Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-27
BIBLE TREATED
AS REVELATION
DR.. STRAT0N CRITlCISES THE
HIGHER CRITICISM
is GODS FINAL REVELATION TO
HUMAN RACE
Special Attention Called to Immense
Circulation of Copies of the Scrip
lures by Societies Through
out the World

Roach Straton of Baltimore, Md, who
is supplying the pulpit for DR.. r. j.
Burdette, preached Sunday evening on
rs the Bible a Revelation from God p
The sermon combated the attitude of
the destructive higher criticism. This
sermon is the second in a series on the
Fundamental Principles of the Chris
tan Faith" Referring to the Bible, he
said:
Here are some of the reasons for be-
lieving that the Bible is Gods SUI
IRENE, sufficient and final revelation
to the human race: First, its own
claim to be such revelation. Second,
the quality of universally possessed
by the Bible, as by no other book in
the world. Third, the wonderful quail
ity in the Bible, which furnishes food
for faith and guidance for life to ali
kinds and conditions of people the
world over"
In speaking of the difficulties of the
Bible DR.. Straton said: ut has been
sought by some to impugn the moral
character of the God pictured in the
Old Testament because of his stern
commands to the children Of Israel to
drive out utterly, or destroy, the
idolatrous peoples in the promised
land. But was 1t immoral for God to
give such commands to the children
of Israel? Is it immoral for the sur
geon to amputate the putrid limb in
order to save the life of the remainder
of the body? If 1t is not, then it was
not immoral for God to cut off these
idolatrous peoples in order that his
chosen nation might be saved from the
pollution of contact with them and
thereby enabled to give the true re-
ligion unpolluted to the world
Continuing, the speaker said: 1.-THE
Bible is not just like any other book.
AS we'll say that a telescope Is Just
like any other brassH 1t is not True
It is brass, but brass in a peculiar re-
lation and shaped for specific and
unusual purpose. The telescope is not
like any other brass, and a man who
uses 1t in the wrong way really abuses
1t and at the same time denies himself
a most uplifting and inspiring expert
ence. He might be gazing with rapt
vision and leaping heart upon the pre-
viously unseen glories of the midnight
heavens The critical attitude toward
the Bible prevents many soul from
catching the visions of eternal glory.
I'm the eighteenth century the great
French infdel, Voltaire, prophesfed
that within a hundred years from the
time he wrote the Bible would be an
obsolete book He declared that 1t
would be entirely out of circulation
and that 1t would be found only as a
curio on the shelves of antiquarians.
d
prophecy stands the fact that the
house where Voltaire wrote 1t is now
owned and used as storehouse by
the French Bible society, and the very
walls that looked down on the sneer-
ing skeptic as he penned his prophecy
are now literally lined with hundreds
OF Biblesl
Marvellous Record Made
an the city of Washington, d. c.,
there was a most interesting gathering
some time ago. 1t was the centennial
of the American branch of the British
and Foreign Bible and Tract society.
At the meeting 1t was shown that dur
ing the nineteenth century alone
one society printed and distributed
$50, 600 900 copies of the scriptures. l
have estimated that the weight of that
number of Bibles was at least 1900
tons! To transport them would re-
quire 225 locomotives drawing a train
twenty-five miles long. If the pages
of that number of Bibles were spread
out upon the ground they would af-
ford standing room for three times the
present population of the earth! Why
this marvellous record? THY word is
TRUTH There is the reason and the
secret of it all. The hungry hearts
and needy souls of the children of men
have come to this blessed book and
found in it the very bread and water
of life, and it is monstrous to suppose
that a maze of myths or cunningly
devised tissue of errors, superstitions
and lies could so have gripped the hui
man race!"
In closing DR.. Straton made the state
ment that the Bible has brought more
blessings to society at large than any
other agent, through the purifying and
uplifting influence 1t exerts upon the
individual. 1.-The Bible is not an iron
safe that can be opened only by some
key which we are strong enough to
forge and fashion or by some combin-
alton which we are shrewd enough to
figure out. The Bible is rather beau
tiful flower which cannot be forced
open, but will open of itself in the sun
light of faith and love and give forth
a beauty and sweetness that are dt-
vine. We need above all things else
today that warmth of appreciative at
mosphere and of humble devotion
which will cause its deeper spiritual
beauties to unfold for us and to exhale
the rare perfume which so sWeetened
the lives Of generations that are gone
Oh, venerable and holy book, thous
whose unfailing light guided the foot
steps of our fathers safely along the
dark and rugged pathway of human
life; thou whose blessed principles
have made strong and noble the high
est souls of our race; thou whose
precious promises have smoothed the
pillow of suffering and glorified even
the pathway to the grave-guide of
youth, stay of manhood and comfort
of old age. we bring once more to thee
today our tribute of loyalty, love and
praise.!"
AFRICAN BISHOP breaches
AT FIRST METHODIST CHURCH