© LP C O ., IN C. 1965
Science and the Bible by Bolton Davidheiser, Ph.D.
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William Law
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A s A YOUNG MAN William Law I (1686-1761) was suspended from college for asking such ques tions as: “ Does the sun shine while it is in eclipse?” This seems like a straightforward scientific question, but the fact is that it was not a scientific question at all. It was really a political question, and it was so understood by his contemporaries. The answer implied in the political interpretation of the question was as obvious as the answer to the question as stated, and thus his troubles began. Upon entering college he made some rules for himself, which were prefaced by the declaration that the most important thing in life for him would be “ to seek eternal happiness by doing the will of God.” Forced to abandon the ministry because of his political views, he devoted himself to writing, and ac cording to the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Lit erature, “ it has fallen to the lot of but few English writers to elicit such general comment and commendation as has been the fortune of William Law.” The last two decades of his life were devoted to living an es pecially exemplary life. His house hold had devotions together three or four times a day and they regu larly attended church three days ev ery week. It is said that “ the exces sive charity of the family naturally attracted beggars o f all kinds.” This leads to two points we would like to make, using William Law as an example. In spite of his great piety and good life, he is not a man for the Christian to emulate. A symptom of the trouble may be seen in his decision to “ seek eternal hap piness by doing the will of God.” This sounds good, but for those who have the opportunity to know, as he had, it is a matter of accepting and not of seeking. It is stated in John 6:40 that the will of God is that we should have eternal life through knowing Jesus Christ. As the only sinless One, Christ alone was able to make the atonement for sin by His vicarious sacrificial death upon the cross, that all who accept
by faith this sacrifice for their sins do thereby receive eternal life. Knowing this and accepting it do not entail continuous seeking, as Wil liam Law implied. Seeking in his own way instead of accepting what was already provided, led him into “mysticism.” He be came an especially ardent follower of a theosophist and Rosicrucian named Jacob Behmen, and thus in spite of all his piety and goodness he evidently did not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. At one time, before Law had gone so deeply into mysticism, John and Charles Wesley were his disciples. But when they were converted through the preaching of a Moravi an minister named Peter Bohler, Charles Wesley wrote to Law, re proaching him for not having taught them the true doctrine of faith in Christ. In reply Law sought to ab solve himself of all blame in this regard on the grounds that he had recommended to them the works of the Roman Catholic scholar Thomas a Kempis. The point of this is that no amount of piety or goodness or learning can take the place of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement for sin. The other point we would like to make is that as “ the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light,” men like William Law sometimes have good advice in matters dealing with practical living. In his most famous book, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, he makes the significant statement: “ Never do anything in order to excell other people, but to please God, and be cause it is His will that you do everything in the best manner that you can.” The Bible says: “What ever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Col. 3:23). If Christian students who know the will o f God would also learn this and accept it, they would take more interest in their studies and less interest in grades while in school, and they would have a super ior orientation of purpose after gra duation.
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