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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
A Spiritual F east When we th u s approach th e Bible as being instinct w ith th e personality and au tho rity of th e Lord Jesus Christ, what a world of intellectual and sp iritu al trea su re it becomes to us. We have walked w ith Him among th e flowers of Eden; and where first th e shadow of th e curse fell athw a rt the path of sinful man. We have seen Him walk the waves of th e shoreless sea of judgm ent; and, in the patriarch s’ tents, in the voice of angels, we have heard th e Word which was in th e beginning w ith God. In the tabernacle of the wilderness, w ith its crimson ritu a l, and in all th e forty m iraculous years, we have heard Him speaking in righteousness, m ighty to save. We have followed Him w ith Joshua in His trium phal progress into Canaan’s prom ised land ; we have found Him sitting among Isra el’s judges; and in th e fields of Boaz, near to Bethle hem, we have h eard His whispered prom ise of th e m arriage of th e Lamb. Where, indeed, have we no t found Him? Is th e re a Scripture p ath untrodden by His feet? Is th e re a valley which has not echoed w ith H is voice? Is th e re a mountain which has not been tran s figured by His presence? “The voice of My beloved! behold, he cometh leap ing upon th e mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young h a rt: behold, he standeth be hind our wall, he looketh fo rth a t the windows, shewing him self th rough th e lattice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, th e w inter is past, th e rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on th e e a rth ; th e tim e of th e singing of birds is come, and the voice of the tu rtle is heard in our land; th e fig tree p u tte th fo rth h er green figs, and th e vines w ith th e tend er grape give a.good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” And we have followed Him— through historical w ildernesses, and biographical moun-
repented a t tlie preaching of Jonas; and, behold, -a g reater th a n . Jonas is here.” And in th e same b reath He con tin u e s: “The queen of th e south shall rise up in th e judgm ent w ith th is gen eration, and shall condemn it; for she came from th e u tterm o st p arts of the earth to hear th e wisdom of Solomon; and, behold,, a g reater th a n Solomon is h ere.” (Matt. 12:39-42). By th a t pronouncement, for me, the question of th e historicity of th e book of Jonah is for ever settled. I believe the m iraculous story to be historically tru e because th e highest A uthority in th e universe has so declared. The same ru le applies to th e question of th e inspiration and au tho rity of th e Scriptures as a whole, and in every part. F o r myself, th is is my confession of faith w ith respect to th e Bible: If th is building were large enough to hold all the Biblical scholars of th e world; and if they should all un ite to te ll me th a t the sto ry of th e Deluge is unhistoric; th a t Moses did no t w rite th e P en ta teuch; th a t th e book of Jon ah is not historically tru e, I would believe Christ’s naked word before the contrary judgm ent of all th e scholarship of the world; and stak e th e in terests of my soul for tim e and for ete rn ity upon the unsupported word of my absolutely in fallible Lord; and, if need be, be a fool for Christ’s sake, And I th en should be much less a fool for His sake, th an the contrary a ttitu d e would' make me for the sake of agreeing w ith a “ scholar ship” falsely so-called. F o r though I thu s speak for the purpose of emphasis, I am convinced th a t th a t body of though t which is w orthiest th e. high and honourable title of “ scholarship,” and which represents th e findings of disciplined and intellectual powers in co-operation w fth sp iritu ally en ligh t ened and pen etrating understandings, will always be found to be in agree m ent w ith th e word of Him who is In carn ate T ruth.
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