IT is no doubt a great puzzle to such men as the Higher Critics that the ordinary Christian, who has never been taught in the schools, has so deep and decided a belief in the infallibility of the Scriptures. These critics, of course, in the majesty of their learning, attribute this belief to the unlettered ignorance of the common people. The latter have not studied Greek or Hebrew or the principles of criticism, and therefore are incapable of a thorough inquiry into the truth. Besides, they accept without examination the traditional views of their forefathers, and so are entirely prejudiced against any new view whatsoever that may be taken of the Bible. This is the usual learned representation of the case, but if it be duly examined it will be seen to be a very unfair and pernicious one, and one that does not recognise all the facts which ought to be taken into account.
- We make bold to say that there is open to the unlettered Christian a source of light and conviction in regard to the Bible that is of more value than all intellectual sources combined, and that is of the most indispensable importance to all men whether learned or illiterate; we refer to the Divine Instructor, the Holy Spirit of God, whose office it is to bear witness by and with the Word in the hearts and understandings of men. In fact, our Confession of Faith, in treating of Holy Scripture, says that “our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.” There are other evidences that abundantly show the Bible to be the Word of the living God, but the full assurance of its infallible truth and divine authority is by the teaching of the Spirit. This, the greatest of all sources of light and knowledge, is open to the most ignorant, and without this the most learned student of the Scriptures lacks an absolutely essential requisite to a satisfactory understanding of the character of the sacred volume. It is thus apparent that the simplest Christian with the Spirit has an entire advantage over the most profound scholar without the Spirit. Not that we cherish the absurd idea that the Spirit and scholarship are antagonistic to one another. The time was when there were many men of the highest learning and intellect within the bounds of the visible Church who were also deeply taught of the Spirit; but the Bible suffered nothing at their hands; all their scholarship, both human and divine, was employed to establish and defend the Divine inspiration and perfect integrity of Holy Scripture. We therefore refuse to believe for a moment that the Higher Critics of our day are taught of God’s Spirit, whatever their pretensions may be. It is very clear that a false, a lying spirit has gone out among the prophets, so that, deceived themselves, they also deceived others on matters of momentous importance. It is the Scripture which the Holy Spirit employs as the seed and sustenance of the Kingdom of God, as well as “the sword” of its defence and victory, and so they who are doing their utmost to destroy this seed and sword are acting in direct opposition to the Spirit of God, and are thus proving themselves to be enemies of Christ’s Kingdom in the world. To take any different view is to affirm that the Spirit is divided against Himself—yea, that the Son of God, who has set His infallible seal to Holy Scripture, is divided against Himself, than which nothing can be more absurd or blasphemous.
The unlettered Christian, then, who is illuminated by the Divine Spirit is not a personality to be contemptuously despised in the matter of his faith in the Bible; he may lift up his head boldly in the presence of all unbelievers and infidels, for his faith does not stand in the erring wisdom of men, but in the power of the God of truth.
- The ordinary Christian has heard by the Spirit the voice of God speaking to him through the Word. This experience was no piece of illusion or imagination. The impression was too deep and lasting for that. The voice was a greater reality to him than all other voices. Every other call addressed him in the world became as nothing before the call of God. And now it is the voice of the Eternal he listens for as the source of light and direction at every step of his pathway. The word of man is little in his estimation. Again, this Divine voice was no mere echo of the inner thought of him that heard it. It came from the outside; it came from above; it was a voice from the Throne of God and of the Lamb—a direct, supernatural communication. True, the medium was the written Word, penned by Moses or Isaiah, John or Paul, or some other inspired writer, but the original author of the Word was God Himself; and it was He also who made it vital and powerful in the heart of him who heard it.
It appears to us that it is here one of the great differences exists between the unbelieving critics and vital Christians. The former do not appear to know anything of this heavenly experience; the Bible has never become anything to them than the word of man, whatever use they may make of the name of God or of Christ. Thus they do not attribute even to the prophets direct communication with heaven; when the prophets say “Thus saith the Lord” they merely give expression to the voice of their own consciences. And so when these critics do not believe that God spoke in a direct supernatural manner to the prophets, who recorded His message, what may they not deny to the ordinary believer in God’s Word? Their whole system of revolutionary criticism is based on nothing more or less than the fact that the Bible is still to them a dead letter, a word of man, and not the heavenly voice of the living God.
