The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-06-08

Gospel ana the darkness or Tho creEEFs
that people ''see stars" 90 to speak,
and are 80 astonfshed that theytdo not
know what to think.
Next the Pastor demonstratedEthat
the great difficulty with peoples who
are losing their confidence In Ehs&BSble
as the Word OF God is that they are
not familiar with it's contents. Many
are still holding to the Scriptures IN a
blind way, hoping against hope that
they may not lose their faith. They
are afraid TO read and afraid to think.
lest they lose the very small ar1nR1nt
Of fRith which they possess. II, only
such knew 1t, they never reaIlyEhave
had a well established faith.
Faith Vsrsus creduI1ty.
The Pastor proceeded to point out
the difference between true faith and
that which Is often misnaned faith,
but which IN reality is creduIity. The
faith commended in the Scriptures is
that which relates to things which God
has promised. Our forefathers, he de
clared, had too much confidence I'm
men. They swallowed the creedst Of
the Dark Ages; and the more absurd
the proposition, the more faith. they
thought they had. They shouldihave
asked, Where has God declaredSsuch
thingsT He maintains thattwe should
accept by faith Only what the Lord has
assured US Of In. Ills Word.
We haveamade q great mistaketas to
what faith really is, he thinks. Faith
must have'a basis, and that basis must
have some intelligent presentation. To
believe In the Bible as the Word of
God merely because u parents did so
is not faith at all; heathen& peoples do
just as well as ~that-they believe as
their parents did, without ~investiga-
ton. But to have faith in the Bible
must have proof that it Is Of God;
and to have that evidence we must un-
derstand the Word.
The Pastor holds that most people
are so perplexed that they do not
know what to believe. And yet, he de-
clared, at this very time when Higher
Vi SAo - uhNG A1A4AlhS NAC 4OOElOd-
ton of all faith, and when many intel
ligent people are afraid to think along
Scriptural lines, Bible students are. find
ing the Word Of God to be the most
wonderful Book in all the world. Gods
Plan for human salvation was never
SO we'll understood as just now, in the
midst of all the turmoil in the denom-
nations, in the great institutions OF
learning and in the world.
Proofs That the Bible Is Inspired.
The Pastor then discussed some of
the so-caTled findings Of Higher Crit
cism-that Moses did not write the
Pentateuch, nor Isaiah the greater part
Of the prophecy which bears his name,
etc. These critics, he declared, are try.
ing to prove something by the outside
Of the Bible. Their sO-called findings
he believes to be a matter Of mere
guesswork, although. as some Of then,
are very bright men, they put up a
strong argument in some things. They
will undertake to prove that Jesus was
mistaken when He declared that Isaiah
! the Prophet said thus and so; that St
Paul was also mistaken when he quot
ed from the Prophet Isaiah and said
Thus saith the Prophet Isaiah; that
Daniel did not write the book which
bears his If he did, that II
was fulfilled before the Christian era
Notwithstanding Jesus assertion tt
| the contrary.
The Pastor, like all reasoning Chris
tan people, relies upon the interna
| evidence of the Bible that it is the
Word Of God. That internal evidence
| cannot be doubted. The Old Tesla
| ment prophecies and the teachings o.
| the Lord and the Apostles 80 interlocl
and depend n upon the other that
! no human being could possibly have
thought out the great Plan therein
found. All the way from Genesis t.
Revelation the parts so coordinate ant
| fit together that M great, harmonious
| Plan Of the Ages Is the result. An
! other strong proof Of the inspiration O
| the Bible is furnished In present-day
conditions, which were foretold by tn
| Prophets thousands Of years ago.
Bible Not Man-Made.
Then the speaker considered some o.
the objections to the Bible usual!
brought forward by infidels. He show
ed that it Is q weak argument indeed
which credits priests and knaves will
writing the Sacred Book. II Catholic
had made the Bible, they would natur
ally have put into it many thing
which are not there; for instance, the!
would have told about the Mass, abou
Purgatory, hell-flre and eternal tor
ment, Of which there is nothing said
they would also have intimated tina
we should use beads and images 1
worship; they would have had some
thing about the immaculate conception
Of the Virgin, and about st. Peter
being the first pope, etc.
If, ON the other hand, Presbyterian
had written the Bible, they would hav
put in O great deal about Hell, abou
elect and non-elect infants, etc. Mett
odists would have left out all abou
Electicn-maling ones calling an
election sure, the Very Elect, etc.-fo
they do not know what to do wit
these texts. Our Calvinistic friend
would have left out the texts abou
free grace; for these do not At wit
their ideas Of election. All these d.
nominations would have inserted SOM
thing In regard to 1.-THE trinity" &c