LECTURE V. THE STANDARD BY WHICH THE BIBLE IS TO BE EXAMINED-NATURE. HOW SHALL WE KNOW THE WORD WHICH THE LORD HATH NOT SPOKEN ?-Deut. 18: 21. TRUTH is conformity to some standard with which the mind is intimate. If I declare my room to be twenty feet long, a piece of cloth to measure twenty yards, or a quantity of iron to weigh one hundred pounds, such declaration implies that I have a knowledge of the foot and the yard measure, and the pound weight, by which I have compared the articles named, and have thus ascertained the facts which I have predicated of them. this In like manner, if I affirm the Bible to be true, affirmation implies that I have compared it with some true standard, a conformity to which, convinces me of its truthfulness. This standard, by which the Bible is to be measured, is nature, or principles deduced from nature. We may take some self-evident proposition, or we may take some conclusion from a previous course of reasoning from nature, as our premise in examining the Bible, but whether a truth of consciousness, or a deduction of reason, it must be treated as a self-evident idea, for the time being-while used as a measure with which to determine the truthfulness of the Bible. It is essential that I should have a good acquaintance with the premise, or measure. If I have no idea of the length of the rule with which I measure the room, or the cloth, or have no knowledge of the weight with which I balance the iron, then it cannot be expected that I shall arrive at any just idea of the thing measured or weighed. If required to measure a piece of land, with a Hindoo measure, whose conformity with the American standard, I have no knowledge, then, it is apparent, that I can have no distinct idea of the quantity of land, after it has been measured. To apply this method of argument: should I be asked if the Bible accords with what is manifested by the invisible heavens, I could not tell, since they have never been subject to my inspection. I may know something of the Bible, but I can know nothing, from observation, of scenes beyond the compass of my vision. But if asked if the Bible accords with what is taught by objects of nature surrounding me, I can form an opinion, since I know something of nature in its various departments. The man who has learned nothing of nature, is an idiot, and hence can not be capable of reading the Bible, understanding its truth, or of being responsible for the consequences of his idiocy. When we speak of comparing the Bible with nature, it may, perhaps, be necessary to be more definite in relation to what we mean by the term. The term nature, in this discussion, we shall understand in its most extensive sense, including all except revelation-all objects in the natural or in the moral world. Even Christian experience is nature, for it is the human soul becoming developed in the most natural manner. Christianity is adapted to the soul, as light is to the eye. But it may be asked, since nature is our standard by which we are to judge of the Bible's truth, why not make nature our guide, and look no further than its teachings? We reply, because the Bible looks further than nature. We might as well ask, as the foot, rod, furlong and mile, are all made up of inches, why should we wish for any thing but the inch measure? Or as the eye is the standard by which the telescope is constructed, and by which we judge of its correctness, why not use the eye altogether, without ever desiring the telescope? We can discover objects in the natural heavens, and see others more clearly than could be the case with the naked eye, so with the Bible, we can look further into the spiritual heavens, and discover much that is entirely new, and we see other things more clearly than by the assistance of mere nature. We may behold what "eye hath not seen nor ear heard," &c. Eyes can never fill the place of telescopes, neither can telescopes enable us to dispense with eyes. Nature can never fill the place of the Bible, neither can we use the Bible without the help afforded by nature. The mathematician will tell you that the only fundamental idea of mathematics, is the unit one, and that the whole "ten system is evolved from this one idea, until we see little sleepless sentinels, keeping watch over all the temporal affairs of men." The geomatrician will tell you that the whole system of geometry is evolved from the simple fundamental idea, that a "straight line between two given points is the nearest distance from one to the other." So the system of revealed religion, appears to be but a lengthening out of a few self-evident truths, which are subjects of consciousness. The mind is not satisfied to rest upon those principles of consciousness without a revelation, for similar reasons, that the mathematician and the geometrician, are not satisfied to rest upon the fundamental principles of their systems, but push on towards numerous ideas which lie far beyond the range of consciousness. But were it not for the self-evident and fundamental ideas, which lie at the foundation of science, there could be no science; and were there no self-evident and fundamental ideas, lying at the foundation of religion, no revelation could have been made to our minds. A revelation would be of no avail to a brute, because the brute has no religious nature, or, in other words, he is destitute of those self-evident and fundamental ideas, which lie at the foundation of religion, and which are used as tests in judging of the truth of a revelation. Those self-evident ideas, are a part of nature, and hence we say, nature is the standard by which we are to examine the Bible. But in comparing the Bible with nature, we are in danger of falling into two errors, whenever we depart from ideas of consciousness. We may mistake the meaning of nature, or the meaning of the Bible, and in each case, we shall equally err. If one so mistakes nature as to suppose that it teaches theft, his view of nature will not harmonize with the Bible, or if one so misinterprets the Bible as to make it justify theft, such a notion will always be clashing with those principles of nature, written upon his own soul, and upon all around him. When both nature and the Bible are properly interpreted, they are ever found to harmonize. We shall now proceed to the illustration of this subject, by a few examples, drawn from the world of matter, and from the world of mind. 1. The world of matter, is so arranged that its simple appearance is the best calculated possible, to inspire the mind of the most superficial observer, with ideas of the wisdom, power and goodness of the Creator, and to awaken feelings of veneration. In short, it excites in the mind precisely the same ideas, received from the Scriptures. The Bible constantly refers to these visible objects as its prototype. "Forever O Lord thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations; thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this. day according to thine ordinances; for all are thy servants."-Ps. 119: 89, 90, 91. How beautifully sublime is another testimony the Bible gives to the starry heavens : 66 The heavens declare the glory of God; The firmament showeth forth the work of his hands. Day uttereth instruction unto day, And night showeth knowledge unto night, They have no speech nor language, And their voice is not heard; Yea, their sound goeth forth to all the earth, sound A New Testament writer assures us that this very is the gospel of Christ; thus we have the Bible itself bear |