Year: 1874

the people represented by Noah, in
another TO the farther degenerate Is
raelites, in another to His disciples, in
still another to the multitude, the ig-
norant and dark-minded rabble; and
it is a fact that ought to strike the
mind with force that to these last He
always showed Himself in parallels
and dark sayings. The examples are
too numerous to mention. He who
studies the Bible in acknowledgment
of this great principle will be con-
vinced; and he will also be convinced
that God never meant man to learn
His meaning by comparing Scripture
with Scripture, for only the learned
could do this. He told the ignorant
rabble: " If any man come to Me and
hate not his father, and his mother,
and children, and wife, and brethren,
and sisters, yea, and his own life, he
cannot be My disciple" Why did the
Lord tell the vulgar rabble this, and
yet tell the more intelligent disciples
that they must love all men, even
their enemies. Do not tell me that
hate means love, for the ignorant null
titude " 40 were addressed were not
capable of twisting the words round
into any such opposite meaning, even
if they had heard what the Lord said
t. the disciples; but they did not
hear it.


Is not this most remarkable ex-
emplificat on Of that great principle
on which every word of the Sacred
Scriptures was given to man, prin-
ciple which every one must see and
acknowledge before he can claim to
understand the Bible. With this
principle in view, we can readily un-
derstand why the various sects are so
opposite in their creeds.


They must learn that the Scriptures
in the letter, are only apparent truths;
that is truths as they were when
froward men, it being an ap-
they possess corresponding qualities
vindictive, and unforgiving but for
reward. They must learn that there
are as many different apparent truths
in the Bible as there are classes of
froward men to whom God in His
word shows himself. This is the real
cause of so many different religions
and sects.


We will try to make you under
stand more clearly the difference be-
tween real and apparent truth. Real
truth is spiritual light that shines
clearly. Natural light, when it comes
to us pure or unaffected by medium
is white, but when it passes through
a medium, as smoked glass, it par
takes of the medium. 1t is no longer
real light, but light as it appears after
it passes through vitiating medium.


So truth or spiritual light loses it's
real pure character as it enters a viii
ated, froward mind. The natural eye
cannot bear to behold the sun even as
it shines through the atmosphere,
neither could the natural mind bear
the unveiled spiritual truth; the
Lord plainly declared this to the dis
ciples. Consequently the Word of God
comes to us clothed or shaded. 1t is
pure truth however, but veiled under
parallels or symbols to suit our wants.
Before the various sects can come to-
gether, they must learn to look at the
Scripture from new standpoint.


BY reading the Bible in the light Of
this acknowledgement we shall derive
different views of God. We will see
Him, not in the character of an arbi-
trary potentate, whose anger can only
be appeased by bloody sacrifice, but
we will see Him as a loving father,
always ready to forgive and bless His
children.