- The unlettered Christian has experienced such a remarkable change in his whole soul and conduct by the power of the Scriptures that he possesses invincible testimony within himself that the Bible is not the erring word of fallen man, but the infallible word of the infinitely perfect God. When we speak of the power of the Word we do not exclude the power of the Spirit who applies it. It is the instrument which He uses to accomplish His gracious designs, and is perfectly adapted for its work. It is in this perfect adaptation that the Word’s special efficiency lies, an efficiency which manifests itself when the Spirit puts forth His power.
What has the Bible done for the Christian? It has done everything for him. It was by this Word he was checked in the days of his ignorance when he was careless about the welfare of his soul and about his prospects in view of eternity. He was, it may be, deeply engrossed in the affairs of the world, or pursuing in hot haste after its vanities and pleasures, reckless of the danger of being lost for ever, when the Word of God came home with power to his conscience and arrested him in his mad career. It opened up to his awe-stricken view the solemnities of God’s tribunal, and he found himself a sinful, guilty hell-deserving creature standing before the bar of a holy God. He got a sight in that day of the infinite purity and righteousness of his Maker and of the unspeakable misery of being condemned to all eternity, a sight he shall never forget. In that day of the Spirit’s power he was brought to tremble at the Word of God, and to view with overwhelming awe the tremendous realities of an eternal world. This, though a painful, was a most wholesome experience. The Word showed him his sin and guilt and danger. But it did more than this for him, unspeakably more; it unfolded to him a glorious way of escape and salvation. By this same Word in the hand of the Spirit the sinner’s eyes were opened to see the Divine way of salvation through Jesus Christ. He beholds that God, before whose awful tribunal he trembled in conscious guilt as a condemned sinner, manifesting Himself as a just God and a Saviour in Jesus Christ, as just and the justifier of the ungodly who believe in Jesus. O what a memorable deliverance the poor soul gets in this day when he hears the voice of pardoning mercy proceeding from the Throne of God, and when he finds himself rejoicing in the light of God’s reconciled countenance. This wonderful change implies a translation from death to life, from the power of Satan to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. The criminal is pardoned and justified; the child of the devil becomes the child of God; the captive of hell is made the free citizen of heaven. Such are the blessed results of being “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
The testimony of the humble Christian now is that if there be anything of spiritual life in his soul, if he have any saving acquaintance with Jesus Christ, if he have any hungerings and thirstings after righteousness, after conformity to the glorious image of Christ, and if he has made any progress at all in the walk of godliness, if, in one word, he have any privilege or comfort in this life worthy the name, or that he can encourage himself within view of death and eternity, all, all is due to the Scriptures of truth, the Holy Bible, in which are the words of eternal life.
- It is vain therefore to think that this Christian will accept principles of criticism that have been born in the cradle of infidelity and that rob the Bible of its supernatural glory and virtue. The most illiterate believer has a testimony in his own experience of the purity, integrity and unerring character of God’s book that no power in earth or hell will ever be able to take from him. He has heard the voice of God, and experiences the witness of the Spirit, and so all the declarations of the most learned and intellectual infidels, though dressed in the guise of Christianity, will utterly fail to move him out of his impregnable position. And this is as it ought to be. The Bible was not designed for the use of the few learned people there are in the world; it was written for the purpose of instructing men of all ranks and classes. In fact, it is clearly observable that God has not chosen the greater number of his children from the learned, the noble, or the wise, but from the poor, ignorant and foolish. And so it is to be fully expected that God will give a testimony to His Word than can be received and experienced by the most unlettered of mankind. Theological learning is only the privilege of the few, and after all a privilege that can be attained by the natural man without Divine assistance. Good and useful as it is in its own place, it is being made an idol of in the present generation, and it is to be greatly feared that the worship of this idol will be the destruction of multitudes.
In favour of the Sabbath.—A plebiscite numbering 20,816 votes was recently taken in Dundee to determine whether the city wished tramcars to be run on the Sabbath or not. By a majority of 2137 it was agreed not to have Sabbath car traffic. This is well done on the part of Dundee. On the other hand, we are informed that, for want of time on other days, London Volunteers have begun to exercise on the Sabbath.