September 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
520
The “ still small voice” may not be the voice of the Holy Spirit. Genius or natural illumination is not “ the inbreath ing o f the Holy Ghost” (2 Tim, 3 :16 ). Men who enthuse their fellow men with helpful thoughts are not prophets o f God. Such theories have many advocates because they are attractive to the heart of conceit and to the slothful mind. They reduce the Bible writings to the level of Shakespeare and Byron and form the working basis of destructive criticism. Natural inspiration is no inspiration at all. Prof. H. S. Miller well says: “ The Bible inspiration is as high above poetic ecstasy or religious or political zeal and fervor as the heavens are. high above the earth.” If any men since the day of John have laid claim to divine inspiration, let their claims be compared with those o f the Bible writers and the contrast will be most remark able (see Exo. 4:10-1-2; 2 Sam. 23:1 -2 ; Isa. 8 :11 ; 48: 16; Jer. 1:5-10; Ezek. 2 :2 -7 ; 3:12-14; Hos. 1: 1; Joel 1 : 1; Amos 7 :14-15 ; Acts 1 :2; 1 Cor. 2 :13; 1 Thess. 2 :13; Eph. 3 :5 ). Let the critics bring forward one man since the Revelation was written, who has been able to minutely and accurately prophesy events hundreds of years in advance. V erbal I nspiration not M echanical Let it be understood that we are not contending for the theory o f "verbal dictation” which some Modernists de light to attribute to the orthodox. W e do not find the Scriptures teaching that the writers were mere machines or that God. spoke as a business man might dictate to his stenographer. There are some portions o f Scripture that were, no doubt, dictated, but verbal inspiration is not mechanical or dynamic inspiration. Verbal inspiration means that God so directed men in their choice o f subject matter and words that they should convey the divine meaning and not pervert it. The Bible claims inspiration in all its parts and attributes the very “ jots and tittles” to God. Only the Bible in its original languages, Hebrew and Greek, is inspired in this sense, and though we cannot identify any “ original manuscripts,” by comparing the multitude of manuscripts, versions and quotationsj-Ave know that we have a text which in all essentials is equal to the original. Furthermore, history has moved in the molds o f prophecy and human experience has verified the Scriptures at every point. The eternal and omniscient God cannot inspire con tradictions and inaccuracies such as are found everywhere outside the Bible. Alleged discrepancies within the Bible have melted away one by one under careful study o f the text and with the light of excavations and discoveries. Our Lord taught the mdst complete inspiration of the Scriptures and for Him the commencement of all exegesis was the simple maxim applied to the most minute expres sions of the written W ord : "The Scriptures cannot be broken.” Are such words to be applied to any writings since our Lord’s last apostle placed the capstone upon the New Testament with a warning to every man of the pen alty of attempting to add to or take away from the word of prophecy? W e answer most emphatically—N O ! t j f God . . . . hath at the end o f the days spoken unto us by His Son” (Heb. 1 :2 ). The record o f His death and resurrection for our redemption and justification is the ultirqate revelation. There is nothing higher— nothing further, until He comes again. His parting word was, " I come quickly.” W e are hastening on to that time. The poets have no new light to shed on His plan and purpose; nothing to add to the ethical teachings of Scripture. There is no supplement to the Bible!
not understood that such claims for inspiration were to be made. W e have not known of a more daring venture. It is well financed, and a great publishing concern of Chicago (Buxton-Westerman Company) is prepared to turn out these “ Bibles” on a large scale. Its subtlety lies chiefly in the fact that it contains so much that has always been prized by Bible lovers, cleverly mixed with selections abso lutely foreign to Scriptural teaching. Necessarily such a collection contains much that is contradictory, and the compilers, recognizing this difficulty in connection with their claims to divine inspiration, explain that “ if divergent points of view are noted within its pages, the warrant for their inclusion lies in the fact that truth is too great to be monopolized by any one system o f thought.” In case some might object to the inclusion o f the writings of some who were notoriously immoral (such as Byron) the editor explains that the poems are “ chosen for their own worth. W e do not undervalue a lily because it grows in the mire.” M odernists ’ I deas of I nspiration This work is now being offered the Christian public "in the profound belief that the writers represented are worthy successors o f the authors o f the Bible." “ The practical test for the reader to apply in each case,” says the editor, “ is, Does it inspire ? It has long been an accepted canon o f criticism that EVE R Y INSPIRING UTTERANCE IS INSPIRED .” The time has come for every orthodox minister and teacher to bring out clearly before the people, the abso lutely unique claims o f Scripture to inspiration. Some 2,000 times the Biblical writers use the expression “ Thus saith the Lord.” Not one o f the poets mentioned in “ The Supplementary Bible” even intimates any consciousness that Almighty God was speaking directly through him.
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