The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-02-17


Scriptures, for
This is the Judge that ends the strife
When wit and wisdom fail,
Our guide to everlasting hfe,
Through all the gloomy vale
Second. The Scriptures are profta-
BILE "for reproof." They answer the
same purpose that the North Star
does when the ship gets out OF her
course. Only a dead reckoning Is
possible without it.
The man who follows his own de-
vices and knows no other or better
standard Of truth than can be found
in his inner consciousness must not
be surprised If he loses his bearings
as to the great problems of life.
What do you believe about God? Or
about Christ? Or about Revelations?
Or about the Atonement? Or about
Justification by Faith? Or about
Heaven and He'll? If you have no
Bible, you are at liberty to say, my
opinion is thus and So" but If you are
a Christian, and have taken the Bible
as your rule Of faith, you are bound
to say, II have found 1t written thus
and so in the Word of God"
Jul ldlLu dS SAl loIlohp 40 NV -
matter Of hearsay or personal op1n-
ion, but of authority. "And the Lord
answered Job out OF the whirlw1nd,
saying, Who Is 1t that darkeneth
counsel by words without knowledge?
Grid up nov thy lotns like a man,
for I will demand Of thee, and answer
thou Mel" So speaks the Infinite to
the man whose breath is in his nos
trils, "Be still and know that I am
God"
Third. The Scriptures are profta-
BILE "for correction" The sailor who
is in doubt as to his whereabouts,
gets his latitude and longitude by the
use of his quadrant and steers accord
ingly. So does the Christian search
the Scripture, and. on finding himself
wrong, makes haste TO return to God.
In one Of the general assemblies OF
the Church of Scotland the venerable
DR.. ErskiGe sat within the rails and
heard, i~mpatiently, a discussion which
seemed to him to proceed without
due reference to the Scriptures. At
length he arose, and with a voice
tremulous with age, said, Moderator,
rax me yon Bible, wull ye?"
Opening it, he read the prescript,
and adding simply, "Thus saith the
Lord" sat down. Ba; that was
enough in a Christian assembly; for
there the word of the Lord Is an end
Of controversy. ITO the law and the
testimony, If they speak not according
to this word, it is because there Is no
life in them"
Every man must say for himself
whether he will take the Scriptures
to be his guide or lean on his own
understanding; but having made the
Scriptures his choice, he is bound to
live accordingly.
One may go his own gait or let God
direct him. In the former case he is
not a Christian. In the latter case he
is. I know of only these two kinds Of
people in the world, to wit: Men of
God and men without God.
Fourth. The Scriptures are profta-
BILE "for instruction in Righteousness"
AS a "rule of practice" they are like
the rudder Of the ship.
One Of the great words of the Bible
is righteousness. 1t Is set forth In
two perfect symbols, namely the Ten
Commandments and the Sermon on
the Mount, and one perfect Exemplar.
The critic has yet to be found who
can pick a flaw in the Decalogue; and
by common consent Christ Is the one
immaculate man who has lived in this
world of ours.
But If we as Christians believe in
the Bible, which presents such an ad-
mirable code of morals, how is 1t that
there are so many inconsistent pro-
fessors among us? The point Is well
taken; we freely acknowledge the
justice of it. But in that criticism
what a tribute is paid to the morality
Of the Bible, and to the Christ who
perfectly exemplifies It! Behold the
Book, how faultless it's standards Of
righteousness! And behold the Man!
The world finds mo fault in Him at
ALL"
But there is this to be said: The
best people are Bible Christians.
There is not one among them who
claims perfection; but, taking them
by and large, good, bad and indiffer-
ent, we do not shrink from a COM
parison. Let a thousand Of them
stand up in line, and a. thousand
others who reject or ignore the Scrip
lures in an opposite line, and we are
ready to have the exhibit stand upon
it's merits.
But suppose all Christians did live
up to the standard Of the Bible, what
people they would be! One Man did
so once. He brought the bottom Of
His life up to the top of His light. /"
The Bible was His rule Of faith and
practice, and in His walk and CONVEX
sation He was true to it. And when
He hung upon the cross, the soldier
in charge of His execution vas moved
to cry, verify, this was a righteous
mani"
It remains to emphasize the most
important point of all, namely, that
the Scriptures are profitable to the
end that the man of God may be
Thoroughly furnished unto all good
works"
1t is in the Scriptures that the
Christian gets his commission for ser
vice. "As the Father has sent Ne
into the world" said Jesus, $50 send I
you" AS Christians we are to serve
not ourselves but others, to do every
thing to the glory Of God.
Common Days.
Ono NJ tho chief danpers of life ia