Notes By the Way J. H. 5.
S l f S S o Th a nk God for a SCHOOL TIMES, staunch defender of t he e v a n g e l istic F a i th and Wo rd in the editor of t h at widely read and influential periodical, t he Sunday School Times. In a recent n umb er Dr T r umb u ll discusses the ques- tion, Shall we teach a modified Ch r i s t ?" He says, It is no uncommon t h i ng to find teachers of the Bible who t h us teach a modified Christ." Of "a type of mo d e rn scholarship," he says, " Th e re is a r e s t r a i nt in its deliverances about him (Christ), a cautious and reserved detachment, which would seem to be- long as a method r a t h er to the outside
and with a wa n i ng fellowship
with
h i m ?"
THE MIRACLE To call such criticism OF MIRACLES, of the Gospels "scien- fact as to call such infidelity "up-to- All these skeptical texplana- tions have been extant since the sec- ond century A. D„ if not before He who comparing t h em with the text and context can yet believe them to be "sound concluisons," should find no trouble with the miracles. The miracle of miracles is a non-miraculous Christ d a t e ." tific" is as f ar from
ruling the centuries f r om a Roman observer t h an to the inner disciple. . . . gallows on a Jewish highway; the mira- s t y P e , of biblical scholarship does c l e of a manifold of matchless my t hs not seem in dealing with Jesus, to be and legends enhaloing a felon peasant dealing with t h at same e t e r n al Christ in t he contemporary generation ( f r om who was disclosed to J o hn and Peter which we now know, beyond reason- a nd Paul and o t h e rs of like mind and able doubt, t he Gospel ema n a t e d ), experience Indeed, the limitless as- under the eye of Augustan incredulity criptions of John, the sweeping decla- and critical inquiry, reinforced by Sad- rations of Peter, the passionate aban- ducean scepticism, leagued with P h a r- ?°. n ° f b J , n o ™eans characterize isaic hate vigilant in persecution and this kind of scholasrhip." Yet its teach- prosecution; the miracle of a multi- mg s and a t t i t u de are widely urged piiclty of biographers who out-Boswell upon teachers and pupils in the Sunday Boswell, eme r g i ng f r om Galilean fisher- scnool today. i es a n d p u b l i c an extortion tables; t he miracle of an apostate imposter t r a n s- T HE COMPLETELY In illustration Dr. f o rmi ng an infuriated, bigoted Jew, GRADED SER I ES. T r umb u ll r e f e r s " b r e a t h i ng out threatenings and to the "Complete- s l a u g h t e r ," in wh at he believed to be ly Graded Series," alleged by the "doing God service," into an apostle of Scribners to be "already in use in thou- the grace of God Jehovah among the s a n ds of up-to-date Sunday schools.'' Gentiles; the miracle of such a compos- Omitting quotation marks, we give the ite of saintly lies and liars convicting s u b s t a n ce of his references. T he Gos- a world of sin, and a countless multi- pel age merely attributed to the Christ tude of salvation; to believe all this is wh at it expected of Him. The timely to believe not only in t he incredible b ut healing of the centurion's servant was t he impossible. "possibly" a simple coincidence; the " a p p a r e n t" walking on the wa t er natu- THE TWO "A ' s" The first " A" is ral b ut in " t he d a r k n e ss and confusion OF SALVATION, accept, its equiva- mi s u n d e r s t o o d "; the change of water lents are "receive" into wine a parable, later changed into ( J n. 1 : 1 2 ), "believe" (Ac. 1 6 : 3 1 ), miracle. As to J a i r u s' d a u g h t er we are " t a k e" (Rv. 2 2 : 1 7 ); " l o o k" (Nu. 21:8;' left "in d o u b t" as to whether she was Jn. 3.14, 1 5 ), and many more, all sig- dead or swooning. Jesus' extraordin- nifying a committal of our sin, our soul, ary calm and courage in the storm was our all, to t he mercy and grace of God exaggerated into the stilling of it. Speak- t h r o u gh Jesus Christ, and the acknowl- o f „ t h e ' year's work, the Doctof e d gme nt of Him as our own individual adds, Have we had, and lived, and all-sufficient Saviour. This is t he way- t a u g h t—Ch i r s t? Or have we been . . . of t h at Gospel of which P a ul says t h at picturing a lesser Lord than this ( t he " it is wo r t hy of all acceptation t h at Son of God), a nd stumbling on t h r o u gh Christ J e s us came i n to t he world to unanswered queries and guesses . . . . save sinners." The second " A" is
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