a study of bible-第40章

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ne　who　asks　that　criticism　has　not　affected　the　fundamental　values　of　the　Bible。　In　the　studies　which　have　just　now　been　made　we　have　not　instanced　anything　in　the　Bible　that　is　subject　to　change。　No　matter　what　the　result　of　critical　study　may　be；　the　fundamental　democracy　of　the　Scripture　remains。　It　continues　to　make　its　persistent　moral　appeal　on　any　terms。　Both　those　great　facts　continue。　Other　great　facts　abide　with　them。　And　on　their　account　it　is　to　our　interest　to　know　as　much　as　we　can　learn　about　it。　The　Bible　has　not　been　lessened　in　its　value；　has　not　been　weakened　in　itself；　by　anything　that　has　taken　place　in　critical　study。　On　the　other　hand；　the　net　result　of　such　studies　as　archaeology　has　been　the　confirmation　of　much　that　was　once　disputed。　Sir　William　Ramsay　is　authority　for　saying　that　the　spade　of　the　excavator　is　to…day　digging　the　grave　of　many　enemies　of　the　Bible。

Take　the　second　question；　whether　these　times　have　not　in　them　elements　that　weaken　the　hold　of　the　Bible。　There　again　we　must　distinguish　between　facts　and　judgments。　There　are　certain　things　in　these　times　which　relax　the　hold　of　any　authoritative　book。　There　is　a　general　relaxing　of　the　sense　of　authority。　It　does　not　come　alone　from　the　intellectual　awakening；　because　so　far　as　that　awakening　is　concerned；　it　has　affected　quite　as　much　men　who　continue　loyal　to　the　authority　of　the　Bible　as　others。　No；　this　relaxing　of　the　sense　of　authority　is　the　result　of　the　first　feeling　of　democracy　which　does　not　know　law。　Democracy　ought　to　mean　that　men　are　left　independent　of　the　control　of　other　individuals　because　they　realize　and　wish　to　obey　the　control　of　God　or　of　the　whole　equally　with　their　fellows。　When；　instead；　one　feels　independent　of　others；　and　adds　to　that　no　sense　of　a　higher　control　which　he　must　be　free　to　obey；　the　result　is　not　democracy；　but　individualism。　Democracy　involves　control；　individualism　does　not。　A　vast　number　of　people　in　passing　from　any　sense　of　the　right　of　another　individual　to　control　them　have　also　passed　out　of　the　sense　of　the　right　of　God　or　of　the　whole　to　control　them。　So　that　from　a　good　many　all　sense　of　authority　has　passed。　It　is　characteristic　of　our　age。　And　it　is　a　stage　in　our　progress　toward　real　democracy；　toward　true　human　liberty。

Observe　that　relaxed　sense　of　authority　in　the　common　attitude　toward　law。　Most　men　feel　it　right　to　disregard　a　law　of　the　community　which　they　do　not　like。　It　appears　in　trivial　things。　If　the　community　requires　that　ashes　be　kept　in　a　metal　receptacle；　citizens　approve　it　in　general；　but　reserve　to　themselves　the　right　to　consider　it　a　foolish　law　and　to　do　something　else　if　that　is　not　entirely　convenient。　If　the　law　says　that　paper　must　not　be　thrown　on　the　sidewalk；　it　means　little　that　it　is　the　law。　Those　who　are　inclined　to　be　clean　and　neat　and　do　not　like　to　see　paper　lying　around　will　keep　the　law；　those　who　are　otherwise　will　be　indifferent　to　it。　That　is　at　the　root　of　the　matter…of…　course　saying　that　a　law　cannot　be　enforced　unless　public　opinion　sustains　it。　Under　any　democratic　system　laws　virtually　always　have　the　majority　opinion　back　of　them；　but　the　minority　reserve　the　right　to　disregard　them　if　they　choose；　and　the　minority　will　be　more　aggressive。　Rising　from　those　relaxations　of　law　into　far　more　important　ones；　it　appears　that　men　in　business　life；　feeling　themselves　hampered　by　legislation；　set　themselves　to　find　a　way　to　evade　it；　justifying　themselves　in　doing　so。　The　mere　fact　that　it　is　the　law　does　not　weigh　heavily。　This　is；　however；　only　an　inevitable　stage　in　progress　from　the　earliest　periods　of　democracy　to　later　and　more　substantial　periods。　It　is　a　stage　which　will　pass。　There　will　come　a　democracy　where　the　rule　of　the　whole　is　frankly　recognized；　and　where　each　man　holds　himself　independent　of　his　fellows　only　in　the　sense　that　he　will　claim　the　right　to　hold　such　relation　to　God　and　his　duty　as　he　himself　may　apprehend。

