SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16300, 5 August 1916, Page 8 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD.

BY MY. DIXSDALB T. YOCTNff.

The Word of' God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividms asunder ot soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a. discerner of the 1 noughts »nd intents of the heart.— Hebrew* iv. 12. Does this passage refer to the Incarnate Word - the Lord J.'hiis Christ—or to the ■written Word—the Bible? Tn my judgment, it refers to the Bible, and it is one of the witnesses of the Bible to itselfThis amazing Book is amazing because it is the Word of OoH. S. spake Mr. Dinsdale Young in a n-pnt address. Tic then proceeded as follow? :— Others claimed that, we ought to say that the Bible contained the Word of C.id. But the Bible's view of itself was th.a it was all of it the Word of God. 'lie. contents were not merely the opinions ot Paul and Peter and others, but in the firutl sense these were the words of God. Nothing was mi vital to the- Church of Christ to-day as the authority of Holy Scripture. Other people, again, contended that there was so much mystery about the Word. But that was to be expected, seeing that it was the Word of God. A book that is of God must surely transcend our little intellects. There were others who said they must only accept as the Word of God what appealed to their moral sense: but he answered, the moral sense in man had been debased by sin. and was not equal to the task of deciding the matter. John Wesley once said that if God had spoken then let its hear. God. bad spoken. Rogers said that in the Bible there was an Author behind the authors, and that Author was God. It is Living. Ihft Bible, in bearing witness to itself, bears witness to its vitality. It is de-&-rbed as " quick" —that is, living.' There are plenty of dead books and plenty of dead literature. The comfort, when some brooks were issued, was tliat they would soon be gone. They were bom to die.; and they very happily soon fulfilled their mission. But the Word of God was living, throbbing with its Author's immortality. What a wonderful thing it was that the Bible endured. The existence of this Book was one of the miracles of Providence. You could say about many of its enemies what was said of the enemies of the infant Christ, they are dead who sought its life. Dr. Parker used to say that you never knew how interesting the Bible was until you had read a newspaper. How refreshing to get away from the newspaper to the Bible ! During the last twelve months I have been declaring in season and out of season that what we needed was a revival of Bible reading. It is Powerful. The Bible was not only living, but it was powerful— There were plenty of living people who were not energetic. It was not only active, but effective. The best exposition he could give of its energy was to ask them to look into their own hearts. Its power was felt in the conviction of sin. Our Lord, in speaking of the Old Testament only, and its power, said, if they believed not Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe though one rose from the dead. If ! the Bible would' not " convince them nothing would. It made a man. feel the leprosy of his soul. If they would go further and believe what the Bible had to saved of'Goa that very minute. After trying everything else men came back to the Bible and found peace there. The Book was also powerful to comfort. One of the . results of this war would be a; uev# faith in God's Word. New theologies did not work well in the trenches. It was on the Ward of God that our brave fellows were living, a.nd in its strength some of them ■were passing triumphant home. It is Critical. Then it witnessed to itself by its criticalness. It was a discemer of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Greek word was almost our English word critic" They heard much about the Bible critics, but the Bible' i£self was a critic. This was not Higher Criticism, it was the highest criticism. Men ought to be far more anxious to let the Bible criticise them than to crticise it. It criticised the thoughts and intents of the heart and the emotions. Let them listen to "what it bad to say about their pride and jealousy and love of money. It touched not merely what they were thinking, but what they were planning. If the Bible were allowed to have its way they -would soon be humbled in the dust, for it searched out the intents of the heart. It was said of one of the Deans of St. Paul's that he prostrated his intellect before the Bible. The Bible is the only hope of England and the human race. A HYMN" OF NATIONAL PENITENCE. (Suggested tune, " Glebe Field." Dykes.) Father, in our day of ease Thou didst plead, and plead in vain; Soft as breath of summer breeze Wooed Thy whisper, •Turn again! Leave the idols of your choice, Pride of life, indulgence, greed"— Small and still the Spirit's voice Called to ears that would not heed. God arose; from pole to pole Rocked the world in emoke and blood; By the battle's thunder-roll Spake the insistent voice of God. Urgent with Divine desire, Tireless, though His people spurn, H&rkl through earthquake, wind and fire, Pleads that voice. " Return, return." Lord, we come. Before Thy throne Low in sham© Thy servants bow. Obstinate the sin we own; Pardon, cleanse, revive us now. Bv the fires of this. Thy clay. Shrivelled all false idols be! Claim, O Christ. Thy righteous away O'er an Empire worthier Thee. Toronto. C. Venn Puchib.