River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-08-06

W0ulQ conclude flat the BlDIe IS mere
Iy a collection of choice pieces Of an
cient Jewish literature, written by men
who really knew less than do we.
The Pastor then demonstrated that
those who reject the Bible as the Word
of God have no other foundation for
whatever faith they may possess than
the guess of this or that man. or of
themselves. He pointed out the we'll
known fact that all men are more or
less imperfect in judgment; and that if
men were to picture God there would
be as many different styles of God as
there are different persons.
The speaker illustrated his point by
calling attention to the numerous
creeds formulated during the Dark
Ages and to the different kinds of Gods
those different creeds have pictured
The nObleSt minds Of that time were
deceived into worshiping the worst
kind of images that could be made.
He declared that while the heather
nations were making their ugly idols
out of wood. stone. clay or metal. the
nations of Christendom were printing
atrocious descriptions of God the like
of which could not be moulded out of
clay or fashioned out of anything else.
He was not finding fault with our fore
fathers. but with the real inStigatOr of
the creedal misrepresentation of the
Almighty. AS st. Paul declares. ''The
god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them that believe not. lest
the light of the glorious Gospel of
Christ should shine unto them"
The Cause of the Falling Away.
Then the Pastor showed that the
eyes of many Christians are not wide
open for the same reason that st. Paul
gave the COrinthian Church. The god
Of this world has fastened the band
ages so tightly that it is with difficulty
that any get the eyes of their under
standing open. Again, st. Paul fore
tells that in the end of this Age many
shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits and doctrines
IF demons" The Pastor declared that
we have come to the time when many
have denied the faith and others are
denying it-good people, intelligent
people, ministers of the Gospel in the
various pulpits, professors, theologians.
tollege presidents-c that they
nave lost the basis of their faith.
We are not to suppose for even mo
ment that these people who are falling
away from the faith are wicked. On
the contrary, they are well-intentioned
many of them fine people. But they
have gotten under delusiOn. In the
light Of the New Dispensation the de
IusionS of the past are coming up con
stantly for criticism. Indeed. so great
is the conflict between the light Of the
Gospel and the darkness of the rreeds
that people "see stars" SO to speak,
and are so astonished that they do not
know what to think.
Next the Pastor demonstrated that
the great difficulty with people who
are losing their confidence in the Bible
as the Word of God is that they are
not familiar with it's contents. Many
are still holding to the Scriptures in
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 amount
Of faith which they possess. If only
such knew it. they never really have
had we'll established faith.
Faith Versus CreduIty.
The Pastor proceeded to point out
the difference between true faith and
that which is often misnamed faith.
but which in reality is credulity. The
faith commended in the Scriptures is
that which relates to things which God
has promised. Our forefathers, he de
rlared. had too much confidence in
men. They swallowed the creeds of
the Dark Ages; and the more absurd
the proposition. the more faith they
thought they had They should have
asked. Where has God declared such
things?" He maintains that we should
accept by faith only what the Lord has
assured us of in His Word.
We have made great mistake as to
what faith really is, he thinks Faith
must have basis. and that basis must
have some intelligent presentation. To
believe in the Bible as the Word of
God merely because our parents did so
is not faith at all: heather peoples do
just as well as that-they believe as
their parents did. without investiga-
ton. But to have faith in the Bible
we 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
Criticism is undermining the founda-
ton of all faith, and when many intel
ligent people are afraid to think along
Scr1ptural 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 demon
nations. in the great institutions of
learning and in the world.