The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-01-03
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"A SERMON 40 @
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Theme: The Bible.

avenue dllu w Gil uClu OIL OSe,
on the above theme, the Rev. Ira
Wemmell Henderson, pastor, took as
his text Is.40:S: THE Word of our
God shall stand forever" He said
This has been an age of criticism
of the Scriptures. There has never
been a time in the history of Chris
tianity when the Bible was more
searchingly examined and the truth
! fulness of it's facts as presented more
questioned than in the days through
which we have passed and are pass
ing. The written truth of the divine
revelation has been put to severe
| tests It's foundations have been an
alyzed. It's superstructure has been
sounded. It's conclusions have been
, negatived and it's very fabric has
seemingly been destroyed. Some of
us have feared that its permanence
has been threatened, it's influence cur
tailed, it's contents in some measure
expunged Criticism has been siren
! uous in it's handling of the Bible.
Far more strenuous than some of us
have thought advisable. Far more
strenuous than many of us have
thought justifiable, necessary or wise.
Under the combined influence of
, new science, a larger view of history,
more comprehensive geography, the
tests of the validity and value of the
,, Scriptures have been changed and the
content of the Word of God has been
differently considered than custom
arily. 1t has shocked many soul,
this process. 1t has brought many
layman and many minister to the
tide of the ocean of doubt and dis
trust and of spiritual uncertainty.
oil
have liked it or no the light has bce-l
turned on. 1t has incidentally been
turned on much that was the foolish
ness Of immature scholarship mas
querading under the guise of wisdom.
, The criticism of the Scriptures has
created a widespread distrust of the
whole Book of God. 1t has upset
theology 1t has removed many of
the old foundations for our belief
in the inspiration of the Word and
! of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Sadly
in many quarters it has undermined
faith. But that has been rather be-
cause men have lacked the power to
differentiate and because they have
mistaken facts for human statement
and Interpretation of the same, than
because the Scriptures have been
scientifically studied and the light of
the spirit honestly and helpfully
turned on.
Actually there has been little cause
for alarm. Because we test the water
is no guarantee that it is contain
mated. Because we put acid to. our
silver is no surety that it Is only
plated. Because we take the invi-
tation of the Almighty and try Him
and His Word is no reason why we
should fear that either or both are
frauds. Because we study the Word
carefully invites no presumption that
it will not be able fully to meet all
our questions and successfully to
elucidate all our perplexities and to
justify itself The Bible is not :.
book for dummies. 1t is the mechan-
ically preserved Word of living God
who through the long ages has spoken
to living men and who yet speaks. 1t
is for men of intelligence who are
alive And 1t invites the inquiry of
live and intelligent men.
There is and has been no cause
for alarm. For theology and religion
are not the same thing. A very re-
ligious man may have a very atrocious
theology. And while it is always
best to express our religious knowl-
edge and experiences in the best theo-
logical formulate that We may be able
to devise, It is always possible, hui
mainly being what it is, that we may
not be able to express in words the
exact consciousness of our minds and
souls. A mans theology will change,
If he be live and Intelligent man,
with the maturing and magnifying
of his religious experiences. And if
tho@ i, irn Two - rnl n
our spiritual and moral experiences,
If our creeds do not correctly reveal
our thoughts, there is no reason in
the world why we should not do as
our fathers before us have done and
change our creeds, our formulated
theologies. Creeds are necessary as
an expression of areligious conscious
ness 1t were folly to scott them.
But they should be plastic. They
should grow with our growth and ex-
pand with our expansion.
And so if investigation of the
Scripture has relaid the ground for
our belief in the inspiration of the
Word of God we should not be fear
full For it has made the foundation
but more Ineligible and truthful to
the minds of men of to-day. 1t has
not destroyed the fact of inspiration
1t has simply changed our major
ground of belief therein. The Word
is as inspired as it ever was. No theo-
logical statement, however learned or
carefully worded, can alter the fact.
If the examination of the Scripture
has restated the grounds for our be-
lief in the divinity of Christ, it has
been simply to intensity our intellec-
tual acceptance of the fact OF His
diyineness. For He who was the full
ness of grace and truth depends not
on any theological formula for dem
onstration or justification. For He
was divine ere men began to prove
Him so.
We ought to be thankful that the
test has come. For out of the fire
has emerged a stronger faith in the
inspired Word of God, clearer COM
prehension of the reasons for our
faith. And it were worth while to
go through fire and through food to
secure that.
Criticism has eliminated many a
perplexity. 1t has clarified much OF
the obscurity of the Scripture rec
orGs. 1t has brought the testimony
of the four ends OF the earth to tie
suhstantiation O. the accuracy in
every SSSShlidl pc'iI VI NOo y iAiON"
Holy Word 1t has given us a larger
knowledge. 1t has given us surer
knowledge. Except for those who
were nearest to the events that are
chronicled in Scripture there has BEEN
none more accurately informed, So
far as we have light, concerning the
facts of Scripture than are we today
The more ! read OF the researches
and results achieved by critical STU
dents of the Bible and of the lands
with which it intimately associates
itself the more am l convinced that
the investigation is worth whatever II
may cost and that it is providenlia!.
And l am also convinced that We
would do we'll to go slow about dis
counting the opinions concerning the
Scripture and the facts therein re-
cited that have been held true in day.
long past. 1t is a good thing that we
should remember that the sum or
human wisdom is not resident in us
and that our forefathers were not
fools. This is an intensely critical