a study of bible-第41章

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　fighting　in　the　mountain…passes　while　out　in　the　plain　the　main　armies　have　laid　down　their　arms　and　are　busy　tilling　the　soil。

The　period　of　conflict　is　past；　partly　because　we　are　learning　to　distinguish　between　the　Bible　as　it　really　is　and　certain　long…established　ideas　about　the　Bible　which　came　from　other　sources　and　have　become　attached　to　it　until　it　seemed　to　sustain　them。　The　proper　doctrine　of　evolution　is　entirely　compatible　with　the　Bible。　The　great　Dr。　Hodge　declared　that　the　consistent　Darwinian　must　be　an　atheist。　For　that　matter；　Shelley　defended　himself　by　saying　that；　of　course；　〃the　consistent　Newtonian　must　necessarily　be　an　atheist。〃　But　fifty　years　have　made　great　changes　in　the　doctrine　of　evolution；　and　the　old　scare　has　been　over　for　some　time。　Newton　is　honored　in　the　church　quite　as　much　as　in　the　university；　and　Darwin　is　not　a　name　to　frighten　anybody。　Understanding　evolution　better　and　knowing　the　Bible　better；　the　two　do　not　jangle　out　of　tune　so　badly　but　that　harmony　is　promised。

The　doctrine　of　the　antiquity　of　the　world　is　entirely　compatible　with　the　Bible；　though　it　is　not　compatible　with　the　dates　which　Archbishop　Ussher；　in　the　time　of　King　James；　put　at　the　head　of　the　columns。　That　is　so　with　other　scientific　theories。　Any　one　who　has　read　much　of　history　has　attended　the　obsequies　of　so　many　theories　in　the　realm　of　science　that　he　ought　to　know　that　he　is　wasting　his　strength　in　trying　to　bring　about　a　constant　reconciliation　between　scientific　and　religious　theories。　It　is　his　part　to　keep　an　open　mind　in　assurance　of　the　unity　of　truth；　an　assurance　that　there　is　no　fact　which　can　possibly　come　to　light　and　no　true　theory　of　facts　which　can　possibly　be　formed　which　does　not　serve　the　interest　of　the　truth；　which　the　Bible　also　presents。　The　Bible　does　not　concern　itself　with　all　departments　of　knowledge。　So　far　as　mistakes　have　been　made　on　the　side　of　those　who　believe　it；　they　have　issued　from　forgetting　that　fact　more　than　from　any　other　one　cause。

On　the　other　hand；　it　has　sometimes　occurred　that　believers　in　the　Bible　have　been　quite　too　eager　to　accommodate　themselves　to　purely　passing　phases　of　objection　to　it。　The　matter　mentioned　a　moment　ago；　the　excision　of　the　supernatural；　is　a　case　in　point。　The　easy　and　glib　way　in　which　some　have　sought　to　get　around　difficulties；　by　talking　in　large　terms　about　the　progressiveness　of　the　revelation；　as　though　the　progress　were　from　error　to　truth；　instead　of　from　half　light　to　full　light；　is　another　illustration。　The　nimble　way　in　which　we　have　turned　what　is　given　as　history　into　fiction；　and　allowed　imagination　to　roam　through　the　Bible；　is　another　illustration。　One　of　our　later　writers　tells　the　story　of　Jonah；　and　says　it　sounds　like　fiction；　why　not　call　it　fiction？　Another　tells　the　story　of　the　exodus　from　Egypt；　and　says　it　sounds　like　fiction；　why　not　call　it　fiction？　Well；　certainly　the　objection　is　not　to　the　presence　of　fiction　in　the　Bible。　It　is　there；　openly；　confessedly；　unashamed。　Fiction　can　be　used　with　great　profit　in　teaching　religious　truth。　But　fiction　may　not　masquerade　in　the　guise　of　history；　if　men　are　to　be　led　by　it　or　mastered　by　it。　If　the　way　to　be　rid　of　difficulties　in　a　narrative　is　to　turn　it　into　pious　fiction；　there　are　other　instances　where　it　might　be　used　for　relief　in　emergencies。　The　story　of　the　crucifixion　of　Christ　can　be　told　so　that　it　sounds　like　fiction；　why　not　call　it　fiction？　Certainly　the　story　of　the　conversion　of　Paul　can　be　made　to　sound　like　fiction；　why　not　call　it　fiction？　And　there　is　hardly　any　bit　of　narrative　that　can　be　made　to　sound　so　like　fiction　as　the　landing　of　the　Pilgrims；　why　not　call　that　fiction？　It　is　the　easy　way　out；　the　difficulties　are　all　gone　like　Alice's　cat；　and　there　is　left　only　the　broad　smile　of　some　moral　lesson　to　be　learned　from　the　fiction。　It　is　not；　however；　the　courageous　nor　the　perfectly　square　way　out。　Violence　has　to　be　done　to　the　plain　narrative；　historical　statement　has　to　be　made　only　a　mask。　And　the　only　reason　for　it　is　that　there　are　difficulties　not　yet　cleared。　As　for　the　characters　involved；　Charles　Reade；　the　novelist；　calling　himself　〃a　veteran　writer　of　fiction；〃　declares　that　the　explanation　of　these　characters；　Jonah　being　one　of　them；　by　invention　is　incredible　and　absurd：　〃Such　a　man　＇as　himself＇　knows　the　artifices　and　the　elements　of　art。　Here　the　artifices　are　absent；　and　the　elements　surpassed。〃　It　is　not　uncommon　for　one　who　has　found　this　easy　way　out　of　difficulties　to　declare　with　a　wave　of　his　hand；　that　everybody　now　knows　that　this　or　that　book　in　the　Bible　is　fiction；　when；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　that　is　not　at　all　an　admitted　opinion。　The　Bible　will　never　gain　its　place　and　retain　its　authority　while　those　who　believe　in　it　are　spineless　and　topple　over　at　the　first　touch　of　some　one's　objection。　It　could　not　be　a　great　Book；　it　could　not　serve　the　purposes　of　a　race　if　it　presented　no　problems　of　understanding　and　of　belief；　and　all　short　and　easy　methods　of　getting　rid　of　those　problems　are　certain　to　leave　important　elements　of　them　out　of　sight。

