April 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
198
do thyself no harm,” and they will all stay here. We must not overlook the influence of the Scriptures on the life of indi viduals. Augustine follows the trail of truth and is led to God. Luther nails his theses on the door while he whispers with every stroke of the hammer, "The Just shall live by faith.” John Wesley,— concerning whom it is said, “ He rode more miles, preached more sermons, did more good than any other man in England,”— steps on the scene of the world’s activity with the Bible in his hand. George Washing ton, Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, William McKin ley, Woodrow Wilson all paid their tribute to the undying influence of this immortal Book. Pick me out any vol ume that can equal in its influence the undying impression this Book has made on the world’s history. There are three things to be said about the Bible as the Word of God; (1 ) It is a Sword in the Hand of Our Faith ’ Paul, the old warrior, knows what, he is talking about when he says, “ Take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Bright, sharp, powerful,— it may Indeed bend, but it will never break. No noble knight when fighting for his lady love ever drew so strong a blade as this Sword of the Spirit. How powerful is truth, and when it is God’s truth, it is all powerful! I never fear for its safety. He has kept it during these eighteen hundred years, and He will keep it long after the stars have burned down in their sockets and sputtered out into the darkness of the night. The great est o f all Conquerors,— He who con quered where others failed,-—used this Sword in His conquest of Satan. How strong His defense, how k e e n His thrusts, how magnificent His victory! “ It is written! It is written!” He cried, until, -beneath the Sword of the Spirit, Satan fell a conquered foe. (2) The Bible is Food to Our Souls “ Thy words were found and I did eat them,” exclaimed Jeremiah. Truth does for our souls what food does for our body. It does for our spirit what water does for our life. It is strength ening, refreshing, essential. I read this Book and it tells me of men who had a similar experience to my own. I soon discover that their God is my God, and what He did for them He can do for me if I will take the time that is so necessary for thought and study. One noon I hurried to the railroad, bought my ticket and inquired it there (Continued on page 230)
is exactly what we need today,— that men and nations may turn to the Lord. Here is David writing his beautiful poems, giving to the world immortal verse. He was not a college man. He had no education as we think of it today. We recall the time in which fie lived and the circumstances under which he wrote, and then remember that an ignorant shepherd lad gives to us a single Psalm, that beautiful 23rd Psalm, which the race will never let die. God’s Word is certainly fixed in heaven and still continues to be the greatest influence on earth. Influence of the Book The influence of the Scripture has extended over eighteen hundred years. How permanent and perpetual! The librarian will tell you that the life of a book on science averages about eight years. Some of the scientific princi ples, of course, remain more or less the same, but fresh discovery so changes, details as to cause a book on science to be put on the shelf in this short space of time. Works of fiction average about two years. (It would be better if some 'o f them were never born!) But here is a Book out of which time has never taken a chapter, —science, an epistle,— or persecution, a verse. Every one of its sixty-six books says to its critics what Paul said to the jailor, “ We are all here; OH DAY OF JOY AND GLADNESS! A melia M. S tarkweather Oh, day o f joy and gladness — This is the day o f days; Away all tears and sadness, And don the robes‘o f praise. For Christ the Lord is risen, Let earth with anthems ring; He burst the bars o f prison, And rose triumphant King! Oh, day o f grace and splendor, Oh day o f holy jo y ; To thee just praise we render, For peace none can destroy. W e’ll sing the New Old Story, Though old ’tis ever new, That Christ the Lord o f glory, Arose this day for you. Oh, day o f joy and gladness, With songs your voices raise; Away, all tears and sadness, And don the robes o f praise. It is the dear Old Story, With joy the wide world rings; Our Christ is Lord o f glory, And He is King o f kings.
different authors, covering a period of fifteen hundred years. We now have sixty-six books in one. Some of its pages came to us from the desert, some from a lonely island, made their way across the sea; and others floated out through the bars of a prison win dow, written by the cramped hand of a Roman prisoner. Think of it! Sixty- six books in one, covering fifteen hun dred years, more than twenty authors, in all essentials absolute agreement, and not a single contradiction in any fundamental .thing that deals with Christian faith or practice! The unity of the Bible is a miracle in itself. The Message of Its Books In Genesis we deal with the cos mogony of the universe. Much crit icism is being directed by Modernism against the story of creation as related in the first chapter of the first book. Many seem very anxious to know what Evolution thinks of the Bible. I am more concerned to know what the Bible thinks of Evolution. One of the greatest scientists says, “ The cosmog ony of Genesis surpasses the story of creation to be found in any other lit erature of the world.” How foolish and childish seem these other stories of how this world was created! How simple and sublime the words, “ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth!” This statement is unsur passed in the beauty of its language, in the nobility of its thought, in the truthfulness of its fact. We read through the Pentateuch and there we find the writings and life of Moses. What a man he was! After eighty years of age he spends forty years leading thousands of sol diers under the control of his master ful generalship. He gives to the world commandments which have become the foundation of all jurisprudence of civ ilized peoples. In ilob we get a poem of suffering and sorrow unsurpassed in literature of the race, and here we learn that God says to the evil of the world, “ Thus far and no farther shalt thou go.” Jonah is laughed at and ridiculed by many. The thing which seems of most importance to a large number is whether or not a whale could swallow a man.- That never troubled me. W h a t I have wondered at is how a whale could keep a minister on its stomach three days before it got sea sick! But why lose the lesson of the book in a discussion like this? Here is a man running away from God and a nation running away from God, but ultimately God bringing back both the man and the nation to Himself. It
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