their bread from the
sweat of other mems faces; but let us judge
not. that we be not judged. The prayers of
both could not be answered-that of neither
has been answered fully. The Almighty
has His own purposes" That perhaps,
best sums up all that can be said on this
as on other questions asked by men. We
know, at least, that more and more of
Gods creatures year by year read the Bible
and learn the teachings of His Son, and we
cannot believe that the increasing knowl-
edge in the world Of that Book is part of
the great plan, leading humanity at last, in
Bacon's splendid phrase, to 1.-The Sabaoth
and port Of all mems labors and peregrina-
TONS"