THE BIBLE AND ITS ENEMY

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6667, 31 March 1883, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE BIBLE AND ITS ENEMY

BY r.OKDO'- FORLON<!. The Bible is like a mirror—it is turned, as i'i were, towards Heaven, and rt.ll eta God's character—justice, love, mercy. It is turned towards earth, and reflects man—his failures, sin. wickedness, and final misery, ilen generally attaek the Bible for so clearly photographing Winn's sins, and men ask, " \\ hy is so much evil told in the Jiible ?" Why? Because man has that character ; and the reflecting glass is only reflecting truthfully, and recording facts. Til' old painters used to flatter men and bdi'.s ; hut the rays of the sun will not flatter. J.-,*mies often dislike photos because the*-' do not admire vheir own exact lik---iiesses ; so men Ijlamc the liihle generally for being too plam—too bold in t tilling the dins of a wicked world.

Ag.in, the liihle, as a mirror, is turned upon Satan, and telia his true character and his true plans without any compromise. Satan, 110 do.ibt, dislikes it ; ami if Satau hail known that nis answers ill the Book of Job were to be reeor.ied, we may depend upon it that the answers would not have been so eaudid. How shall we classify Satan's work ? I think ho has four great characters. First, lie is often a quirt, poliditd, moral devil, religion quite useless. lie makes his servants negative, moral eorpst-s ; he puts them on an oily, easy slide to destruction, and dresses them up as honest, morally clean, respectable looking, even handsome devils— far too good ever to sin, or to require either inercy or p-.rdon. . hey use only Satan's spectacles, and preteud to see 110 great sins at all. Satan's secrnd character, or Satan's second class, is a Sunday class. Jle com's out as a highly devout religious devil. Jle mikes majniliccut buildings for his class; high altars, splendid windows, royal looking dresses. Jle is wry lively about (orms, ceremonies, log systematic prayers, full of repetitions, cold, icy, and very, very general confessions —no details, 110 particulars ever touched, lie do s not object to a nice little elegant eermon, but it must b j short—v>-ry '■ short, p'easu. On til- Continent of Europe | 1 have seen such 1 lapses often. ]sut Sa'an turns d- adly p:i!e if you propose el- se, Hiljle preaching, ' r i(l a Jh'dereading would make Satan cry out. l'ropose to try ell f-y the llibie. and exclude all ont'ary to t!:e Bible, anil lliis religious devil will turn you right out of his class. Knox and Cdvin would him a tit. But Satan h.s anoti.er character and another class. He is sometimes a cold, i sound, r..-l.gi<ius devil ; pretends to be very or'liodox, and very moral, iv< 11 deep 1:1 Divinity, lie lays a good religions lireall the material is there—he lays out men like corpse I *. The man is there—n complete man—but lie i; a cu.d corpse. '1 he lire is laid, it is all correct, but not 0110 spark, not one match allowed, a bright II une Would irighten the whole ela-s—Satan would shout out lire slid disperse the class. A few born of the Spirit wuuld be reckoned ghosts and discarded. Satan's fourth character is his popular one. lie gives out pleasures, sins, excitements. He winds round this class chains of passion and desire that bind them tirmlj' to Bin and excitement.

