The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-04-26

would we think OF ~contradicting the
statement that God manifests himself
through history and providence. Vic
Tor Hugo said: Waterloo was God"
By that he meant that God showed his
hand in that great war and turned the
stream of civilization into another
channel. The history OF all nations Is
abundantIy replete with marked inter-
ferences OF God. Promotion cometb
neither from the east nor from the
west. Ii is God who setteth up n
nation. and putteth down another.
The knowledge of God that comes
TO us from these sources, however. is
not sufficient to fully satisfy the hui
man heart. Nature tells us Of God,
but does not adequately describe him
to us. We might infer from the d.
vine manifestations in history and
providence that God is a great force
of power, but such a definition of God
by no means satisfies humanity. We
need some other and deeper vision Of
God. We need to know something
about his person, nature and attri'
butes; his relations with his creatures;
what things are pleasing and what dis
pleasing to him; what are his ethical,
moral and spiritual standards. To
these questions not nature, nor his
tory, nor yet providence affords an
answer Nature may show the head
and wisdom of God, and providence
and history the hand and power of
God, but we need a revelation such as
we have in the Bible to reveal to us
the heart and the grace of our God.
Sometimes the Bible is compared
with other sacred books-Bibles of
other religions; the Koran, the Vedas,
etc. There can be no real comparison.
The Bible is not TO be put on the same
plane as these books. None of them
claims for itself what the Bible claims
for itself; nor did any n of their au-
thors claim for himself what Jesus
Christ, and the inspired writer's of the
Bible claim for themselves. The
Christian must be very careful in the
matter OF comparing his Bible with
other sacred books. Such comparison
is attended with grave danger. There
is practically no difference, SO far as
the disastrous effects of such compari.
sons are concerned, whether you drag
the Bible down to the level of these
other books, or lift these other books
up to the level of the Bible. The effect
Is the same; you rob the Bible of its
unique character and authority. Let
US be careful in this matter.
The Bible is not only the book of
GOD, 1t is also the book from God. At
least this is the way in which it gives
Its own account of its origin: "All
Scripture is given by inspiration OF
Hod,'-that is to say, is God
Dreathed' e Timothy 3:16), Again, '
In Peter 1:20.21, we read: knowing |
thls hrst, that no prophecy of the I
scripture is of any private i~nterpreta.
tion Tor origin, for it seems clear that '
IL is to the source rather than to the I
exposition of the Scripture that ref
erehce is here made). For the !
prophecy came not in old time by the
VIII OF man; but holy men of God '
spaKe as they We're moved by the Holy S
shost'' Here are some very clear and !
oehtlte statements concerning tho I
source OF the Scripture. II is this
Iod-breathed" element that differen- I
yates this book from all other writings. :
lhe Bible is quite often referred to =
nowadays as splendid literature" =
Mell' the Bible Is that, but 1t is more
'han that-it is Scripture. Literature
~ 'he letter; Scripture is the letter
imofeathed by the holy spirit. Just ss j.,
III lne creation of man we learn that :
man became a living soul when that y
OF dust, as it lay on the ground, !
inbreathed by the spirit Of "
,ie from God. Man is dust ~inbreathed =
y! pelty; and if you take the spirit =
" hle from man, he returns to dust. 2,
% is 1t with the Bible; it is the let. u
vi, out IL Is the letter inbreathod by ?
rus spirit that makes that letter N
And when you rob the Bible =,
y us inspiration you have nothing but :
nefe literature %left-you hava no ",
Scripture. s.
inc message of the Bible is Il .siigi-
us message. Its aim and purpose is y
' p'ing man, who has been estranged !"
GOD by reason Of sin, back to the
,oo from whom he has been estranged.
ne scriptures. which are given by In.
pi,atioh OF God, are for the man OF In
,ou, mat he may be instructed in W
isn'eousness; mark you, in righteous ca
eSs, not in science, or art, or poetry, L,
, history, important as those things tr
re In themselves. IN