STRONGHOLD OF TRUTH
13
greatest evidences of Christianity; his conversion and his life. If his life was real, his conversion was true; and if his conversion was true, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and you have the supernatural. Dr. Parker once com mented in his own inimitable way: "Paul's conversion is said to be due to epilepsy. Yes, before his epilepsy Paul was a blasphemer, after his conversion he became a saint, a missionary, a hero. Fly abroad, thou mighty epilepsy l" Baur fifty years ago, and men since his day, have admit ted that the conversion of Paul is a psychological mystery. Of course it is; and it must always be a mystery to those who deny its supernatural cause. ( b) Bible morality is another attestation. How simple yet how sufficient is the morality of the Bible, because it deals with principles, not with rules. I remember seeing a book called Enquire Within upon Everything. The Bible is not a book of this sort, in the sense of giving rules for everything, but it gives principles. It does not say whether you are to go to the theatre, or to dance, to drink, to smoke, and the rest of it, but "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." That is a principle which men must apply for themselves, and in the application is found our manhood and our Christianity. This morality is Jewish and yet universal. There arc ten commandments, and the proper division of them is not one to four and five to ten, but one to five and six to ten. The first five have the phrase "The Lord thy God" in them, linking them together. Parents are never our neighbors, never our equals, but the representatives of God; therefore the fifth commandment should come with the first table. Now notice these facts. Commandments one and two refer to thoughts. Commandment three, to words. Commandments four and five, to actio11s. Com mandments six, seven, eight, to actio11s. Commandment nine, to words. Commandment ten, to thoughts. That is, thoughts, words, actions towards Gad, and acts, words, thoughts towards man. So that these Jewish command ments given for a number of slaves just come out of Egypt, are equally applicable to us today I
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker