August 1925
THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
344
exacting deference to everything th a t the scholars say about th e faith. One of the signs of the times is th e lack of intellectual lowliness; from the pedestal of th eir intellect ual conceit present day scholars arrogate to themselves all power in earth or heaven. “There are men who imagine th a t it is a sign of high intelligence to go to Darwin, swal low his views as a child m ight swallow a dose of medicine and th en exude it in a sort of rh eto rical perspiration on platform and in pulpit.” This type of men would constitute themselves arb iters of the Christian faith and its in terp reters. P rofessor Bowne, in one of th e most objectionable books in th e Methodist Course of Study (which book is to continue in th e course for four years m o re), says: “ It is to modern scholarship th a t the lot has fallen of grappling w ith the problem of the inteliigibility of the (Bible) in a seemingly final way. . . They (the scholars) will have th e function of form ulating the sp iritu al life so as best to express it and keep it from losing its way in swamps of ignorance and sup erstition !” The Christian F aith is best kept by th e saints, and they are its in terp reters. We are to contend for the faith (once for all) delivered to the saints— not to th e scholars. 5. I t is a most holy faith . We hear much today about a practical faith, pragm atic faith , sane faith, progressive faith, etc., bu t let us remember th a t the g reat outstanding purpose of our most Holy F aith is to make us holy. Remem ber you cannot be tru e to th is faith by merely pressing a social ethic or a moral order while repudiating God’s call to holiness and ignoring His holy demand. The most Holy F aith will make you holy and a Bible Christian. Your w ith drawal from th a t demand or requirem ent tu rn s every th ing into a problem for you, and you yourself become a liability, and not an asset, to th e cause of tru e religion. Forsyth in his Yale Lectures said, “ By concentrating religion in a crisis between holiness and sin it gives to it a moral n atu re and a moral core, a moral focus and a moral soul.”
Think now of some of the m arks or characteristics of the F a ith w e are exhorted to contend for. 1. I t is an H istoric F aith . Dr. W. P. P aterson, of Edin burgh, in his Baird Lectures, well says: “Religious th ink ing which severs itself from the historical revelation, th a t makes the Bible a superfluity, readily falls a prey to the most fan tastic illusions, or,-finding out its self-deception, seeks some consolation for the hum iliation which has over tak en it in an all-levelling rationalism .” The study of history is very essential in order to appre ciate th e person and religion of Christ. “Human history,” says Dr. Smith, “ has no other center of convergence and divergence than the Cross of Calvary; history has no other prophetic end th an the Kingdom of Immanuel. Both Jew ish and Christian history flow to and from the first Advent and th e Cross of Calvary.” Jonathan Edwards, in his H istory of Redemption, viewed all history as a divine theodicy, a real body of divinity which is from , for, and to God, centering in the person of Christ; and th e work of redemption arid th e whole of his tory seemed to him to illu strate (a) th e antecedents of redemption, (b) th e accomplishment of redemption, (c) the application of redemption. L et us not be ashamed of being known as a Christian of the H istoric F aith . The more sp iritu al and devout we become th e closer we creep back to the F ath e rs and the Apostles and to. the Prim itive Church: Progress, you say! Yes, th e fastest progress we can make in divine things is to get back to historic sources, to historic doctrines, to historic faith and to historic experiences of grace. Well did Bishop W arren say, “We w ill have to climb back one hund red years to g et w here ou r fath e rs were in power.” 2. This F a ith is a final fa ith and unchangeable. The centuries cannot change it, and all th e pretentious claims of philosophy or learning cannot improve it. The Christian faith, like its Divine Lord, is the same yesterday, today and forever. One has said, “ In music we have seven notes. These having been established all musical advance is in new combinations of th e basic tones. In mathem atics the mul tiplication table will never be improved, n eith er will the point or the line or th e circle. The seven colors will never become out of date, bu t th ere will be new combinations of them . These ultim ates in music, mathem atics, painting having once been found are of perm anent, unchanging value.” So w ith religion and the Christian faith ; there are certain g reat ultim ates which never change. They rem ain the same through the centuries. A skeptic said to a m inister, “Who is the au tho r of the Bible?” The m in ister asked him the question, “Who w rote th e multiplication ta b le?” The skeptic replied th a t nobody knew bu t th a t all th e same it worked. The m inister replied, “ So does the Bible— it w o rk s!” 3. I t is a faith , no t a science or Philosophy. In religion we are dealing w ith a faith, not a science or philosophy. The la tte r are always changing and shifting th eir ground. Philosophy settles little or nothing in the realm of religion. It invites problems bu t fails to solve them . Very few find Christ through philosophy and many lose Him through th e same. Ours is a faith, not a problem. I t is fine fo r you when your moral problems are adjusted a t the Cross where faith is born. It is a sad moment when your faith changes into a problem! 4. I t is a faith deposited fo r safe keeping w ith th e saints and no t th e scholars. We are not to forget this g reat fact, th a t th e faith was given in charge of th e saints. Too often are people disposed to th ink th a t we must pay the most
“HE KNOWETH THE WAY THAT I TAKE” (Job 23:10) Peace, perfect peace, our fu tu re all unknown. Jesu s we know, and He is on the throne! — E. H. B ickersteth (1875)
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