p. 5 | Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures

Pacific Press Publishing Company · MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA · May 1, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 18.

Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.

By Francis McClellan Wilcox

Evidences Appealing to All.

THAT the Bible bears the stamp of High Divinity, its study will demonstrate. It possesses many characteristics which serve to point to an authority higher than man. Unlike other books, it is written in a style which, while it appeals direct to the heart, stirring to action the emotions of the soul, likewise convinces the judgment of the wisdom and truthfulness of its utterances. Evidences both external and internal go to show that He who spake as never man spake has traced in the Holy Scriptures His own divine will concerning the children of men.

Of the many of what may be called external evidences that the Scriptures are of God, only a few can be mentioned in this brief space. For convenience, these may be enumerated as follows:

1. Its Unity.—There is no discord nor dissonance in its utterances. In its sixty-six great divisions, not one of its writers utters sentiments contrary to the teachings of his fellows. True these writers did not write on the same things in detail; each bears a Gospel message of his own. Some are historical in their work, others exegetical, and still others deal with futurity. In the work of all, many great questions of philosophy and morals are considered; but all of these principles, these utterances of many minds, form a beautiful and harmonious whole. This is all the more remarkable when we come to consider that these writers lived in different ages, in widely separated countries, and under greatly varying conditions so far as their civil, social, and religious environments were concerned. The fact that men scattered all along the stream of time from Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, to John, who penned the Revelation, a period of nearly three thousand years, should write on such a variety of topics, preserving in all of their work such unity of sentiment and teaching, shows that one master Mind directed the utterances. The unity of the word points to God as its Author.

2. Its Simplicity and Sublimity.—The loftiest ideas are expressed in the simplest terms; the grandest truths are told with a simple directness that appeals to the heart; the lives of its characters are described without false coloring or prejudice. It has truly been said that the two sublimest utterances ever expressed are the words found in the first chapter of Genesis, "And God said, Let there be light; and there was light," and

the prayer of our Saviour on Calvary's cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." The style employed thruout is worthy of a divine being. In it there is no cheapness. The language is simple and free from affectation. A simple, positive directness permeates the word which directs the thoughts of the reader to the Divine Being instead of to fallible man.

3. Its adaptability.—Altho written in part more than four thousand years ago, it is as applicable to the present inhabitants of the earth as when first bestowed upon man as a heritage. It is adapted to all ages, all conditions of society, all climates, all nationalities, high and low, rich and poor, learned and illiterate,—all of every nation under heaven may find instruction precisely suited to their needs.

4. Its Impartiality.—It has among men no heroes nor heroines whose misdeeds are glossed over. The sins of the noblest and best are pointed out. Unlike profane history, its writers exhibit no national prejudices. The sins of David, the king of Israel, are pointed out and rebuked. The faltering weakness of the wise man is faithfully portrayed. The sin of the one who talked to God face to face, as friend talks with friend, is not passed by in silence. In its impartial but faithful record, it stands without a peer in all the literature of the ages.

5. Its Mysteries.—Its depths are unsearchable; no amount of study can fathom its broadest meaning. David the shepherd, Amos the herdsman, and Peter the fisherman, have written truths so wonderful that the science and wisdom of all the ages have been unable to fathom their full significance. In these mysteries is enshrouded divinity. They reveal not the feeble intellect of man, but the mind of the great infinite One.

6. Its Predictions.—The prophecies of the Scriptures stand as unimpeachable evidence of its heaven-born origin. No man nor any company of men had ever mind so great, nor had they perceptions so clear, as to correctly forecast the future. None living to-day can predict with certainty the events of to-morrow. Not so with God. To Him the past and the future are as the present. He can declare the end from the beginning. Prophecies pertaining to the past have faithfully met their fulfilment; prophecy pertaining to present events is turning to history to-day. God only could look down the stream of time and predict with exactitude the rise and fall of nations, and the important changes in the history of the race, as are brought to view in the sacred writings.

7. Its Endurance.—"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. . . . But the word of the Lord endureth forever." God, the Author of the word, has put within it His own enduring nature. For ages it has stood the assault of bigoted fanatic and infidel zealot, but still it lives. Rome burned it; France crushed it in the dust; but the word of God's witness arose, as it were from its own ashes, to wield a more mighty influence than ever before. In it is the power of Infinity, and that power is eternal. "The word of the Lord endureth forever."

F. M. WILCOX.