The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-04-03

the Son of God: "Thinkest thou that
thou understandsst what thou readest ?
Who said: And how can I, unless
some man show me" (Acts viii. 80, BIZ.
Indeed. when one reflects fora mo-
nent what the Bible is-a number Of
sublime, mysterious books, written t.,o,l-
sands of years ago by men of a differ
'nt civilization and tongue; and es-
pecialfy when one knows that it deals
With Gods revelation of doctrine and
morals to His people, he must needs
expect to find things hard to be UNDER
stood
Many questions face the reader Of
the New Testament, and demand a
divine authoritative answer. if men are
t.. know with certainty the gospel of
Christ. Is this counsel or I; COM
mandment? (John xiii. 14). Is this
passage literal or fgurativc? (John
w., Matt. XVI. 26). Has an apostolic
priesthood the pardoning power?
(John Xxx. 23).> Ia Christ the Son OF
God? (John xiY.s2s), etc.
If the Scriptures were so clear, why
then did the principle of private inter-
probation brin g forth so many denom-
nations, each claiming to know the
true meaning of Gods word:
If Jesus had promised the wonder
full gift Of divine insight to every in.
dividua1.as some have arbitrarily pre-
tended, we'll and good. But there is
not the slightest evidence of any such
promise: On the contrary, the CONTRA
4trtions Of the various human societies
in the world. today absolutely point to
their origin-.nan's private and fallible
opinion, and not to the infallible guild
ance of the Holy Spirit of Truth.
THE Bible is not so much printers
ink and paper: not the ignorance, err
rors, and prejudices of men read into
the Old or New Testament. not babel
of discordant opinions as to what Christ
our Lord meant: but the one divine.
infallible voice q God to his people,
known with divine, infallble certainty
to every creature by the divine inter-
prefer and custodian of Holy writ-the
one Church Of Jesus Christ. ~o
"sixth.s Is it not strange that if
Christianity were to be learned from
the Bible only, that Christ Himself
never wrote a line, nor even command
ed His Apostles, to write. Only five of
the twelve did write; for their divine
commission was mot to write, but to
preach: and teach the gospel Matt.
xviii, 10; Marksxvi. IS; Luke X. IL;
Acts i. 81. They wrote merely to con-
firm their teaching. never giving the
slightest intimation that Christianity
was to rest solely OH a Bible founda-
ton. = .HT 3''
"seventh. Historically, we are GER
tain that'the Bfbe has never been the
way to: find out Christ. aT7H'. ~, q
Fer Just as the t11e wish religion ex-
listed before the Old Testament, so the
Christian religion existed before a line
of the. New Testament. was written.
The Church came first and not the
Bible. land there is not the slightest
evidences to show the substitution, In
later times. Of dead book for the liv.
ing .voice of Cirist's Church.
Eighth. Again, it has ever beer
practically impossible for men, gen.
orally, to find out Christ from the Bible
only. Tn the first days Of Christianity
the poverty and illteracy of the prim.
tive. Christians q. Cor. /. 262s), the
continued pagan prosecutions, the rar-
ity of manuscripts. the doubts exist
ing about the canon Until tile end of
-le fourth century, the spread of
apocryphal and heretical versions
prove to. evidence that they learned,
as Christ. and, His Apostles declared
all Christians must learn, mot from a
book they did not possess, not from
DOOk' they COulu llOL TSdu, UuI IIoIIi lIlS
voice Of divine, infallible teaching
What, again. Of the millions OF
Christians all down the centuries who
possessed no copies Of the. Scriptures,
or who could not read Them or under
stand them. if"they did. What of the
of our own day?-when. as
w. S. Lilly says, the average man is
rs we'll fitted to interpret the Bible as
he Is to lecture on the Hegelian phil
osophy, or to settle fine points of Hindu
law ~ -"
ninth. Finally, If the Bible We're the
inly way to find out Christ, individ-
ral Bible reading should of itself have
tended to maintain and spread Chris
ttanity. Surely candid men must adj
nit that 1t has not done so.
1.-The divisions of modern sects az
ford a strong argument writes Palmer
(Protestant), for the necessity Of sub
mission to the Judgment of the uni