The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-03-27

down to the millenialism and the
oniistiah science of our time. Nv
such methods the Bible has beep made
~ teach almost every conceivable
uoetrlhe and to support many a ter
iip'e Wlckedness such as slavery.
poiygamy and the subsection of WON
en-. ihese moral blots may be ex.
pialned and palliated by the age in
Which they belong. but no reasoning
can justify them. Any theory of in
spiration or Interpretation that makes
6od responsible for commanding or
sahctioning such conduct is wrong
ana the critical and historical study
it,
.. me higher criticism is trans
terlng the basis of religion from the
scriptures to the human soul. It has
lemlnded us of the fact that religion
IS not the product of scripture but
.nat scripture is the product of relig-
ION That religion is natural death.
Tess reality. as deep as the human
heart and as eternal as Gods grace
~ is bringing God out of the remote
past and from far off throne into
lhe living present.
4. Higher criticism is having much
10 do with the placing of the emphasis
on the spiritual instead of the letter
mat kllleth. 1t is emphasizing the
lact that it is the spirit that giveth
lie. 1t tells us that the greatest
value Of the scriptures is the spiritual
atmosphere they bring to our hearts.
For they bring to us an intense, liy-
ing. palpatating ethical and religious
energy.
D. lt mas brought to us truer and
hence more reasonable source of
authority. Men have been crying
10 here!" and 10 there.' The Ro-
man Catholic found it in an infallible
church, the Protestants in an infall
lble book, the Rationalists in reason,
While the Agnostics declared there is
no authority at ALL But none of these
theories are entirely satisfactory to
the intelligent seeker after truth He
nnds that the infallibility of the
church is myth, that the infallibil-
lty of the book can not stand before
the search-light of criticism. it no
where claims to be iniallible. Reason
though OF authority in its sphere can
give no answer to the great question
OF religion; and that intuition though
helpful in many ways is too vague and
shadowy to constitute the supreme
source of authority. 1t is here that
hlgher criticism comes to our assist
ance. pointing us to Jesus Christ as
the supreme source of authority. The
higher critics accept without reser-
Vatlon what Jesus Himself said One
is your Master, even Christ" They
say with Peter: To whom shall we
go? for thou hast the words of eter-
nal life
He said: "All authority in heaven
and in earth had been given unto
him. and the more we study his
words the more truly do we believe
him.
The critics have reached this CON
cluslon from two lines of reasoning
by deduction and induction. If we
believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son
OF the Living God-the highest and
final manifestation of God to man-if
we accept Him as the central truth
of christianity we cannot escape the
conclusion that Jesus is the supreme
authority In religion. If we approach
the subject instructively we reach the
same conclusion. For Jesus leads the
world in thought and life Two thous-
and years lie between us and when He
lived and taught on earth and the
best and wisest have never caught up
with Him. None have passed Him in
the field of ethics for He reached the
highest when He said. Love one
another. as | have loved YOU In the
realm of theology He spoke the final
word when He said. "Father. His
words bear upon the face of them the
stamp of gennineness. They appeal to
our hearts. When Jesus speaks there
- ooIiSAiihS within tue HedIl tudl
SAYS: Amen
Dr.. John Watson said The relig-
ion of Protestants, or let me say
Christians, is not the Bible in all its
parts. but first of al that portion
which is its soul. by which the
teaching of prophets and apostles
must itself be judged the very words
of Jesus
DR.. Henry vanDyke says; Christ
is the sole Lord and life of the true
church. BY His words we test all
doctrines. conclusions and commands.
On His word we build all faith. This
is the source of authority in the king
dom of God
Dean Farrar said; at can not be