The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1911-12-22
731e Bible
The Word a
God
BY Rev. Barry B. Hall, Pastor
of Temple Baptist Church, Min
neapolis, Minnesota. =: =:

perfect complete. No so. Both the
world and man came from God, and
neither is perfect or complete. So
the Bible came from God, although
parts of 1t are crude and imperfect.
The Bible, like all other things, is the
result of development and growth.
The patriarchs were in Gods school
and their ethical code was not COM
pleted until Christ came and fulfilled
completely it. Certainly an ethical
code allowing polygamy and an eye
for an eye and tooth for tooth.
is crude and imperfect. But since
Jesus completed that code no man has
been able either to add to CIR take
from it. 1t is the only code of ethics
man has ever known that stands un-
changed and Interchangeable throughout
the ages
There are but two things in the
visible world that do not d1e-an I'M
mortal soul and Gods word. The Bible
is a living thing. The spirit OF Sc
cession is dead, but the spirit of union
still lives. So all other ethical codes
are either dead or dying, but the
words of Jesus, which are increasingly
exercising a greater influence over the
destiny of both men and nations. Un.
like all other books, 1t never becomes
obsolete. All other books but the
Bible which are a few hundred years
old are obsolete and out of date. The
Bible never grows old; it never dies.
1t is living, growing thing. 1t grows
on one; the rereading of familiar pas
sages gives new light. and tmpresses
one with the greatness of the book.
The more one studies it with a rever-
ent spirit the more its greatness
looms up before him, and as his capa-
city to see more truth grows, the
more truth he finds in the word. Ev-
cry combination of social conditions
only draws out of the Word new truth
and more light.
All other books flourish best in the
language in which they were written,
but the Bible flows freely into all
molds and lends itself with freedom
to every language and dialect. 1t
ditions of people. 1t Is a discoverer
of the human heart, and reveals all
men to themselves. 1t reveals to all
races of men their motives. needs and
sins. An educated Hindu, on hearing
a passage read from the word. said.
THAT Book exactly describes us lndi-
ans"
The Bible is indestructible, 1t sur
wives all attempts to destroy 1t. Yet
1t is hated as no other book because 1t
condemns man and claims authority
over him. Rome tried to burn it, and
the ages have tried to destroy it. but
both alike miserably failed. Thomas
Paine thought his Age Of Reason"
would put the Bible out of print in
fifty years, and thousands thought
that Darwin's Descent uf Man" had
destroyed it at one stroke, but they
were deceived. Darwin really dis
covered nothing new. for both Moses
and Chris. were Theisti,i evoluntion-
lists Evolution does not destroy the
idea of a Creator; 1t only gives the
Creators method of creation.
The Bible stands unapproached as
a life-giving book. 1t awake1s dead
nations and gives them new life.
Christian nations, since the Bible was
opened in the sixteenth century, have
become responsible for all the worlds
advancement in science, literature. in
vention, commerce and discovery.
When the open Bible came into Japan
she awoke, received new life. arose
and defeated Russia, land without
an open Bible. The open Bible has
gone into China, and she Is at this
moment giving birth to new republic.
Laboring men, once but beasts OF
burden, under the influence of an open
Bible. have ceased to be beasts of bur
den and have come to be men The
Bible Is also a Notwithstanding book
1t revolutionizes the lives of both ma
tions and men When Titus took .Je-
rusalem. 100000 of the Jewish peo-
pie were put to the sword, many thou
sands were sold into slavery, and
thousands were sold to m axe sport by
being butchered or torn into pieces in
the arena. When America took Gu
ba and the Philippines she banished
yellow fever from the island and es
tablished a republic for the people.
and in one ship she sci 600 teach
ers to the Philippines. Certainly
marvellous Transformation And 1t is
also true of the individ, al; no man
can habitually read the book with
reverent spirit without becoming
nobler, a truer and a better man.
Is the Bible the word of God"
Have the civilizations of earth ever
produced book that could compare
with it; has any other book ever ex-
ercised such an influence over the ma
tions of earth: has any other book
ever transformed the lives of men as
the Bible has; is any other book liv
ing book and indestructible as the
Bible is? If this book is book the
like Of which the civilizations of
earth have not and cannot produce.
then it was not produced by man
alone, and therefore 1t must be the
word of God, given in earthen vessels.
to be sure, but the word Of God.