The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1916-04-14


no other belief has influenced so many
people as Christianity; Ralph Waldo
Emerson says, "Jesus Is the most
perfect of all men that have yet ap-
peared." Thomas Jefferson says, II
have said and always will say that
the s'udious perusal of the sacred
volume will make better citizens,
better fathers, and better husbands
Lord Byron, "If ever man was God.
or God man, Jesus Christ was both"
Benjamin Franklin, "My advice to
you is that you cultivate an acquaint
ance with and firm belief 10 the Holy
| Scriptures. for this is your certain
interest. / think Christ's system of
morals and religion, as He left them
with US, the best the world ever saw
or is likely to see."
! If we take up the Bible to examine
it, we discover at once that it is not
a book, bnt library. 1t was by
nistaklng Greek plural for Latin
singular word that the monks of the
thirteenth century originated the
custom, which has prevailed ever
since, of designating the slcred
literature of Christianity as If it were
one book or volume. They called 1t
the Bible instead of the Bibles. This
library is composed of sixty-six
different books bound up together.
We may also discover that they are
written by forty or more different
authors; that they are written al
different times and for different read
ers under widely different circum-
stances. The substance of the Book
of the Covenant, including the Ter
commandments, dates from the days
of Moses, and that the Gospel of Johr
was written at the close of the first
century of the Christian Era. Still
the one first written applies to ou
/ lives today as the one written last.
We may also discover that th,
Bible contains many different type
of literature. Genesis is a collection
of prehistoric narratives; Exodus
Leviticus, Numbers, aud Deuteron.
omy collection of ancient laws
embedded 10 history; Kings ant
Chronicles series of historical re
cords; Ruth an idyl of the common
people; Esther a historical romano
of court life; job an Epic of th
. . inner life" so entitled by the Germa
Professor Genung; The Psalms
o Hebrew Hymnal for church and hom
worship; Proverbs a collection of wi,
v sayings of many authors; also we hav
volumes of sermons, chiefly on na
a tional affairs, by the great preacher
h of these people The Bible is full {
q stories of the lives of great men, an
Y here and there 10 it their lives al
" briefly sketched. There is, howeve
=. one pre- eminent person in the Bible
,. Jesus the Christ. Parts of the OF
N Testament are devoted to propheci'
~ of His coming. -Four books Of II
M New Testament are all devoted to b
n life and teachings. No other life
, so essential to the moral and religion
10 welfare of this world. Each ms
that wrote the books of the Ne
n. Testament writes about Him from
nj different angle of vision. Matthe
re looks upon Him as the promis
ht Messiah; Mark sees Him as T.
~ mighty worker of beneflcent deco
In Luke finds in Him the friend al
.b Savior of all mankind; and John
vo holds Him as the divine Son of &c
IN The life of Jesus has vital signi
in canoe for us. 1t is, or may be, a
20 ought to be a powerful factor in o
bo personal religious lives. For u
bo where else in human history
NO literature is there disclosed ST. e
,s vated and uplifting conception
-. God, so high an ideal of human !
70 as is given to us 10 the life and teat
80 ings of Jesus. The conception of I
~ Heavenly Father as Jesus held a
20 taught it, the God of positive a
ho perfect goodness, who can never I
oh prove sin, or be indulgent tows
ed CONTINUED ON "AGE Two.)