Life in the Word 171 Oriental books are sought by scholars only, or by others who have a special interest for inquiring into their contents. • Already the Bible, or portions of it, has been translated into upwards of four hundred languages and dialects; so that it is revealing the grace of God in the gift of His Son, to prac tically every nation, kindred, tongue and tribe, throughout the world, and is speaking to all peoples ifi their own native tongues. Like a living person, the Bible has made its way into all lands, has adapted itself to all environments, entered into re lations of the most intimate kind with all peoples, and has ex erted upon them all its own unique influence. It makes no difference what the people are to whom it goes, how radically different all their customs and institutions from those of that very peculiar people Israel; the Bible makes itself perfectly at home, and takes its own place without delay. Can this, or anything remotely approaching it, be said of any other book? And if not, are we not compelled, if we would have an explana tion of this extraordinary difference, to fall back upon the statement that the “Word of God is living” ? No other ex planation will account fob any of the facts we have been con sidering. This explanation accounts for them all. The fact we are here considering, that is to say, the career of the Bible among the peoples of the earth, is, indeed, a stu pendous and continuing miracle. Why has this particular Book gone to the ends of the earth, and assumed everywhere, and maintained against all opposition, the place of supremacy ? What has given to this collection of writings, coming from an insignificant, peculiar, narrow-minded and isolated people, its universal character? Why is it that all other books, or col lections of books, including the productions of the mightiest intellects and embodying the most superb and lofty specimens of human thought, wisdom, learning and experience, have been narrowly circumscribed in their area of influence, both as to time and space ? Why has this particular Book continued ever
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