Page 9 Advertisements Column 6

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 286, 17 August 1926, Page 9

RELIGIOUS NOTlCES.—(Continued). particularly for profound persons, and therefore the first and generally the main and leading idea of the Bible is on its surface written in the plainest English, needing nothing but what all might give—attention.” Moody wrote: “This is the Book which keeps me from sin, and sin keeps me from it, and we would tear the veil from the claim of solicitation for the child’s welfare of so-called “Directors of Education by declaring it to be not false policy or follv or actual sin to keep the “Bread' of Life” from the young of the land. “How dare any moral being banish from the syllabus under pretext whatever a Book?” ‘This Holv Book stamped with the signature of God Almighty” (Pollok). “We are seeing again the lamentable picture of tTcrusnlcrn of old. <,r Tlio yoking child] on ask bread and no man breaketh it unto them” (Lam. 4. 4). M“ A. J. Swinburne. for 35 years H.M. Chief Inspector of Schools in England, said on his rctiromont: do onr best to sever the hecinning of wisdom from the immemorial and indissoluble partner the fear of the Lord, a fear more than ever nrovecl in practice to lie U'e only safe Guarantee of a good understanding. Morality is not spirituality, though the latter includes (lie first, which is litornllv correct "manner or custom.” The latter nothing less than a rebirth, a drinking in of the Spirit of God. and this rebirth the Bible claims to be able to accomplish absolutely unassisted bv man. “Hear and thy soul shall ’ive” (Isaiah 55, 3). It is said of Timothv. "From a child thou hast known 'the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thoo wise unto Salvation.” Dennis Wilcox read his Old Testament in- Hebrew at nine years of age. The Bible claims to be “Living. “active” and a critic (Greek) of the thoughts (Hebrews 4. 12). There is no authority for a HUMAN critic of a DIVINE Book, or for a human organiser or controller of its proper use. God gave the Bible to the world as His Supreme Gift, heralding the advent of HIS ONLY SON. and every living being has a right to it. young or old. Of Jerusalem Christ mourned. “If thou hadst known the things which belong to thv peace.” They did not. Why? The Pharisees had taken away “the key of knowledge,” the Scriptures, by giving tradition instead, and by substituting human teaching for Divine Revelation. Let us remember that men are to he judged by the Bible. “The words I have spoken unto you the same shall judge you at that day.” They live bv it. “My words are spirit and they are life.” And the Bible declares. "If anyone adds to it or takes away from it. his part shall be taken from the Holv Citv.” Those who would withhold God’s Word from the children to-day surely come beneath that solemn Word of the Lord. "Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he. were drowned in the depths of the sea.” There is something strikingly pathetic in the incident where others would have brought the children to Christ, but His own disciples (wouldbe officials) forbade them, and Jesus said, "Permit the children to come unto ME.” The great S'cripturhl principle whose wisdom is undoubted is “Train up a child in the way it should go and when he is old he will uot depart from it.” All educationists of the best type admit that the teachers’ vocation in its highest form is a “spiritual” vocation, and of a spiritual character, and yet ho cannot open with th? child the most spiritual of books! The very ludicrousness of the position is its condemnation. ,O ne . would imagine from all that is said that God sent the Bible into the world to be what men have made it, the great bone of contention and an arena for debate and scientific casuistry, instead of what it really is. a message of Divine Love to a poor, blind, needy world, easily apprehended by anyone and most of all by a young child.