THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 753 which, in th e n a tu re of th e case, are now qu ite impossible of proof and which fu rth e r in th e ir own n a tu re were impossible of proof even if we had been on th e ground a t th e time. We have to rely on th e testim ony of one o r two o th e r hum an beings. * * * I t is n o t lik e him to in sist upon acquiescence in th a t which is con trary to th e reason given us. F o r example, ta k e th e m a tte r of th e V irgin B irth . Have you noticed th a t Jesu s says nothing of it himself? You say, you would no t expect him to. I should, if it were to be a fundam ental article of my faith. Our theologians have argued hack from th e records of Matthew and Jjuke to fram e reasons fo r th e sup ern atu ral advent, and th e reason they reach is th a t Christ had to be born w ithou t sin, and th erefo re w ithout th e aid of an earthly fath e r. B u t th e re is many a m ind th a t asks how h e th u s escapes th e ¿a in t; whether, since Eve was involved in th e fa ll as well as Adam, th e re may n o t be conveyed by h e r th e sta in of soul.” These statements concerning the sacred person of the Lord Jesus Christ we view as blasphemous; and it is not true that Jesus “ says nothing of.it Himself. ” If you will read the 24th chapter of Luke’s Gospel and the 44th verse you will see that Jesus certifies to every message in the Old Testa ment concerning Himself, including 'Gen. 3:15, “And I will p u t enm ity between th ee and th e woman, and between th y seed and h er seed; it shall bruise th y head, and th o u sh alt bruise h is heel.” It would be absurd to imagine that any man ever invented that verse which God spoke to Satan and which involves the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, His Crucifixion, His Resurrection and. His final victory over Satan. And remember that this passage in Luke refers to Jesus as He walked in His resurrection body and communed with His disciples. To insinuate that there might be a “ taint of sin” on the soul of the Son of God is an outrage. Let Us quote again : “Another may ask, ‘How about th e Apostles’ C reed?’ * * * I do no t be lieve in th e resu rrection of th e body, b u t I believe w h at I m ean when I rep eat th a t phrase in th e Creed. We live in symbols. We speak in symbols. A word is b u t a symbol fo r an idea, and ‘th e resu rrection of th e body’ is a phrase symbolic of o u r faith in th e persistence of identity- * * * The Creed has become a col lection of symbols. I t is n o t an in te rp re tatio n any longer. I t leaves room for each individual’s own in te rp re tatio n of h is own confession. * * * Twenty years ago Christ came to me in a way I would never th in k to have H im come now. He stooped to my ignorance and sp iritu al stupidity. * * * If o u r clumsy hands he all we have w ith which to find th e Cord,— no sharpened intellect, no sensitive sp irit,— still H e will say ‘Reach h ith e r thy hand .’ ”, Is it not remarkable that the phrase “ I believe in the resurrection of the body’’ means ‘‘I believe in the persistence of identity” ? If this is true;* then God pity the fathers who framed that phrase, who certainly intended it to mean exactly what it says. And of course, we must remember that Paul says, “ If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” Notice the preacher says he “ would not care to have Christ come to him now as he came twenty years ago” when, presumably, as a poor, hell- bound sinner he accepted the living, loving Christ as his Saviour and Lord and went out to preadh the Gospel and had the joy of seeing many poor sinners saved. Now he has another Christ—One who no longer needs to “ stoop to his ignorance” but who looks up to his splendid, intellectual, literary achievements as a great'Presbyterian preacher! His definition of a Christian, also, is of interest:
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