T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
469
Again, th e Biblical solution has its scientific importance, because as a hy pothesis it affords an adequate explana tion of the universe as a whole and of all its diversified phenomena, including th e ratio n al personalities who dwell upon th e earth . T hat is tru e satisfac tion for th e scientific mind. Not only so, but the doctrine of divine creation gives us th e unifying principle th a t we need in philosophy to explain th e uni verse. The chief province and problem of philosophy is to find th a t principle of unity. According to th e Biblical world-view, th e unifying principle is> posited in th e single personality of th e C reator, who holds tog ether all th e di versity of th e cosmos in the unity of one plan and purpose and organism . ' The philosophic m ind seeks in vain elsewhere outside th e Bible for an adequate way to account for th e uni verse w ith all its variety. The Biblical doctrine of th e genesis of man is also most com forting and rational. The creation of man in the divine image assigns a noble origin for man, not an ignoble and beastly one. It is uplifting, too, to feel th at, since God created man in His own
likeness, a sentient, ration al, self-con scious being, God cares for man, does not forsake His own offspring; if he falls into sin and trouble, his Maker will come to him, try to rescue him, and bring him back to his original estate in pure and holy fellowship w ith H im self. Made in th e image of God, each one of us can exclaim joyously, “ I am th e child of a King— yea, of th e King of kings and th e Lord of lo rd s!” This conception means th a t the Almighty and gracious Sovereign of th e universe has stamped on each ration al being an infinite and imm ortal value. Hence we can see how reasonable and con gruous it was for th e F a th e r to send even His etern al Son into th e world to rescue man, whom He had created in His own image. Thus it will be seen th a t th e Biblical solution of the problem of origins ex plains the otherw ise inexplicable. The doctrine of redemption and eternal des tiny fits in w ith th e doctrine of crea tion. The Bible teaching is an organ ism, a unity. The P aradise created and lost in Genesis is restored in Reve lation. W hat comfort! W hat joy!
W hat “ sweet reasonableness!” n n m The Onlÿ Book ISJe^er O jf the Press
By Frank H. Mann, Sec’y. American Bible Society
JOUR hundred and sixty-seven years ago th e first book was printed from movable type. T hat book was the Bible and
four centuries. Yet if all th e Bibles p rin ted in all the years since p rinting was invented were available today, th ere would not be enough to supply the world’s present population. The present ra te of production of Bibles is not as g reat as the b irth rate. Large portions of th e population of the world are still unable to get th e whole Bible or even a main p art in th e ir native tongue. It must be said to th e credit of th e Church th a t a vast work ha? been done in giving th e Bible to th e world. In
it took five years to complete th e task. One of these books sold recently for $50,000. Today g reat presses printing for th e American Bible Society are tu rn ing off copies of the Gospels a t the rate of 10,000 an hour to be sold any where in the whole world for one cent each. In the intervening years the Bible has never been off the press. It has had a steady ru n for more th a n
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