The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-08-16
The Holy Scriptures.
CONTACT OF THE BIBLE WITH HUMANITY.
Address of Prof. Mark E. Bradley, Before
the AbbeWIIe Bible Society at the Annual
Meeting July 26, 1905.

In the physical world, when the ends of the
two wires OF an open circuit are brought
near enough together for the current TO dart
through the intervening space. the air about
the two wire points is heated by the friction
OF the rapidly passing current to the glow oil
incan descence. Then we have the wonder
full phenomenon OF light; we see 1t, wonder
at II, and revel in its eftulgence, but under
stand IT alive cannot! In the metaphysical
world. we see the Bible brought INTO iouch
with The human heart. At once, there is TO be
seen the brilliant arc Of enlightenment OF
civilization, OF civil and religious freedom
we revel IN this splendid light, but the cause
OF tive know not whence IT cometh nor
whittier IT goeth." since "it listeth" as the
wind. To the eye OF the materialist, there are
the leather, the wood pulp and the printers
OF the Book-nothing else Is apparent, but be
cannot shut his eyes so light az 10 Keep out
the wonderful light at the point OF contact.
No man denies the right OF the sclepllst 10
copper or iron track and produces light
electricity. Then who shall gainsay US In
naming The subtler essence, that steals from
the printed page OF the Bible into The human
heart and works It's wonders there-insplra-
ton?
What is it. we ak ourselves, that gives
rise To religion In the human breast? Most OF
us have already answered this question Tor
ourselves: deep seated consciousness OF an
ocean Of life, an eternity withip-a conscious
ness OF the over.lordship OF an all.Fa1her,
who created US, against whom we have sin
ned most griey and in whose sight we
are as unworthy and disobedlent children {.
On first principles, this basic consciousness
IL the same with all people, al all times, and
spoken message tiom CI ealor 10 created, and
ought TO he enough 10 make man stand up in
the very dignity and strength of his man
hood, and claim and merit closer friend
But 80 strange piece Of work IL man, SO
fearfully and wonderfully made, the falth he
has built upon this basic consciousness varies
with climeand country. The subtle magic
that lies IN a breath OF oriental air gave TO
the lace OF Buddha that aspect Of perfect re-
poee, at once the charm, the blessing and the
curse Of oriental lie. Twas the mystic 81
It's inscrutable stare, ana our stcut hearted
Saxon father stood by the seetbipg waves OF
the black Baltic and :rembled In his heart at
the believing tbunders OF Schleswig and
Gestland thinking them the Iesoun ding peal
OF Tbor's hammer upon the rocks OF highest
Asgard.
Verify, voice OF rock and mountain and
baimy Orient Is the voice OF God, else we
may well destroy the oft quoted text:
"The heavens declare the glory OF God ana
the armament showeth His handiwUrk."
Then, II. In real truth, it be the voice Of
God, uttered now In accents still and small,
ami now with the very ibunderings OF Sinai,
have they not borne 10 man q message that
was worth The telling? There must be some
good, nom fetish through MobammedapislD,
as best IL knew upon lis Interpretation Of the
voice OF the al Father.
What OF Copfucianism? II would be hard
TO tind q teacher who laid gl eater slless upon
did Confnhcius. Mohammedanism has al
ways main taintd The absol ulhorlty OF q
supreme God-and the world would be In
fpileIy verse CT today old not Buddhism,
Impa II 10 It's aoherenls the virtues oi palie nj
humility geDtleness and hen restraint.
Why then, We may ask, the so evidt mt intil.
tIation Of iust, rapipe ard fapaticism, with
these religions? Why do, We find the
possible to tell where The good begins and
The evil ends, or The opposite? The answer
comes plainly enough: because They have
never been brought into clote, intimate Touch
with the Bible and In The absence OF The ID.
epiied word OF God the adheIenls OF these
iaitas have been iolctd TO build With The
meIest stubble and straw.
Where man has not been handed book
from Heaven, he has fashioned one with his
own bands. II SEE ms 10 me that our Zeal IOi
the ndipg OF the Bible 10 the very elds Ol
toe earth wou}d Increase tepfUld, could vt
but realize that the destiny OF every nation
ts shaped and moulded upon the teaching oi
some book, in legend, in story, or IN song.
