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The Fundamentals what real comfort can we have in accepting His higher teach- ing, where verification is impossible? We believe we are on absolutely safe ground when we say that what the Old Testa- ment was to our Lord, it must be and shall be to us. CONCLUSION We ask a careful consideration of these eight inquiries. Taken separately, they carry weight, but taken together they have a cumulative effect, and should be seriously pondered by all who are seeking to know the'truth on this momentous subject. We may be perfectly sure that no criticism of the Old Tes- tament will ever be accepted by the Christian Church as a whole, which does not fully satisfy the following conditions: 1. I t must admit in all its assumptions, and take fully into consideration, the supernatural element which differen- tiates the Bible from all other books. 2. It must be in keeping with the enlightened spiritual ex- perience of the saints of God in all ages, and make an effectual appeal to the piety and spiritual perception of those who know by personal experience the power of the Holy Ghost. 3. It must be historically in line with the general tradi- tion of Jewish history and the unique position of the Hebrew nation through the centuries. 4. I t must be in unison with that apostolic conception of the authority and inspiration of the Old Testament, which is so manifest in the New Testament. 5. Above all, it must be in accordance with the universal belief of the Christian Church in our Lord’s infallibility as a Teacher, and as “the Word made flesh.” I f and when modern higher criticism can satisfy these requirements, it will not merely be accepted, but will com- mand the universal, loyal, and even enthusiastic adhesion of all Christians. Until then, we wait, and also maintain our position that “the old is better.”
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