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By J. H. S.
S I B E p B S B a O i ^ ^ i S i l flSdHflg
s t a te His statements and Matthew 5:18; Acts 2:30; 2 Peter 3:15 16;
we have our creed. If He has has not spoken there
Luke 4:21; Acts 2:16; with all mutual en-
dorsements of apostles, prophets and Prov- is no authoritative faith or hope. All is idence, and fulfillment of prophecy, sp^- left to our simple, blinded minds; all is cially Luke 24:44. J - i Fi . conjecture There is no confidence, no 3. What the Bible was to Christ and His h pe. Have we a Word of God ? apostles it must be to us. As they used it 1. The Word is the Bible. The Bible is s 0 we must use it, or we reject their au- an intelligible, infallible and authoritative thority and set our judgment above theirs, record of God's communications to and Fifty times they refer to the Old Testa- with chosen instruments, and a true ac- m e n t as " The Scriptures," referring to it count of words and events, natural and a s a body of authority. With them its supernatural, so that a given and original w o r d was the last word, and ended con- statement is the exact truth God designed troversy. Christ Himself and every New and designs to be conveyed to men. Testament writer so used it (see Mat. 2 That this definition is sound appears 21:42; 22:29; 26:54; Mrk. 14:49; Luk. 4:21; from (a) the Appellations: the Word is 24:44, 45; Jno. 5:39; 7:38; 10:35; Act 2: called " Go d ' s ," " J e h o v a h ' s ," " My i 6 , 25, 30, 31; 17:2; 18:28; Bom. 10:11; word," " t h y word," " H i s word," etc.; U:2y Gal. 3:8, 22; Jas. 2:23; 4:5; 1 Pet. (b) the Affirmations: over and over it 2:6; I I Pet. 1:2; etc., etc. And in a mul- reads " Go d ," or " J e h o v a h ," or " t h e titude of places where other terms than Holy Spirit," " s p a k e ," " s a i d ," " s a i t h ," "Scripture" are used of the Word in like etc. e. g., in Amos' 146 vv. we find " J e - manner). As to this testimony of the hovah spoke," "Thus saith the Lord Je- Book to itself no doubt can be entertained hovah," "Oracle of the Lord Jehovah, by the unprejudiced. God of Hosts," "Oracle of Jehovah, God 4. The method of communication was too of Hosts," "Oracle of Jehovah, doer of manifold to cover by the term "inspira- all these things," " The word of Je- tion." God "spoke in divers manners/ hovah " " Sa i th Jehovah, thy God," " J e- Heb. 1:1; (a) By word of mouth, Genesis hovah commandeth," " Sa i th Jehovah, 18, throughout; Acts 7:2; Exodus 33:9. So God of Hosts, is His name," each once; to Joshua, Paul, John, etc. Those post- "Saith the Lord Jehovah," "Thus saith resurrection appearances were paralleled the Lord Jehovah," each twice; " t h e by pre-iricarnation ones, (b) By audible Lord Jehovah-showed me ," three times; voices, Exodus 3:4; 1 Kings 19:13; Mat- "Oracle of the Lord Jehovah," four thew 3:17, etc.; (c) By angels, Daniel 9: times; "Jehovah saith," eleven times; 21; Luke 2:10; Rev. 22:8; (d) By writing; "Thus saith Jehovah," "Oracle of Je- E x o d u s ' 3 2 : 1 6; 34:1; Deut. 10:1; Daniel 5: hovah " thirteen times; three times Amos 5; ( e ) By TJrim and Thummim, Numbers affirms God's oath, " The Lord Jehovah 2:21; Ezra 2:6; (f) By dreams and visions, hath sworn by Himself, oracle oi Jehovah, Exodus 41; Daniel 2:7; 2 Cor. 12:1; (g) God of Hosts," " t h e Lord Jehovah hath By inspiration, Mark 12:36; 2 Peter 1:20; sworn by the Excellency of Jacob,'.' " t h e 2 Tim. 3:16. These "divers manners'' Lord Jehovah hath sworn by His holi- forbid ascribing the Word to the ."inspi- ness." Seventy-one times " I " is uttered ration of genius," "political forecast," by Jehovah himself; (c) the Illustrations: " P a u l 's conception," etc. Theophanies, in Exodus iv, the relation of a prohpet to voices, angel visits, flinty inscriptions, can God is that of Aaron to Moses. Moses never be confounded with " i n s i g h t ." puts words in Aaron's mouth. Aaron is 5. We take the Bible literally. It to Moses) a prophet, Moses to Aaron is as means what it says and says what it means God- (d) the Negations: those who j n the same sense in which we mean what prophecy " o ut of their own h e a r t s" are w e say and say what we mean. " I f the repudiated—see e. g., Jer. xxiii; (e) the plain, obvious sense is good sense, why, in
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