The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-01


10 the fact that IL Is not the entrance
4 ~ thcse words into our lives that CIV
10Th light bat our entrance into them
Fl that giyeth light. AS though we
4 should read 1t. The entrance into This
words giveth light. The figure is not
that Of a candle borne into a dark
eued room. which scatters the dark
ness for those who are within. 1t is
rather the figure of men who have
been sitting in the darkened room
who now rise up and make their way
n,,t where the sun is shining En-
terfnE into It's rays, they find light.
And So we get natural foundation
for acme thought of the Christian
setudy of the Bible. / have no ambi-
fs0r,E to bring the Bible to you. l
have much ambition to bring you to
the Bible. have no doubt II is IN
the home of every one of you. What
wouA be much better would be the
entering of every home here into It,
that there may be light where there
Ii t1p much darkness. Ruskin's
word about the Bible Is familiar to
you. perhaps. Some one asked him
10 describe the Book in a sentence.
He said that 1t is the one book to
which any thoughtful man may go
with any honest question of life or
destiny and find the answer of God
~ patient searching. Well. that
means getting light on question
YottsSee il right when you have God s
opiufon on e. But you need not ex-
pectsthat light to come to you while
you Hsit idle. 1t IS light into which
you will enter. When you come into
the Word Of God. the darkness Is
clea4ed--that is what the text means
and what Rnskin means.
MY purpose Is not, therefore, to
discuss the Inspiration or revelation
OF the Bible. Here Is the Book. the
mort influential book by all odds in
the word. the most formative book
IN history. the most widely published
book of the present day. thirty times
- many copies of IL published today
- of any other book that was ever
spat in type One OF our secular book
lrnA the best known in Chicago. tells
i Customer that in their business 1t
- BY all means the best selling hook.
has y steadier demand and a larger
demand than any other book. Here
b the most widely discussed, the
most widely studied book in present
life, a book of undiminished popu-
larity. the Book that deals with eter-
nal things with eternal sagacity--
what are you going to do about It?
Do you know as much about 1t as you
ought to know? Do you give 1t as
much time as you ought to give 1t?
But has not scholarship unsettled
the Integrity and authority Of the
book Has II not lost its place among
thinkers? My saying It has not would
be only personal opinion. My say
ing that such Il thing cannot happen
would be only personal opinion. But
III is fair TO say those things even as
personal opinion. And 1t Is fair to
nay this. further. that wherever the
integrity Of the book has been un-
settled, its authority has been re-
Taxed, and when that has been done,
the vitality OF religion has been sadly
affected. The preacher who brings
the most welcome message to the
church today is the man who stands
closest to that Book. One of the old
last week Of the expression OF two
great leaders in the church OF few
years ago. Albert Barnes and Stephen
A. Tying. masters of the times. and
molders of the thought of the church
unto this day, that they had never
felt II their right to preach anything
but the great truths of the gospel of
Christ You men who are mixed up
with the affairs of the day all the
week do not often care to spend Sab
bath with them. You need. what
ever you may want, some authorize
tive word from the Book of God. My
personal opini ms are worth what
ever am worth, but when we lose
m authoritative book, we shall lose
i large element Of the authority of
the religion we preach, In the same
way. those homes are not most truly
and strongly Christian where the au-
fhOrity of this book rs relaxed. When.
In the rush of other demands
We give II scant place, when we read
other books and not this book we may
maintain a sweet social fellowship in
0ur home: II is beyond question that
We lose some of the sweetness Of the
Christian atmosphere. And in the
name way, when the authority Of this
book is relaxed in the personal life,
when man refuses 10 accept II as
fsnaI IN matters of faith and practice
the intensity and vitality OF his re-
ngious energy is reduced. Now, the
argument is that there is no danger
that any amount OF scholarship or In
vestigation will destroy the book
which has proved necessary for the
religious life of the church and the
home and the man. Welcome the
most exact scholarship, the most pa
tiant investigation; but we shall not
have any less beautiful world for the
science that lie giving us knowledge
OF II
One Of the strongest parts Of the
church Is the Sunday-school. which
exists for the teaching and study Of
the Bible. It's system Is the best that
ats lovers have yet been able to de-
wise. Nothing Is needed to take it's
place. Something is needed to sup
plement the splendid work which 1t
does. II is difficult, IL It is not impos-
Able. TO give in the Sunday~school
the systematic. orderly study to the
Bible that It needs. Much can be
taught, and IL taught There needs
10 be q plan whereby the students
of the Bible can meet and 60 into
The meaning of the Book, the facts
about II. in close personal fellowship.
Some Of those who have the highest
Interest OF the church much at heart
Feel that we are weak. the church
ever for lack of thorough, safe
knowledge of the Word of God. 1t
~ the book by which we profess to
live. II is the book which treasures
The safety Of the nation, IL is the book
20 whose teachings we look for light
on the darkness of earth's problems,
and yet we do not know II. But that
which churches all over the land are
EQfrecting. Out OF the correction OF
~ viii come finer Christians, better