The ZendS Avesta allowed the Persian L.
10 fay his prisoner alive, 10 pluck out b., h,s
writings OF CopfnclnB, In spite OF the Two car
dinal virtues iDculcated, have driven almond
eyed China In trodden paths Of ever increas-
Ing Q6ptQ I'LL bDe lies lOQhy u gigantic mOQ'
ster OF helplessnets her spiritual condition
that OF fire brand smouldering beneath b
heap OF yellow ashes. The ChoIan. with its
mDsty dreams OF Oriental splepdol-its lana.
Lictsu, has produced The upspeaksble !ol-
tower OF Islam wherever he may be found.
Indeed the discardipg Of the New Testament
and all II com pre- hen ded has made OF the seed
OF Abraham, lhe offspring OF Joshua, Jeph-
tha, Gideon. Sanl and JoDal han, h race Of
bomeiess wsnderers-madeS Shy lock the de-
spised Jew of Venice~nade Isaac Of York
tremble In the clutches OF King Johns ruth.
less barons-~bonpd The DonkhCber bare
backed ben cath the knotted Lash OF the Co.'S
sack.
Compare with all this the harvest of civil
zation and enlightened freedom. that has
been raped from the golden grains OF pnre
wheat, soWp by Alfred In the stubborn Saxon
eIebe, cultivated, watered, and refreshed by
Wycliffe, Eraamps and Caxton, finally
gathered and stored away, for the use OF the
generations TO come, 10 The strong pure yer:
biage OF King James's version OF the Oxford
translations. Compare these results, l say,
and marvel! Behold the eftnlgept arc at the
point OF contact!
Come with me TO Scotland, rugged and
bleak and bare, and there behold q country,
the lives of whose people have been swayed,
shsped, and moulded upon the writings OF
"From ibe proud foamiDg crest OF Soway TO
tbe calla placid bosom OF Loeb katrine, not
o rtvulet nor a lake but has crimsoned
with patriot bLood"-not q heathered moor
bnt has drunk deeply of the blood OF martyrs
The thin lists that aCepyelop the rugged brow
OF Ben Nevis perform tpe same sacristal
rites for scotland that the '.deYs Of Herman
descending. b-ipg upon lions bulls.
Andy yet Ills not ScOtland that has made the
Scot, nor the Scot who has made Scotland
The old leather backed Bible, that every
Gotfer takes down at Djgbtiall 10 read IN
Abe nidst OF bis family has given 10 boart
and 10 aIeside, 10 highland, irilh and down 6
romance OF tealism, u beauty OF the simple
life-pade possible that masterpiece o
Scottish Literature, beside the Bonny Brial
Bash"
Nr. Nabie tells ofap old Scot, who lived or
one OF the barrepest, bleakess isles off tht
northern shore. Every morning, as tbe sur
tsiend, be would step opt of the door OF his cot
throw back his bonnet, and bow his gray
head 20 the glory and grandeur OF the world
at manifested in the rising SUD.
old sop OF the soil, in the very winter OF Iii
and surrounded by the most iorbidding as
pect Of patnre, yet With more OF the genuine
summer Of life In his heart than may b
Truly, ..EaNb's crowned with Heaven ant
every common bnsh afire with GOO. bpt on !!
he Wbo sees takes of bis shoes"
What the Bible has done for Scotland, Eng
hand. and America. and the other Christian
patiops of lhe world, II can ana Will DO 10
the heatben. Just as sure as there j. SUI
in heaven. the Bible will one day lake IN
place OF the Chorsn In the heart OF Islam
The light from It's sacred pages will drive ou
all evil and dispel all darkness, and Buudt
Mohammed, and Confuscins will spread thei
garments, and cry: "Hosanna, nallelnjai
rejoice! China, Islam, India. the Isles OF q
Sea, rejoice! There cometh into your mldi
this day king. seated not upon the camel
the Hejira, not upon the car Of the Jugge
maui, but upon colt, the foal OF an ass"
There is q beautiful legend that tells OF u
coming of the Bible apd Christianity 10 t1