The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-10-13
OF BIBLE
SOCIETY SUNDAY
CONTINUED from Page One.)

Then, as wonderful as the history
of each book is, still more wonder
full in a way is the history of the one
book. Nusty manuscripts, dingy
volumes, lily written and scarcely de
ciphcrable vellum pages, bring to us
the story of how this book has come
down to us through original and
translating during the centuries. A
more facinating story than that con-
tanned in the little book How we
Got our Bible" is scarcely to be
found anywhere. And to those of
you are interested in the question
as to how you came into possession
of your English Bible, | would re-
commend that little book.
But after all. when we have stud
led these things, we are confronted
with this fact. We have but looked
the skeleton. The flesh and blood
the heart and soul are not there
What is the right right way to look
at the skeleton. The flesh and blood
What is the right way to look
of the history of it's separate books.
of it's tradition shrdlu hrdlu hrdlu
ofits translations, OF its effect on
or of it's being pure literature? | do
not minimize at all any one of these
studies, but it seems to me that the
really vital way to look at the
Bible is that indicated by Paul in
the second and third verses of his
first chapter of Romans. Paul, a
servant of Jesus Csrist, called an
apostle, set apart unto the gosped
which he promised afore thru his
thru his prophets in the holy acrip-
lures concerning his SON" In other
words, this may apply to :he Old
Testament, but Gy accommodation the
same idea is applicable to the New
Testament, as the Holy Scriptures.
Not holy in the sci Sc of being tet.er
| take it, but holy in the sense of
being separate, being different, if
you will. And it is of these Holy
Scripturs in their real significance. as
Paul sees them, that / [ sire to
speak 10 you toulghl..
Let me read, therefore, for you
that portion Of the text which / in
tend to use: THE Gospel of God
which he promised af0rc thru his
prophets in the holy scriptures con-
corning his SON" Here, take it.
Paul has set clearly before us what
makes these writing above all other
writings holy. In other words, why
we are right in assigning them that
name: The Holy Scriptures.
| wish to have you think with me
about the Bible as the book of one
idea. l fear a great many of us have
gone astray right here We have
looked on the Bible rs the book
which contained everythingA when
in reality it contains but one single
idea. Men of science have scoffcd at
ii and called it unscientiic, they
have said that the writer's did not
know that about which they wrote.
And yet, the Bible is not scientific
treatise. 1t makes no claim to infal-
libility along that line The opening
of this book does not con-
tain a geological table but rather n
wonderful story which however, has
proved to wonderfully scientific in
it's detail.
Likewise, the social reformer has
specific panaceas for every evil to
which the race is heir. And how
blindly, how miserably he has failed
Yes, the word of God has a social
message for us. but it is in spirit. not
IN letter. The Spirit of that Book
drove human slavery from the face
of the earth, the spirit of that book
has killed a thousand social mon
srers, the spirit, drink, and it will
become thing of the past.
And so, l might go on and on to
show how, thru the long centuries
til" spirit of this volume has been
bettering conditions in this old
.rth, yet how &Ie main message OF
the book, the one idea of the book,
is not to be found in any of the re-
forme which it has championed and
successfully brought to pass.
But what, you ask, is the one real
idea of the Bible? What is the thing
which separates it, dffferentiGtes it
from all other religious literature
think that the answer is to bt
found in the opening words OF oui
text, THE Gospel OF God, in tn,
holy Scriptures" This is the on,
idea of the book. The good news o.