In　these　times；　also；　the　development　of　temporal　and　material　prosperity　with　the　intellectual　mood　which　is　involved　in　that　affects　the　attitude　of　the　age　toward　the　Bible。　Sometimes　it　is　spoken　of　as　a　scientific　age　over　against　the　earlier　philosophical　ages。　Perhaps　that　will　do　for　a　rough　statement　of　the　facts。　It　is　the　age　of　experiment；　of　trying　things　out；　and　there　naturally　works　into　men　a　feeling　that　the　things　that　will　yield　to　the　most　material　scientific　experimentation　are　the　things　about　which　they　can　be　certain　and　which　are　of　real　value。　That　naturally　involves　a　good　deal　of　appreciation　of　the　present；　and　calls　for　the　improvement　of　the　conditions　of　present　life　first　of　all。　It　looks　more　important　to　see　that　a　man　is　well　fed；　well　housed；　well　clothed；　and　well　educated　than　that　he　should　have　the　interests　of　eternity　pressed　on　his　attention。　That　is　a　comparatively　late　feeling。　It　issues　partly　from　the　fact　that　this　is　a　scientific　age；　when　science　has　had　its　attention　turned　to　the　needs　of　humanity。

Another　result　of　our　scientific　age　is　the　magnifying　of　the　natural；　while　the　Bible　frankly　asserts　the　supernatural。　No　effort　to　get　the　supernatural　out　of　the　Bible；　in　order　to　make　it　entirely　acceptable　to　the　man　who　scouts　the　supernatural；　has　thus　far　proved　successful。　Of　course；　the　supernatural　can　be　taken　out　of　the　Bible；　but　it　will　destroy　the　Bible。　Nor　is　there　much　gain　in　playing　with　words　and　insisting　that　everything　is　supernatural　or　that　everything　is　natural。　There　is　a　difference　between　the　two；　and　in　an　age　which　insists　upon　nature　or　natural　laws　or　forces　or　events　as　all…　sufficient　it　is　almost　inevitable　that　the　Bible　should　lose　its　hold；　at　least　temporarily。

Regarding　all　this　there　are　some　things　that　need　to　be　said。　For　one　thing；　this；　too；　is　a　passing　condition。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　men　are　not　creatures　of　time。　They　actually　have　eternal　connections；　and　the　great　outstanding　facts　which　have　always　made　eternity　of　importance　continue。　The　fact　is　that　men　continue　to　die；　and　that　the　men　who　are　left　behind　cannot　avoid　the　sense　of　mystery　and　awe　which　is　involved　in　that　fact。　The　fact　also　is　that　the　human　emotions　cannot　be　explained　on　the　lower　basis；　and　the　only　reason　men　think　they　can　be　is　because　they　have　in　the　back　of　their　minds　the　old　explanations　which　they　cast　into　the　lower　forms；　deceiving　themselves　into　thinking　they　are　new　ideas　when　they　are　not。

It　ought　to　be　added　that　the　Bible　has　greatly　suffered　in　all　its　history　at　the　hands　of　men　who　have　believed　in　it　and　have　fought　in　its　behalf。　Many　of　the　controversies　which　were　hottest　were　needless　and　injurious。　All　the　folly　has　not　been　on　one　side。　Some　one　referred　the　other　day　to　a　list　of　more　than　a　hundred　scientific　theories　which　were　proposed　at　the　beginning　of　the　last　century　and　abandoned　at　the　end　of　it。　Scientific　men　are　feeling　their　way；　many　of　them　reverently　and　devoutly；　some　of　them　rather　blatantly　and　with　a　readiness　for　publication；　which　hastens　them　into　notoriety。　But　there　has　been　enough　folly　on　both　sides　to　make　every　one　go　cautiously。　It　has　been　remarked　that　in　Dr。　Draper's　book　The　Conflict　Between　Science　and　Religion　he　makes　science　appear　as　a　strong…　limbed　angel　of　God　whereas　religion　is　always　a　great　ass。　The　title　of　the　book　itself　is　not　fair。　In　no　proper　understanding　of　the　words　can　there　be　any　conflict　between　science　and　religion。　There　can　be　a　conflict；　as　Dr。　Andrew　D。　White　puts　it；　between　science　and　theology。　There　can　certainly　be　contest　between　scientists　and　religionists。　Science　and　religion　have　no　conflict。

It　is　interesting　to　observe　how　far　back　most　of　the　supposed　conflicts　actually　lie。　There　is　no　warfare　now；　and；　while　our　fathers　one　or　two　generations　ago　felt　that　they　must　fly　to　the　defense　of　religion　against　the　attacks　of　science；　no　man　wastes　his　strength　doing　that　to…day。　That　period　has　passed。　The　trouble　is　that　some　good　people　do　not　know　it；　and　are　just　fond　enough　of　a　bit　of　a　tussle　to　keep　up　the　fighting　in　the　mountain…passes　while　out　in　the　plain　the　main　armies　have　laid　down　their　arms　an