River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-10-01


~ aSsgg merely magma.
tions, some Of
which teach bad morals. The matter
with the professor is that he has Gre
ated a god in his own image and is
not willing that his god Should be
much, if any, greater than himself and
his brother professors can comnrc-
bend. Universities are not interpreters
of the Bible; the Bible is the inter.
prefer of the universities. Yet ii is q
pity that a man who calls himself a
Christian should stand with the
avowed infidels who have attacked the
Bible, from CELSIUS to Ingersoll, and
the greater pity is that he should as a
pastor of a Christian church be lead
ing others into religious infidelity.
There has come from the Chicago
University Press another attack upon
the miracles of the Bible by learned
professor in Michigan college. lie
looks wise and says that there was no
need of miracles. Then he looks wiser
and declares that some miracles are
incredible. The trouble with the plo-
lessor is that he has not yet accepted
the first verse of Genesis, 'In the he
ginning God created the heaven and
the EARTH" If he believed in God
great enough to create the universe he
would find no difficulty in believing
that such God could stop the revolI
ton of the earth for "a hours, tura
water into wine, multiply loaves AMI
fishes, or do anything else that hs
might choose to do. 1t is pity that
learning should so dwarf a mans con
ception of God. 1t is a pauperizing
process.
1t ought to be said that these unbe
lieving professors do not altogether
represent the institutions to which
they belong. There are other pre-
fessors in their faculties of equal OF
superior learning who believe in thu
miracles of the Bible, but the man whu
jumps overheard from an Atlantic
steamer attracts more attention thai
thousand other passengers who re
main on deck and behave themselves.
There is no real conflict between thn
Bible and up-to-date learning. The
conflict is between the Bible and the
unbelief of certain professors who
imagine that the modern scientific
spirit is opposed to faith in a personal
God still at work in his world. They
are waging war against the facts re-
corded in the Bible and confirmed by
the reason of a man who believes in
God of almighty power and infinite
wisdom. In the last analysis it is con-
flict between gods, the great God re-
vealed in the Bible and the little gods
born in the brains of learned unbe-
levers.
Miracles in the Bible mean Almighty
God at work. In ages past God or
dained some servants of his which we
call natural laws, and they are obedi-
ent There is a continuity of law
which we can trust. Eut did God be-
come the servant of his servants?
Has he resigned the mastery of his
world to subordinates? Has the king
left his throne and become subject
of his subjects? Have we what Car
lyle called an Absentee God sitting
on the rim of his universe and just
looking on?"
Gideon wished to know whether he
had been commissioned of God to de-
liver his people, So he asked God to
confirm his faith by making the fleece
wet and the ground dry. Next morn
ing the fleece was wet and the ground
dry. Then Gideon, looking around
saw that every other fleece was wet
and the ground dry. That is the way
Gods servant, dew, works; but Gid.
con did not want to be commissioned
by dew. He wished his commission di.
rectly from God. So he prays God tc
tell his servant dew to rest a bit in
this particular spot while he does
what his servant cannot do-makes
the fleece dry and the ground wet.
Next morning the fleece was dry and
the ground wet. Gideon knew then
that God himself had done it and he
went forth strong in that conviction.
The centurion in the New Testament
said in substance to Jesus: Il am
man under authority and yet say to
this one go and he goeth; but, Lord,
thou art king of all realms and thou
needest not go to my house to heal
my servant. Only say to disease go
and it goeth; to health, come and it
cometh. Speak the word and my SER
want shall be healed"
Here were two men who believed in
law, but they believed also in God, the
source Of all law. Miracle does not
violate law, though the God of law
hasten its processes, or work accord
ing to laws which he has not seen fit
to reveal to us. To say that God has
not worked miracles as recorded in
the Old Testament and the New is to
deny facts for reasons unworthy of
one who believes in God of almighty
power and infinite wisdom Such is
the God of the Bible whom the Chris.
tian worships.