206 The Fundamentals no flood such as is described in Genesis, and if the destruc tion of wicked Sodom may be only a myth. Illustrations and parallels may, for certain purposes, be adduced from fictitious literature, but when the Lord would awaken the conscience of men and alarm their fears by reference to the certainty of divine judgment, He will not confirm His teaching by instances of punishment which are only fabulous. His argu ment that the Holy and Just God will do as He has done will make bare His arm as in the days of old-is robbed, in this case, of all validity. A view frequently urged in the present day is that, as with other nations, so with the Jews, the mythical period precedes the historical, and thus the earlier narratives of the Old Testament must be taken according to their true char acter. In later periods of the Old Testament we have records which, on the whole, are historicalt; but in the very earliest times we must not look for authentic history at all. An ade quate examination of this theory (which has, of course, momentous exegetical consequences) cannot here be attempted. We merely remark that our Lord's brief references to early Old Testament narrative would not suggest the distinction so often made between earlier and later Old Testament rec ords on the score of trustworthiness. THE OLD TESTAMENT FROM GOD We advance to say that Christ accepts the Old Dispensa tion and its Scriptures as, in a special sense, from God; as having special, divine authority. Many who reeognize no peculiar sacredness or authority in the religion of the Jews above other religions of the world, would readily admit that it is from God. But their contention is that all religions (espe cially what they are pleased to call the great religions) have elements of truth in them, that they all furnish media through which devout souls have fellowship with the Power which rules the universe, but that none of them should exalt its
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