Ho makes rniii .of character, modesty, oven appearance.' He dangles before his victims biits that fascinate them—and in the whirl of laughter, gay dresses, and false flattery, they forward, regardk-53 "of i 'consequences. I'oor, sallow-looking crea- 1 tures they pooh become. I Ah, old thou art nottbs man thou | wast noee—ah, young man, already the ; down is off that wing—the frank, honest i words have fled, the noble boyhood cf thy j ife has pone —thou could's* not new i>* frank and candid, and thy face coukl not now raise Its once fine, noble, angry look, when a vile, low sin was mentioned or applauded. Now thou joke with sin and about sin, thou art polluted, and even the outward nobility of thine old nature is gone. Thou art in Satan's class, and thou art afraid of good men, afraid of the Bible, afra : d lest near and dear ones should know the names and habits of thy friends and companions. Satan has blinded your eyes, you are a slave drawn along at his filthy chariot wheels. Hard service, hearer, hard service—Satan gives you all th* sugar first, all the sweets, and then the hitter and the j poison, and no antidote —no antidote—ruin | and misery. Ho'.v did Christ meet Satan? With the only weapon God has given to him — the sword of the Spirit. He tries to rub the edge off your Bible, does he? Of course he will, lie files the edye off jour sword— sharpen it—never allow Satan to tile the edge off a judgment or a promise. Your power is the Bible —quote it again and ayain —grasp a promise and quote it, and stand to it. Let me tell you how Moody says a poor rebel was brought to Christ. God smote with illness a dear little girl, her father's idol. She was the light ot his eye 3. She worse and worse ; she died, and the strong man's agony was intense, and in his despair he attacked God* " Why not take some of my neighbours children ; they have mnny, I had only one. It is cruel." he cried. -And in grec.t agony he cast himself down upon a bed and wept till he fell asleep. He dreamt he saw a bcautiiul country, and far off he heard the voice of that dear child crying, "This way, father! this way, father !" He hurried on and on, and lo ! a broad, angry river stooped him, and he stood and wondered what he would do. Suddenly he heard a voice overhead, " I am the way, the truth, and the life," ami he awoke. He knew that voice. It was God's own voice, and he knelt and responded to it. He trusted to it, and rose up resolved to be Christ's. That man h*B been an able and devoted worker for Christ ever since. TRUSTWORTHY. In one of his earnest and useful sermons the Rev. W. H. Aitken nanvs the subjoined occurrence :—T wao conducting a mission in the North of England, some little time ago, when J met with a young person in great distress ; she had been several mouths in that state. I saw that she was of a melancholy temperament, and I was fearful lest long-continued anxiety should affect her mind and at length drive her deranged. I therefore did all I could t » show her the necessity of trusting in Jesus. She only answered, with a aluk" of the head, and said, '*1 C-Ui't trust Him! I don't know how." "Will you tru.vt me?" 44 Oh, yes, I will trust you." " Are you quite sure you t-ust m*;?"' "Yes, I do." iSufc sup; os-. it were a matter of payment, iMo my hands, of every farthing you possess mthewoihl, so that"l should have \,io m-an.-; of ruining you anil stripping you of j».U that you have. Suppose that there wer-- so.n<» reason which led you to feel that it would be exped.ent ; would you do it? She smiled and thought a moment, " Well, I do not think that I should.** "Just so; I shouM be very much surprised if you did ; it would be very rash of you to trust an entire stranger wiih, every farthing that you had. But suppos:i)g that it was, fur some ivasou, very important that you should be able to trust me, how would you set about r? Would you tsytowork yoursdf up into an excitement ot tru?t, so that at last you should bo able to say, M I fit'ly heli'-ve in him?'' "No, sir, I should I not set about it in that way." Well, you ! would be extremely foolish if you did ; that would not make me But how would you set about it? u Oh, well, 1 should make inquiry." Yes, that is what you \v aid do, surely. Yon would probably write to the vi ar of the parish, the bishop of the di-eese, and two or three well-knowu ekrgymon, and say, 41 Do you know anything about Mr. Aitkcn?" -And if thoy all bore the same witness, and said, " We have known him from a child, and he is thoroughly trustworthy," then you would oume to the conclusion that ycu could safely trust your property with me. Now, apply that to Jesus Christ and the soul. You tind it difficult to believe in Him ? Theu make a few inquiries, (io and ask that poor penitent woman who bathul His feet with her tears. What wiil she say? Will she not tell you that she came to Him heavy-hearted, woeful, weary oil account of guilt, and lie said, u lhy sins, which arc many, are forgiven thee?" Go to the robber, who is hanging over eternity, the darkness of death and perdition re-idy to swallow him up. Aak him, 44 What do you know about Christ?' 1 He WOuhl promptly reply, "I was a poor ainnor, trembling on the brink of doom ; there was but a step between me and ruin. Jesus s'.retehed forth His hand, rescued even me, and paid, "This day thou shalt bo with Me in Paradise/" Finally, and above all, let us go to Him whose witness is true, for "if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." What is the of God concerning His Son? As I make my appc.a 1 to the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, I seem to get from the throne the answer, "Sinner, 1 trusted My Son Jesus to save the world ; you may trust Him to save your soul."

Ilow blessed tho effects of thus coming to Christ ! The Gospel is like a pate, and, as a certain author says, there is a word outand a word inaide it. What are thoy ? "Whosoever," anil 44 Whatsoever." The first iri outside and it lets in all who knock. "Whosoever" hr.3 no restrictions. It applies equally to every human being on tho faee of the earth. Whatsoever, in our folly, we may imagine, God ia immesurably kind, and the offer of salvation proves His infinite mercy. 44 Whosoever shall call upon the name ot the Lord shall be saved. 44 Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." From a lefty position in Arran, on a au.umer-day, I enjoy u beautiful view of the sea, so pure, bright, free ! It is everybody's v.Cii ; no one can monopolise it ; pauper and prince are alike welcome to it. Whosoever will may bathe in it, may sail on it, mr.y sit or roam by it. So with God's jjalvatiou ; all are welcome. Only 14 let the wicked forsake Hia way, and return unto the Lord, and lie will abundantly pardon."

4t Whatsoever" is written inside the door of redemption. The earth and the ocean are rich in their provision for human needs. " So iB this and wide ser»" of salvation. Docs it not contain all that we really re'juire ! God sends no man to warfare 44 at his own charges ; ,} every one who journeys heavenwards is well provisioned and well clad. *' Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." "If we ask anything according to His will, He heareth üb." Let us drop down the line ot* faith. "Ask, and ye Ehall receive." Whosoever brings the sinner ; whatsoever satisfies him when he ccmes.