All　this　means　that　the　changes　of　these　times　rather　present　additional　reason　for　a　renewed　hold　on　the　Bible。　It　presents　what　the　times　peculiarly　need。　Instead　of　making　the　influence　of　the　Bible　impossible；　these　changes　make　the　need　for　the　Bible　the　greater　and　give　it　greater　opportunity。


Add　three　notable　points　at　which　these　times　feel　and　still　need　the　influence　of　the　Bible。　First；　they　have　and　still　need　its　literary　influence。　So　far　as　its　ideas　and　forces　and　words　are　interwoven　in　the　great　literature　of　the　past；　it　is　essential　still　to　the　understanding　of　that　literature。　It　remains　true　that　English　literature；　certainly　of　the　past　and　also　of　the　present；　cannot　be　understood　without　knowledge　of　the　Bible。　The　Yale　professor　of　literature；　quoted　so　often；　says：　〃It　would　be　worth　while　to　read　the　Bible　carefully　and　repeatedly；　if　only　as　a　key　to　modern　culture；　for　to　those　who　are　unfamiliar　with　its　teachings　and　its　diction　all　that　is　best　in　English　literature　of　the　present　century　is　as　a　sealed　book。〃

From　time　to　time　there　occur　painful　reminders　of　the　fact　that　men　supposed　to　know　literature　do　not　understand　it　because　they　are　not　familiar　with　the　Bible。　Some　years　ago　a　college　president　tested　a　class　of　thirty…four　men　with　a　score　of　extracts　from　Tennyson；　each　of　which　contained　a　Scriptural　allusion；　none　of　them　obscure。　The　replies　were　suggestive　and　quite　appalling。　Tennyson　wrote；　in　the　〃Supposed　Confessions〃：

　〃My　sin　was　a　thorn　among　the　thorns　that　　　　　　girt　Thy　brow。〃

Of　these　thirty…four　young　men　nine　of　them　did　not　understand　that　quotation。　Tennyson　wrote：

　〃Like　Hezekiah's；　backward　runs　　The　shadow　of　my　days。〃

Thirty…two　of　the　thirty…four　did　not　know　what　that　meant。　The　meaning　of　the　line；

　〃For　I　have　flung　thee　pearls　and　find　thee　swine；〃

was　utterly　obscure　to　twenty…two　of　the　thirty…　four。　One　of　them　said　it　was　a　reference　to　〃good　opportunities　given　but　not　improved。〃　Another　said　it　was　equivalent　to　the　counsel　〃not　to　expect　to　find　gold　in　a　hay…stack。〃　Even　the　line；

　　　　　　　　　　〃A　Jonah's　gourd　　Up　in　one　night；　and　due　to　sudden　sun；〃

was　utterly　baffling　to　twenty…eight　of　the　thirty…four。　One　of　them　spoke　of　it　as　an　〃allusion　to　the　uncertainty　of　the　length　of　life。〃　Another　thought　it　was　a　reference　to　〃the　occasion　of　Jonah's　being　preserved　by　the　whale。〃　Another　counted　it　〃an　allusion　to　the　emesis　of　Jonah　by　the　whale。〃　Another　considered　it　a　reference　to　〃the　swallowing　of　Jonah　by　a　whale；〃　and　yet　another　considered　that　it　referred　to　〃things　grand；　but　not　worthy　of　worship　because　they　are　perishable。〃　It　is　amazing　to　read　that　in　response　to　Tennyson's　lines；

　〃Follow　Light　and　do　the　Rightfor　man　can　　　　　　half　control　his　doom　　Till　you　find　the　deathless　Angel　seated　in　the　　　　　　vacant　tomb；〃

only　sixteen　were　able　to　give　an　explanation　of　its　meaning！　The　lines　from　the　〃Holy　Grail〃　were　equally　baffling：

　〃Perhaps　like　Him　of　Cana　in　Holy　Writ；　　Our　Arthur　kept　his　best　until　the　last。〃

Twen