T HE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S ing, and inward experience, and out ward service, have made the mat. gladly endorse that to which the youth was pledged. No doubt this will be inexplicable to some whose broadness has no boundaries. Some will esteem it a sign of deplorable stereotypedness. But such is my posi tion and I joyfully avow it. Had I seen reason to abandon the doctrines to which I was pledged I would have deemed it just and right that I withdraw from the Church which laid the beliefs upon me. 1 observe with solicitude that some "new” theologies involve also a "new” morality. They demand to remain in the pay— I will use the ugly but fit ting word—-of the communities whose doctrinal standards they have disavow ed. I am incapable of understanding such ethics. Such a resultant immor ality is a strong refutation of the theolo gy with which it is associated. Inspiration of the Scriptures Fast travelling on to my jubilee as a preacher, I see that the unique and complete Inspiration of the Bible has been the primary of my doctrinal beliefs and teachings. I have always held and preached the absolute finality of Holy Scripture as a Divine Revela tion. The Bible in its entirety is the Word of God— has been my funda* mental message, and it still is such. More than thirty years ago I was preaching doctrinal discourses in which I argued and alleged the supreme and final authority of Scripture. From that position I have never receded by one inch. Today that is the pre supposition of all my public teaching. I have no message for the man who rejects that position. I have never been able to accept the popular assertion that “ The Bible is not the Word of God, but it contains the Word of God.” Never can I dis tinguish between what is the Word of God in Scripture and what is not
240 tion between a spiritual fact and its theory or explanation. But my con tention is that there are spiritual facts to surrender which Is to surrender evangelical Christianity! The world thinks little of an “ un- dogmatic Christianity.” Certainly the intelligent world will have none of it. As preachers and churches we have no prospect before us if we have not a definite doctrinal message. All through my ministry I have sought to be a theological teacher, and that especially to young men and women. Definite doctrinal preaching has always been a prominent feature of my ministrations. And I wish here to bear a glad and thankful and de cisive witness. Everywhere I have found an euthusiastic response. I am deeply persuaded that there is no idler supposition than that young people are not interested in doctrine. It is a slander upon them, and bespeaks ig norance of their real sentiments. Preach ers may take up this work with most sanguine hopefulness—this Is the strong conviction of my ministerial exper iences. I fear that doctrinal preaching has often fallen into the wrong hands. Tame, unimaginative, unpoetical tedi ous men have all too often essayed the task. This has helped to augment a prejudice against such preaching. He who preaches doctrine needs to be all alive, all loving, all ardent. Alas! We have all come short who have girded us to this splendid service. But some have come conspicuously short. It is greatly to be mourned. I began my ministry with a definite doctrinal system to which I was pledg ed. Nor have I ever regarded this as hard or calamitous. I have had ut most freedom within my bounds, and the bounds have never irked me. I was never pledged to theological trivialities. It was to fundamentals I was committed. And years of read-
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online