THE BIBLE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. 



43 



because it does not come within the range of his experience, and 

 the traditionahst behever accepts it entirely without examination, 

 on the bare authority of the name on the title page. I myself 

 have heard a good man say, If the Bible told me that Jonah 

 swallowed the whale, I would believe it," and if anyone else 

 wants to enquire of such a mind for the truth, he can do nothing 

 but hand them the book, and say, " Eead this, and believe it. 

 Everything you need is here.'' This is not the best temper of 

 mind for a Christian or a student of chemistry either. The ideal 

 student would say, " How wonderful ! It is hard to believe such 

 a thing is a fact ! Let me go up to the laboratory and verify it ! " 

 He goes up, shuts himself in, prepares the material and makes 

 the great venture. Nothing happens. Does he throw the book 

 down and say, " There, I've done with it. I was afraid it was 

 all lies and delusions, and now I see that it is." No, he lays the 

 blame not on the book but on himself, saying, " What can I 

 have done wrong? " He reads the instructions over again, dis- 

 covers the mistake, and tries once more. If he is but a beginner 

 this may happen several times, but his faith in the book remains 

 unshaken. It is present experience is the test. He says, 

 " Others have attained this result, so why may not I? " and with 

 still more exact obedience he follows every detail. Surely when 

 at last the little scarlet lump lies in the test-tube before his 

 eyes, he may exclaim with assurance, " I have found the truth ! " 

 It is the experience of the immediate present that is the proof 

 of the validity of the recorded page of the past, and the founda- 

 tion of confidence for the future. 



The most important part of life is this bringing conviction to 

 our own selves. The words in the Bible stand sure, expressed 

 in many different ways, that the Lord will give the Holy Spirit 

 to those who ask Him, but our eyes are blind and our hearts are 

 stubborn, and it is hard to stand at the foot of the Cross and 

 wait. But let this new flame be lighted within, and we are free 

 to look around us and see how wonders of the same kind are 

 going on in the hearts of others. A good part of the work is left 

 to the living voice of the Church of Christ, but even this is 

 useless unless it is backed up by the words of the Bible. Look 

 at our vast fields of Missionary work, read the annual report 

 of the Bible Society, or the Scripture Gift Mission, enquire what 

 the Army Scripture Readers are doing, or the Ranyard Nurses, 

 or the men of the London City Mission, or any other such 

 Christian agencies, and you will find that the Bible itself is the 



power-house " from which they can draw their force. It may 

 be somewhat crudely treated, but as long as there is not an inten- 

 tional rejection of the light given us, as long as the Holy Spirit is 

 obeyed in all simplicity, the blessing of God will always follow 

 ihis faithful recurrence to the words He has given us. 



