616 very deliberately answered: “ Aboutthe time of Solomon!” He surely would not say that now, as he has most likely, as well as our selves, held in his hand one or more of the famous Tel el Amarna tablets which contain writing in the cuneiform inscriptions dating back a century be fore the time of Moses. In the British Museum he may not only see these tab lets but also a copy of the great black stone discovered by M. de Morgan at Susa in 1901, containing the written laws of King Hammurabi, who lived some five centuries before Moses! So it seems that writing was known at least as early as the time of Abraham. Indeed so far from seeking to main tain that position now, our critical friends are trying to make us believe that they never did lay any particular stress on that argument! See, for ex ample, “ Pentateuchal Criticism” by Rev. D. C. Simpson, M.A. Not only is it folly to attempt to fol low these Modern teachers, but it is impossible to be in agreement with the more prominent of them at the same time, as they not only contradict them selves but also disagree with one an other. In one of our ministerial gath erings the chairman said they were like a singing master giving the sound “ do-o” and all sang out “ do-o-.” I re plied, “No, one says ‘do’, another ‘re’ and another says ‘mi’ !” (me). Indeed they all dwell mostly on that third syl lable pronounced me! How different from the sacred writers, each one of whomj being di vinely inspired, speaks with the same voice and the same tone, with unerring precision and no uncertain sound, each and all being safe to follow. The three dozen or more writers of holy Scripture never disagree with themselves or each other. This can certainly not be said concerning any thirty-six Higher Crit ics. Many of them are inconsistent
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I NE S S with themselves and are constantly con tradicting one another. To try to fol low them and agree with them would be a foolish hnd hopeless task. The more one reads what they say,_ the less one thinks of it, and -the more delightful and comforting are the sublimely inspir ing lines of good old Dr. Isaac Watts: "How well Thy blessed truths agree! How wise and holy Thy commands! Thy promises, how firm they be! How firm our hope and comfort stands! “ Should all the forms that men devise Assail my faith with treacherous art, I’d call them vanity and lies, And bind Thy Gospel to my heart.” Uir '4S> THE SOUL WINNER’S WEAPON God’s pre-eminent instrument in soul winning is His Word. Ralph C. Norton was once talking with some friends about the supreme work of winning men one by one, in which God has used him so wonderfully. When they noticed the almost exclusive place he gave to the Bible in personal work, one asked him: “What do you do, Mr. Norton, in cases where the unsaved man does not accept the Bible as having any authority?” “Well, if I had a fine Damascus sword with a keen double-edged blade I would not sheathe it in a fight just because the other man said he did not believe it would cut.” The Spirit is acquainted with every objection that man can bring to accepting Christ, and His an swers are the best. ZEAL FOR SOULS By what is the sincerity of the Chris tian’s professed faith in Jesus Christ to be tested? Surely the zeal he manifests for the salvation of others is one neces sary test. Dr. Thomas Guthrie said: “ I do not believe in the Christianity of him who would keep salvation to
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