Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-02

L
The Bible is the product of religion.
It developed out Of the conditions OF
men and nations, persons and parties,
churches and countries. At its foun-
dalton is the superhuman relations OF
men to the Almighty. The Creator OF
life controls the destiny of men and
men by inspired speakers, seers and
sages. God revealed Himself and His
purpose in many different ways to many
different men, who spoke and wrote HIS
word. He was over IS centuries IN
getting ready to give the Bible, which Is
q library of 66 volumes, to men. Al
though it. has come down to us through
the literary work Of many inspired men,
covering many centuries in its compo-
sition, yet in reality 1t Is one book, hav-
ing redemption for its theme and truth
for its content, with God as its author.
Anything written might be called Scrip
ture, from the Latin Scripture, that
which has been written" The title,
"Holy Scriptures" has been applied TO
the Bible, because 1t contains the sacred
writings concerning holy things. the
human heart. hungering after SYM
HdtIly, 1CLlOWS1LR dAl0 AOfO AAAseAS @AA sH~~
sacred pages of the Holy Scriptures the
assurance that God Is able and willing
to supply all of our needs.
Bishop Fowler has well said OF the
Bible that sits greatness cannot be
uttered in a world or in time. The
universe Is too narrow for it. Time Is
too short for it. 1t Is as deep as the
foundations of eternal justice, as wide
as the moral government, as high as
the throne of infinite, as enduring
as the life of the Almighty, and Its
inspiration Is as exhaustless as the love
of God" 1t will not be possible within
the space limits of this article to say
anything near all that the writer may
desire to say in reference to the Holy
Scriptures, the greatest literary volume
in any language. This God breathed
book calls for the reverent study by
every person. Woodrow Wilson claimed
that america was born to exempl1fy
that devotion to the elements OF
Righteousness which are derived from
the revelations OF, the Holy Scriptures. y
He called upon his countrymen to
realize that part of the destiny OF
America lies in the daily perusal OF
this great book of revelations-thati II
they would see America free and pure
they will make their own spirits free
and pure by this baptism OF the Holy
Scriptures"
Greatest Literary Volume.
The worlds greatest literary product
and seller was written by men, whom
God selected with great care. He called
them and educated them for their task
The investigations of science and
scholarship would not harmonic, as
they do, for every truth that can be
demonstrated to be true in laboratory
or field illustrates and harmoniZeS with
the revelations of the Holy Scriptures
if the writer's were not picked men and
specially fitted for their task. Man
may discover many things concerning
seeds and soil. water and weeds, fish
and fruits, cattle and children, but he
cannot discover the will and nature OF
God, His purposes of grace. His place
of redemption and forgiveness, the JOY
and blessedness of the future life." Man
can only come to know these great
spiritual truths through God given
revelation.
In directing the persons, whom He
had selected and taught, Gods Spirit
acted upon the spiritual life Of the
chosen prophets and psalmists, SO thai
these speakers and singers could clearly
understand and faithfully reveal Gods
personality, program and power tC
men. Under the Divine leadership OF
the Holy Spirit. the Bible possesses In
all It's parts spiritual unity. Because
these God breathed" men penned the
books that make up the Holy Scriptures
we have a Bible that Is safe and
sufficient guide In all matters OF faith
and practice. 1t speaks with authority
that other sacred writings lack. II
rings true to the reality of life that
runs through the whole Bible In Its
narratives of the spiritual experiences
of men with God.
Human progress has been influenced
by the Holy Scriptures. We find its
molding power in the literature OF
every language into which the Bible
has been translated and printed
Many languages owe their preservation
to the missionaries work as translators.
In peculiar sense the Bible has mold
ed our civilization and literature.
"Thirty-seven of Shakespeare'S plays
give evidence of their authors depend
ence upon the Bible as source OF
inspiration and language, while there
are no less than 5000 quotations from
the Bible in all his works. Tennyson
has ago quotations from So books of the
Bible" One can trace the influence
of the Holy Scriptures in the works OF
Bunyan, Burns, Milton, Byron, Bryant,
Pope, Cowper, Whittier, Longfellow. the
Brownings, Coleridge and Hall Game.
Ruskin has given to the world the great
list of chapters which he committed
to memory as a boy. The influence OF
this memory work can be traced In the
writings of this master of English. 1t
is unfortunate that the practice of
memorizing Gods word is not being
followed today as it ought. Poets.
painters and preachers have been the
leaders of human thought because
their messages were based upon the
word Of God.
Religious Life Producer.
Gods life lives in the sacred scrip
lures. The Bible finds men in every
land and enjoying the various forms OF
culture and civilization. 1t convicts
men of their sins and shows them the
way of salvation in Christ Jesus. Time
and time again in the various mission
fields the chance finding OF a copy OF
the Bible has been the means used by
the Holy Spirit to make men see their
sin and need of Saviour, revealing
unto them the power and desire of
Christ Jesus to save men. A copy OF
the Holy Scriptures was placed in the
hands of Laura Bridgeman, the Helen
Keller Of a former generation, by the
superintendent of an institute for the
blind, with instructions that no one